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Baba

Baba is a word from the Hindi language that means

“father” and is used commonly as an honorific for

sages, gurus, and saints. A person called Baba may

or may not have taken the vows of renunciation

that are signified by the title SWAMI.

Babaji (birth possibly 203 C.E.) the eternal yogi

Babaji (Revered Father) is a legendary immortal

YOGI who is said to have instructed many of the

great historic yogis, in the service of his goal

of human spiritual evolution. He is particularly

associated with the modern yoga movement of the

SELF-REALIZATION FELLOWSHIP.

Historical information regarding Babaji is diffi-

cult to obtain. Paramahansa YOGANANDA, founder

of the fellowship and the first author to create

wide recognition of Babaji, dedicates one chap-

ter of his book Autobiography of a Yogi to Babaji,

whose other names are Mahamuni Babaji Maharaj

(Supreme Ecstatic Master), Maha Yogi (Great

Yogi), and Trambak Baba or Shiva Baba (both

incarnations of SHIVA). According to Yogananda,

Babaji chooses to live in obscurity in the Himala-

yas, beyond a holy place called BADRINATH, and has

intentionally kept secret any information about

his birthplace and date of birth, which is believed

to have occurred so long ago as to be beyond

consideration.

Babaji is said to work in the background to

guide the evolution of human consciousness;

at certain times he appears and initiates certain

people to advance their spiritual evolution and to

promote new paths for humanity. He is not nor-

mally accessible, appearing only when he desires,

often at melas (festivals). Babaji is not “religious”;

rather, his goal is to help everyone achieve SELF-

REALIZATION by means of several forms of the sci-

ence of YOGA.

Babaji is said to have given yoga initiation

to the historical teachers SHANKARA (seventh

century C.E.) of the Swami Order and KABIR,

(15th century C.E.), the famous medieval Hindi

saint-poet. Around 800–900 C.E., he appeared as

GORAKHNATH and initiated disciples into HATHA

and KUNDALINI yoga disciplines. According to

Yogananda, around 1860 Babaji taught KRIYA YOGA

(the main teaching of the Self-Realization Fellow-

ship), to LAHIRI MAHASAYA (1828–95), the GURU

responsible for reviving the discipline. Yogananda

claimed that Babaji also appeared to him early

in the 20th century and gave him his mission to

teach in the West.

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