Neem Karoli Baba

A life rooted in devotion

Who Was Neem Karoli Baba?

Neem Karoli Baba, also known as Neeb Karori Baba, was a Hindu saint whose life unfolded across northern India during the twentieth century.

Commonly published accounts give his birth name as Lakshmi Narayan Sharma (some sources write Lakshman) and place his birth around 1900 in Akbarpur, Uttar Pradesh, into a Brahmin family. Accounts differ regarding the precise year and details, and we note those differences rather than choose one.

Drawn toward spiritual life from an early age, as a young man he left home to pursue the life of a wandering sadhu, a renunciate devoted to spiritual practice. During his travels he became associated with the village of Neeb Karori in Uttar Pradesh, from which his widely recognized name emerged.

Although he spent periods living as a renunciate, Maharaj-ji also returned to family life. He married and had children, while continuing his spiritual travels and relationships with devotees.

Over the years, people came to him from many walks of life: householders, villagers, spiritual seekers, government officials, and wandering sadhus. Some sought guidance. Others came with difficulties, illness, or grief. Many simply wished to sit in his presence.

Maharaj-ji wrote no books and established no elaborate system of instruction. His teachings were communicated through the circumstances of daily life, through his relationships with devotees, and through the example of his own devotion. To those who loved him, he was simply Maharaj-ji.

The extraordinary within the everyday

A Life Beyond the Ordinary

Maharaj-ji’s life was marked by a simplicity that often concealed its depth. He might be found sitting on a wooden platform, wrapped in a blanket, surrounded by devotees. He laughed, teased, asked questions, gave instructions, and sometimes remained silent.

He paid attention to ordinary things. Had someone eaten? Was a visitor comfortable? Was a family member well? Had someone traveled a long distance? Did a person need help?

In the recollections of those who knew him, these seemingly simple encounters often became moments of profound spiritual significance. His presence was remembered as both deeply human and difficult to describe.

For many devotees, the experience of being with Maharaj-ji transformed their understanding of love. They encountered a love that did not appear to depend upon achievement, status, belief, or worthiness.

His teachings unfolded in kitchens, gardens, homes, temples, train journeys, and the ordinary circumstances of people’s lives. Through these encounters, Maharaj-ji continually brought his devotees back to the simplicity of loving and serving one another.

The path of devotion

Maharaj-ji and Hanuman

Devotion to Hanuman stood at the heart of Maharaj-ji’s life. In the Hindu tradition, Hanuman is revered as the embodiment of devotion to Lord Ram. His strength is inseparable from humility, his courage from love, and his service from complete surrender to the Divine.

Maharaj-ji inspired the establishment of Hanuman temples throughout India, and the Hanuman Chalisa remains a cherished part of the devotional practice of his satsang.

Many devotees revere Maharaj-ji himself as an embodiment of Hanuman. For those who love him, this understanding is not merely an abstract theological idea. It is a living expression of their relationship with him and the grace they experience through his remembrance.

The path of Hanuman is the path of bhakti: devotion expressed through love, service, surrender, and remembrance. It asks us to bring the heart into everything we do.

To serve another person is to serve God. To remember the Divine is to return to love. To offer our actions without attachment is to make everyday life an expression of devotion.

The heart of his teachings

Love Everyone. Serve Everyone. Remember God.

Maharaj-ji’s teachings are remembered through a few simple expressions that continue to guide devotees around the world. These words are not merely ideas to contemplate. They invite us into a way of living.

Stories and remembrances

In His Presence

Much of Maharaj-ji’s life has been preserved through the memories of those who knew him. Devotees remember his laughter, compassion, extraordinary awareness, and the unexpected ways he cared for people.

Some accounts describe experiences that defy ordinary explanation. These stories are treasured within the satsang as personal testimonies of love and grace. We share them in the spirit in which they have been preserved, allowing each reader to receive them in their own way.

A living family of love

The Devotees Who Remembered Him

Maharaj-ji’s life has been preserved through the devotion of countless people who knew him. Indian devotees and families maintained his temples, cared for his ashrams, preserved his stories, and carried his teachings forward.

Among those whose remembrances are especially important are Dada Mukerjee, Siddhi Ma, Jivanti Ma, and many others who shared their lives with Maharaj-ji. Their accounts offer intimate glimpses into his daily life, relationships, and teachings.

In 1967, the American psychologist Richard Alpert met Maharaj-ji in India and received the name Ram Dass, meaning servant of Ram. Through Ram Dass and other Western devotees — among them Krishna Das, Bhagavan Das and Larry Brilliant — Maharaj-ji’s teachings reached a growing international audience.

Yet his life and legacy remain deeply rooted in the Indian devotional tradition from which this worldwide satsang emerged. Today, devotees across generations continue to preserve his remembrance through stories, prayer, kirtan, service, and community.

Places of remembrance and devotion

Sacred Places

Throughout India, temples and ashrams associated with Maharaj-ji remain places of pilgrimage, prayer, service, and satsang.

His love continues

Mahasamadhi and His Living Presence

Maharaj-ji left his physical body on September 11, 1973, in Vrindavan. Devotees remember this event as his mahasamadhi.

For those who love him, his departure did not mark the end of their relationship with him. His presence continues to be experienced through remembrance, prayer, service, and the stories passed from one generation to the next.

His samadhi shrine in Vrindavan remains a sacred place of pilgrimage. Across the world, devotees continue to gather in his name, sing the Hanuman Chalisa, share prasad, and remember his teachings.

Some knew him in person. Others have come to love him through a photograph, a story, a song, or the grace they have experienced in their own lives. His message remains as simple as ever.

One family, many places

A Worldwide Satsang

The love of Maharaj-ji continues through a worldwide family of devotees. Satsang means gathering in the company of truth — a space where people come together in remembrance, devotion, and shared spiritual practice.

Today, Maharaj-ji’s devotees gather in homes, temples, ashrams, retreat centers, and online communities. Some gather to sing kirtan. Others read stories, chant the Hanuman Chalisa, practice meditation, or serve their communities.

Although these gatherings may look different across cultures and countries, they are connected through a shared love for Maharaj-ji and his teachings. The Neem Karoli Baba Global Directory exists to help this worldwide family find one another, preserve its shared history, and continue growing together.