Early in year 1975, while reading Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda my attention became mainly focused on the chapters on Babaji. I repeatedly read these chapters with an effort to digest every sentence. I was deeply drawn towards the existence of such a divinity in flesh on the Earth. My faith about the existence of Babaji gradually acquired intensification. My desire to see Babaji became strong when I read the sentence "The one who remembers Babaji with reverence gets immediate spiritual blessings". Often in a state restlessness I prayed to Babaji in my heart "My Lord if you really exist on this earth, kindly grant me your darshan, otherwise this life will be meaningless." Soon I realized that the description of Babaji as given by Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography is the description of God taking up a human form. Many Indian spiritual scriptures and writings confirm His existence from times immemorial but His appearance in a physical body on Earth is a matter of time.
One night I had a dream of being with Babaji in some Himalayan region while it was getting dark. Babaji slept in the covered space around a beautiful small temple and I also slept by His side. He covered His body with a shawl and extended it on my body also, the dream ended like this. In Nov. '75 I received a letter from Swami Bhavananda Giri of Y.S.S. Ranchi Math to know about my will of following the divine science of meditation as taught by Paramahansa Yogananda in order to find my own spiritual fulfillment. He wrote me because I ordered directly from Ranchi Math most of the books of Paramahansa Yogananda and pictures of Y.S.S. Gurus. Before I could have sent my consent in December 1975, my circumstances took a turn and a situation was created, allowing me to go to Haldwani with Mr K.C.Mathur, a very old devotee of Babaji, to attend an Yagna Ceremony at Khanna farm at Haldwani. I may mention here that prior to this visit, Mr K.C.Mathur never disclosed anything about Babaji to me and he always maintained silence about his previous visits to Hairakhan.
We travelled with Sri Munirajji in his jeep from Patel Chowk (Haldwani) up to Khanna farm, the place of the Yagna Ceremony. Without any known reason, tears were falling from my eyes till I reached that place. We entered in a large tent with a large gathering, including many Sadhus and many people from far off places. Recitation of spiritual songs was going on there. In front of us at some height there was a decorated Asan for Babaji. Some time after, amidst the slogans "Bhole Baba ki jai, Bhole Baba ki jai", we saw Babaji coming into the tent. After sitting on his Asan for some time, He got up and sat on a thatch heap outside the tent. We all prostrated before Him and offered fruits and flowers we had purchased in Haldwani. I was deeply shaken and became speechless on seeing a saint, whose age appeared 20-25, with his long, partially copper-colored hair. His beautiful face with calm and dark eyes had a radiance never to be seen in human beings. "He should be Mahavatar Babaji Maharaj", this thought immediately came in my mind. In the winter sunshine, as I saw Him, He looked so beautiful that I fail in all my capabilities to describe Him . The first thing I perceived on looking towards Him was "He knows me and I know Him". At this time, pointing towards me with His lotus hand, He called me near and told me to associate myself with a group of 4-5 people sitting at some distance. One of the persons in the group was Mr Harish Pandya from the U.S.A., another an Italian lady, and two others. Mr Pandya asked me if I have ever read Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. On my replying 'yes', he told me that Babaji before us is Mahavatar Babaji Maharaj Himself and told us that Babaji has united all of us here as we were brothers and sisters in our past lives. Mr Pandya told me that his beloved Gurudev Baba Ranchor Dass ji Maharaj has directed him to Mahavatar Babaji. Babaji thus answered all that I required through Mr Pandya. After attending Bhandara we took Babaji's blessings with permission to leave on that day. Babaji asked us to come to Hairakhan on the coming Makar Shakaranti day, on 14.1.1976
In the room where I stayed at Hairakhan on 14.1.76, when I entered in the morning after chandan, my eyes were searching for something. Suddenly my sight fell on a white rectangular paper lying in a niche of that room. I took it in my hand and turned it over. It was a beautiful smiling picture of Lahiri Mahashya. I was allowed to get and see the picture because I was searching for something to satisfy myself further. In this way Babaji gave me faith up to the required extent . My dream of seeing Mahavatar Babaji in a physical body materialized in Hairakhan Vishwa Mahadham . With the glow of His omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence working at His will in the background of creation, Babaji's divine Leelas always showed the right path to His devotees. There is an amazing resemblance in Babaji's Leelas with or without a physical body
Bhole Baba ki jai
B.M.L. Saxena
I remember an incident when I reached Hairakhan with my family while it was raining. We arrived late in the afternoon; by that time Babaji was in his Kutia for a rest and was not available for Darshan. In the Ashram I met a person from Rajasthan. He told me that he was an Officer and had come with his wife. His wife was wearing a red Saree. At that time the couple was in a hurry to leave for Haldwani. I asked them to get Babaji's permission before leaving, as it was required for Ashram visitors. The couple ignored my advice and left the Ashram with their luggage. I had a fear in my mind that these persons from a far off place might be unaware of the danger of roaring water currents in the Gautam Ganga during the period of rains, and whether they would reach Jamrani Dam safely. With this question in my mind I sat in the Ashram awaiting Babaji's arrival from his Kutia. What I saw after some time, was that Babaji came out from his Kutia unusually early, in a disturbed state and started calling Ashram workers by shouting their names. Within a short time about 6- 8 persons assembled near him. He then asked them to rush at once to the Dam site where a couple was drowning in the river. He asked them to rescue the couple and escort them up to a safer place. The persons ran away to the Dam site and returned after nearly four hours and informed us that the couple had nearly drowned in the currents of the Gautam Ganga, and that their slightest delay in reaching that spot would have caused a serious mishap. They dragged both of them out of the river with their luggage and escorted them up to a safer place. This was how Babaji saved their lives.
B.M.L. Saxena
My mother was a pious lady fully devoted to household responsibilities. She was always very particular in performing her daily worship and reciting Ramayana. She had Hairakhan Babaji's darshan in 1976 at Haldwani. That same year, in the month of July, she became seriously ill due to peptic ulcers, followed by bleeding in her intestines. She was admitted in the hospital where the doctors attending to her gave up all hope of her survival. All available medical aids, including blood transfusions, were without any result. She was in great pain and suffering. One night my mother called me near and told me that she would leave all of us soon. Consoling me she gave me some instructions about performing her last rites in a very simple manner. On seeing her in this condition, all of us prayed to Babaji for her recovery. I also prayed to Babaji, with tears in my eyes, to grant her a painless death whenever it was to come. The next night, my mother had a dream and narrated in a low voice that Hairakhan Babaji was beating a sadhu with his stick (Danda). At that time an old devotee of Babaji was also at her bedside. He told all of us attending to her that she would now leave the hospital in good health and would continue her life journey. I also tried Homeopathic therapy on her. She had a miraculous recovery within a period of 10 days and was discharged from the hospital. From the day of seeing Babaji in a dream she survived in good health for a period of five years. In 1981 on Guru Purnima day she performed Babaji's worship and Kirtan with other devotees of Babaji present there. She took Prasad and prepared tea for my younger brother and other devotees at about 4 P.M. After that she complained of having some nervous feeling. The doctor was called immediately. After examining her he told us not to worry, gave her some medicines and advised rest. A few minutes after the doctor left our residence my mother expired without showing any signs of apparent illness. She met a painless death, in the manner that Yogis leave their body, on Guru Purnima in year 1981.
When my elder brother went for Babaji's darshan the last time before this Guru Purnima, Babaji told him," you will not be able to come on the coming Guru Purnima at Vrindravan." Nobody could understand anything at that time. A few months after my mother's passing away, I went to Hairakhan for Babaji's darshan. As I prostrated before him he pointed out by raising his hands with extended fingers meaning "five years". It took no time for me to understand that by showering his mercy Babaji extended the life of my mother by five years, ultimately granting her a painless death.
Bhole Baba ki Jai !
B.M.L. Saxena