Babaji and the 18 Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition

DETAILS : 

• Author : Marshall Govindan
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kriya Yoga Pubns 
  
• Publication Date :1 March 1998
  
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
  
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 194 pages
  
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1895383005
  
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 9781895383003
  
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 450 g

INTRODUCTION 

Who is Babaji ?
Babaji is a great master of yoga living today in the Himalayas who is sometimes called Kriya Babaji Nagaraj, Mahavatar Babaji or Shiva Baba. His body has not aged since the age of sixteen when he conquered death and attained a supreme state of enlightenment. Adi Shankaracharya (788 AD. - 820 A.D.), in a famous poem describes Babaji, his guru: "Behold, under the banyan tree are seated the aged disciples around their youthful teacher! This is strange indeed! The teacher instructs them only through silence, which in itself is sufficient to solve all their doubts (Sri Ramakrishna Math, 1969, p. 25- 26).

More than sixty-five years ago the Theosophists, the Reverend C.W. Leadbeater and Dr. Annie Besant, also described an extraordinary being who may be none other than Babaji:

"There he stood, 'the Youth of sixteen summers', Sanata Kumara, the 'Eternal- Virgin- Youth', the new ruler of earth, come to his kingdom, his Pupils, the three Kumaras, with him, his Helpers around him; thirty mighty Beings there, great beyond Earth's reckoning, though in graded order, clothed in the glorious bodies they had created by Kriyashakti, the first occult hierarchy, branches of the one spreading Banyan tree, the nursery of future Adepts, the centre of all occult life". (Leadbeater, 1969, p. 299)

During the past forty years, several books, beginning with the Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda, written in 1946, have referred to the great spiritual master, Babaji, who for centuries has lived in the Himalayan mountains, appearing occasionally to a fortunate few. Sri Yukteswar, Yogananda's guru, said that Babaji's attainment was so great that it could not even be conceived of (Yogananda, 1969, p.305). Yogananda has stated that Babaji is a "Maha avatara", or great avatara (Yogananda, 1969, p. 305-306). "Avatara" is a Sanskrit word which means "descent" or incarnation of the Godhead in human form. He also characterized "siddhars" as having attained mastery over death. He referred to Agastyar as being an avatar of South India, a miracle worker who has lived from the pre-Christian era right up to the present time, and for whom a considerable Tamil language literature exists (op cit. p. 305-306). Agastya belongs to the "Eighteen Siddha tradition", which is famous among Tamil speaking people of southern India.

Some writers have indicated that Babaji has taken different forms. Baba Hari Dass identified him with Herekhan Baba who appeared in Ranikhet, Uttar Pradesh, India, in the latter part of the 19th century and early part of the 20th century A.D. (Hari Dass, 1975). Leonard Orr (1980 and 1983) identified him with a youth who appeared near Ranikhet in about 1970. He was visited by many Westerners up until his sudden death in 1984. However, in the opinion of this author and Yogi Ramaiah, this Herekhan Baba was not Babaji. Swami Satyeswarananda (1984) has written about his incredible encounters with Babaji. The reader is often left feeling incredulous upon reading of the experiences described in these books. At their best these books have inspired many to take up the practice of yoga. Unfortunately, without understanding the ancient tradition and context from which Babaji brought his Kriya Yoga nor the rigors of the discipline, most seekers have put it aside after some time when their own experiences failed to measure up to those related by such authors.

These authors have not furnished any details regarding the life of Babaji nor about how Babaji attained enlightenment and immortality. More importantly, none of these authors have been able to adequately express the purpose for which Babaji has remained in an immortal state and its relevance for our own lives.

Who are the 18 Siddhas ?
Shiva Puranas are filled with stories which describe how Lord Shiva, (the name for God among a major sect of Hinduism) has sat in meditation on Mt. Kailas, Tibet since time immemorial. He is worshipped by the yogis as Lord, and by all the gods as the supreme Lord. The history of the Siddha tradition begins millions of years ago with the story of Lord Shiva's initiation of his consort or Shakti, Parvati Devi, into Kriya Kundalini Pranayama (the scientific art of mastering the breath) in a huge cave at Amarnath in the Kashmir Himalayas (Ramaiah, 1968, p. 108). Later Yogi Shiva initiated others, including the Siddha Agastyar and the Siddhas Nandi Devar and Thirumoolar on Mount Kailas in Tibet. Agastyar subsequently initiated Babaji.

According to the traditions of southern India there are eighteen siddhas in particular who attained perfection, which included their spiritual, intellectual, mental, vital and physical bodies. The names of these eighteen siddhas vary according to different sources, but it appears most likely that they included the ones listed on following pages (Ramaiah, 1968, p. 2-3; Pillai, 1979, p. 342-349). Besides each is given the name of the place where each of them is reported to have attained the state of perfection, known as "soruba samadhi", their guru, disciples and major contributions. See also Figure 1, "Map of present day India and Sri Lanka" and Figure 2, "Map of Southern India" for locations of the places associated with the 18 Siddhas.

BACK OF THE BOOK 

This is a rare account of Babaji, who has retained his youthful form since The third century A. D., and of the immortal masters of southern India, The Siddhas, who initiated him into Kriya Yoga, a scientific art for realizing God, truth and self. It relates the inspiring story of Babaji’s birth, childhood, Quest for self-realization, transformation and mission in assisting humanity’s “sacramental evolution”.

The psychophysiology of Kriya Yoga and guidelines for its practice are clearly explained. Kriya Yoga can bring about one’s physical, vital, mental, intellectual And spiritual development, and thus help increase health and happiness.

Paul Michael Taylor, a research anthropologist, is Director of the Smithsonian’s Asian Cultural History Program and Curator for Asia, Europe, and the Middle East in the Smithsonian’s Anthropology Department. He holds a bachelor’s degree from UCLA and a Ph.D. from Yale University, both in Anthropology, and is an author or editor of numerous books and scholarly articles. He developed the traveling exhibition “Sikhs: Legacy of the Punjab,” with associated catalog, and other publications including Sikh Art from the Kapany Collection (co-edited with Sonia Dhami) and Splendors of Punjab Heritage: Art from the Khanuja Family Collection.