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Hello and Namaste A warm welcome to Neem Karoli Baba's miracles of love and compassion. Who is Neem Karoli Baba and why do thousands from all over the world yearn to connect with him? What is it that pulls people to a simple, unassuming man who never traveled outside of India.  From ordinary people to innovators, scientists, artists, yogis, and even thieves, everyone gathered in the same room where Baba would be cracking jokes and making people laugh.  It really didn't matter to him how virtuous or cunning a person was.  because he knew  that everybody sought and deserved inner peace  Baba's love never clamored for any attention or recognition. I know it sounds a bit strange for the times that we live in.  we're surrounded today by unending competition of likes, shares, comments, subscriptions and the crazy battle for attention but for Baba...his   simplicity worked its magic on everyone.  He was not in the business of making disciples, writing books, producing merchandise, or leaving behind a lineage of masters after him.  He was not running a 7-11 or Walmart for spiritual products and endeavors.  If at all, he was in the business of serving humanity with love and not making too much noise about it. It might be difficult for some people to believe but there were no appearances on TV with Ellen or Oprah, no prescription for any kind of soup or salad for the soul, and of course no PR agency or social media teams.  Rather just a very loving and modest Indian villager in one of the economically lesser privileged parts of India. But here was a man who seemed to be creating miracles after miracles of love in people's lives. How was he doing it and what was the real identity of this mystic man?  Was he like an offline version of one of those folks we see on Instagram who claim to activate your so-called shiva and shakti and third eye energy. You know the ones who appear in promoted posts on your social media feed. or was he running  a course on mindfulness and kundalini meditation for westerners with a  splash of chakras, doshas, tantra, reiki, ayurvedic recipes and what have you,  Well!! Thankfully, No. Neem Karoli Baba was none of that. He was a saint from the Himalayan order of mystics, whose mystic perfections coexisted harmoniously and peacefully with his imperfect human form. A man with incredible yogic and spiritual prowess and yet someone who did not care to be the center of attention. It is believed that Neem Karoli Baba or Maharaj Ji as his followers would call him out of love, was born around the year 1900.  His birth name was Lakshman Das Sharma. He was born in the small town of  Akbarpur in Central India, a city on the banks of river Tamsa which is a distributary of the mighty Ganges. His birth town Akbarpur is now renowned as the trading hub for some of the most exquisitely designed glass bangles from India.  When young Lakshman Das was only 11, his parents married him off, in accordance with the customs and belief system of the society then. Don't forget this happened 110 years ago in 1911. So after his marriage, the family expected Lakshman das to grow into adulthood and become a good householder, fulfilling his worldly responsibilities. But the little boy had other plans. Soon after his marriage, he ran away from home and wandered throughout India, leading the life of a recluse. He traveled to numerous spiritual hotspots of the country and met many mystic saints and exalted masters. For the next few years, he did intense sadhana or spiritual practice and became to be identified by other spiritual saints and commoners as a true energy-incarnate of the Hindu deity, Hanuman. The tales, mantras, and Sanskrit shlokas of Hanuman remind us all that God resides in our service towards others. Something that Lakshman Das made the thumb rue of his life. Legend has it that by the time he was 17, he had acquired the mystic siddhis or powers of being a trikaaldarshi, or one who can look into the past, present, and future.   This ability might be mesmerizing for many but for Himalayan mystics and saints, it was just a by-the-way- faculty that prospered with other spiritual practices. They did not like to talk about it and neither did they consider it to be an important goal of spiritual growth. It's almost like a skilled football player having the ability to run 100 meters under 10 seconds. Big deal for many but for the athletic player, its just a side ability that comes with his training to be a champion soccer star. So after 15 years of leaving home and wandering with mystics, someone known to Lakshman das' family recognized him and informed his father.  His father immediately rushed to the Farrukhabad district of India where Lakshman das was at that time and dragged him home. He then ordered Lakshman Das to stay with the family and lead a married man's life.  The family was land holdings and belonged to the upper economic strata of the society. Lakshman das could have chosen to lead a comfortable life until he breathed his last.  But even at home, Lakshman das' heart went out to the poor and the downtrodden and he started doing various forms of social work. This continued for some years and in the meantime, he had three children, two sons, and a daughter. But as time went on, Lakshman das was craving to lead a life where all he did was to give love and compassion to those who frequented him and share with them the path of servitude.  He knew he had to reach out to the world and give lots of love to it.   It was about time. He was ready for the second leg of his journey. In the next episode, you will know how Lakshman das became the Neem Karoli Baba residing in people's hearts. Until then thank you for tuning in. I am your narrator Sourav Roy and I hope you continue this journey of love with me. Ram Ram.