Speaker 1:
Greetings, Guru Dev.
Speaker 2:
Greetings.
Speaker 1:
Guru Dev, today we will learn from your mouth about a great yogi whom the Indian saint community considers the most ancient and the best in the path of yoga. He is recognized as a very high-class Mahasadhak and Mahashaktidhar, often compared to the greatest devotee, Hanumanji. That great yogi is Devraha Baba, also known as Machan Baba.
Speaker 2:
Yes, Machan Baba. Before speaking about him, I offer my millions of salutations to him. It is perhaps not right for me to speak about such a great yogi, who was alive until recently. He passed away in 1990.
Speaker 1:
1930?
Speaker 2:
No, 1990. It's only been about 30 to 32 years. Such a great man was on this earth—it was our good fortune. But for some reason, he passed away. I believe his age was over a thousand years. He had seen Tulsidas. There isn't much information about his ancestry or his father's name.
Speaker 1:
Some ancestry is known.
Speaker 2:
What is meant by ancestry? He was an Agnihotri. In those days, those who preserved fire were called Agnihotris. They kept the fire and used it for divine works, like rituals (homa). That's why he was called an Agnihotri. Not much is known about his name; some called him Machan Baba, others Devraha Baba. His lineage (gotra) was found to be the Bharadwaj Gotra. This Gotra is common among Mukherjees, but his specific family origin is unknown. However, he used to say, "Adya Shakti Mahamaya sent me for the welfare of humanity. I will continue to work for people's welfare as long as I can. Adya Shakti Mahamaya sent me for human service." He was a great devotee of Lord Ram. He would address everyone as "Child" (Baccha). Those who saw him would see the likeness of Hanumanji in him. He had such light and power in his eyes that he could have overturned the world. He passed away 30-32 years ago. It's a loss for us, even though he lived for a thousand years. As far as I know, he shared a loving embrace with Tulsidas.
Speaker 1:
Yes, the one who wrote the Ramcharitmanas.
Speaker 2:
Yes, the author. He embraced him. His main teaching was "spread love." Where there is love, everything is there. NASA has even researched this concept of love across fourteen worlds, with the love of Radha-Krishna being the highest. Later, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also spread this love. When he was struck by Jagai and Madhai, he said, "You hit me, but won't I give you love? Hit me more, but say 'Hari' once." Machan Baba also spread love through the chanting of the 16-word, 32-name mantra. He said, "Spread love, do love." But he didn't mean mundane love; he meant compassion and kindness towards all living beings.
Speaker 1:
Guru Dev, there are several stages of love. If you could explain them for the viewers.
Speaker 2:
Yes, go ahead, you explain them. I can't see them clearly, you tell me.
Speaker 1:
The stages described here are: first, Sadhu Sanga (association with saints), then Bhajan, then Anartha Nivritti (removal of unwanted things), then Nishtha (steadiness in worship), then Asakti (attachment), Bhava (emotion), Bhakti (devotion), and finally Prem (Love).
Speaker 2:
Yes, you have to cross all these to reach love. This happens through association with saints. If you can stay with saints, these stages come gradually. Association doesn't just mean asking "How are you, Baba?" and leaving. It means connecting with them, understanding what they want to say, and taking it to heart. Many can't understand a saint's words. Unless you internalize them, you won't understand the saint. He also emphasized Sadhu Sanga and Satsang for mental development. He practiced penance in many places for about 240 years.
Speaker 1:
He practiced for 240 years, including 50 years in the Himalayas.
Speaker 2:
50 years in the Himalayas, 150 years in South India, 30 years in a cremation ground, 60 years on the banks of the Narmada, and 50 years in Vindhyachal. So, calculate his age! My guess is it's close to a thousand.
Speaker 1:
And when he embraced the author of Ramcharitmanas in 1537, the age calculation confirms it's nearly a thousand years. He is the only one who lived so long. We've seen Trailanga Swami lived 280 years, but Machan Baba surpassed everyone. In Gyanganj, living 500 or 1000 years is common, but in our society, it's rare.
Speaker 2:
He never spoke about his family. When asked, he said, "I won't say that because I control my own birth. My living on this earth is under my own control."
Speaker 1:
This means just as his birth was under his control, so was his death. Later, many people visited him, from Buta Singh to Balram Jakhar, Indira Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi, V.P. Singh—many great leaders of India went to him and received his blessings. He performed many miracles. I can tell you a few.
Speaker 2:
Please do, Guru Dev.
Speaker 1:
For example, a thirsty man went to him and asked for water. Baba gave him four leaves and told him to eat them. The man wondered how leaves would quench his thirst, but Baba insisted. After eating them, his thirst vanished.
Speaker 1:
Another time, a police officer went to him with a gun. Baba challenged him, "Does your gun fire? Fire it at me!" The officer tried to fire, but no bullet came out. He was amazed. Later, Baba said, "Go outside and fire." When he did, the gun worked perfectly. Baba's power was greater than the gun's power. That officer later became his disciple.
Speaker 1:
Another man went to him with doubts. Baba threw a guava at him, and his mouth swelled up. The man was in pain and crying. Later, Baba gave him a marigold flower and told him to rub it on his mouth. The pain and swelling disappeared. He had gone to test Baba.
Speaker 1:
Once, two groups in a village were about to have a violent clash with weapons. Someone ran to Baba for help. Baba went there with a stick and separated the two sides, bringing peace. He said if he hadn't intervened, many would have died.
Speaker 1:
There was a female disciple named Shyamama. She once decided to end her life. On the day of Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, she stood in the Ganges in Varanasi, waiting for death. She stayed there for 14 days, but she didn't die. Baba appeared and said, "It's not your time to die yet, come out of the water."
Speaker 1:
Even after his death, he was seen in many places like Varanasi. People saw him sitting on his Machan. He always lived on a platform (Machan), often without clothes (Digambar). He sat on a wooden platform so people wouldn't see him directly, but his feet would hang down, and everyone would touch his feet for blessings.
Speaker 1:
One day, while giving knowledge to people, he said that in Satyuga, the way to reach God was through meditation; in Tretayuga, it was through rituals (Yajna); in Dwaparyuga, it was through service (Paricharya); and in Kaliyuga, it is through chanting the Name (Naam Jap). He would say, "Child, chant the Name. The name of Ram is truth." Those who saw him saw the power of Hanuman in him, with red eyes that looked fierce, but people still went to him. He had the power to change the world.
Speaker 1:
He decided his own time of death and told his disciples. He requested Jal Samadhi (water burial) in the Yamuna river. He said, "Don't burn me, don't bury me, let my body float in the water." And so, they let his body into the water.
Speaker 2:
Perhaps. He was seen by many even after death in Varanasi and other places. He had great willpower. He used to say the whole world was under his control. He looked like Hanumanji, with a long beard and a fierce but divine appearance. Those who saw him know he was a great Siddha Yogi.
Speaker 1:
Dear viewers, today you learned about Machan Baba from Guru Dev. Many of you might know him, but we wanted to hear about his greatness from Guru Dev's mouth.
Speaker 2:
There is much more to say, but time is short.
Speaker 1:
Thank you, Guru Dev. Greetings.
Speaker 2:
Greetings.