The life of God-like Lahiri Mahasaya was full of miracles and wonders
(Special on the 196th birth anniversary of Shri Shri Lahiri Mahasaya)
Satchidananda Verma
On hearing the words Kriya Yoga and Kriya Diksha, the names of the two great persons that immediately come to the mind of people walking on the path of Sadhana are Mahavtar Babaji and Lahiri Mahasaya. Lahiri Mahasaya's full name is Shyama Charan Lahiri. Shyama Charan Lahiri was born on 30 September 1828. Amar Mahavtar Babaji was Lahiri Mahasaya's guru.
Paramhansa Yogananda first introduced the world to Lahiri Mahasaya and his guru Mahavtar Babaji through his book Yogi Kathamrit. Innumerable seekers aspiring to attain God are benefiting from the Kriya Yoga of Yogavtar Lahiri Mahasaya, which he had received from his guru Mahavtar Babaji. In the 19th century itself, one of the disciples of the southern saint Tailang Swami, who had settled in Banaras, asked him that despite being such a great ascetic, why do you give so much respect to Lahiri Mahashay? Tailang Swami's answer was that Lahiri Mahashay achieved the Brahma for which I had to give up even the clothes from my body while living a householder's life. This is his greatness. Lahiri Mahashay, while following a householder's life, presented the best example of a balanced life to the people of today's era and proved that a householder can also have a vision of God. It should be known that the great saint Kabir was also a householder.
Lahiri Mahashay had recognized the infant Mukunda, who later became Yogananda, and who established his Kriya Yoga in the whole world as a means of attaining God, in the lap of his mother itself and said, "Chhoti Maa! Your son will be a Yogi. Becoming a spiritual engine, he will take many souls to the kingdom of God." Lahiri Mahasaya's two great sayings are, "Remember that you belong to no one and no one belongs to you.... One day you will have to leave everything in this world, so know God from now itself." And the second is "Banat, Banat, Ban Jaye." That is, by constantly striving, one will ultimately attain the divine goal. He used to say, "Find the solution to all your problems in meditation." He used to say, "God-realization is possible through self-effort." Lahiri Mahasaya had received education in Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit, Bengali, French and English in his childhood. He had studied the Vedas deeply and had also listened carefully to the discourses of religious scriptures from the mouth of learned scholars. Beloved by all his friends, kind, gentle and courageous young man entered into holy matrimony with Shrimati Kashimani in 1846 as per tradition and followed the grihasthashram according to Vedic discipline. Four children were born from this marriage. At the age of 23, in 1851, he was appointed as an accountant in the Military Engineering Department of the British Government.
According to Paramahansa Yogananda's book, in 1861 Lahiri Mahasaya was transferred to Ranikhet in the Himalayas. One afternoon, while passing through the Dronagiri Mountains, he met the immortal yogi of the Himalayas, Mahavatar Babaji. Babaji called him by name. Babaji said that it was he who had secretly suggested to his senior officer that Lahiri Mahasaya be transferred to Ranikhet. After revealing some unimaginable facts of his previous life, Babaji reminded Lahiri Mahasaya of the things of his previous life and made him realize that he was his Guru. Babaji initiated him into the lost ancient science of Kriya Yoga.
Young Lahiri Mahasaya remained immersed in the bliss of Nirvikalp Samadhi at the feet of Gurudev for seven continuous days. On the eighth day, he prayed to Babaji to let him stay with him forever in those lonely mountains. But Babaji told him that "Your life is meant to be an example of an ideal householder-yogi and to live amidst the hustle and bustle of cities. You have been chosen to give spiritual solace to the true seekers through Kriya Yoga. ... From your balanced life, they will understand that salvation does not depend on external renunciation, but on internal detachment. Thus, the harmonious balanced life of Lahiri Mahasaya became a source of inspiration for the common people. He gave the gift of Kriya Yoga initiation to all the followers of religions. He also made tireless efforts to remove the rigid casteist fanaticism of the time. Lahiri Mahasaya had many disciples. He used to give initiation to all Hindus, Muslims and Christians without any discrimination. Prominent among his disciples were Swami Sri Yukteshwar Giri, Swami Keshavanand, Swami Pranavanand, Bhupendranath Sanyal and Panchanan Bhattacharya. In a book 'Puran Purush' based on the diaries of Lahiri Mahasaya, it is possible that Sai Baba went to Shirdi after taking Kriya Diksha from Lahiri Mahasaya. According to this book, poor people like Abdul Gafur, confectioner Vinda were also his Muslim disciples, while big people like Kashi Naresh, Ishwari Prasad, Nepal Naresh, Kashmir Naresh and Vardhaman's King Kalikrishna Thakur were also his disciples. Yogi Kathamrit and Puran Purush books describe many miracles and acts of Lahiri Mahasaya. By his grace, many dead people came back to life and many people got rid of incurable diseases. He was one with God.
