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{{Short description|Hindu religious leader (c.1900–1973)}}
{{Short description|Hindu religious leader (c. 1900–1973)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2018}}  
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2018}}  
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}}
{{Infobox Hindu leader
{{Infobox Hindu leader
| image              = Neemkaroli 14.jpg
| image              = Neemkaroli 14.jpg
| caption            = Neem Karoli Baba at Kainchi
| religion          = [[Hinduism]]
| religion          = [[Hinduism]]
| birth_date        = {{circa|1900}}<ref name="Jones2006"/>
| birth_date        = {{circa|1900}}<ref name="Jones2006"/>
| birth_place        = Akbarpur village, [[North-Western Provinces]], [[British Raj|British India]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://maharajji.love/akbarpur-maharajjis-birthplace/|title=Akbarpur Maharaj ji birthplace|website=Maharaj Love}}</ref><br>(present-day [[Firozabad district]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[India]])
| birth_place        = [[Akbarpur, Ambedkar Nagar| Akbarpur village]], [[North-Western Provinces]], [[Presidencies and provinces of British India|British India]] (present-day [[Firozabad district]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[India]])
| birth_name        = Lakshmi Narayan Sharma
| birth_name        = Lakshman Narayan Sharma
| death_date        = September 11, 1973 (aged 73)
| teacher            =  
| death_place        = [[Vrindavan]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[India]]
| nationality        = [[Indian people|Indian]]
| guru              =  
| literary_works    =  
| literary_works    =  
| disciples          = [[Bhagavan Das (yogi)|Bhagavan Das]], [[Jai Uttal]], [[Krishna Das (singer)|Krishna Das]], [[Ram Dass]], Ram Rani,    [[Surya Das]]
| disciples          = [[Bhagavan Das (yogi)|Bhagavan Das]], [[Dada Mukerjee]], [[Jai Uttal]], [[Krishna Das (singer)|Krishna Das]], [[Larry Brilliant]], [[Ram Dass]], [[Surya Das]]
| Influenced        =  
| Influenced        =  
| philosophy        = [[Bhakti yoga]], [[Selfless service|Seva]]
| philosophy        = [[Bhakti yoga]]
| footnotes          =  
| footnotes          =  
| influenced        = [[Steve Jobs]], [[Mark Zuckerberg]], [[Larry Page]], [[Jeffrey Skoll]], [[Dan Kottke]], [[Julia Roberts]]
| influenced        =  
| child              = 3 (2 sons and 1 daughter)
| children          = Arvind Sharma<ref name="Children"/><br>Girija Devi
| spouse            = Ram Beti Sharma
| death_date        = 11 September 1973
| death_place        = Vrindavan, India
}}
}}


'''Neem Karoli Baba''' ({{Lang-hi|नीम करौली बाबा|translit=nīm karaulī bābā}})<ref>{{cite web | title = सुर्खियों में आया बाबा नीम करौली का आश्रम |work=[[Dainik Bhaskar]]| url = http://www.bhaskar.com/news/NAT-NAN-neeb-karori-baba-who-has-been-magnet-for-mark-zuckerberg-steve-jobs-5129042-PHO.html |language=hi|date=1 October 2015| access-date = 2015-10-04  }}</ref> or '''Neeb Karori Baba''' ({{Lang-hi|नीब करौरी बाबा|translit=nīb karaurī bābā}}) ({{Circa|1900}} – 11 September 1973), also known to his followers as 'Maharaj-ji', was a [[Hinduism|Hindu]] [[guru]] and a devotee of the [[Hindu deities|Hindu deity]] [[Hanuman]].<ref>{{cite web |author= Swami Chidananda|author-link=Swami Chidananda | title = Baba Neem Karoli: A Wonder Mystic of Northern India | url = http://www.dlshq.org/saints/neemkaroli.htm|work=[[Divine Life Society]] | access-date = 2015-10-04 }}</ref> He is known outside India for being the spiritual master of a number of Americans who travelled to India in the 1960s and 70s, the most well-known being the spiritual teachers [[Ram Dass]] and [[Bhagavan Das (yogi)|Bhagavan Das]], and the musicians [[Krishna Das (singer)|Krishna Das]] and [[Jai Uttal]]. His [[ashrams]] are in [[Kainchi]],<ref>{{Coord|29.4220|79.5125}} Kainchi Dham</ref> [[Vrindavan]], [[Rishikesh]], [[Shimla]], Neem Karoli village near Khimasepur in [[Farrukhabad]], Bhumiadhar, [[Hanumangarhi]], and [[Delhi]] in India and in [[Taos, New Mexico]], United States.
'''Neem Karoli Baba''' ({{Langx|hi|नीम करौली बाबा|translit=nīm karaulī bābā}}) also known as ''Neeb Karori Baba'' ({{Langx|hi|नीब करौरी बाबा|translit=nīb karaurī bābā}}) and by his followers as Maharaj-ji, was a [[Hindus|Hindu]] [[guru]] and devotee of the Hindu deity [[Hanuman]]. He was born "Laksman Narayan Sharma" around {{Circa|1900}} and died on 11 September 1973.<ref name="Jones2006">{{cite encyclopedia|last=Jones|first=Constance |author-link=Constance Jones |last2=Ryan |first2=James D. |title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism |publisher=Infobase Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-8160-7564-5 |page=310}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author= Swami Chidananda|author-link=Swami Chidananda | title = Baba Neem Karoli: A Wonder Mystic of Northern India | url = http://www.dlshq.org/saints/neemkaroli.htm|work=[[Divine Life Society]] | access-date = 2015-10-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = सुर्खियों में आया बाबा नीब करौरी का आश्रम |work=[[Dainik Bhaskar]]| url = https://www.bhaskar.com/news/NAT-NAN-neeb-karori-baba-who-has-been-magnet-for-mark-zuckerberg-steve-jobs-5129042-PHO.html |language=hi|date=1 October 2015| access-date = 2015-10-04  }}</ref>


==Biography ==
==Biography==
===Early years===
[[File:Early morning Glimpse of Kainchi Dham Nainital 2023.jpg|left|thumb|[[Kainchi Dham]] ashram established by Neem Karoli Baba in 1964.]]
Lakshman Narayan Sharma<ref>{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedic Sourcebook of New Age Religions |year=2004 |location=United States |publisher=Prometheus |page=142}}</ref> was born around 1900 in the village Akbarpur in [[Firozabad district|Firozabad]] district of [[Uttar Pradesh]], India, to a wealthy [[Brahmin]] family.<ref name="Jones2006">{{cite book|author1=Constance Jones|author2=James D. Ryan|title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OgMmceadQ3gC&pg=PA310|year=2006|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-0-8160-7564-5|page=310}}</ref> After being married by his parents at the age of 11, he left home to become a wandering [[sadhu]]. He later returned home, at his father's request, to live a settled married life. He fathered two sons and a daughter.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/neem-karoli-baba-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-apple-steve-jobs-54973.html|title=10 facts to know about Neem Karoli Baba|date=1 October 2015}}</ref>
Lakshman Narayan Sharma<ref>{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedic Sourcebook of New Age Religions |year=2004 |location=United States |publisher=Prometheus |page=142}}</ref> was born around 1900 in the village Akbarpur in the Ambedkar Nagar district of [[Uttar Pradesh]], India, in a wealthy [[Brahmin]] family.<ref name="Jones2006" /> After being married by his parents at the age of 11, he left home to become a wandering [[sadhu]] (religious hermit).  


===As Maharaj-ji===
Neem Karoli Baba, known at the time as Baba Lakshman Das (also spelled "Laxman Das"), left his home in c. 1911 and wandered through Northern India.<ref name=miracle>Ram Dass (1995). ''Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba''. Hanuman Foundation. {{ISBN|1-887474-00-5}}.</ref> He later returned home, at his father's request, to live a settled married life. He fathered two sons Anek Singh and Dhrma Narayan Sharma and a daughter Girija.<ref name="Children">{{cite web|url=https://hindi.news18.com/news/dharm/neem-karoli-baba-wife-ram-beti-devi-life-story-hindi-ws-l-10803586.html|title=कौन थीं नीम करोली बाबा की पत्नी? संत बनने के बाद पत्नी का क्या हुआ? बाबा के जीवन का ये पहलू कर देगा हैरान|date= 3 September 2026}}</ref><ref>[https://www.jagran.com/uttar-pradesh/mathura-fund-of-dharma-narayan-sharma-son-of-neem-karori-baba-21594759.html नीम करौरी बाबा के पुत्र धर्म नारायण शर्मा ब्रह्मलीन, Jagran, 27 Apr 2021]</ref> During his life two main [[ashram]]s were built, at Kainchi and at Vrindavan.<ref name="Jones2006"/> The [[Kainchi Dham]], where he stayed in the last decade of his life, was built in 1964 with a Hanuman ji temple.<ref>{{cite web | title = Devotees throng Kainchi Dham fair | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/Devotees-throng-Kainchi-Dham-fair/articleshow/47680464.cms |date=15 June 2015| access-date = 2015-10-01 | newspaper = [[The Times of India]]  }}</ref><ref>
Neem Karoli Baba, known at the time as Baba Lakshman Das (also spelled "Laxman Das"), left his home in 1958. [[Ram Dass]] tells a story that Baba Lakshman Das boarded a train without a ticket and the conductor decided to halt the train and force Neem Karoli Baba off of the train at the village of Neem Karoli, [[Farrukhabad district]] ([[Uttar Pradesh|U.P]]). After forcing Baba off the train, the conductor found that the train would not start again. After several attempts at starting the train, someone suggested to the conductor that they allow the sadhu back on to the train. Neem Karoli agreed to board the train on two conditions: 1) the railway company promise to build a station at the village of Neem Karoli (at the time the villagers had to walk many miles to the nearest station), and 2) the railway company must henceforth treat sadhus better.  The officials agreed and Neem Karoli Baba boarded the train joking, "What, is it up to me to start trains?"  Immediately after his boarding the train, it started, but the train drivers would not proceed unless the sadhu blessed them to move forward. Baba gave his blessings and the train proceeded. Later a train station was built at the village of Neem Karoli.<ref name=miracle>Ram Dass (1995). ''Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba''. Hanuman Foundation. {{ISBN|1-887474-00-5}}.</ref> Baba lived in the village of Neem Karoli for a while and was named by locals.
{{cite web | title = 10 facts to know about Neem Karoli Baba | url = http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/neem-karoli-baba-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-apple-steve-jobs-54973.html |work=India TV News|date=1 October 2015| access-date = 2015-10-01 }}</ref><ref name=telegraph2015>{{cite web | title = One 'Mark' who stayed two nights | url = http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150930/jsp/frontpage/story_45349.jsp#.Vg09Kuyqqko| archive-url = https://archive.today/20151004101156/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150930/jsp/frontpage/story_45349.jsp%23.Vg09Kuyqqko| url-status = dead| archive-date = 4 October 2015|work=The Telegraph |date=30 September 2015| access-date = 2015-10-01  }}</ref> In time, over 100 temples were constructed in his name.<ref name="Jones2006"/>


Thereafter he wandered extensively throughout Northern India. During this time he was known under many names, including: Lakshman Das, Handi Wallah Baba, and Tikonia Walla Baba. When he did [[tapasya]] and [[sadhana]] at [[Vavaniya|Vavania]] village of [[Morbi]] in [[Gujarat]], he was known as Tallaiya Baba. In [[Vrindavan]], local inhabitants addressed him by the name of Chamatkari Baba ("miracle [[Baba (honorific)|baba"]]).<ref name="miracle"/> During his life two main [[ashram]]s were built, at Kainchi and at Vrindavan.<ref name="Jones2006"/> In time, over 100 temples were constructed in his name.<ref name="Jones2006"/>
Neem Karoli Baba died at about 1:15&nbsp;a.m. on 11 September 1973 in a hospital at [[Vrindavan]], India,<ref>{{Cite web|title=My mystical experience at Neem Karoli Baba's Kainchai Dham ashram!|url=https://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/kainchi-dham-ashram-neem-karoli-baba-nainital|access-date=2020-11-11|website=www.speakingtree.in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Aymard|first=Orianne|authorlink=Orianne Aymard|title=When a Goddess Dies: Worshipping Ma Anandamayi after Her Death|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2014|isbn=9780199368617|page=257}}</ref> after slipping into a diabetic coma. He had been returning by night train to [[Kainchi]]<ref>{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism|isbn=0816075646|page=310|last1=Jones|first1=Constance|last2=Ryan|first2=James D.|year=2006}}</ref> near [[Nainital]], from [[Agra]] where he had visited a heart specialist due to experiencing pains in his chest. He and his traveling companions had disembarked at [[Mathura]] railway station where he began convulsing and was taken to a hospital where he died.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Divine Reality – Sri Baba Neeb Karori Ji Maharaj (Neem Karoli Baba) 9788190310505|url=https://dokumen.pub/the-divine-reality-sri-baba-neeb-karori-ji-maharaj-neem-karoli-baba-9788190310505.html|access-date=2020-11-11|website=dokumen.pub|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Geraghty|first=Anne|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1x_tBAAAQBAJ&q=diabetic&pg=PT30|title=Death, the Last God: A Modern Book of the Dead|year=2014|publisher=John Hunt Publishing|isbn=978-1-78279-708-1|language=en}}</ref> His last words, repeated several times, were "[[Jai Jagdish Hare|Jaya Jagadish Hare]]" ("Hail to the Lord of the Universe").<ref name="miracleoflove">Ram Dass (1995). ''Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba''. Hanuman Foundation. {{ISBN|1-887474-00-5}} [http://www.ramdass.org/great-escape/]</ref> His [[samadhi (shrine)]] was built in the complex of the Vrindavan ashram.


The Kainchi Dham [[ashram]], where he stayed in the last decade of his life, was built in 1964 with a Hanuman temple. It started two years prior with a modest platform built for two local [[sadhu]]s, Premi Baba and Sombari Maharaj to perform [[yagna]]s. Over the years the temple, situated 17&nbsp;km from [[Nainital]] on the Nainital-[[Almora]] road, has become an important pilgrimage for locals, as well as spiritual seekers and devotees worldwide. Each year on June 15, the Kainchi Dham [[Bhandara (community kitchen)|Bhandara]] takes place to commemorate the inauguration of the temple, a celebration that typically receives over a [[lakh]] (100,000) of devotees.<ref>{{cite web | title = Devotees throng Kainchi Dham fair | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/Devotees-throng-Kainchi-Dham-fair/articleshow/47680464.cms |date=15 June 2015| access-date = 2015-10-01 | newspaper = [[The Times of India]] }}</ref><ref>
==Legacy==
{{cite web | title = 10 facts to know about Neem Karoli Baba | url = http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/neem-karoli-baba-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-apple-steve-jobs-54973.html |work=India TV News|date=1 October 2015| access-date = 2015-10-01 }}</ref><ref name=telegraph2015>{{cite web | title = One 'Mark' who stayed two nights | url = http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150930/jsp/frontpage/story_45349.jsp#.Vg09Kuyqqko| archive-url = https://archive.today/20151004101156/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150930/jsp/frontpage/story_45349.jsp%23.Vg09Kuyqqko| url-status = dead| archive-date = 4 October 2015|work=The Telegraph |date=30 September 2015| access-date = 2015-10-01 }}</ref>
After returning to the United States, [[Ram Dass]] and [[Larry Brilliant]] founded the [[Seva Foundation]], an international health organization based in Berkeley, California.<ref name="Imbimbo2009">{{cite book|author=Anthony Imbimbo|title=Steve Jobs: The Brilliant Mind Behind Apple|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9Mv5tVPB4hEC&pg=PA42|date= 2009|publisher=Gareth Stevens|isbn=978-1-4339-0060-0|pages=43}}</ref> In the late 2000s the 'Love Serve Remember Foundation' was established to promote the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba.<ref>{{cite web | title = Love Serve Remember Foundation - Ram Dass
| url = https://www.ramdass.org/love-serve-remember-foundation/ | access-date = 2015-10-06 }}</ref> In 2024 his follower [[Rahul Verma]] founded the NKB Divine Meditation Foundation, offering free guided meditation sessions based on the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba.<ref name="Hindustan Times">{{cite news | title = An ode to Neem Karoli Baba: Delhi gets a new meditation centre in Greater Kailash | url = https://www.hindustantimes.com/htcity/htcity-delhi-junction/an-ode-to-neem-karoli-baba-delhi-gets-a-new-meditation-centre-in-greater-kailash-101725431746688.html | work = [[Hindustan Times]] | access-date = 2024-09-09  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = NKB Divine Meditation Foundation | url = https://nkbmeditation.org/ | access-date = 2024-09-09 }}</ref>


===Death===
Each year on June 15, to commemorate the foundation day of Kainchi Dham in 1964, a large [[mela]] (fair) known as ''Kainchi Dham Mela'', is organised, in which thousands of devotees and pilgrims take part.<ref name="n747">{{cite web | last=बेलवाल | first=ललित मोहन | title=कैंची धाम में किस दिन लगेगा भव्य मेला, नीम करोली बाबा के दर से कोई नहीं लौटता है खाली हाथ | website=Navbharat Times | date=2025-06-14 | url=https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/astro/religion-rituals/pilgrimage/neem-karoli-baba-kainchi-dham-mela-15-june-2025-kainchi-dham-sthapna-diwas-kab-hai/articleshow/121842126.cms | language=hi | access-date=2025-10-22}}</ref><ref name="g840">{{cite web | last=Singh | first=Govind | title=Kainchi Dham Mela 2025: तैयारियां शुरू, 15 जून को उमड़ेगी भीड़; जाम से बचने को बनाया फुलप्रूफ प्‍लान | website=Jagran | date=2025-06-05 | url=https://www.jagran.com/uttarakhand/nainital-kainchi-dham-mela-2025-preparations-begin-shuttle-services-planned-23956661.html | language=hi | access-date=2025-10-22}}</ref>
[[File:Neem Karoli Baba, Samadhi Mandir, Vrindavan.JPG|thumb|Neem Karoli Baba Samadhi Mandir, Vrindavan]]
Neem Karoli Baba died at approximately 1:15&nbsp;AM in the early morning hours of September 11, 1973 in a hospital at [[Vrindavan]], [[India]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=My mystical experience at Neem Karoli Baba's Kainchai Dham ashram!|url=https://www.speakingtree.in/allslides/kainchi-dham-ashram-neem-karoli-baba-nainital|access-date=2020-11-11|website=www.speakingtree.in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Aymard|first=Orianne|title=When a Goddess Dies: Worshipping Ma Anandamayi after Her Death|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2014|isbn=9780199368617|pages=257}}</ref> after slipping into a diabetic coma. He had been returning by night train to [[Kainchi]]<ref>{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism|isbn=0816075646|pages=310|last1=Jones|first1=Constance|last2=Ryan|first2=James D.|year=2006}}</ref> near [[Nainital]], from [[Agra]] where he had visited a heart specialist due to experiencing pains in his chest. He and his traveling companions had disembarked at [[Mathura]] railway station where he began convulsing and requested being taken to Shri Dham Vrindavan.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Divine Reality - Sri Baba Neeb Karori Ji Maharaj (Neem Karoli Baba) 9788190310505|url=https://dokumen.pub/the-divine-reality-sri-baba-neeb-karori-ji-maharaj-neem-karoli-baba-9788190310505.html|access-date=2020-11-11|website=dokumen.pub|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Geraghty|first=Anne|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1x_tBAAAQBAJ&q=diabetic&pg=PT30|title=Death, the Last God: A Modern Book of the Dead|date=2014-11-28|publisher=John Hunt Publishing|isbn=978-1-78279-708-1|language=en}}</ref>


{{blockquote|They took him to the emergency room at the hospital. In the hospital, the doctor gave him injections and placed an oxygen mask over his face. The hospital staff said that he was in a diabetic coma but that his pulse was fine. Maharajji roused and pulled the oxygen mask off his face and the blood pressure measuring band from his arm, saying, “Bekar (useless).” Maharajji asked for [[Ganga]] water. As there was none, they brought him regular water. He then repeated several times, “[[Jai Jagdish Hare|Jaya Jagadish Hare]]” ("Hail to the Lord of the Universe"), each time in a lower pitch. His face became very peaceful, and all signs of pain disappeared. He was dead.<ref name=miracleoflove>Ram Dass (1995). ''Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba''. Hanuman Foundation. {{ISBN|1-887474-00-5}} [http://www.ramdass.org/great-escape/]</ref>}}
{{gallery
|File:Neem Karoli Baba Sculpture in Ram Dass Library.jpg|Neem Karoli Baba sculpture in Ram Dass library
||File:NKB Divine Meditation Centre.png|Devotees of Neem Karoli Baba meditating at NKB Divine Meditation Centre, New Delhi
||File:Neem Karoli Baba, Samadhi Mandir, Vrindavan.JPG|Neem Karoli Baba Samadhi Mandir, Vrindavan
}}


His [[Samadhi (shrine)|samadhi shrine]] was built within the complex of the Vrindavan ashram, which also has some of his personal belongings.
== In popular culture ==


==Philosophy==
=== Films and documentaries ===
Neem Karoli Baba was a lifelong adept of [[bhakti yoga]], and encouraged service to others ([[Selfless service|seva]]) as the highest form of unconditional devotion to God. In the book ''Miracle of Love'', compiled by [[Ram Dass]], a devotee named Anjani shares the following account:


{{blockquote|There can be no biography of him. Facts are few, stories many. He seems to have been known by different names in many parts of India, appearing and disappearing through the years. His non-Indian devotees of recent years knew him as Neem Karoli Baba, but mostly as “Maharajji”. Just as he said, he was "nobody". He gave no discourses; the briefest, simplest stories were his teachings. Usually, he sat or lay on a wooden bench wrapped in a plaid blanket while a few devotees sat around him. Visitors came and went; they were given food, a few words, a nod, a pat on the head or back, and they were sent away. There was gossip and laughter for he loved to joke. Orders for running the ashram were given, usually in a piercing yell across the compound. Sometimes he sat in silence, absorbed in another world to which we could not follow, but bliss and peace poured down on us. Who he was<!--not a mistake--> was no more than the experience of him, the nectar of his presence, the totality of his absence, enveloping us now like his plaid blanket.<ref name="miracleoflove"/>}}
''Windfall of Grace'' is a documentary film directed by Japna Tulsi about Neem Karoli Baba and his devotees. The film explores Baba's life and legacy through accounts by devotees, kirtan and visits to places associated with him.<ref>{{cite web |title=Windfall of Grace |url=https://www.windfallofgrace.com/ |publisher=Windfall of Grace |access-date=29 August 2026}}</ref>


Baba would say that attachment and ego are the greatest hindrances to the realisation of God and that “a learned man and a fool are alike as long as there is attachment and ego in the physical body.” He would advise people to surrender to God's will above everything else so that they might develop love and faith in him and thereby be free of unnecessary worries in life.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Divine Reality|url=https://krishnadasmusic.com/products/the-divine-reality|access-date=2021-05-20|website=Krishna Das Music}}</ref>
''Moved by Grace'' is a documentary about devotees of Neem Karoli Baba and their experiences following their association with him. The film was released on 1 December 2022, the anniversary of Baba's birth.<ref>{{cite web |title=Moved by Grace |url=https://www.windfallofgrace.com/moved-by-grace |publisher=Windfall of Grace |date=1 December 2022 |access-date=29 August 2026}}</ref>


==Notable disciples==
''[[One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das]]'' is a 2012 documentary film about [[Krishna Das (singer)|Krishna Das]]. It follows his journey to India in search of Neem Karoli Baba and his subsequent spiritual relationship with Baba.<ref>{{cite web |title=One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das |url=https://www.filmlinc.org/films/one-track-heart-the-story-of-krishna-das/ |publisher=Film at Lincoln Center |date=2012 |access-date=29 August 2026}}</ref>
[[File:Early morning Glimpse of Kainchi Dham Nainital 2023.jpg|thumb|Kainchi Dham Ashram near [[Nainital]] ]]
Notable disciples of Neem Karoli Baba include spiritual teacher [[Ram Dass]] (author of ''[[Be Here Now (book)|Be Here Now]]),'' singer and spiritual teacher [[Bhagavan Das (yogi)|Bhagavan Das]], author and meditation teacher [[Lama Surya Das]]<ref>{{cite book| last =Das| first =Surya| title =Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World| publisher =Broadway| date =1998| pages =41| isbn = 0-7679-0157-6}}</ref> and the musicians [[Jai Uttal]] and [[Krishna Das (singer)|Krishna Das]]. Other notable devotees include humanitarian [[Larry Brilliant]] and his wife Girija, [[Dada Mukerjee]] (former professor at [[Allahabad University]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], India), scholar and writer Yvette Rosser, American spiritual teacher [[Ma Jaya|Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati]], [[John Bush (filmmaker)|John Bush]] filmmaker, and [[Daniel Goleman]] author of ''[[The Varieties of the Meditative Experience]]'' and ''[[Emotional Intelligence]]''.<ref>{{cite web | title = Krishna Das : Songwriter Interviews | url = http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/krishna_das/ | work = Song facts|access-date = 2015-10-01  }}</ref> [[Baba Hari Dass]] (Haridas) was not a disciple,<ref>{{Cite book|title = Encyclopedia of Hinduism|last1 = Jones|first1 = Constance A.|publisher = Infobase Publishing|year = 2007|isbn = 978-0-8160-5458-9|location = New York|pages = Baba Hari Dass|last2 = D. Ryan|first2 = James}}</ref> but he supervised several buildings and maintained the ashrams<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Near and The Dear|last = Mukerjee|first = Sudhir Dada|publisher = Hanuman Foundation|orig-year = 1996|year = 2012|isbn = 978-1-887474-02-3|location = Santa Fe, NM|pages = 221–2}}</ref> in the [[Nainital]] area (1954-1968) before heading to the US to become a spiritual teacher in California at the beginning of 1971.


[[Steve Jobs]], along with his friend [[Dan Kottke]], traveled to India in April 1974 to study Hinduism and Indian spirituality; they planned also to meet Neem Karoli Baba,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/rhythmdivine/jobs-holy-man-and-apple-logo/4609698 |title=Steve Jobs, a Hindu holy man, and the Apple logo |date=4 April 2013 |publisher=abc.net.au }}</ref> but arrived to find the guru had died the previous September.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/itslideshow/7312002.cms |title=Sought 'enlightenment' in India |newspaper=The Times of India |date=2011-10-06 |access-date=2012-04-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/rhythmdivine/jobs-holy-man-and-apple-logo/4609698|title=Steve Jobs, a Hindu holy man, and the Apple logo| website=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |date=4 April 2013}}</ref> [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] [[actress]] [[Julia Roberts]] was also influenced by Neem Karoli Baba. A picture of him drew Roberts to Hinduism.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Entertainment/video/julia-roberts-journey-eat-pray-love-11356429 |title= Julia Roberts' Journey in 'Eat Pray Love' |date=9 August 2010 |publisher=[[ABC News]] |access-date=6 October 2010}}</ref> Influenced by [[Steve Jobs]], [[Mark Zuckerberg]] visited Neem Karoli Baba's ashram in Kainchi. Larry Brilliant took Google's [[Larry Page]] and [[Jeffrey Skoll]], co-founder of eBay, on the pilgrimage.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/inside-the-indian-temple-that-draws-americas-tech-titans/2015/10/30/03b646d8-7cb9-11e5-bfb6-65300a5ff562_story.html|title=Inside the Indian temple that draws America's tech titans|first=Annie|last=Gowen|date=31 October 2015|via=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref>
''American Yogi'' is a documentary film directed by Steven Newmark and based on the life of Neem Karoli Baba. The film follows Newmark's journey and his efforts to present Indian spirituality to Western audiences.<ref>{{cite web |title=Adventure of an American Yogi: An Effort to take Indian Spiritualism to the West |url=https://www.pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?lang=2&reg=48&relid=112203 |publisher=Press Information Bureau, Government of India |date=29 November 2014 |access-date=29 August 2026}}</ref>


==Foundations==
''Brilliant Disguise: The Samadhi of K.C. Tewari'' is a 2022 documentary directed by David Silver about K.C. Tewari, a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba. The film follows Tewari's life and his association with Baba and Western spiritual seekers who travelled to India.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brilliant Disguise Film Page |url=https://www.ramdass.org/brilliantdisguise/ |publisher=Ram Dass |access-date=29 August 2026}}</ref>
After returning to the United States, [[Ram Dass]] and [[Larry Brilliant]] founded the [[Seva Foundation]], an international health organization based in Berkeley, California. Steve Jobs, a friend of Brilliant, also funded the organization.<ref name="Imbimbo2009">{{cite book|author=Anthony Imbimbo|title=Steve Jobs: The Brilliant Mind Behind Apple|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9Mv5tVPB4hEC&pg=PA42|date= 2009|publisher=Gareth Stevens|isbn=978-1-4339-0060-0|pages=43}}</ref> It is committed to applying the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba toward preventing and treating blindness.


In the late 2000s another Foundation evolved, the 'Love Serve Remember Foundation', whose purpose is to preserve and continue the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba.<ref>{{cite web | title = Love Serve Remember Foundation - Ram Dass
''Shree Baba Neeb Karori Maharaj'' is a 2026 Hindi-language biographical drama directed by Sharad Singh Thakur, with Subodh Bhave portraying Neem Karoli Baba. The film was released on 29 May 2026.<ref>{{cite web |title=Shree Baba Neeb Karori Maharaj |url=https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/annigeri/shree-baba-neeb-karori-maharaj/ET00494239 |publisher=BookMyShow |access-date=29 August 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Subodh Bhave |url=https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrity/subodh-bhave/filmography/ |publisher=Bollywood Hungama |access-date=29 August 2026}}</ref>
| url = https://www.ramdass.org/love-serve-remember-foundation/ | access-date = 2015-10-06  }}</ref>


== Documentary ==
''[[Hanuman Ansh]]'' is a 2026 Hindi-language devotional drama written and directed by Vishal Chaturvedi. The film is based on real-life incidents associated with Neem Karoli Baba and stars Shobhinaw Satyaa as Baba. It was released in theatres on 7 August 2026.<ref>{{cite news |title='Hanuman Ansh' review |url=https://filminformation.com/reviews/hanuman-ansh-review-7-august-2026/ |work=Film Information |date=7 August 2026 |access-date=29 August 2026}}</ref>
The 2021 documentary ''Windfall of Grace'' offers an engaging blend of narratives from simple, rustic Indian devotees juxtaposed by narratives of renowned American devotees. These expressions seek to bring out not just the contrasts but also the similarities between the two by way of their overwhelming love and surrender for Neem Karoli Baba. Their individual encounters with Baba sparked dramatic shifts in their life purpose along with their spiritual path and practice.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}


==Gallery==
==References==
{{gallery
{{Duplicated citations|reason=DuplicateReferences script detected:
|File:Neem Karoli Baba Sculpture in Ram Dass Library.jpg|Neem Karoli Baba sculpture in Ram Dass library
* http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/neem-karoli-baba-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-apple-steve-jobs-54973.html (refs: 6, 8)
||Neem Karoli baba meditating in front of Lord Hanuman murti
|date=September 2026}}
||Neem Karoli Baba with western devotees
||Neem Karoli Baba reading ''[[Be Here Now (book)|Be Here Now]]'', the book which he inspired
||Neem Karoli Baba with his disciple [[Ram Dass]]
}}


==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


Line 90: Line 83:
* {{cite book |author=Ram Dass |title=Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba |publisher=Hanuman Foundation |year=1995 |isbn=1887474005}}
* {{cite book |author=Ram Dass |title=Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba |publisher=Hanuman Foundation |year=1995 |isbn=1887474005}}
* {{cite book |first=Jai Ram |last=Ransom |title=It All Abides in Love: Maharaji Neem Karoli Baba |publisher=Taos Music and Art, Inc. |year=2014 |isbn=9780990718222}}
* {{cite book |first=Jai Ram |last=Ransom |title=It All Abides in Love: Maharaji Neem Karoli Baba |publisher=Taos Music and Art, Inc. |year=2014 |isbn=9780990718222}}
* {{cite book |first=Jaya |last=Prasada |title=Sri Siddhi Ma The Story of Neem Karoli Baba's Spiritual Legacy |publisher=India Penguin|year=2022 |isbn=9780143457831}}
{{refend}}
{{refend}}


==External links==
==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.neebkaroribaba.com/|name=Official website}}
{{Commons category|Neem Karoli Baba}}
*{{URL|http://nkbashram.org/|Official website of the Neem Karoli Baba Ashram, Taos, New Mexico}}
 
*{{URL|http://nkbashram.org/|Neem Karoli Baba Ashram, Taos, New Mexico}}
*{{URL|https://nkbmeditation.org/|Neem Karoli Baba Meditation Centre, New Delhi}}
*{{URL|https://maharajji.love/|Maharaj Ji's Ashram}}
*{{URL|https://maharajji.love/|Maharaj Ji's Ashram}}
*''{{URL|https://www.windfallofgrace.com/|Windfall of Grace}}''
*''{{URL|https://www.windfallofgrace.com/|Windfall of Grace}}''
*{{curlie|Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Hinduism/Gurus_and_Saints/Neem_Karoli_Baba/}}


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{{Portal bar|Biography|India|Hinduism|Philosophy|Modern history}}{{Ram Dass|state=collapsed}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Neem Karoli Baba}}
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[[Category:20th-century Hindu religious leaders]]
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[[Category:Deaths from multiple organ failure]]
[[Category:Deaths from multiple organ failure]]
[[Category:Miracle workers]]

Latest revision as of 09:59, 4 September 2026

Neem Karoli Baba
Neem Karoli Baba at Kainchi
Personal
Born
Lakshman Narayan Sharma

c. 1900[1]
Akbarpur village, North-Western Provinces, British India (present-day Firozabad district, Uttar Pradesh, India)
Died11 September 1973
Vrindavan, India
ReligionHinduism
SpouseRam Beti Sharma
ChildrenArvind Sharma[2]
Girija Devi
PhilosophyBhakti yoga
Religious career

Neem Karoli Baba (Hindi: नीम करौली बाबा, romanized: nīm karaulī bābā) also known as Neeb Karori Baba (Hindi: नीब करौरी बाबा, romanized: nīb karaurī bābā) and by his followers as Maharaj-ji, was a Hindu guru and devotee of the Hindu deity Hanuman. He was born "Laksman Narayan Sharma" around c. 1900 and died on 11 September 1973.[1][3][4]

Biography[edit | edit source]

Kainchi Dham ashram established by Neem Karoli Baba in 1964.

Lakshman Narayan Sharma[5] was born around 1900 in the village Akbarpur in the Ambedkar Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, India, in a wealthy Brahmin family.[1] After being married by his parents at the age of 11, he left home to become a wandering sadhu (religious hermit).

Neem Karoli Baba, known at the time as Baba Lakshman Das (also spelled "Laxman Das"), left his home in c. 1911 and wandered through Northern India.[6] He later returned home, at his father's request, to live a settled married life. He fathered two sons Anek Singh and Dhrma Narayan Sharma and a daughter Girija.[2][7] During his life two main ashrams were built, at Kainchi and at Vrindavan.[1] The Kainchi Dham, where he stayed in the last decade of his life, was built in 1964 with a Hanuman ji temple.[8][9][10] In time, over 100 temples were constructed in his name.[1]

Neem Karoli Baba died at about 1:15 a.m. on 11 September 1973 in a hospital at Vrindavan, India,[11][12] after slipping into a diabetic coma. He had been returning by night train to Kainchi[13] near Nainital, from Agra where he had visited a heart specialist due to experiencing pains in his chest. He and his traveling companions had disembarked at Mathura railway station where he began convulsing and was taken to a hospital where he died.[14][15] His last words, repeated several times, were "Jaya Jagadish Hare" ("Hail to the Lord of the Universe").[16] His samadhi (shrine) was built in the complex of the Vrindavan ashram.

Legacy[edit | edit source]

After returning to the United States, Ram Dass and Larry Brilliant founded the Seva Foundation, an international health organization based in Berkeley, California.[17] In the late 2000s the 'Love Serve Remember Foundation' was established to promote the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba.[18] In 2024 his follower Rahul Verma founded the NKB Divine Meditation Foundation, offering free guided meditation sessions based on the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba.[19][20]

Each year on June 15, to commemorate the foundation day of Kainchi Dham in 1964, a large mela (fair) known as Kainchi Dham Mela, is organised, in which thousands of devotees and pilgrims take part.[21][22]

In popular culture[edit | edit source]

Films and documentaries[edit | edit source]

Windfall of Grace is a documentary film directed by Japna Tulsi about Neem Karoli Baba and his devotees. The film explores Baba's life and legacy through accounts by devotees, kirtan and visits to places associated with him.[23]

Moved by Grace is a documentary about devotees of Neem Karoli Baba and their experiences following their association with him. The film was released on 1 December 2022, the anniversary of Baba's birth.[24]

One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das is a 2012 documentary film about Krishna Das. It follows his journey to India in search of Neem Karoli Baba and his subsequent spiritual relationship with Baba.[25]

American Yogi is a documentary film directed by Steven Newmark and based on the life of Neem Karoli Baba. The film follows Newmark's journey and his efforts to present Indian spirituality to Western audiences.[26]

Brilliant Disguise: The Samadhi of K.C. Tewari is a 2022 documentary directed by David Silver about K.C. Tewari, a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba. The film follows Tewari's life and his association with Baba and Western spiritual seekers who travelled to India.[27]

Shree Baba Neeb Karori Maharaj is a 2026 Hindi-language biographical drama directed by Sharad Singh Thakur, with Subodh Bhave portraying Neem Karoli Baba. The film was released on 29 May 2026.[28][29]

Hanuman Ansh is a 2026 Hindi-language devotional drama written and directed by Vishal Chaturvedi. The film is based on real-life incidents associated with Neem Karoli Baba and stars Shobhinaw Satyaa as Baba. It was released in theatres on 7 August 2026.[30]

References[edit | edit source]

Template:Duplicated citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Jones, Constance; Ryan, James D. (2006). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Infobase Publishing. p. 310. ISBN 978-0-8160-7564-5.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "कौन थीं नीम करोली बाबा की पत्नी? संत बनने के बाद पत्नी का क्या हुआ? बाबा के जीवन का ये पहलू कर देगा हैरान". 3 September 2026.
  3. ↑ Swami Chidananda. "Baba Neem Karoli: A Wonder Mystic of Northern India". Divine Life Society. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "सुर्खियों में आया बाबा नीब करौरी का आश्रम". Dainik Bhaskar (in हिन्दी). 1 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  5. ↑ The Encyclopedic Sourcebook of New Age Religions. United States: Prometheus. 2004. p. 142.
  6. ↑ Ram Dass (1995). Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba. Hanuman Foundation. ISBN 1-887474-00-5.
  7. ↑ नीम करौरी बाबा के पुत्र धर्म नारायण शर्मा ब्रह्मलीन, Jagran, 27 Apr 2021
  8. ↑ "Devotees throng Kainchi Dham fair". The Times of India. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  9. ↑ "10 facts to know about Neem Karoli Baba". India TV News. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  10. ↑ "One 'Mark' who stayed two nights". The Telegraph. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  11. ↑ "My mystical experience at Neem Karoli Baba's Kainchai Dham ashram!". www.speakingtree.in. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  12. ↑ Aymard, Orianne (2014). When a Goddess Dies: Worshipping Ma Anandamayi after Her Death. Oxford University Press. p. 257. ISBN 9780199368617.
  13. ↑ Jones, Constance; Ryan, James D. (2006). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. p. 310. ISBN 0816075646.
  14. ↑ "The Divine Reality – Sri Baba Neeb Karori Ji Maharaj (Neem Karoli Baba) 9788190310505". dokumen.pub. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  15. ↑ Geraghty, Anne (2014). Death, the Last God: A Modern Book of the Dead. John Hunt Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78279-708-1.
  16. ↑ Ram Dass (1995). Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba. Hanuman Foundation. ISBN 1-887474-00-5 [1]
  17. ↑ Anthony Imbimbo (2009). Steve Jobs: The Brilliant Mind Behind Apple. Gareth Stevens. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-4339-0060-0.
  18. ↑ "Love Serve Remember Foundation - Ram Dass". Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  19. ↑ "An ode to Neem Karoli Baba: Delhi gets a new meditation centre in Greater Kailash". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  20. ↑ "NKB Divine Meditation Foundation". Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  21. ↑ बेलवाल, ललित मोहन (14 June 2025). "कैंची धाम में किस दिन लगेगा भव्य मेला, नीम करोली बाबा के दर से कोई नहीं लौटता है खाली हाथ". Navbharat Times (in हिन्दी). Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  22. ↑ Singh, Govind (5 June 2025). "Kainchi Dham Mela 2025: तैयारियां शुरू, 15 जून को उमड़ेगी भीड़; जाम से बचने को बनाया फुलप्रूफ प्‍लान". Jagran (in हिन्दी). Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  23. ↑ "Windfall of Grace". Windfall of Grace. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  24. ↑ "Moved by Grace". Windfall of Grace. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  25. ↑ "One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das". Film at Lincoln Center. 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  26. ↑ "Adventure of an American Yogi: An Effort to take Indian Spiritualism to the West". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 29 November 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  27. ↑ "Brilliant Disguise Film Page". Ram Dass. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  28. ↑ "Shree Baba Neeb Karori Maharaj". BookMyShow. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  29. ↑ "Subodh Bhave". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  30. ↑ "'Hanuman Ansh' review". Film Information. 7 August 2026. Retrieved 29 August 2026.

Bibliography[edit | edit source]

  • Bhagavan Das (1997). It's Here Now (Are You?). Broadway. ISBN 0-7679-0009-X.
  • Hanuman Foundation (1980). Neem Karoli Baba. Hanuman Foundation.
  • Keshav Das, ed. (2011). Barefoot in the Heart: Remembering Neem Karoli Baba. Sensitive Skin Books. ISBN 978-0-9839271-2-9.
  • Krishna Das (2010). Chants of a Lifetime: Searching for a Heart of Gold. Hay House, Inc. ISBN 978-1-4019-2022-7.
  • Markus, Parvati (October 1996). Love Everyone: The Transcendent Wisdom of Neem Karoli Baba and His Devotees. Hanuman Foundation. ISBN 1-887474-02-1.
  • Pande, Ravi Prakash (2015). Divine Reality: Shri Baba Neem Karoli Baba. HarperOne. ISBN 978-0062342997.
  • Mukerjee, Dada (2001). By His Grace: A Devotee's Story. Hanuman Foundation. ISBN 0-9628878-7-0.
  • Mukerjee, Dada (2001). The Near and the Dear: Stories Neeb Karori Ji Maharaj. Shri Kainchi Hanuman Mandir Ashram.
  • Ram Dass (1971). Be Here Now. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-517-54305-2.
  • Ram Dass (1995). Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba. Hanuman Foundation. ISBN 1887474005.
  • Ransom, Jai Ram (2014). It All Abides in Love: Maharaji Neem Karoli Baba. Taos Music and Art, Inc. ISBN 9780990718222.
  • Prasada, Jaya (2022). Sri Siddhi Ma The Story of Neem Karoli Baba's Spiritual Legacy. India Penguin. ISBN 9780143457831.

External links[edit | edit source]

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