The journey of Baba Lokenath on his spiritual path and attaining self realization is one of determination, discipline, renunciation and perseverance. We like to attain everything easily – our education, successes in life, earning wealth, accumulating possession and even attaining God. We think of ourselves as the Parasmani or the Philoshopher’s stone and assume that everything we touch should turn into gold at once. But it is not so in life. Even a simple college degree involves more than 17 years of studies, effort, expenses, personal sacrifices, exams and determination. How much more so, should we put in for attaining the Emperor of the Universe? The story of Baba Lokenath teaches us how to face grim odds and yet move ahead and attain Divinity:
Baba Lokenath was born on Janmasthami, the birthday of Lord Krishna in 1730. He was the fourth son of a pious brahmin couple. His father’s sole wish in life was to dedicate one of his children to the path of renunciation in order to liberate the family. When Lokenath was 11 years old, he was taken by his father to Pandit Bhagwan Ganguly in a nearby village for learning Shastras and Vedas. Young Lokenath spent 25 years in the forests with his Guru. He served his Guru selflessly, practised the Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali and Hatha Yoga Asanas.
Baba Lokenath was now a full grown adult and was an imposing figure. He was nearly seven feet tall and tightly muscled. He had very little extra flesh on him. He denied the needs of his physical self. He negated sleep. He never closed his eyes or blinked. He moved in the chill of the Himalayas without any clothes. He sat stark naked in deep meditation in the snows of the mountains for nearly 50 years. His self discipline and determination paid off when he finally attained self realization at the age of 90.
For the next 45 years, Baba Lokenath travelled a lot. He walked on foot to Afghanistan, Persia, Arabia and Israel. He made three pilgrimages to Mecca. Then he came to Dhaka in Bangladesh where a wealthy family built him a small ashram. At that time he was 136 years old. Baba Lokenath now put on a sacred thread and saffron robes for the first time in his life. He stayed in this place for the rest of his life and poured blessings and wisdom on those who came to him.
Baba Lokenath’s teachings were very simple and easily understood by all. He taught love, devotion and deep faith in God and in the soul. The soul is a spark of God and is eternal. After self realization, he taught everyone that all creation is nothing but God and we are bound by our karma. This materialistic world is bound by the tongue and the sex organ. He who controls his tongue and sex organ is fit to attain enlightenment.
Baba Lokenath’s death was as unusual as his life. On his last day, Baba was seated in his usual Gomukh Yoga asana. He went into a trance and left his body with his eyes open wide. He was 160 years old then. He last words before leaving his body were: I am eternal, I am deathless. After this body falls, do not think that everything will come to an end. I will live in the hearts of all living beings in my subtle astral form. Whoever seeks my protection will receive it. In danger remember me.
More than a hundred years after his death, Baba Lokenath appeared in vision to Suddhananda Brahamachari in 1978 and commanded him to write his biography. Suddhananda wrote Baba’s life story entitled: In Danger, Remember Me! Today, Baba Lokenath is a household name in millions of Bengali homes. Most homes have his idol placed in the family altar and huge temples are built in his honor This is the respect paid by Indians to the self realized ones and Gurus who show the right way to live and lead them to God. Let us do the SitaRam mantra, meditation and follow the teachings of the Guru and walk our path to God.
