(The Special Personality)

Sri Ram Chandra Ji Maharaj ( Babuji ) of Shajahanpur, U.P. India is the ablest disciple of the Adi-Guru, adhered to the Discipline enforced by his Master. He used to send his diary narrating his spiritual experiences and his state to his Master. One night Sri Babuji saw his Master in a dream. He saw that his Master merged with him and said “Man too shudam, too main shudi, Man tan shudam, too jan shudi, Ta Kas na goyed baad azeen, man deegaram too deegari – (I became you and you became me, I became body and you became soul, so that after this none could say that I and you were different).” Babuji wrote this down in his autobiography.

The greatest miracle of Sri Lalaji is perfection of Sri Babuji’s grand personality, which is unparalleled in the history of spiritual development. His researches and discoveries in the field will be regarded as wonderful and superb and shall remain a subject for further researches for centuries. Only posterity will be able to assess and evaluate the boons bestowed upon humanity by Him.

“Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj was born on Sunday, the Baisakh Badi Panchami in the Vikram Samvat 1856 (saka year 1821) the 30th April 1899 at 07-26 A.M. IST at Shahjahanpur, U.P. India. From early childhood he was showing unique qualities of Mahatmas in his action and behavior. He was balanced. He never suffered from the impulsive craving for food even in early childhood and would partake of food only when offered in love and concern. He was very sensitive by Nature. He was placed as a young baby of 2 or 3 months on a sop (a plaited implement used for husking grain under the rays of Sun). After many years when he was practicing meditation, this scene came to his view and he inferred that this must be a childhood impression which was confirmed by his mother who said she has done it several times like that. The sensitivity to impressions and the capacity for exercising his Will were special endowments with which he was born as he would see it later on many incidents. His mother taught him several precepts to be followed in life like “Be honest” “Do not steal” and similar morals which cast permanent impressions in him. His mother influenced him so much that he requested her to teach him to do Puja that she was performing. But all that she did was to apply sandalwood paste on his forehead and he felt elated. But he learnt soon that this is not the real thing. At the age of 9 (nine), he started reading Bhagavad Gita but could not grasp the conditions therein by reading and his craving continued. Later he asked a local priest to prescribe some method of worship and he asked him to do “Rama japa”. He tried this only for a week but was not able to observe any change in his condition and his craving continued unabated. Then he tried to do idol worship but found it gross and dragging him further low and therefore he gave it up. This craving continued for many more years.

Sri Ramchandra started studying at the age of 6 under a tutor. But unfortunately he contracted typhoid and had to discontinue studies for an year. The illness made him forget all that he learned till then. Perhaps because he has to learn different things, God wanted to keep his mind a clean state – a state of mind without any impressions – a tabula – rasa. He continued his studies in a school. But that was dotted with failures mainly because he was very poor in mathematics. Once in order to find an excuse for not doing homework in mathematics he put a finger in a wasp-hive and preferred that suffering to the punishment from the teacher for non-performance. Of course, he regretted for this option later. Ridiculous story from one point of view but this is innocence at its nascent state.

His mother’s training in moral values was his guiding spirit. He was honest to the core. He found once a rupee (a big amount those days) in the school compound. He dutifully handed over the same to the head master to be returned to the rightful owner. The head master sent a note to all classes regarding the same simultaneously praising the boy for his gesture.

He practiced riding a horse, which was purchased for him by his father and used to go school riding. He was so skillful in this that he used to ride without a syce (groom) also. He was also a good hockey player and was the captain of his class team. But his sensitive Nature made him say good bye to this game as his head master did not give materials to play in the leisure time.

Meantime, because of his prayerful mind searching for the Master, he developed enormous sensitivity that he got from the day of his birth. He could sense things like his cloths and that or others by the smell of it and was also capable of knowing the character of the persons by the smell of their perspiration. His craving to know the real nature of God continued always in the background of his mind. By 14 years this matured enough to come to the conclusion that he decided that if he went to any person seeking his Guru he would definitely accept him as such. Such was the development of his will by them. About the same time he developed interest in Philosophy and started his own independent thinking on this subject. Around the 16th year, he once wanted to read John Mills’ “Utilitarianism” and having obtained the same, left it midway. This was because he was afraid that instead of his own thinking he would get brain washed to the theories of others and later on when he would write books he would be only quoting these authors rather than give his philosophy. Such was the desire of this young man for independent thinking and confidence in him. He always advocated that one should have the courage that he can achieve what he wants. He advocated later that one should remove all doubts and develop confidence in oneself to succeed in all pursuits. He further elaborated this philosophy of live by saying that if any one wanted to poison his will he should create doubt in himself. He insisted in honesty and seriousness in all work to gain good fruit. Later in his philosophy, he stresses this confidence as the beginning of the effort towards realization and proposes this as the point of difference with Sanyasis who state that a Grhasta cannot succeed in realisation.

During his school days he had a friend who with mesmerism used to treat people suffering from diseases. He started thinking about this process and came to the basic point that it is concentration and movement of energy for some work pregnant with that thought. Some time later a relative of his also claimed himself to be a mesmerist. But he did not want to teach Sri Ramchandra unless he did some personal service as per the old ways generally adopted by gurus. This was to become one more thought that influenced him so much that he banned this type of personal service to the guru or trainer later in his system of Yoga saying that all knowledge should be made available to the deserving as a matter of service to a brother. Thus we see remarkable positive thinking developing in him right from the school days, which was to guide him in developing his system of training in Raja Yoga. His brain had developed excellent clarity and he with his extraordinary sensitivity arrived at correct conclusions and his will was so strong he could challenge his relative on his next visit ad was prepared to any test by him.

This faculty had developed in him so much that every one was aware of his capacity. During that period Sri Idris Ahmed, the Head Master of Govt. High School, Shahjahanpur where he was studying suffered from severe pain of colic. He was totally restless and groaning due to pain and requested Sri Ramchandraji to help him if he can. He caught hold of his thumbs with his hands putting his thumb over his and passed the suggestion that “you are alright now” for a minute. The head master felt relief from pain immediately and he went to sleep. Thereafter the head master referred all the cases of suffering students in the school to him for relief that they were getting. Such was his will even by then.

During the school days itself, he developed interest in Philosophy as we have seen earlier. His teachers encouraged him in his pursuit of learning very much. He used to write essays on philosophy and the subject - Dynamics of the Mind was his pet subject. His English teacher used to appreciate his articles on this subject and also used to express his wonder how this school student is able to write about subjects usually taught at the degree level leading to B.A. etc.

This capacity for analysis and critical evaluation has helped in his research in Yoga which has totally changed the system of Raja Yoga to suit to the modern needs and the world is indebted to him for ever for this service. He said that research in Yoga has not been done for a long time because people think that it is very difficulty. He emphasized the importance of correct thinking followed by the feeling that it is correct. This he explains later as the heart verifying the correctness of thought. Mind thinks and heart gives signals for its correctness. The heart gives signals of different Nature. To understand them is rather difficult without practice. He has advised many methods for developing the purity of Mind and moderation in life which are essential to develop the sensitivity required to understand the language of feeling or otherwise language of the heart.

He was married at the age of 19 (1918) at Mathura the birthplace of Lord Sri Krishna. His wife Smt. Bhagwati, however, was short tempered. But his attitude to accept every thing as a divine gift enabled his who is also equally short tempered to tone down his irritable nature and learned tolerance in her company. This helped him enormously in his spiritual life.

He came to know in 1922 that there was a good guide Samarth Guru Mahatma Sri Ram Chandraji Maharaj of Fatehgarh. His inner craving for the Master which was there from early childhood which was kept in abeyance till he gets a Master got enlivened and he had a keen desire to go to Fatehgarh to meet this Mahatma. It was on the auspicious day of 3rd June 1922 he reached the feet of his Master. He was asked to meditate by the Master. The transmission given by his Master made him feel that he had moved up to a level where the surroundings were very much different from those of the external atmosphere. This feeling he says persisted and he remained in the condition for several days. This meditation convinced him that at last he found his Master and has accepted Him totally. He started in his meditating on the form of his Master, though he advised in his system of Raja yoga meditation on the Divine light without luminosity in the heart. This is mainly because he accepted his Master in every sense of the word and did not seek from him at any point of time any relief other than spiritual guidance. Further as we have noted earlier, his will was very strong and sensitivity very superfine. This relationship was so fast and strong that it remained throughout his lifetime with love, devotion and dedication.

After coming back from his Master, he continued the practice of meditation regularly. However this did not affect his appearing for the Matric and S.S.L.C. examination. After passing the examination, he joined the service in the Judge’s Court at Shahjahanpur on the 12th January 1925. During this entire period of service his general behavior with his colleagues was exemplary. Justice and honesty were the behavioral traits that he learnt from his mother in the childhood and continued through out his life. However he got accustomed to the smoking habit. When his father admonished, he did not change. His father himself changed and purchased him a hookah so that the nicotine will not harm. When he asked his Master later whether he should change his habit, his Master did not consider it necessary. So the hookah continued with him till the end.

It so happened that a colleague of his had joined service a couple of days earlier than him. After a transfer, it so happened that his colleague has joined in the new post a few days later than Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj. At the time of promotion his superior officers who were kindly disposed towards him wanted to promote him over looking the seniority of his colleague on the pretext that he joined the promotion post later and therefore junior to him. But when they consulted Sri Ramchandraji, he told that his colleague is senior and therefore he should be promoted. This not only got appreciation from the superior officers but also helped his colleague develop regard for him. He was able to have the full confidence of his officers who would sign on the dotted lines submitted by him. His friends and colleagues in office irrespective of their rank were highly helpful to him and held him in high regard and esteem.

Once a co-clerk on account of his caste prejudice teased Sri Ramchandraji when he joined a new post in which he had no experience. Instead of teaching and helping him, he resorted to harassing techniques so much that he even opted to resign from office. But the Munsif, to whom the matter was reported, told him that he would teach the work and that he would continue in office, saying simultaneously that he cannot get such an honest man. He felt so bad that he even told his respected father that he would resign from the office or else commit suicide. His father told him to resign immediately if he felt so. However, he continued the service ad with the help of the Munsif was able to learn the work fast in a few months and was comfortable. Despite this attitude of his colleague which had driven him to such an extent as to make him think of suicide also, his treatment towards him was as cordial as ever. He had no enmity towards him and he even loved him more. Others called him simple and naive but from this point if others do not do their duty why should one not do his duty? He puts it like “What I do for you, it is my duty; what you do not do for me, it is your duty”. But then Nature did not spare his colleague and no one in his family survived for long. However, Sri Ramchandraji helped his son to get a job in the court. However, he also died. In the short span of life while so many good things can be done, unfortunately many prefer to do more wrong than good.

While he was actively working in the Court, his sadhana also continued simultaneously vigorously. Within 6 months after his introduction to the system of meditation, he saw in meditation a soothing light and a plant full of light emitting forth light from all its branches and leaves. After another 6 months he noticed a peculiar thing in his heart reciting “Om”. That is the experience of Ajapa. This is due to the fact that his Master infused it in his heart and that is the technique that he also practices to this day provided the abhyasi practices with full faith and devotion in the Master. A shaking to the heart twice or thrice usually precedes the experience. This followed by such Ajapa throughout the particles of his being, which is known as Anahata. About this period, he was in the habit of playing cards. He was instructed by his Master in a dream to stop playing cards as they are influencing him and he obeyed the order immediately. Such was his implicit obedience.

By 1924 he experienced and ubiquitous force present in every animate and inanimate objects and particles. He was drowned in the sea of wonder. He experienced the presence of Divinity everywhere even like broad day light. Meanwhile his married life was one of constant irritation to him. His wife who was short tempered was worsening his short temper. He reported the matter to his Master who asked whether he was loosing senses while being angry. He observed that while the ill temper continued and while he was angry many times, never did the rage made him lose control over the senses. This Master told him that senses do not have any control over him and he has moderated them to the required extent.

The practice of meditation was going on under the guidance of his Master. He entered region after region. He felt the necessity for maintaining piety always. He observes that if anyone wants to know his spiritual condition he may see well by dreams coming to him. If he is advanced his dreams will also be good. The cleaning method prescribed by him to his associates later really helps in purifying the heart. He also observed that when thought comes into contact with the Kanta Chakra, one sees a dream. If a man practices to go into kanta chakra, he can see dreams in the waking state also. While a person is settled in the heart region as described by him in his book “Efficacy of Rajayoga in the light of Sahaj Marg” he says the vision of Avadoots is common. He, however eliminated the possibility of anyone entering into this state in his system of training lest they get stuck up there. The visions change as and when a person completes the journey in the Heart region and one dreams of Grihastas and Viraktas produce subtler conditions into the aspirant. Thereafter so long as the body exists, dreams of different hues according to the level of approach of the aspirant come. He completed the journey in Pind Desh and entered into Brahmand in April 1928. There after he completed the journey in the higher regions.

On 15th August 1931, he found a great flow of power within and outside him which his inner voice assured him had been bestowed by his Master. His Master had gone into the state of Maha Samadhi on the 14th August 1931. This was the usual system of transferring of power adopted by saints of calibre. It was in fact the beginning of merging of his Master in him.

On 12th October 1932 he felt his Master transmitting to him in dream. He felt two jerks of very strong force. In the first round he found his body over flowing with spiritual energy from top to toe. In the second round he felt that his heart being overfull, was almost on the point of breaking down. The third jerk he felt might end his life but he prayed to his Master expressing his inability to bear more. Thus the process of merging improved further.

His mentor and loving father passed away on 7th January 1933 within just two years after the Maha Samadhi of his Master. After his father’s demise one of his uncle’s distantly related wanted to have in-charge of the management of his estate, so that he may have a chance of deriving all possible advantage by fair or foul means. He and his brother did not agree and thus the uncle became an opponent. For years together he remained so creating difficulties to Sri Ram Chandra Ji at every step by underhand means till his death in 1956. He went on with his activities setting up causes for worry, harassment and loss to him. He provoked persons against the Master and tried to drag him to court on many issues. He even resorted to gangsterism in order to harm him in every possible way. Though Master had means and resources to pay his uncle in his own coin, he bore everything patiently and calmly remaining ever on the defensive side with no intention to retaliate. These things should have made any one feel miserable at the loss. But the spiritual genius in him withstood all these for the Divine work ahead, waiting for him.

For the next 12 years we see that Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj was being given inner training for the work ahead, by his Master as well as some work in a sort of dormant oblivious state. Inter communion with his Master got established. In the month of April 1944 he prayed for several days continuously to show him the light which Moses is said to have seen on Mount Sinai. His Master blessed him with that vision during the daytime itself. He records his experience as the light that was enveloping him all round to a distance of several feet. On 14th August 1944 he started praying to Lord Krishna to reveal to him the vision of the Virat Rup as shown to Arjuna and his prayer was answered with a vision in a dream.

In 1944 his condition reached such a state that he was a perfect vacuum and there was no alternative for Nature except to fill him with all the powers that are there and all the saints of different traditions and all the prophets of different religions merged in him and requested him to rectify their institutions. Such a Special Personality was born for the first time in human history in 1944. His Master’s merger in him has become now total and there is no difference between the two thereafter. The powers of the Special Personality are such that he can direct, co-ordinate, monitor and order all the powers of Nature. His status is not significantly different from that of an Avatar yet he is not an Avatar. Avatars have an exclusive responsibility to destroy while the Special Personality is in charge of overhaul through the process of Change. However during the entire life of Sri Ramchandra Ji Maharaj of Shahjahanpur never did he forget his Master and attributed every effort of his to him alone and preferred to remain as an insignificant servant of his Master. This was much appreciated by Lord Krishna who blessed him and his family with spiritual and material prosperity for generations to come.

His official work continued as usual efficiently and gaining his kudos from his superior officers. In 1929 his officers recorded that “I was satisfied with his work. He is a quiet soul and good at his work.” In 1949 his officers stated that “He is efficient and hard working and has given me full satisfaction with his work. He has an enviable reputation for strict honesty.” Later in the same year it was recorded that “as Munsarim his work has been thoroughly satisfactory. He is a careful and hardworking official, and is generally known to be scrupulously honest”. In 1953 it was stated that “He believes In leading a pious life and adheres to that principle in his official life also.” In 1955 it was recorded that he is “an assuming and quiet worker with a very good reputation for leading a saintly life ... he leads a very a saintly life and adheres to his high principles in his day to day affairs and is very conscious of his duties as Record keeper. He had effective control of the record room and I was very much satisfied with his work.” On his retirement it was stated that “He earned an enviable reputation for honesty and disciplined life; worked assiduously but in an unassuming manner and can, I think serve as a model for the ministerial staff which is the poorer for his retirement.” The President of the Prantiya Bharat Sevak Samaj Sri A.G.Khare also appreciated him.

His family life continued satisfactorily. He was blessed with 6 sons and 3 daughters. However 2 sons and one daughter died during infancy. His wife Smt. Bhagwati passed away in the year 1949. His second son Sri Dinesh, however, committed suicide in the year 1958. He bore all these afflictions and grief with a state of balance and settledness and accepted every event as gifts from the Divine for his good.

He established the Sri Ramchandra Mission in the memory of his Master on 31st March 1945 to propagate the new system of Rajayoga. His mission is to install spirituality in place of the prevailing non-spirituality and place the World Order on Nature’s track. He recognised that universal harmony can never be possible unless we take into account the inner state of individual mind. World peace is directly related to individual peace.

So far Spirituality was for few only. Religions having failed the Supreme Personality has now thrown open Spirituality for all so that inter religious and intra religious feuds may end. Now religion is sought to be transcended by Spirituality. A New Civilisation based on Spirituality was ushered in.

The system of Rajayoga was modified to make it suitable for the modern persons who are not able to spare the 10 to 16 hours of time for practice of the same under the traditional methods. His system accepts all that was good in the earlier tradition not by just adding them but incorporating the spirit of such earlier efforts. The system does not demand several austere measures required for spiritual progress as per earlier methods. Nor it eschews all that is in modern methods of living. The system aims at balanced way of living and the aim of human life is to “mould oneself in such a way as to arouse feelings of love and piety amongst others”. Human life is means for happiness, which can be accomplished through a life of co-operation, service and sacrifice.

His method starts with the meditation on the Divine light without luminosity to be practiced in the morning before Sun rise for an hour. He prescribed a method of cleaning to be done in the evening for half an hour in which the aspirant is asked to clean himself by the process of willing away the impurities in the system. He suggested meditation on two points called ‘A’ and ‘B’ located in the chest of the individual which enable him to progress in spirituality overcoming the compulsive thought tendencies of sex and rage. These processes assist the person in moderating the bestial instincts and live as humans. He suggested practice of Ten Commandments, which were given to him by the Divine in his super fine state of Super Consciousness. He prescribed a method of prayer before going to bed, which is absolutely secular and has no religious or regional over tones and in fact no reference to any God so far imagined and projected by the human race. The God of Sri Ramchandra has no mind, no form and no name. He is the force behind all and the base of all. He is the most intimate located in the heart which is the meeting point of activity and inactivity in the human frame. After having got all the thoughts cleared up and divinised, he started his spiritual activities. He structured the method of working in such a way that he would permit persons to work as perfects or preceptors through Pranahuti, a system to spread the message by fomenting spiritual seed in the aspiring individuals.

He undertook extensive tour of the Country without minding his physical discomfort in the days when journey to far off places were really difficult and his own economic consideration. He was under directions from Lord Krishna, Swami Vivekananda and the most revered Lalaji Saheb in the execution of all his works. He willed and worked for the liberation from the British rule as also liberate the people from the ruthless and fanatic rulers like Nizams. He has significantly started his journey from the South and his work started from Deccan. As is well known, Bharat got Independence on 15th August 1947. But the imperialists who did maximum damage as they left divided the country most unethically.

He having willed, left the task of working out the modalities of economic development and in due course integration of this Country back to its original geographical shape to lesser mortals, took up the more serious problem of reviving the spiritual glory of this Country to its pristine purity. He took up the work left unfinished by Swami Ram Tirth who said “Whether working through many souls or alone, I seriously promise to infuse true life and dispel darkness and weakness from India within ten years, and within the first half of the twentieth century India will be restored to more than its glory.” India did get independence before that date. The Special Personality was also born to do the work of the regeneration of Spirituality, which is the soul of this land. The Special Personality is also fulfilling the aspiration of the Swami Vivekananda who said “I am anxiously waiting for the day when mighty minds will arise, gigantic spiritual minds will be ready to go forth from India to the end of world to teach spirituality… those ideas which …. Belong to India’s soil alone.”

He with all earnestness plunged into the spiritual work by undertaking the South India tour in 1944 itself. He has sown the seeds for spiritual regeneration of the nation. He was joined in these efforts later by one of the most devout associates Sri Ishwar Sahaiji who was called endearingly as master due to his vocation in that capacity. Later we find him writing a book called ”Peep into Sahaj Marg” which can be safely considered as one of the best introductions to the subject.

Revered Babuji (as he was being affectionately called by his associates) wrote his first book in 1946 called “Commentary on Ten Commandments of Sahaj Marg” which he said was dictated to him in a super fine state of super consciousness by his Master and is divine in its nature. His next book Efficacy of Rajayoga in the Light of Sahaj Marg followed this in 1947. He wrote later his book on the journey of the aspirant called “Toward Infinity” in Urdu in 1957. He wrote his book “Reality at Dawn”, which has become very popular. Finally in 1962 he wrote his book “Sahaj Marg Philosophy”. He wrote several articles and gave many messages, which were published as “Voice Real”. He also wrote his autobiography in 1975 at the request of his associates but did not write it completely leaving the part II to be published posthumously.”

Rev. Babuji Maharaj told that he makes ‘Masters and not Disciples’ True to this, he prepared many masters like Rev. Dr. K.C. Varadachariji under whose order ISRC is working, Rev. Iswar Sahaiji, Rev. Sister Kasthuri Chaturvedi, Sri Parathasaradhy and Rev. K.C. Narayana to name a few. He himself maintained utmost humility all through His life and addressed everyone as an ‘associate’.