Who is Babaji?

Mahavatar Babaji is an enigma beyond human words and minds. He is unborn and ageless – a direct manifestation of Lord Shiva, the Cosmic Universal Consciousness.

It is paradoxical that such an exalted Being has so many names, and yet in essence, He is Nameless. Babaji is a reverential term for one’s grandfather or old wise men. When applied to a youth of sixteen, as Mahavatar Babaji appears, it shows the inadequacy of physical appearance to measure divine wisdom.

This particular name for the Nameless was first brought to light in the Western world by Paramhansa Yogananda in his Autobiography of a Yogi. Yogananda identified this mysterious Being as the one who initiated Lahiri Mahasaya into the evolutionary practice of Kriya Yoga in 1862. Therefore, Babaji is considered to be the founder of the modern Kriya Yoga movement. Most of what we know about Babaji comes from the lineage of Kriya Masters, including the modern Himalayan Master, Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath.

According to the teachings of these Masters, there is no point in trying to debate the age or origins of Mahavatar Babaji since He is beyond birth and death as we understand it. He is devoting a whole world cycle of countless millions of years to help humanity achieve the evolution of consciousness. This is His great compassionate sacrifice beyond our understanding. His work is done in the background through inspiration and through the great Masters of Yoga who are His devotees. He declines to overtly interfere with humanity’s growth and seeks to nurture humanity’s meandering march towards divinity.

Over the course of time, Mahavatar Babaji has made brief appearances into the annals of human history through the impact of His teachings. His appearances have always marked turning points in the spiritual readiness of souls to utilize different tools for Self-Realization.

It is not necessary for a person to subscribe to the belief in this immortal Being for that person to still be inspired by such a lofty ideal. It is for this reason that this college, dedicated to elevating human consciousness, is named after him.