Defense Minister has Maharajji's Darshan

Neem Karoli Baba MaharajjiWhen I first went to Kainchi the construction of the main buildings was over, but there were few bathrooms and latrines.

For his morning toilet, Babaji used to go into the fields, several furlongs away. Moti Ram and I would accompany him in the jeep.

After finishing his toilet, Babaji would sometimes sit by the river; then returning to the road he would sit on the parapet giving darshan.

 One day while Baba was sitting on the parapet, Mr. Chavan, the Defense Minister of India, was returning from Ranikhet with a large number of army officials.

He was riding by in his car, and when he saw Babaji, he came out and prostrated before him.

"Baba, it has been six years since I last had your darshan. This has been a very difficult time for us -there was the trouble with China and then the war with Pakistan. "

The army officials, including a general, were gathered around Baba. Babaji said,

"India is the land of gods. Nobody can take it by war and conquest. But if politicians give away the land in political games, who can prevent that?"

Maharajji Appears as Hanumanji

Neem Karoli Baba MaharajjiThen, of course, there was another type of darshan.

One day in the early sixties, Babaji came out of his room and he looked like Hanuman. I had heard from so many devotees that Babaji was an incarnation of Hanuman, but Didi and I still had our doubts.

The next day, Maharajji asked Didi to scratch his back. She found his body to be so bulky, so big, that she was actually perspiring while trying to reach her hand across his back.

 In 1968, Didi did not go to Kainchi during the summer; she was in Allahabad with her mother, so I came alone. It was the day of the June fifteenth bhandara, the anniversary of the inauguration of the ashram.

After taking his food, Maharajji went around the ashram checking on all the activity and visitors. Afterward he went to the river side and sat on the wall.

He talked about an old devotee from Unnao: "He is an old man now, but people say he was the leader of the dacoits, taking money from the rich and distributing it to the poor. He defended the helpless although he terrorized stronger people. He used to carry two revolvers, one licensed, the other not. I told him that he should surrender one. He read the Ramayana very well. He used to read it for me, "

Then I. C. Tewari, an old devotee who has since died, said, "He's the person whom Babaji once asked to read the Ramayana. When he asked, 'Baba, wherefrom shall I read?' Baba said, 'Read from the part where I am talking to Vibishan'. "

About Murtis

Neem Karoli Baba MaharajjiFrom the beginning at Kainchi, Maharajji had the Hanuman temple, a Lakshmi-Narayana temple, and a Shiva temple. Much later a Devi temple was built.

He told me, "Dada, the people in the hills do not accept and worship Hanumanji as God. They say he is nothing but 'monkey, monkey' They are devotees of the goddess, Devi. So long as there is not a Devi temple in the ashram, many will not come.

But there is a difficulty in that the people often sacrifice goats in their Devi puja " So he had a Devi temple built there, but it was called Vaishnavi Devi, the devi that does not touch meat or take sacrifice.

Controller General

Neem Karoli Baba MaharajjiIn Allahabad, near Rambagh Station, there was an old Hanuman temple.

Maharajji used to call the Hanuman murti there "Controller General" He often sent people to see it, saying, "Go and meet Controller General."

It was a very old temple on a high pedastal with narrow stairs and not much space, so a new temple was proposed.

Ojhaji was on the committee, along with Mr. Barghav, and they came to discuss the project with Babaji.

They thought there should be a new murti also, but Babaji said, "No, no. No other murti. Take this Hanumanji there'"

Car Crash in Chitrakut

Neem Karoli Baba MaharajjiIn March 1972, two days before the Holi celebrations, Babaji told me, "Ask your friend to engage a taxi for us. We start for Amarkantak tomorrow morning at six. The taxi must be suitable for a long journey."

My friend returned in the evening saying the taxi had been engaged. Babaji told him the taxi was not a good one, but he argued that it was indeed praiseworthy.

The taxi arrived the next morning. Siddhi Didi, Jivanti, Ganesh and I were ready.

While getting into the taxi Babaji said, "It is not the right taxi " The driver and the others argued, "There is nothing wrong with it" We all got in and started.

 All through the journey Babaji was saying the taxi would not reach Amarkantak. The ladies were worried. After going for 35 miles, Babaji said we must return.

It was a great disappointment and the mothers began pressing me to ask Baba not to return. But we turned around and started back. Suddenly Babaji asked the driver to turn to the road going left, heading for Chitrakut.

Babaji was talking to me all the time, the others were silent. It was late in the day. We had about 10 miles more to go to reach Chitrakut. Suddenly a heavily loaded truck collided with the taxi and the engine was smashed. The taxi and truck were locked with each other.

A large number of people gathered around and started wondering about our miraculous escape.