Taking a walk back to God

For devotees of the local chapter of the Radha Madhav Society of 11 Bholai Trace, Chase Village, that is exactly what Jagadguru - “world teacher” Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj is to them.

The religious society will observe 60 years since the Jagadguru acquired that title, having debated for over ten days with other religious scholars in India to obtain it.

To his devotes such as Meera Baboolal, his teachings have irrevocably changed her life. He and his title will be celebrated for four days starting from January 25 to the 28 at the society’s centre. The tribute culminates on January 29 at the Divali Nagar auditorium, Uriah Butler Highway, Endeavour with a big celebration. Several religious Hindu groups have been invited among them the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha. The Indian High Commissioner has also been invited.

The organisation was established in 1988 after Baboolal met a spiritual teacher from India while studying in Canada. The celebration will mark the 60th anniversary of the day that the group’s leader was given the special title of Jagadguru in Hinduism. That title, she explained, is given to someone who possesses, “extensive knowledge of the scriptures and someone who is actually called the resolution in the spiritual world.” He was born in India in 1922 and was then named Ram Kripalu Tripathi at birth but later became known worldwide as Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj.

“The title was conferred upon Maharaj Ji when he was only 34-years-old in India. He was born in the village of Mangarh, about 60 km from Allahabad, India, as the son of a most respectable Brahmin Shri Lalita Prasad Tripathi (father) and Bhagvati Devi (mother). Shri Maharaj Ji spent his childhood in Mangarh, giving joy to all alike through his naughty acts. Following our worldly tradition, he too, like ordinary boys, first went to a nearby primary school and then to Chitrakoot and Indore for studying Sanskrit,” a write-up on Maharaj-Ji said.

In 1955, after living in the forests and travelling through the country meeting people, he organised a religious convention where it was said, “[it] was attended by all Jagadgurus of hierarchical order and eminent philosophers and scholars from Kashi (Banaras).

A similar convention was held in Kanpur in 1956. It was in these conventions that his spiritual genius baffled even the greatest of the intellectuals and scholars.

“Dazzled with the unique brilliance and divine knowledge of a young boy, a few jealous scholars started opposing his newest revolutionary ideas, and unable to bear his growing fame anymore, they sent an invitation on behalf of Kashi Vidvat Parishad, (a body of 500 most learned philosophers of India), for delivering discourses, on the pretext of making Him Jagadguru.

“Their intention behind this invitation was to humiliate him, for they thought that his genius, however extraordinary and unique, could be no match for the combined genius of the 500 scholars of Kashi Vidvat Parishad. But the result was absolutely contrary.

“Shri Maharaj Ji rendered a remarkably unique discourse in Sanskrit which left all these scholars speechless. Spellbound by his formidable wisdom and mastery of the Vedas and scriptures, the Kashi Vidvat Parsihad, unanimously, declared him not only ‘Jagadguru’ (World Teacher), but ‘Jagadguruttam’, i.e. supreme among all,” the text read.

There are now four people who sit in his ashram but they did not receive the title of Jagadguru by debate which makes Maharaj Ji the original Jagadguru.

The sense of pride was unmistakable in Baboolal’s voice as she said, “he basically teaches that God lives in every human being and you begin to realise that God lives in very human being the world would be so different.” Among his other teachings, she said, were that love’s foundation is tolerance, one’s duty to one’s self, walking on the path which takes you back to God and taking one’s duty in the world seriously.

Despite his passing in 2013, his work lives on in his followers who reside in many countries, globally.

The organisation also does charitable work throughout the country donating clothing and food items to many of the country’s less fortunate.