Yogiraj Charit by Rev. Shri Vats, English Translation: N. K. Mishra, Wakidi & A.Ga

8/9/2019 Yogiraj Charit by Rev. Shri Vats, English Translation: N. K. Mishra, Wakidi & A.Ga

1/47

Yogiraj Charit

(Life sketch of Great Yogis)1. Yogiraj Shree Shyamacharan Lahiri

2. Yogacharya Shree Panchanan Bhattacharya

3. Yogivar Shree Netai Charan Banerjee

Written by :Rev. Shri Vats

English Translation:N. K. Mishra, Wakidi &

A.Gahlot

Published by

Aryya Mission Institution

Kolkata


2/47

Yogiraj Charit(Life sketch of Great Yogis)

-: This book contains Life Sketch of :-

1. Yogiraj Shyamacharan Lahiri

(Great Master of Kriya Yoga)

2. Yogacharya Panchanan Bhattacharya

(Chief Disciple of Shyamacharan Lahiri)

3. Yogishwor Netaicharan Banerjee

(An eminent disciple of Panchanan Bhattacharya and Guru of Shri

Vats)


3/47

Kriya Yoga

Kriyayoga as provided by Yogiraj Rev. Shyamacharan Devasharman (Lahiri) is a scientificmethod of soul-realization. The eternal quest for bliss has been a constant human endeavor. The

perpetual pleasure cannot be derived out of any worldly thing since they are mortal and are subjected

to transformation. How can something which keeps on changing provide perpetual pleasure?

Rarely any one ponders over this fundamental question. Those who by Gods grace are fortunate

enough to ask such a question have a chance to get correct answer but everybody is not fortunate

to get a correct path or an ideal guide who can teach the original Kriya which, if practiced regularly

with devotion can provide the ultimate answer not in the form of words from someone but as self-

realization.

As we know that the prana ( breath ) is the proof of someone being alive. When the

breathing stops, the individual is dead. We are aware that just as the rate of breathing becomes

faster when a person experiences a sudden pleasure, pain or shock, it becomes slower when a

person is tired or resting. Thus breathing changes according to the physical and mental conditions

of a person. It is also a fact without even an idea of doubt that an individual who claims to have

done great works and who considers himself to be the controller of everything and everyone,

becomes helpless when asked to regulate his breathing. The function of breathing continues even

when one is fast asleep. To sum up, it can be said that an ordinary human being does not have any

sort of control over his breathing.

Kriyayoga comprises of two words- Kriya meaning Action and Yoga meaning Complete

Attachment. Thus Kriya yoga means complete attachment with you and your source i.e GOD. It

is the main objective of a being in human garb. By regular practice of Kriya-yoga with devotion, an

individual can not only attain self-realization, but he can also come to know about his previous

incarnations. There is scientific explanation for this and the other facts related to the practice of

Kriya-yoga. This practice, based on regulation of prana (breathing) acquaints the practitioner withthe subtle world. In that subtle world this world seems to be an atom. There are billions of cells in

our brain. These cells carry the information from our past incarnations. The scientists have also

confirmed on the basis of their research that human beings are not able to make full use of their

brains. Even the great scientists were not able to use more than 20% of their brain. When we

regulate our breathing through Kriya-yoga techniques, there is expansion and contraction in the

nerves and the veins of our brain. This also happens to the whole body. This continuous process

results into the appearance of the hidden information from our past incarnations like the scenes of

a motion picture. As we know that no one can obliterate the past. Acknowledgment of this factprovides the self-awareness and the seeker proceeds on the path inner-journey. In this Journey

the worldly things become irrelevant. This journey continues with the help of our fully concentrated


4/47

mind and sound physical body. Yogacharya Rev. Panchanan Baba says The person who performs

Kriya-practice regularly with devotion and without any worldly desire is the darling of his Guru.

Offering of flower, fruits and other worldly things to an idol cannot relieve a man from his inner

pains. It must be remembered that the meaning of devotion to God indeed is to follow his rules (the

rules of nature) and consider them above all. How can we confine the omnipresent God in a

Temple, a Church or a Mosque? Such an act is really an act of belittling the Omnipotent, the

Omnipresent and the Omniscient God.

The real effect of Kriya-yoga is easily manifested in the real life of its practitioners. The

persona of a Kriya- devotee is different from others. A Kriya-practitioner must be regular in

Kriya-practice. It gives automatic awareness regarding food and other affairs of daily life and the

seeker enjoys a healthy life free from any disease.

The practice of Kriya-yoga helps in the regulation of breathing. When the breathing is

regulated ( under control) the mind is set free of attachments ( for or against something). The

moment a seeker acquires control over his breathing he realizes the great power within and its

potential. Realizing the soul (self) provides wisdom which transforms the world into a motion

picture before a seeker. All the attachments of mind cease to exist and the seeker is self-absorbed

by seeing a blue light by a black substance in the Kutasth (center of eyebrows). To sum up it can

be said that Kriya-yoga is a scientific path to self ( soul ) realization. The Kriya-practice is the real

classical and eternal religious practice. Kriya-devotees do not need any example or guidance from

outside be it a book or a person. I do advocate on the basis of my personal experience that thereal wisdom cannot be acquired from any book either classical or contemporary, thought or contact

(Close interaction) ; the wisdom is the outcome of devoted and regular Kriya-practice over a

number of years.

I would to narrate an incident from the life of Yogiraj Rev. Lahiri Babaji. Once Shri

Dayanand, the founder of Arya Samaj visited Varanasi. He was totally against idol-worship and

considered himself to be brahmagyani i.e the self realized. He announced in Kashi that idol-worship

was useless and should be stopped immediately and that God could only be realized through

Veda-recital. He also challenged the scholars of Kashi to participate in a religious debate on this.

He proposed that if he won, all the idols from the different temples of Kashi would be consigned

to the Ganges. Everybody knew Shri Dayanand and his logical viewpoints. So no body came

forward. The news spread like a wild fire. When it reached the king of Kashi, Yogiraj Lahiri Babaji

was teaching the prince ( as a tutor) in the palace. On seeing the worried face of the king, the

legendary Yogiraj said Do not worry, everything will be all right. The next day Sri Dayanand and

Rev. Yogiraj were face to face at Dashashvamegha Ghat of Kashi in order to discuss the religious

issues raised by Sri Dayanand. Sri Dayanand asked his question Is God formless or has God a

form? . Rev. Yogiraj in his usual composure said God has many forms but at the same time God

has no form. Hearing this, the disciples of Sri Dayanand started shouting and used objectionable


5/47

words aimed at Yogiraj. Yogiraj requested Sri Dayanand to exercise control over his disciples but

Dayanandji could not discipline the hooligans. Indeed they wanted Yogiraj to concede defeat and

make a retreat. At last Rev. Yogiraj told Dayanandji Since you could not make them quite so now

I am trying to make them quite. Having uttered these words Rev. Yogiraj closed his eyes. All of a

sudden there was complete silence. All the hooligans who were shouting found themselves helpless,

their mouth remained open and the jaw-movements stopped. Sri Dayanand was taken aback. At

this moment Rev. Yogiraj said Water does no have a form of its own but when it is transformed

into ice, it has a form. In the same way so long as we try to perceive God through our sense-

organs, God has various forms but when we transcend our sense-organs we realize the truth ( in

that light of soul and self-awareness) God is formless. This God has various forms but at the same

time God does not have a form i.e. God is formless. Everybody was satisfied with this irrefutable

explanation emanating from a realized master. Sri Dayanand had nothing to ask after listening to

such a speech loaded with nothing but truth. At last Sri Dayanand requested Rev. Yogiraj to bring

his disciples back to normalcy. Then Yogiraj ordered one of Dayanands disciple to bring water (

the Gangajal ) offered on Kashi Viswanath Shivalinge. When the water was sprinkled on the faces

of those hooligans by Rev. Yogiraj they came back to normalcy. Sri Dayanan left Kashi immediately.

The above incident highlights the basic mission of Kriya-yoga. It is not related to any sect,

caste or race. Those who believe in God and follow the rules of nature are worthy of being initiated

in Kriya-yoga. It is the panacea which paves the way to real human welfare.

Yogiraj Rev. Lahiri Babaji used to initiate the seekers into Kriya-yoga according to theirabilities and capabilities. This tradition was followed by his chief disciple Rev. Yogacharya Panchanan

babaji and the subsequent followers of his lineage. This system of self-realization is bestowed

upon a person even today without any discrimination if the person is really interested in self-

realization and devoted to this cause. It can be learnt directly from a master only. Yogiraj prohibited

publication of this technique. Guru Kripahi Kevalam Benediction from guru is the only sustenance.


6/47

A picture drawn by Lahiri Baba to display 6

chakras and 49 air present in a human body


7/47

Note: Only an advanced Kriya Expert can explain the above drawing

Shree Guru Stuti ( Prayer)

Who else can bestow the feeling of parmatma ( the supreme God ) the Omnipresent, other

than Guru. The Guru is ever present in Agyan Chakra (Dwidala/two petalled lotus). It is the Guru

who provides divine vision to the blind ( people blinded by sense organs ). The day Gurus benediction

is received, the seeker owns the eyes of wisdom.

And then eternal bliss and quietude is spontaneous. The Omnipresent Guru ( who pervades

the living as well as non-living objects ) can at first be felt in the dark part of oval in Kutastha, when

the Chitta becomes pure and his from i.e. light around the dark oval becomes visible to the closed

eyes.

The Guru manifests himself in the form of divine soothing light. Seeing the divine form, nothing

remains to be seen. So it has been said, None other than Guru can bestow upon the seeker. The feel

of paramatma ( the supreme being ) who is omnipresent i.e who pervades everything living as well as

non-living (Char and Achar).

Originally Composed by : Shree Panchanan Bhattacharya in Bengali language


8/47

Yogiraj Shree Shyamacharan Devasharman ( Lahiri )

A brief live-sketch

Bengal has been the land of spirituality and enlightened thought. This pious land has produced

spiritual giants from time to time. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Ramkrishna Paramhansa, Bamakhepa,

Lokenath Brahmachari, Ramprasad Sen etc. are the illustrious examples.

This pious land of Bengal saw the advent of Revered Gurudeva Yogiraj Shree Shyamacharan

Lahiri Baba on the 30thof September 1828. ( the date as noted down by his son and disciple Sri

Dukauri Mahasaya ) at the village named Ghurani in Nadia district of Bengal. His father was Shree

Gaur Mohan Lahiri ( Devasharman ) and mother Shrimati Muktikeshi Devi. This divine self was aboon not only to his family but also to the whole globe. He quenched the spiritual thirst of seekers

from all walks of life through Kriya-yoga.

Shri Gaur Mohan Devasharman was economically sound but the flood in Jalangi river inundated

a large chunk of his landmass forming it a part of the river-bed. It compelled him to leave Ghurani

and settle in Varanasi. Thus his family settled in Varanasi in around 1830. It is for this reason that Shri

Lahiri Babaji is known as an inhabitant of Varanasi. His disciples call him Kashi Baba ( the Baba

from Kashi ).

Shri Yogiraj was an erudite man known for his depth of understanding the languages of Sanskrit,

Bengali, Hindi, Urdu , Persian and English. He completed his higher studies from Government Sanskrit

College, Varanasi. During his student life he got married at the age of 18 years to Smt. Kashimani

Devi, the daughter of Shri Devanarayan Ghoshal. Shri Lahiri Baba was serious and truthful by

nature. He did not get influenced by any school of thought easily. He was of the view that a way of

thinking should not be imposed upon others unless it was successfully tested in the life of a preacher

himself. He followed this principle throughout his life. In 1851 Shri Yogiraj got a job in Public welfare

Department of British India Military in Gazipur (Uttar Pradesh).

After 16 years of his marriage Yogiraj was blessed with his first son named Tinkauri Lahiri.

Yogiraj was compelled to shift his place of residence because of a tense environment at home

created by his brothers. In 1865 he purchased an old house at Gadureshwor ( presently Ganeshmahal

). It is here that he mastered the techniques of Kriya-yoga and initiated his disciples into it ( Kriya-

yoga ). It is in his house that he was blessed with other children viz. Shri Dukauri Lahiri (son) and

Harimati, Harikamini and Harimohini (daughters). Yogiraj led his life following the highest principles

of ethics, morality, honesty and devotion to duty. He also encouraged his disciples to incorporatethese jewels in their life-styles. In 1868 he was transferred to Ranikhet in the Himalayas. He was


9/47

assigned the supervision work in connection with the construction of road on the mountains. It was

at this place in a cave of Dronagiri mountain where he was initiated in the eternal Kriya-yoga by none

other than Yogeshwor Supreme being Babaji Maharaj himself; paving the way to salvation of many

Kriya-seekers under the guidance of Rev. Yogiraj Lahiri Babaji. Rev. Babaji Maharaj assured Yogiraj

that he ( Babaji Maharaj ) would himself continue to supervise the Kriya-practitioners so long as

they ( Kriya- practitioners ) keep on practicing Kriya. It is not a hearsay but an experience with

many Kriya-practitioners, Mr. Vats being a living example even today. At present general people

cannot see this cave but the true and dedicated / devoted Kriya-practitioners can see this cave even

today. Following the instructions of Rev. Babaji Maharaj, Yogiraj Lahiri Baba devoted his life to

Kriya-practice even though he had to devote time to the Domestic chores of a householder. Babaji

Maharaj had instructed him to initiate in Kriya-yoga the devoted seekers only, irrespective of their

castes religion, colour, economic background etc. Yogiraj Lahiri Baba obeyed this command of his

Guru throughout his life. Later on his disciples also continued to follow this practice.

There are certain misconceived ideas about Babaji Maharaj. Indeed these have been spread

by selfish people in order to cheat the innocent common people. The fact is that Babaji has been

maintaining top secrecy about himself. Therefore his name, date of birth, place of birth, caste and

other worldly descriptions are of no significance. A seeker can be face to face with him only on a

spiritual plane. If he comes into contact with any seeker, it solely depends on his sweet-will. He

never manifests himself on being prayed by any seeker. The most important fact to be highlighted is

that Babaji is not an ordinary human being. He manifests himself in different forms before true seekers

in order to remove their spiritual hindrances. Yogiraj Lahiri Babaji himself got a glimpse of BabajiMaharaj in the guise of a rickshaw-puller, a scavenger and an ordinary farmer. He is supreme

being the Omnipotent. Nothing is beyond him. It is therefore our duty to accept him as a divine

power.

Yogiraj Lahiri Baba continued to perform the duties of a householder during the day but at

night he kept on performing Kriya-practice. He had an unwavering devotion for his Guru and a

penchant for hard work, coupled with perseverance. A good Kriya-practitioner experiences bliss

which is akin to intoxication. This self-intoxication or bliss is the outcome of subtle prana ( breathing

). In this stage the seeker experiences that the whole universe is pervaded with Brahm. It is the

climax of Kriya-practice. Yogiraj always remained in this state. Initially he was misunderstood and

people considered him to be a drunkard but later on when they came face to face with his enlightening

works they started queueing up and requesting for initiation in Kriya-yoga. Yogiraj initiated some of

them purely on the basis of merit i.e. the eligibility criteria provided by his guru Babaji Maharaj. The

list of his disciples included the king of Kashi, some British officers of that era and common people

from different walks of life. Yogiraj exhorted people to set aside the meaningless beliefs from the

religion i.e. religious rituals common to all religions, in order to have enlightenment ( self-awareness

or liberation ). Many of his disciples succeeded in this endeavor.


10/47

Since he practiced what he had preached, he followed no other path except Kriya-yoga

which instructs to worship none but the self ( Atma ). He did not favor religious rituals nor did he

believe the fake religious stories narrated by greedy and sensuous people in the garb of monk. He

was firm in his belief that the seekers of Atma-vikas i.e. soul-consciousness should dedicate themselves

to Kriya-practice because it is the only way for self-realization. Material worship is a different story

altogether. Kriya-yoga focuses on breathing regulation based on the processes as directed by Babaji

Maharaj or person authorized by him. This is the only way to selfrealization i.e. being face to face

with God, the Supreme Being.

Yogiraj attained the pinnacle of yoga i.e. self-realization. Naturally Siddhis ( special spiritual

powers ) of different types embraced him. He helped his disciples in many ways during his life-time.

Even today people remember his divine miracles. Once he gave a gift of life to the deceased friend

of his disciple. Baba is beyond the reach of time ( Kalajayee ) and so even today he keeps on visiting

his devoted disciples in various guises in order to instill confidence. His unique way of preaching the

timely lesson to a needy seeker is inexplicable.

Yogiraj never believed in body worship. When disciples talked of Guru-puja he used to explain

its real meaning and accordingly advised them to continue with Kriya-practice with renewed vigor

and zeal since Atma ( the soul ) is the real Guru and this Guru can be realized only with Kriya-

practice. Once, his disciple Sri Gangadhar Bandopadhayay took a snap of him against his wish.

When the photograph was finally printed Yogiraj was not visible on the paper used for printing his

photograph. When Sri Gangadhar Babu asked him the reason, Baba replied that the soul could notbe captured by the lens of a camera. After repeated requests from disciples, Yogiraj relented and

gave permission just for one snap. The copies of this photograph are available to the whole world

today. The first copy of this photograph was handed over to Rev. Panchanan Bhattacharya, the chief

disciple of Yogiraj. This picture has been preserved with great care and interested seekers may have

a glimpse of this great item of inheritance in the office of Aryya mission at 8, Ram Charan Seth Road,

Howrah-4, West Bengal, India. Babas photograph emanates a spiritual wave of light which Kriya-

practitioners have experienced from time to time. Another copy of original photograph is available at

Babas residence in Madanpura, Varanasi. Probably these are the only two original photographs of

Baba presently available on this planet. Some foreign Kriya-practitioners showed me the changed

photograph of Yogiraj which incorporate unnecessary changes. I do not approve of such changes.

Aryya mission has been successful in making available the printed copies of the original photograph.

It is available free of any charge.

Once, Baba was absorbed in a discussion on Yoga with his disciples. All of a sudden he

produced a sound of great distress. No body could understand the mystery behind it. On being

asked Baba said that he felt like being drowned in an ocean. The next day the newspapers reported

that a ship carrying thousands of people had sunk in the ocean near Japan precisely at that time. This

incident highlights omnipresence of Yogiraj Lahiri Baba.


11/47

Mrs. Sagarika Das of Kolkata was a disciple of Baba. Once she decided to visit Varanasi in

order to see Baba. While going to the station she got late but kept on praying to Baba so that she

could board the train, the departure time of which was already over. The train was signaling to start

but all of a sudden something happened and the train could not move forward. Engineers tried to

detect the cause but they were baffled in their attempt. Meanwhile Smt. Das reached the platform,

running like a mad person, with a feeling of gratitude for the Baba. The moment she stepped inside

the coach, the train started moving forward as if nothing had happened. Everybody was surprised

since nobody understood it except Smt. Das. It was indeed a miracle for all the people. On reaching

Varanasi, Baba admonished her with affection for causing inconvenience to people in the train. He

told that other trains were also available and so she should not have caused inconvenience to the

passengers of that train. Yogiraj used to hide the miracles he had to perform for his disciples. He

used to avoid the pronoun I for himself. Since he was one with the Soul ( Atmastha ) he used the

term atmaram in place of I. For common people he appeared like an ordinary person but his

devoted disciples who had succeeded in acquiring success in Kriya-practice ( either realized ones or

those on the brink of realization ) experienced his spiritual prowess. Even today seekers of his

lineage feel his presence quiet often. He is an ocean of kindness, a teacher of teachers because of his

simple and unique method of teaching. Even the Goddess of learning will be envious of his way of

teaching. He is a guru of gurus, being able to provide a chain of gurus in astral forms, each one

resembling in methodology, style, expression, simplicity and humility. Just a glimpse is enough to

learn the unforgettable lessons; creating a permanent impact on the being of a seeker.

The people in general, evaluate divine personality on the basis of his miracles but it is not a

proper way of evaluation. Most of the people evaluate such personalities on the basis of fulfillment of

their worldly desires through such saints but these people are not able to touch even the fringe of

truth. A real seeker exploring the spiritual biography of a spiritual giant, follow him on the basis of the

spiritual works done by him. Such explorers are able to be face to face with truth one day or the

other since God knows the intentions of a seeker. It is for this reason that we have endeavored to

highlight spiritual works of Yogiraj and not his miracles. All this work could only be realized and

continues to proceed towards the objective only with the due inspiration of Yogiraj himself.

Yogiraj used to be with his disciples everyday in the evening. It was the time for a lively

discussion on yoga and Kriya practice. Rev. Panchanan Bhattacharya used to lucidly recite the

slokas of Gita. Later on Yogiraj used to explain them in the context of Kriya-yoga. Disciples used to

jot down those rare jewels emanating from Yogiraj. Baba gave a lucid explanation of 26 spiritual

volumes in the context of Kriya-yoga. Later on these were published by Aryya mission Institution.

Rev. Panchanan Bhattacharya, the chief disciple of Yogiraj made these books available to Kriya-

practitioners. These books were originally published in Bengali. Now these books have been translated

into Hindi and English for the benefit of Hindi and English speaking Kriya-practitioners. These books

have been made available to Kriya-practitioners in India and Abroad. Everything has been made


12/47

possible by Yogiraj himself. Indeed he inspired me to undertake this work. Indeed the blessings of

Yogiraj to Kriya-practitioners have been passed through theses books. It is to be noticed here that

Kriya-yoga is the scientific Method of self-realization. The books with commentary in the context of

Kriya-yoga published by Aryya Mission are enumerated below:

1. Tantrasar ( along withYantrasar )

In this book importance of Kriya-yoga has been highlighted. Human body it is a machine ( Tantra ).

Various treatises on tantra have been lucidly explained in the context of Kriya-yoga. At the end of the

book various mantras have been given which must be understood by consulting a high caliber Kriya-

yogi. At present, this book is available in Hindi with Aryya Mission.

2. Srimad Bhagvad Gita

The slokas have been lucidly explained in the context of Kriya-yoga. Lord Krishna has been denoted

by the word Kutastha and the word Teja has been used to denote Arjuna. At present these

explanations are available in Hindi and Bengali, by way of special commentary from Lahiri Mahasaya

in the Gita with detailed commentary from Sri Bhupendranath Sanyal Mahasaya.

3. Manu Sanhita

This book has been lucidly explained from the viewpoint of pure spirituality. The Kriya-practitioner

has been denoted by the word Manu . In this way Yogiraj has presented this book as a manual

containing rules for Kriya-practitioners. This book, therefore, is very popular. At present it is available

in Hindi with Aryya Mission.

4. Charak

This book contains Yogirajs commentary on the slokas of Rishi Charak in connection with the

causes of various diseases, remedies, human incarnation, child birth etc. It is also available in Hindi

with Aryya Mission.

5. Avinashi Kabir Gita

This book gives a vivid explanation of dialogues between Rev. Kabir Saheb and Rev. Dattatreya

Maharaj. In course of Kriya-practice, a seekers experiences and the essence of soul have been

dealt with. At present it is available in Hindi with Aryya Mission.

6. Shree Durga Saptashati ( Chandi )

In this widely acclaimed book, Yogiraj has given a lucid explanation of the story of Durga in the

context of Kriya-yoga. This book is highly inspiring for the Kriya-practitioners. Also available in

Hindi with Aryya Mission.


13/47

7. Vedanta Darshan

Contains Yogirajs commentary on Vedanta.

8. Gautam Sutra ( Nyaya-Siddhant )

The principles of justice as propounded by Rishi Gautam have been explained in the context of

Kriya-yoga.

9. Astavakra Gita

This book deals with a detailed analysis of spiritual practices of body and soul ( Atma ).

10. Linga Purana

This book provides the lucid explanation of Shiva-tantra and omkar-tantra in the context of Kriya-

yoga.

11. Guru Gita

This is one of the most favorite book of Yogiraj. He used to give this book as a divine gift ( Prasad

) to all Kriya- practitioners. Guru means soul ( Atma ). This fact has been lucidly explained in this

book. This book is the primary requirement (basic need) of each Kriya-practitioner. At present it is

available in Hindi and English with Aryya Mission.

12. Patanjali Yoga Sutra

The yogic teachings of yoga-expert, Rishi Patanjali have been lucidly explained in the context of

Kriya.

13. Japuji

This book contains vivid descriptions of the teaching of Guru Nanakdevji in the context of Kriya-

yoga. Also available in Hindi with Aryya Mission.

14. Shrimad Bhaagvat ( Ekadash Skandh )

This book could not be published during the life time of Yogiraj. It deals with the ten manifestations

( Avatars ) of Lord Vishnu and meditation ( Dhyan-Dharana ). It reveals the experiences gained

through Kriya-practice. It is also available in Hindi with Aryya Mission.

15. Kabir

The couplets of Saint Kabirdasji have been vividly explained in the context of Kriya. They have been

translated in Hindi. This book it is also available with Aryya Mission.

16. Avadhoot Gita

This book was published with financial assistance from a disciple of Yogiraj Sri Chitrasen Singh

( Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh ). It deals with the real meaning of Sanyas in the light of Kriya-yoga. It is


14/47

due to be published shortly by Aryya Mission. ( The original copy is preserved with Aryya Mission

Institution )

Other books include Panini Shiksha ( teachings of Panini ), Taittariya Upanishad, Omkar Gita,

Tejabindu, Dhyanbindu Upanishad, Mimansaharth Sangraha, Amrit, Niralanbopnishad and

Vaisheshik Darshan. All these books contain lucid explanations in the light of Kriya-yoga.

Yogiraj has highlighted the importance of Kriya-practice in his commentaries. Using a line-

sketch, he had explained the 49 different types of air and its control on Chakras present in a human

body. Shri Panchanan Bhattacharyaji used to symbolize Yogiraj as Saint Kabir. Once, during an

insightful discussion with him, Yogiraj has also given indications of his similarity with Saint Kabir. The

most important books have been published in Hindi, Bengali and English by Aryya Mission. Interested

seekers may contact Aryya Mission office in order to get copy of these books.

Yogiraj did not favour the out form of sanyas i.e. leaving family ostensibly but remaining attached

to all belongings. He was of the view that sanyas did not require putting on a robe or becoming a

member of a specific sect. In his opinion sanyas was a state of mind which makes a person remaining

unattached like Videha ( King Jank ).Any householder who practices Kriya-yoga regularly with

devotion can easily be in this state of mind (sanyas). Yogiraj permitted just two of his disciples to

leave their families and lead the austere lives of ascetics. These two persons were Shri Keshvanand

Brahmachari ( Formely known as Sri Nealmadhav Banerjee ) and Swami Pranavanand Giri ( Formely

known as Sri Manmathnath Mukherjee ). Beside them none else was permitted by him to renouncetheir duties as householders to accept sanyas. A staunch believer in the workings of destiny, Yogiraj

never used his special spiritual prowess ( Siddhis ) for ostentation or publicity. He was of the view

that spiritual pursuit was an extremely personal matter and a seeker should be initiated in Kriya-yoga

only by and advanced Kriya-yogi. The spiritual practice on the basis of instructions given in the

books or available only in monasteries or ashrams are of no avail. The pious rules for Kriya-practitioners

handed down to Yogiraj by Shri Babaji Maharaj himself are strictly followed by the Kriya-practitioners

of his lineage.

Once Yogiraj was coming back from Gangaghat ( the bank of Ganga ) with his devout disciple

Shri Krishnaramji. While crossing the narrow lanes of Varanasi, Yogiraj asked Shri Krishnaram to

tear off a portion of his dhoti but Krishanaram could not understand the reason and so he paid little

attention. After some time suddenly a broken brick fell on the right foot of Yogiraj leading to profuse

bleeding. Yogiraj once again asked Shri Krishnaram to tear off a portion of his dhoti in order to stop

the profuse bleeding. After coming back to home Shri Krishnaram asked Baba about the accident.

Yogiraj answered that it was always better to accept destiny. Otherwise its impact could become

severe causing more suffering. It is to be noted here that a seeker must accept destiny and suffer

without any grudge in order to ensure rapid progress on the path of Kriya- practice.


15/47


16/47

Kriya-practice and receiving unprecedented acclaim, he continued providing tuitions to the students

at their residence in order to earn for domestic expenses after his retirement from job. He also

served as the Secretary of Bengalitola School at Varanasi. His contemporary Rev. Tailanga Swami

had enormous respect for him. The famousYogi of Shirdi, Sri Sai Baba received initiation in Kriya-

yoga fromYogiraj when he was on a trip to Varanasi.

It is a sheer imagination of some selfserving frauds to advocate that Yogiraj used to write his

experiences gained out of Kriya-practice. He never wrote his experiences in any language because

he knew that the universal truth cannot be written. More over it is not in the interest of a seeker to try

to imitate the spiritual insights of others. A true and dedicated Kriya- practitioner comes to know

everything by dint of showering of benediction from Guru ( Guru kripa ). Yogiraj usually used to be

in a tranquil state after Kriya ( enjoying the bliss of being immersed with brahma ). He always

remained detached from worldly belongings.

A firm believer in the law of nature and destiny, Sri Lahiri Baba exhorted his disciples to do so.

He asked his disciples not to mourn the pre mature death of any one. Yogiraj said The death (Kal

/ time) is decided in the impression of a being (Jiva). The death (Kal / time) is never untimely (Akal

). Hence it is the duty of a being (Jiva) to timely remember the death (Kal / time), envisioned as Swan

(Hansa). That is why I warn everyone and ask every one to remember death (Kal / time) through

different Katha-Upanishads. It is a matter of sorrow that a lot many people do not follow this. Baba

further says I have allowed my body to suffer on account of many of my disciples past wrong

doings. If there is no oil in a lamp, it will stop giving light. How long the prana will sustain in this bodywhich has been coerced into going against the law of nature. Atma does not die since the soul (atma)

itself is the manifestation of mahakal. In the present situation it is located above death (Kal / time).

Mahakal, like a sea, is quiet (without any motion). This life is lying in this sea. To be cautious with Kal

does not impose death. The independent feeling of detachment with the body (Videh) starts

developing. Whatever happens is right. What is right? It is not known to being (Jiva). If one knows

it, he/she will become Shiva. The jiva does not consider the right thing (event) to be right rather his

ignorance provokes him to consider it to be injustice (wrong). I am not attached to anybody ,

nobody belongs to me should be the feeling of a Kriya-practitioner. It must be remembered that

everything is to be abandoned one day. What will happen to whom, remains undecided. Normally

people tend to be carefree but when they face this (unpleasant situations) they start manifesting the

signs of intolerance. It is therefore necessary for all Kriya- practitioners to be resolute in Kriya-

practice with unflinching devotion and remain alert to face any eventuality with equanimity of mind,

the mind which remains unattached.

Yogiraj provided scientific explanations to his principles which had nothing to do with caste,

color, formal religion, place etc. He knew about the dawn of science Age. He ignored wrong

assumptions and false costumes and dogmas. He gave permission to his highly advanced or realized

disciples to initiate the suitable aspirants into Kriya-yoga. This step of Yogiraj was indeed revolutionary


17/47

since it did not support the system of unworthy descendants from ones own family to inherit legacy

of becoming a guru without qualifying for it. Yogiraj was of the opinion that self realization was

nothing to do with the family chain of descendants becoming Gurus. He used to accept just five

rupees from his disciples at the time of initiation and the money so collected was invariably handed to

Babaji Maharaj himself. This tradition is still followed by the disciples of the lineage. Yogirajs first

disciple was a flower-vendor. Another disciple was Yogiraj Shri Vrinda, was a postman who attained

self-realization while he was in service. He used to remain in the tranquil state after Kriya. On the

basis of Aryya Mission documents the names of Yogirajs famous disciples are mention below:

1. Shree Panchanan Bhattacharya.(The chief disciple of Yogiraj), Kolkata and Deoghar.

2. Shri Mahendra Chatterjee (Kolkata)

3. Shri Krishnaram Sathe (Kashi)

4. Shri Tinkauri Lahiri (1st son of Yogiraj, Benaras).

5. Shri Dukauri Lahiri (2nd son of Yogiraj, Benaras)

6. Shri Chitrasen Singh, Faizabad. (U.P)

7. Sir Gurudas Banerjee (Chunchurra, Bengal)

8. Shri Kali Krishna Tagor (Relative of Rabindranath Tagore, Kolkata)

9. Shri Ashutosh Chatterjee (Kolkata)

10. Shri Priyanath Karad (Shrirampur, Bengal)

11. Shri BrijlalAdhikari (Bengal)

12. Shri Prasad Das Goswami (Shrirampur, Bengal)

13. Shri Kalikumar Banerjee (East Bengal)14. Shri Ramdayal Majumdar (Tarkeshwar, Bengal)

15. Smt Sandhya Das (Kolkata)

16. Smt Kashimani Devasharman (wife of Yogiraj, Kashi)

17. Shri Harinarayan Palodhi (Benaras)

18. Shri Kali Kumar Ray (Danapur, Bihar)

19. Shri Vijaychandra (Navadweep, Bengal)

20. Shri Bhupendranath Sanyal (Bhagalpur, Bihar)

21. Shri Mahadev Prasad (Benaras)

22. Shri Vrinda Ram (Benaras)

23. Shri Bhagawati Charan Ghosh (Kolkata)

24. Shri AmirAli (Benaras)

25. Shri Abdul Gafur (Saharanpur)

26. Shri Gangadhar Bandopadhayay (Benaras)

27. Shri Manmathnath Mukherjee (Howrah)

28. Shri Neal Madhav (Howrah)

Later on, some of them changed their names.

Shri Panchanan Baba was the first among the disciples of Yogiraj to have attained self- realization


18/47

and therefore he was considered to be his chief disciple. Shri Panchanan Baba was the dearest

among his disciples. In the biography of Shri Panchanan Baba, the reasons for his being the dearest

disciple of Yogiraj are mentioned. Shri Panchanan Bhattacharya was fully permitted by Yogiraj to

initiate others into Kriya during lifetime of Yogiraj. Later, Sri Brajlal Adhikari, Sri Prasad Das Goswami,

Swami Pranavananda, Sri Keshvananda were other disciples who were permitted by their guru

Yogiraj to give Kriya in their locality. They were also consulting Shri Bhattcharya before any initiation

programme. One important thing to note that Yogiraj never allowed his sons or any organization or

Ashrams to give initiation. He was totally against this. In his opinion, Ashram or organizations creates

publicity and community which has no importance in spiritual world. Yogiraj only permitted Swami

Pranavananda to enter in monk community.

Yogiraj used to invite his disciples on the holy occasion of Shivaratri each year at his residence

in Varanasi. On this occasion he and his wife used to serve food personally. This act of Yogiraj and

his wife manifested parental care for disciples. On one such occasion, Yogiraj blessed Shri Panchanan

Bhattacharya who was suffering from the pain of extreme poverty that he would get fifty two bighas

of land in near future and this blessing of Yogiraj bore fruit in due course time. If on one side Yogiraj

used to shower fatherly affection, he also used to punish those disciples who deliberately deviated

from the path shown by him. Some of his disciples were deprived of Original Kriya, once they

showed the signs of deliberate deviation from the path. Those disciples later on misled the later

generation by teaching the fake Kriya-yoga.

In Feb. 1895 there erupted a carbuncle on the back of Yogiraj. It was an excuse for Yogiraj toget rid of his human abode. On receiving information about Yogirajs ill health disciples started

pouring into his residence at Varanasi. Famous Physician of Kolkata Dr. Hemachandra Babu went

to Varanasi and started treatment but nothing could cure the incurable ailment. Even in such a condition,

Yogiraj kept on preaching Kriya-yoga and did not get tired of discussion on spiritual matter with his

disciples throughout night. He was a living example for his disciples when he wanted to convey that

odds should not deter from Kriya-practice. He also proved that he was not a body but a living soul

( spirit ), detached from body though remaining in body.

Yogiraj was very much satisfied with the uninterrupted service rendered by Shri Krishnaram.

Before leaving his body Yogiraj hinted about the impending eventuality to Shri Panchanan Bhattacharya,

Swami Pranavanand, Sri Keshwanand Brahmachari etc. At last the moment came when Yogiraj

decided to leave his human abode. At the auspicious moment of Sandhikal in the evening on 26th

September, 1895 (Mahastami of Ashwin and Sandhikal of Mahanavami), Yogiraj sat on the lotus

posture blessed everybody and left his human abode getting absorbed by five basic elements (

Panch Mahabhoota ).

After the incident of Mahasamadhi of Yogiraj, his pious human form was consigned to flames

on Manikarnikaghat, the famous cremation of Varanasi, on the bank of the Ganges. After the funeral


19/47

was over, each disciple took a portion of the holy ash to preserve with themselves. Yogirajs Samadhi

Mandir (Temples) are situated in Devaghar, Haridwar, Jagannath Puri, Bhagalpur, Malipur (Faizabad),

Maidenipur (West Bengal) and Varanasi. Even today his holy ashes preserved at the Howrah office

of Aryya Mission, are blessings for the Kriya-practitioners. I have received this Holy Ashes from the

Great Grand Son of Sri Amarendra Das (Varanasi), a disciple of Yogiraj. In addition to this, the

different articles and items used by Yogacharya Shri Panchanan Bhattacharya, the handwritten letters

of Yogiraj and the original Aryya Mission Books (Published during 1886 to 1930) are also preserved

in the Aryya Mission Office, which spontaneously generate spiritual awareness and feeling in Kriya-

practitioners.

Yogiraj used to say Believe in the kingdom of Guru. He is always with you. Do not think of

this body as Guru because this body is mortal. One day this body has to fuse with the elements of the

nature. Arise, and start the journey from external to inner world. There alone, the real joy is realized.

Everything in the external world is baffled with ifs and buts. Where is the peace there? Hence,

perform Kriya and in the Paravastha (the Beyond State) of Kriya, dissolve your self (Atma) with the

Self (the Supreme Self, Parmatma). Wife of Yogiraj, Smt Kashimani Devi, Shri Panchanan

Bhattacharya, Swami Pranavanand, Shri Keshvanand etc. have felt the presence of Yogiraj even

after his demise and even today, the advanced Kriya-practitioners are in contact with him. Once the

Kuthasta is enlightened (Self-realization) and the dirty mind gets pure, the practitioners becomes

eligible for the subtle experience of Babaji Maharaj and Yogiraj in the form of ever present divine

energy (Adi Brahm Shakti).

Yogiraj has become one with every atom of this universe. Common people cannot understand

this universal truth but if Yogiraj is kind enough, a devoted disciple can feel and understand this truth.

After this brief life-sketch of Yogiraj, his spiritual works for which he visited this planet have been

discussed.

Now the preachings of Yogiraj are explained for the benefit of Kriya-practitioners. It is for the

first time that this original preachings which were jotted down by his chief disciple Shri Panchanan

Baba and Shri Chitrasen Singh are being published.

Yogirajs guidelines for Kriya-practitioners

1. Parents should be considered to be the incarnation of God.

2. Everyday Kriya-practice should be done at 4 am.

3. While performing Omkar-Kriya, japa must be performed on all chakras.

4. Kriya-practice must be performed twice a day.

5. Literature on Kriya and Gita with commentaries by Yogiraj must be perused regularly.

6. Devotion to Kriya-practice, patience, regularity, perseverance etc. are prerequisites for success

in this field.


20/47


21/47

32. Those you leave their houses are fickle minded. They are restless people having unstable mind

due to burning ambition. Such persons cannot show the path to stability. The real Guru is self-

absorbed blissful submerged in tranquility. Such gurus appear before a seeker when his past

good deeds start bearing fruits.

33. A seeker does not force himself into a garb of sanyasi. Sanyas is a state of mind / being. A seeker

automatically becomes a sanyasi after purity of mind as a result of regular Kriya-practice. Such

a state of mind is the real sanyas.

34. True Yogis appear like common people. Generally the common people cannot recognize them

since they tend to hide themselves. They manifest themselves at appropriate times before the

deserving seekers.

35. The way out of worldly pains is to remain unattached from the worldly chores even while performing

them. Whatever is destined to happen is sure to happen.

36. The wealth is not a means of happiness. Why should we bother for the accumulation of unnecessary

wealth? Why should we be concerned with future? Every body in this world is like puppet, the

string of which is under the control of God. People are tensed up because of their worldly

pursuits-an outcome of stark ignorance.

37. Many Kriya-practitioners are incapable of performing japa on the chakras. It transforms their

Kriya-practice into tamasic state and the result is also like wise. It is therefore essential to

perform Omkar japa on all the six chakras.

38. At the time of performing Omkar Kriya, japa must be performed on all the six chakras. Sitting

for Kriya-practice, performing Pranayama and keeping the mind on worldly desires leads the

seekers to nowhere. Such a practice becomes just normal breathing because the brain keeps inthinking about the worldly things, matters, persons, situation etc.

39. Do not perform Kriya-practice if you are under the influence of sleeping tendency or drowsiness.

Doing Kriya Practice in such situations is equivalent to not performing it at all.

40. Try to get up around 4 a.m. It is the most suitable time for Kriya-practice.

41. Meditate on Guru (Atma). This Atma will provide you with enlightenment i.e. self- awareness, a

state of being omniscient.

42. Kriya-practice is not an ordinary practice. It requires whole-hearted efforts on a continuous

basis for years.

43. Pranayama is the root of everything.

44. Keep on performing Kriya-practice regularly while discharging your worldly duties. Inhaling,exhaling are the feet of God. Have a firm grip on these feet i.e. Keep on performing japa while

inhaling and exhaling.

45. These inhalation and exhalation are the feet of God. Therfore holding these feet means the Japa

on the inhalation and exhalation.


22/47

Yogacharya Shree Panchanan Bhattacharya

(A brief life sketch)

Shri Panchanan Bhattacharya, the chief disciple of Yogiraj Shri Shyamacharan Lahiri Mahasay,

was born at Ahiritola in Kolkata on Saturday, Nov. 12, 1853(28 kartik Suklapaksha). He was

the real inheritor of the spiritual legacy of Yogiraj. He turned to be a renowned Guru of many worthy

disciples including our Gurudeva Shri Nitai Charan Bandopadhyay. His father was Shri Thakurdas

Bhattacharya and mother Smt. Jagdamba Devi. At the tender age of 4 years, he lost his father. The

economic condition of his family worsened after his fathers demise. It is because of this that he

could not complete his formal higher education. Their primary education was through Bengali as a

medium of instruction. Although he did not receive higher formal education, his writings on varioustopics highlight his erudition. It is not every bodys cup of tea to understand his writings. Durgapuja

and Jagaddhatri puja were the two main religious festivals of his family. As Shri Panchanan Baba was

an introvert he could not digest the extraneous religious rituals. As he grew old, the thirst for spirituality

and self realization gained in momentum. In his family was an idol of Radha-Govinda installed by his

grandfather. Later on this idol was handed over to a relative and was installed there. Shri Bhattacharya

Mahasaya was a pure vegetarian from his early childhood. He loved the sweets made of jaggery (

Tal-Gur ), coconut and pop rice ( Nariyal-murhi ). He advised his disciples to eat these

things. Opposing animal sacrifice on the occasion of Durgapuja, he used to say that people tend to

convert their households into slaughter- house on this occasion He opposed this custom vehemently.

It was not to be accepted at all , he opined.

Filled with the thirst for self realization, when young Panchanan did not find satisfaction in the

religious rituals being performed at his home in order to serve the worldly ends, he left his residence

in around 1870, for real self-knowledge. Striving hard for spiritual upliftment, he reached Mithila in

Bihar where he met ( Shakti Sadhakas ), worshippers of Goddess /Prakriti / Shakti, but they were

the worshippers in the name and by appearance only having nothing to do with spirituality. Young

Panchanan Baba at that time, himself in the robe of a Sadhu felt let down. Once again he started,

with renewed vigor, the search for a real guide. As destiny had kept in store for him it unfolded at the

appropriate time and he came to know the whereabouts of Yogiraj Revered Shyama Charan Lahiri

Mahasaya.

On reaching Kashi, Shri Panchanan Bhattacharya Mahasaya appeared before Yogiraj in the

evening at his residence. At that time Yogiraj was completely absorbed in Yoga discourses. On

seeing Bhattacharya Mahasaya he greeted him with three words Welcome Guruvanshi ( From

Guru Pedigree ) Bhattacharya Mahasaya . Shri Panchanan Baba was taken a back at such anaddress to him because it was his first meeting with Yogiraj. He felt overwhelmed at receiving the


23/47

fatherly affection from Yogiraj at the first glance. He instantly understood that he met his real master

a Brahmagyani who could lead him to self realization. So he prostrated before Yogiraj and begged

for initiation. On hearing his request for initiation, Yogiraj asked him to put off the saffron robe and

promise to be a householder, as a precondition for the initiation into Kriya-yoga. (This statement

of Yogiraj clearly indicates that he never believed the outer showy wearing (like putting

robes). He used the term Guruvanshi for Panchanan Baba, representing him as the

spiritual successor of Yogiraj). One can easily feel the state of a person who was going to resign

from Swami Pantha in order to become a householder for the sake of initiation. In our society, if a

Sadhu becomes a householder he is condemned and regarded as a sinner, and outcast. Shri Panchanan

Baba who was destined to be the chief disciple of Yogiraj, did not show any sign of hesitation, even

for a moment in accepting wholeheartedly the precondition laid down by the great master. The next

day Shri Bhattacharya Mahasaya put on his saffron robe and consigned it to the Ganges. After that

he received initiation from Yogiraj. This incident placed Bhattacharya Mahasaya at the apex in the list

of Yogirajs disciples. Yogiraj used the Hindi word Aap meaning you for giving respect, in order

to address Shri Bhattacharya Mahasaya. No other example of this nature is available till date.

Rev. Panchanan Baba was a tall and colored person. From the very beginning he was soft-

spoken, reserved and persevering. He considered dedication, devotion, regularity in practice,

determination and perseverance to be the essential ingredients of success in any field of activity. In

this world if one surrenders to Guru ( Existence / Soul ), considers every work to be the Gurus work

and performs his work with devotion, he or she is bound to relish the flavors from Guru and have

self-realization i.e. the blissful state of being.

Shri Panchanan Baba possessed the valor and tenacity of a warrior necessary for success in

any endeavor. In his opinion, hard work, discipline and perseverance are the sine qua non of success.

According to him, true devotion and proper practice are the prerequisites for the conquest in the

battle of prolonged spiritual practice. The easiest way of attaining self-realization is to keep on doing

all worldly activities as a service to God. Shri Panchanan Baba used to be simple dressed. Though

omniscient he looked like a common man. Some of the articles used by him and his wife have been

preserved by Aryya Mission. The original books published by the old Aryya Mission and United

Mission have also been preserved by the new Aryya Mission. These books were published during

the period of 1885 -1947. These books have been collected from the families of Shri Bhattacharya

and his disciple Shri Hari Mohan Bandopadhyay. In addition to these rare materials, Yogirajs picture

( given by none other than himself), his pious ash, rare photographs of Shri Panchanan Baba, the

articles used by Shri Netai Baba etc. are worth seeing. All these articles are available at 8, Ram

Charan Seth Road, Howrah-4, the office of present Aryya Mission.

Like his Guru Yogiraj, he also used to hide himself from the common people. His Dedication,

sincerity, alertness, devotion and perseverance are worth emulation for any Kriya-practitioner. Once

a person was praising Sanyas-path ( the path of renouncing ones household for spiritual pursuit ). Sri


24/47

Panchanan Baba explained to that person the importance of being a householder in order to pursue

spiritual pursuit. He said Our ancestors, the Rishis in the ancient times were householders. They

were self-realized and showed the path of self-realization to others while remaining in their households.

A person who criticizes a householder cannot attain the state of sanyas. A sanyasi depends on a

householder for food and other necessities. He (Sanyasi) is born in the family of a householder.

Sanyas is therefore, a state of being and it has nothing to do with robes, names and titles ( Swami ).

A person, who has set aside his ego, becomes a sanyasi. Yogiraj Shri Shyama Charan Lahiri Mahasaya

was a living example of this. The person who was previously arguing was completely satisfied and

begged for being initiated in Kriya-yoga. Shri Panchanan Baba was kind enough to initiate him. Shri

Panchanan Baba initiated a prostitue of Desghra into Kriya-yoga, showing scant respect for the

prevailing fake social norms. Baba used to teach lessons to the proud seekers from upper castes by

sending them to his worthy disciples, Shri Nagendranath Chaudhury for initiation into Kriya-yoga.

Shri Chandhury hailed from schedule- caste but was a highly advanced Kriya-yogi. Another disciple

of Baba, Shri Hari Mohan Banerjee ( father of Surdhani Devi and first secretary of Aryya Mission )

authored many books on Kriya-yoga in Bengali, Sanskrit and English. He converted his residence

into Adinath Ashram and started United Mission for publication of books from there only.

The first wife of Yogacharya Shri Panchanan Bhattacharya, Smt Yukteshwari Devi was a very

advanced spiritual lady. His second wife, Smt. Surdhani Devi was also a very high profile Kriya-

yogi. Babas only son Shri Bodhisatva Bhattacharya, was given birth by Smt Surdhani Devi. Yogiraj

Shri Lahiri Baba knew about the past life of Shri Panchanan Bhattacharya. Yogacharya Shri Panchanan

Baba narrated this story from his previous incarnation. The story is being produced in his ownwords-

In my previous incarnation I was a sanyasi of Naga Pantha. I used to stay in what is known

as Tibet today. Once I was wandering in the foothills of the Himalayas. I felt very hungry. I took

shelter in a cottage of a Bhairavi (a lady endowed with Siddhis i.e. special spiritual powers). Her

Guru had foretold her that her husband would be a highly advanced sanyasi. In order to test whether

the person was really befitting her or not, she should throw any of her clothes. If the cloth burnt after

touching that person he would be unfit, but if it did not burn he would be the befitting person for her

in order to marry. The lady performed the same test with me but the cloth did not get burnt. Seeing

this, the lady requested me to marry her but I was against marriage, since I used to consider a

householder to be an inferior person. So I turned down her offer. She wanted to force me into

wedlock and at the last there was a real fight. I pushed her into burning fire and got out of the cottage

quickly. After some time I started repenting on my deed and so went back to the cottage and saw

that the lady dead due to burning injuries. Surdhani, my present wife is the same lady. So I am a firm

believer in destiny. I heard this story from Rev. Jeavanlal Chaudhury, a worthy disciple of Shri

Panchanan Bhattacharya. Once I heard the same story from Shri Rangnath Tewari.

Like his guru Yogiraj Lahiri Mahasaya, Shri Panchanan Baba also used to be absorbed in the


25/47

practice of and deliberations on Kriya-yoga at his residence. Shri Panchanan Baba was the first

fortunate disciple of Yogiraj to have been allowed to initiate eligible seekers into Kriya-yoga. Eligible

seekers in the neighborhood of Kolkata used to receive initiation in Kriya-yoga from Shri Panchanan

Baba at the behest of Shri Yogiraj. While advising a seeker to approach Shri Panchanan Baba for

initiation into Kriya-yoga, Yogiraj had written this letter and advised him to show the letter to Shri

Bhattacharya Sin and good deeds are just the states of human mind. When the mind becomes

stable, Brahmakarma takes place where there is neither sin nor punya (good deed). The one who is

thinking, if we meditate upon that, where is the scope of any thought and feeling? If Kala (time) is

brought under control, why should there be fear from Kala (time)? Nobody is a disciple, on the

contrary everybody is a (master) Guru. He only can initiate you into Kriya-Yoga after analyzing you

(Taken from archive letters). The people from Kolkata and nearby areas used to get initiated into

Kriya by Panchanan Baba.

Shri Panchanan Baba used to conduct minute test of people desirous for Kriya before initiating

them into Kriya-yoga. He was a hard taskmaster so far as Kriya-practice is concerned. I used to

visit Babas disciple Late Shri Jeevanlal Chaudhury of Kalkota. Rev. Chaudhury Mahasaya provided

me immense help. Shri Chaudhury was initiated by Baba at the tender age of just twelve years and

was advised to be regular in Kriya-practice, otherwise he would incur Babas wrath. According to

Shri Chaudhury, Baba used to judge the disciples state of devotion to Kriya-practice just by seeing

their faces. Dedicated disciples received fatherly affection from Baba. Baba used to be clad in dhoti

and a half-sleeved Kurta. He paid scant attention to dress. There was a complete absence of egoism

( pride ) in his personality. Many disciples of Yogiraj Lahiri Mahasaya used to visit his place in orderto learn the techniques or process of higher stages of Kriya-practice. Sri Bhupendranath Sanyal

Mahasaya learnt almost entire Kriya-practice from Sri Panchanan Baba. Baba used to console

depressed disciples by advising them to ignore or face bravely the tides of Poverty, social-criticism

or family problems etc., since these tend to appear before Kriya-practitioners in order to test their

patience and perseverance. They really help the Kriya-practitioners in the same way as the wind

helps the kite to fly higher and higher. As a result of dedicated Kriya-practice on a regular basis for

some years, the seeker becomes unworried since by then he realizes the importance of detached

work. Special favor from Guru makes him devoid of ego i.e. detached. In such a state, various

spiritual powers (Siddhis) crown him, but the seeker does not utilize them for personal purposes

because he knows that in such a case his degradation will start. Rev. Panchanan Baba was a worthy

disciple of Yogiraj and just like him he also did not believe in caste, creed and sect.

I came to know from Late Shri Abhijit Sengupta a disciple of Swami Satyananda, that in 1911

Shri Satyanand and Shri Yoganand went to Yogacharya Rev. Panchanan Baba at Ahiritola, Kolkata.

On being requested to give guidelines, Shri Panchanan Baba said- The youth should not desert the

family and put on a saffron robe to become a fake sanyasi. In my opinion a householder is a better

place so far as the success in Kriya-practice or any sort of spiritual practice is concerned. Like my

Gurudeva, Yogiraj Lahiri Baba, a householder can scale the pinnacle of success in the realm of


26/47

Kriya-practice or any other spiritual practice.

Some people ask me why Shri Panchanan Bhattacharya should be considered to be Yogirajs

chief disciple. They are so many reasons for this. Shri Panchanan Baba showed the exemplary

courage in obeying Yogiraj even before receiving initiation from him by shedding his saffron robe - a

symbol of resignation from Sadhu sect and accepting the status of a householder. It is to be

remembered that he was vehemently criticized not only by then prevailing society in general but also

by some of Yogirajs disciples in particular, for his act of shedding the saffron robe and agreeing to

become a householder. It is undoubtedly praiseworthy that Shri Bhattacharya obeyed his Guru

without any sort of hesitation, showing scant respect to the prevailing social norms and are not giving

emphasis to the taunts of fellow Kriya-practitioners. This incident is indeed unforgettable. It is the

reason for Yogirajs special favor and affection for Shri Panchanan Baba. Devotion to Guru is indeed

the real Gurudakshina (offering to Guru from a disciple). No other disciple of Yogiraj could pay such

a heavy price. On the other hand, one of Yogirajs disciples ignored his advice, received initiation in

Puri and became a follower of Giri Sect. It is really regrettable and painful but the awareness of this

fact is in the interest of society in general and Kriya-practitioners in particular.

Rev. Panchanan Bhattacharya was the first to have attained self-realization among the disciples

of Yogiraj. For him there was nothing but Kriya and Yogiraj in the world. In a letter to Yogiraj he

writes- During the last two years, Annapurna Puja was celebrated. This fact is known to you.

This year also everybody is urging for the celebration, but I have not been able to decide. If you

permit, it is okay otherwise I do not intend to celebrate. For me you are the Vishweshwor Annapurna( God of the Universe). You do everything but people consider me to be the doing. What is (proper)

right? In order to know I have written this letter to you. The servant at your feet ( Shri Panchanan

Bhattacharya ) .

Shri Panchanan Bhattacharya shifted to Bavanbigha (Vaidyanath-Devghar, Jhakhand) house

when he got 52 bighas of land there by way of Yogirajs blessings. In order to earn his livelihood,

Baba started cultivation of roses in the entire land. The roses grown there were of very good quality

and so were dispatched to Kolkata and other parts of India. Everyday he used to garland Yogirajs

photograph with roses. Yogirajs memorial was also wreathed in roses everyday. After Yogirajs

funeral his disciples took into possession a portion of holy ashes and bones as sacred blessings from

Yogiraj and placed the containers at their places. Shri Panchanan Baba placed the container at his

residence in Bavanbigha (Devghar). He used to initiate the seekers into Kriya-yoga near that sacred

place. Today Adinath Shiv Temple adores that place. This place is indeed enchanting and it is adjacent

to Babas residence.

Obeying his Guru, Rev. Panchanan Baba established Aryya Mission Institution 3rdMay 1886

at 80, Mukta Ram Babu Street, Kalkota-7. Now that place is occupied by a personal residence.

The institution was established with a mission to make available the books, having Yogirajs


27/47

commentaries to the public, to distribute those books among Kriya-practitioners, to manufacture

and distribute Ayurvedic medicines ( special medicines to cure the otherwise incurable diseases )

and to encourage spreading of education in the society. The credit goes to this Institution for being

the pioneer in the field of distribution of Shrimad Bhagwat Gita with Yogirajs commentaries, at a

very nominal cheap rate not only in Kolkata, but in other parts of undivided Bengal as well. This Gita

is now sold in the name of Aryya Mission Gita. Now the Aryya Mission Institutuion has been shifted

to 8, Ram Charan Seth Road, Howrah and 192, Rabindra Sarani, Kolkata. The Mission is working

with renewed vigor with the blessings from Yogiraj and the disciples from his lineage. It is nothing but

miracle that during Kriya-practice, I was inspired by none other than Yogiraj himself to reactivate the

dormant Aryya Mission. Later on, I consulted Shri Ranganath Tewari Babaji, who not only gave his

personal blessings for success in this pious endeavor but also assured of guidance and blessings from

Mahavtar Babaji Maharaj, Yogiraj Shri Panchanan Baba and other disciples from his lineage. It is

their work and therefore they have been taking utmost care, which all of us ( those associated with

this work ) feel. It is sheer mercy of Gurudeva that I got hold of old documents of Aryya Mission in

a mysterious way and all associated with the Missions work feel that Gurudeva himself has been

guiding us, caring for us, giving us much more than what we need. Like Shri Panchanan Baba, we

feel constant growth of devotion, sincerity, perseverance etc. The Mission has been receiving

unprecedented help from Kriya-practitioners from India and abroad.

Shri Panchanan Baba had an extensive tour of Bengal, Bihar and U.P ( Uttar Pradesh ). Many

eligible seekers were fortunate to have been initiated into Kriya-yoga by him during such tours.

Master of all Siddhis, Shri Panchanan Baba kept himself totally aloof from publicity since he used tohide his special spiritual prowess from the common folk. He favored and encouraged secrecy so far

as Kriya-practice is concerned. Unaware of the praise or criticism, Rev. Panchanan Baba remained

in blissful (tranquil) state (the state of being one with Brahma). Shri Baba used to speak less but was

firm in his resolve. He used to advise his disciples to be away from the worldly dirty tricks (foul play).

Once, Rev. Panchanan Baba dealt with the ego problem of his dear disciple Shrish Mukherjee

in an awe-inspiring manner. Shri Shrish Babu was praising his professional acumen before Babaji

who immediately identified the ego-centric behavior of his disciple which needed to be cured urgently.

Baba asked Dr. Mukherjee in an easy-going chatting tone to diagnose his body. Dr. Mukherjee

started examining heart beat of Babaji with his Stethoscope but he was awe-struck. The Stethoscope

was showing no heart beat at all. Being perplexed, Dr. Mukherjee started diagnosing Babas pulse

but again he could not feel the pulse. Dr. Mukherjee gazed at the face of Baba who asked smilingly

the reason for Dr. Mukherjees discomfort. Dr. Mukherjee told Baba that Baba, who was talking,

showed the features of a dead body according to medical science. Dr. Mukherjee conceded his

defeat. At this Baba said that it was needed to cure the disease of Dr. Mukherjees ego-centric

behavior. Baba asked Dr. Mukherjee to re-diagnose him. This time everything was quite normal.

I would like to narrate one more incident for the benefit of Kriya-practitioners. Like his Guru,


28/47

Sri Yogiraj, Rev Panchanan Baba also used on invite his disciples on the occasion of Shivaratri.

Once, a huge crowd of disciples gathered on such an occasion at Bavanbigha residence of Babaji.

Bavanbigha is located at Devghar, Jharkand. Devghar is famous for one of the twelve Shivalingas.

Devghar is also called Baidyanath Dham ( One of the Shivalinga is known as Baidhynath Shaivalinga

), the place of Shiva. A day before Shivaratri, all the disciples were tired and so they went to bed a

bit earlier at night. In the morning on the day of Shivaratri, Baba woke up all his disciples and

exhorted them to pour the holy water of the Ganges on the Shivalinga, in the temple of Baidyanath,

since Puranas assured of liberation without fail to those who did so that day. All the disciples obeyed

Baba and went to that temple but there was a disciple who did not agree to Babas suggestion to visit

the temple of Baidyanath. When the Baba wore a stern face the disciple pleaded with folded hands

that Sri Panchanan Baba was the real Baidyanath disguised in the normal human form and so there

was no need to go to pour holy water of the Ganges on Shivalinga. Hearing this devotion filled

utterances, Rev. Panchanan Baba was deeply moved. He touched the disciples Kutastha ( Agyan

Chakra ) with his right thumb. Immediately the disciple went into deep Samadhi (the blissful state)

and attained self realization i.e. became enlightened like the Baba himself. This disciple was Shri

Srilal Yadav of Jamnia Gazipur U.P ( Uttar Pradesh ). Miracles were common to the disciples of Shri

Panchanan Baba. Even today devoted Kriya-practitioners of his lineage feel Babas blessings during

Kriya-practice and sometimes in the normal daily life also.

Even today the Kriya-practitioners do feel the grace of Rev Panchanan Baba during kriya

practice. In the month of July 2003, I went to Ahiritola residence of Rev. Baba. My friends Shri

Nand Kumar Mishra and Shri Satish Bhatia were accompanying me. Mr. Bhatia, who came fromU.S.A. to see me and get certain clarifications in connection with Kriya-practice, started singing a

Sloka by way of prayer to Guru, at my request. The Sloka recital in classical form was really unique.

All of us were absorbed in a blissful state ( transcended time ). Later on, Mr. Bhatia told me that he

never made such a classical recital previously. He felt the blessings of Rev. Panchanan Baba in

course of his recital. Being immersed in the grace, he went back to U.S.A. Rev. Panchanan Baba

vehemently criticized the prevailing ostentation in the form of religious practices and the other

malpractices in the form of formal religious practices. He used to comment Without thinking

enough, people allow the weak and hopeless people, to take important decisions of their lives.

Before getting initiation from anybody, all the possible details regarding the person must be verified

from various sources. His ability and spiritual prowess must be taken into consideration. Kabir says

Drink water after proper filtration, take initiation after careful verification of initiator. ( Pani Pejai

Chhankar , Guru Kijay Jankar ) Being a descendant of a Siddha clan does not make a person

eligible for becoming an initiator. Today there are many persons filled with fake ego who claim to hail

from a Siddha clan ( in a clan having a Siddha as an ancestor ). Such people have declared themselves

to be a Guru ( initiator ). These hopeless people are highly materialistic in nature. Being attached to

various corrupt practices they do not know even the basic of spiritual practices. They simply keep

on trying to deceive the ignorant seekers and amass as much wealth as they can. They pretend to be

a Guru by dressing themselves suitably. It is therefore necessary to be alert so as to remain aloof


29/47


30/47

holy dip in the Ganges walking behind Baba, through the dirty lane which he ( Shri Hari Babu ) did

not like at all. All of a sudden Shri Panchanan Baba stopped in front of an old house, bowed down

at the entrance and entered into the premises. It was the residence of Yogiraj Lahiri Mahasaya.

There was a small room in which Yogirajs wooden slipper (paduka) and his small picture were

kept. At present a copy of this original picture adores Howrah office of Aryya Mission. Shri Panchanan

Baba sat in Kriya-practice posture and performed Guru Pranam (salutation to the Guru through

Pranayams). Sri Haricharan Babu followed his master. After that Shri Panchanan Baba, who knew

what was going on in the mind of Hari Babu, told him- Hari, this is

Lord Vishwanaths temple, it is pious Ganga-ghat and pious water of the Ganges for me. Besides

this there is nothing adorable for me, not only in Kashi but in the entire universe. Please come; let us

go back by the next available train. Haricharan Babu was taken aback at this single-focused devotion

( Avyabhicharini Bhakti ) of Shri Panchanan Baba.

Yogacharya Shri Panchanan Baba had firm faith in Avyabhicharini Bhakti. He opined that a

seeker must follow only one path with a firm resolve. It is a common knowledge that people

worship many deities in order to serve their varying worldly purposes. Man has himself

invented so many deities out of greed for wealth, worldly ( sensual ) pleasures, advancement

of learning, family aggrandizement etc. but in doing so he has separated himself from his

soul , the Guru the real master. It indeed reflects a very sad state of affair since it saps

devotion out of a person. He is not devoted to anything since he keeps on changing ( or

shifting ) loyalty as per his convenience. So it is necessary to follow just one correct path.

Breathing ( Prana ) is the basic ingredient of any type of spiritual practice irrespective ofsect or religious inclination.Regulation of ( Prana ) breathing in called Pranayam. It is a fact that

a body which has stopped breathing is of no use and the people quickly perform its last rites. No

body wants to preserve a dead body of his dear ones. Therefore the body, which is breathing, is fit

to be explored for worshipping. It is true with idol worship also since the mantras for (prana pratishtha)

giving Prana to the idol are chanted by the priests. The question arises as to the validity of this act of

an ignorant priest. It is not the correct procedure. The way out it is to worship Prana through the

body machine since the body is really made to suffer or enjoy the outcome of all deeds, both good

and bad. Therefore, Prana worship is the best form of worship. If one does it with devotion, he is

sure to get a Sadguru. Sadguru means a soul, which is immersed in the blissful state ( Brahma ). Our

soul is covered with ( Manas ) mind. As a result of regular devoted Kriya-practice the soul is able to

shed the cover of mind i.e. the mind is transcended. The soul of a body, which has transcended mind,

is called ( Brahmamaya Atma ) a soul immersed in Brahma.

Yogacharya Panchanan Baba used to conduct a thorough test of a seeker and when he used

to be completely convinced / assured, only the he initiated the seeker into Kriya-yoga. The names of

some of his disciples are available with the documents of Aryya Mission. I received them from Rev.

Jeevan Baba a noted disciple of Shri Panchanan Baba . These names are stated below:


31/47

1. Dr. Shrish Mukheerje.

2. Shri Kanhailal Seth.

3. Shri Tarabhushan Banerjee.

4. Shri Bhutanath De.

5. Shri Vinod Behari De.

6. ShriYogenranath Pal.

7. Shri Bamancharan Bandopadhyaya.

8. Shri Nagendranath Chaudhury.

9. Shri Adyanath Roy.

10. Shri Netai Charan Banerjee.

11. Shri Ambika Charan Biswas.

12. Shri Jeevanlal Chaudhury.

13. Shri Hari Mohan Banerjee.

14. Shri Varadacharan Majumdar.

15. Shri Anndacharan.

16. Shri Harinath De.

17. Shri ShrilalYadav

18. Shri Bhagwan Sahay

19. Shri Nandalal Kanduri.

20. Shri Nikunj Behari Sen.

They used to initiate the seeker into Kriya-yoga with Babas permission. Shri Panchanan

Baba had a passion for music. He composed hundreds of yoga songs with their musical composition.

Aryya Mission published his songs in Bengali in a book titled Yoga-Sangeet tatha Eshwor

Tatwalochana. This book is available now with the Aryya Mission ( The book was compiled by the

Elder most Great Grand Son of Shri. Panchanan Baba ).

After self-realization, Rev. Panchanan Baba introduced before us the real face of so many

misconceptions prevalent in our society. Each individual has to reach the last stage of his life i.e. to

face the eventuality, the journey to graveyard but usually people face this eventuality not as a realized

soul ( Dehi Atma Sahit ), but as a body without any connection with the soul ( Deh - Atma Rahit

). The society considers graveyard / cremation ground ( Shamshan ) to be inauspicious since it does

not know its real meaning (Praknit Artha). Commenting on this word Baba said The soul merges

into the void ( Mahashunya Ya Mahavyoma Mein Hi Jiva Ka Laya Hota Hai ). Those who

meditate on this void are Mahadeva the Devadhideva ( the supreme God). It is a special state. The

crematory is not the place where the soul ( Jiva / Dehi ) gets absorbed by the void, so the cremation

ground where the dead body is burnt to ashes cannot be called Shamshan. Therefore the void, the

great void ( Mahashunya ) is the real Cremation ( Praknit Shamshan ), since the Jiva merges into

Brahma herein.


32/47


33/47

3. Commentary on Religion and Investigation of worship ( Dharma aur Poojadi Mimansa)

4. Yoga-Music and Commentary on the Essence of God. ( Yoga-Sangeet tatha Eshwor

Tatwalochana )

1. The world and I ( Jagat aur Main )This book provides the description of the world from the view point of Shri Yogacharya. This book

provides recollection of his experiences with society during the period spanning from his childhood

to the adulthood. It also provides spiritual insights encompassing the areas of Pranayama, Tatwagyan

(knowledge), love and devotion. The Present Aryya Mission is trying to translate this voluminous

treatise into Hindi.

2. Women Education and Liberty ( Stri Shiksha aur Swadhinata )

Rev. Yogacharya highlighted the importance of women education in this book. During his life time,Babaji was a staunch supporter of women education. This book deals with the manner in which the

girls can develop mentally, physically and above all, formation of sound character through education.

Commenting on liberty, Babaji says, What does liberty really means? Does it mean the way boys

and girls move around, together in an unmannered way? Disrespecting parents? To take wrong

decisions by giving justifications to own thoughts? These are all the confusions of the present society.

Education should inculcate the feelings of respect for parents, elders, teachers etc. Then only the

welfare of this country and society can take place. It must teach the proper way to behave in society,

fostering mutual respect, satisfaction to both sides in sundry social interactions and above all care for

Soul (self). In the pursuit of excellence in materialistic sense, the essence of good behavior should

not take a back seat. Spiritual upliftment is the corner-stone of progress of a society. Materialistic

growth without spiritual progress results into social havoc. Men and women must identify their areas

of specialization ( which our ancestors did in similar way successfully ) in order to ensure that a man

is a good householder and a woman a good housewife. Social evils which have crept into society on

account of foreign influences due to foreign rulers must not continue to sap the vitality of universally

acclaimed Indian wisdom. ( This book was translated in Hindi by Shri Gurudasram, disciple of Shri

Panchanan Baba, in 1935 ). This book is available in Hindi with Aryya Mission.

3. Commentary on Religion and Investigation of worship ( Dharma aur Poojadi Mimansa)

This book portrays the inner meaning of religion. The evils like concocted religious tales, false

assumptions and organized business of fake priests and pundits in the name of religion have been

discussed extensively. Commenting on the cheats in the guise of priests and pundits, Rev. Panchanan

Baba says - these persons not only engage in self-deceit but they also corrupt the society. They beg

from the householders for bread and butter and scoff at them at the same time. He says that religion

is related to experience, it cannot be expressed through words, sects or classified as Hinduism and

Islam. It is a continuous activity happening in all forms of life. This process is nothing but (Prana-Kriya) the act of breathing. With the help of a very inspiring story, Shri Babaji has highlighted the


34/47


35/47

3. Non-violence is the foremost religion ( Param Dharma ).

4. Pleasure lies in the state of mind, not in wealth and other worldly things.

5. Greed is the worst enemy. So a greedy never attains peace.

6. Everything that belongs to I, Me or My should be bestowed upon Gurus feet.

7. If one is freed from greed, properties and wealth belonging to others seem to be worthless to a

seeker.

8. Do not insult or put to loss anybody with out reason.

9. Have the feeling of kindness to all creatures.

10. Do not be annoyed (angry) with an angry man.

11. Take the food which can enhance Satwaguna ( the light of wisdom )

12. Do not give arguments without knowing the subject matter.

13. Try to inculcate the feelings of a Sadhu.

14. Bestow courage to the afraid people.

15. Do not sleep on a very soft bed.

16. Be quiet ( peaceful ) and patient (have patience)

17. Try to tolerate criticism and harsh words heaved upon you by others.

18. Always try to provide food, clothes and other types of help to the needy, utilizing your full

potential or capacity.

19. Be pol

Documents

Yogiraj Charit by Rev. Shri Vats, English Translation: N. K. Mishra, Wakidi & A.Ga