Ram Chandra (Babuji)

Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur or Babuji, as he is referred to by most people, was a yogi born in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh in India at the end of the 19th century. He spent most of his life researching, perfecting, and giving free training on a method of Raja Yoga meditation called Sahaj Marg or Heartfulness Meditation to help others attain perfection in this life. Following his Guru's teachings, he founded a non-profit organization called Shri Ram Chandra Mission in 1945, dedicated and named after his Guru, who also bore the same name as him.[1][2][3]

Ram Chandra (Babuji)
TitleFounder, Shri Ram Chandra Mission
Personal
Born
Ram Chandra

(1899-04-30)30 April 1899
Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died(1983-04-19)19 April 1983
NationalityCitizen of India
SpouseBhagwati
InstituteShri Ram Chandra Mission
Founder ofShri Ram Chandra Mission (1945)
PhilosophySahaj Marg, Raja Yoga
Senior posting
SuccessorParthasarathi Rajagopalachari
WebsiteBabuji

Early Life

Ram Chandra was born on 30th April 1899 in Shahjahanpur, UP, India.[4][5]. He was born to a well-off family, his father Rai Bahadur Shri Badri Prasad held the position of Honorary Special Magistrate 1st Class. He was not a keen student in school where he studied only up to his matriculation (10 yrs of school). He worked in the local court for thirty-one years and retired as a record keeper.[6] From a very early age, he felt a thirst for Reality.[7] He met his Guru in June 1922 at the age of twenty-three. Incidentally, his guru's name was also Ram Chandra, who lived in Fatehgarh, UP. People fondly called him Lalaji.[4][3]

Spiritual Life and Contributions

Babuji learnt Raja Yoga meditation practice aided with Yogic transmission from his Guru, Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh (affectionately called as Lalaji).[1] He redefined the method and made it suitable for modern times, demystifying yogic practices so the common house holders can adopt it while taking care of their worldly duties. He founded and registered a non-profit organization called Shri Ram Chandra Mission in 1945 to teach this new method called as Sahaj Marg (now called Heartfulness Meditation) to any interested seeker.[4] Today this practice is followed by four million people around the world in 160 countries and there are over 13,000 trainers across 132 countries.[8] Babuji wrote several books; many of these are available in various libraries.[9] After him the organization he founded was led by Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari; today the president of this organization is Kamlesh D. Patel.[1] On 28 January 2020, the world's largest meditation center was inaugurated in the presence of the President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind in Kanha Shanti Vanam, the world headquarters of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission.[8]

His Teachings
  • As per his spiritual research, the invisible power that created the universe can be called the primordial mind of the divine. The primary thing in yoga is proper regulation of the 'individual-mind' which is restless. If you can bring your 'individual-mind' to the level of original mind ('Adi-mind'), then you can get the realization of that real truth and divinity.[3]
  • He said that the physical and spiritual life is like two wings of the bird which move together. Household life provides the most suitable environment for learning qualities like love and sacrifice. He simplified and refined the ancient Raja Yoga method to adapt to changing needs over time so that every person could benefit from it by practicing it while living in the household.[3]
  • He believed that the gradual development of consciousness is the birth-proven right of every human being and it should be provided free of charge to every true inquisitor. In his view, a true Guru is indeed a supreme servant. He continued to serve mankind for a lifetime without any distinction of caste, religion, nationality, or gender.[3]

Literary works
  • Reality at Dawn (1954)[10][11]
  • Efficacy of Raja Yoga in the Light of Sahaj Marg [12][13]
  • Commentary on the Ten Maxims of Sahaj Marg (1946) [14][15]
  • Towards Infinity (1957) [16]
  • Sahaj Marg Philosophy (1978) [17][18]
  • Voice Real - The First Selection (1970)
  • Voice Real - The Second Selection
  • Autobiography of Ram Chandra (Volume 1 and 2) (1974)[19]
  • Complete Works of RAM CHANDRA - The work of Babuji also compiled into a set of six volumes.

See also

References
  1. Ram Nath Kovind (2020-02-02). Address by The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind on the occasion of inauguration of the new global headquarters 'Kanha Shanti Vanam' of Shri Ram Chandra Mission (Speech). Kanha Shanti Vanam, Hyderabad. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  2. Ram Nath Kovind (2020-02-02). Address by The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind on the occasion of inauguration of the new global headquarters 'Kanha Shanti Vanam' of Shri Ram Chandra Mission (PDF) (Speech). Kanha Shanti Vanam, Hyderabad. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  3. Ranjan, Rishi (2020-04-29). "श्री रामचंद्र मिशन के संस्थापक श्री रामचन्द्र की जयंती (30 अप्रैल) पर विशेष". newstrack.com. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  4. "Record number of 1,50,000 practitioners from 100 countries to virtually attend the 121st Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Second Guide of Heartfulness". apnnews.com. 2020-04-28. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  5. "Over 1.5 lakh practitioners of Heartfulness to join Babuji's 121st birth anniversary celebrations". uniindia.com. 2020-04-29. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  6. Chandra, Ram (1998). Complete Works of Ram Chandra Volume 3. Shri Ram Chandra Mission. p. 12. ISBN 81-85177-28-7.
  7. Chandra, Ram (1998). Complete Works of Ram Chandra Volume 3. Shri Ram Chandra Mission. p. 6. ISBN 81-85177-28-7.
  8. Pisharody, Rahul V (2020-02-10). "Near Hyderabad, 'world's largest meditation centre', inaugurated by President Kovind". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  9. Books by and on Ram Chandra.
  10. "Sahaj Marg Raja Yoga Meditation - Reality at Dawn".
  11. Chandra, Ram (2 June 1968). Reality at Dawn. The Heartfulness Store. ISBN 9789388095624 – via Google Books.
  12. "Sahaj Marg Raja Yoga Meditation - Efficacy of Raja Yoga".
  13. Chandra, Ram. Efficacy of Raja Yoga: In the light of Sahaj Marg. The Heartfulness Store. ISBN 9789388095594 – via Google Books.
  14. "Sahaj Marg Raja Yoga Meditation - Commentary on 10 Maxims".
  15. Chandra, Ram. Commentary on the Ten Maxims of Sahaj Marg. The Heartfulness Store. ISBN 9789388095617 – via Google Books.
  16. "Sahaj Marg Raja Yoga Meditation - Towards Infinity".
  17. "Sahaj Marg Raja Yoga Meditation - Sahaj Marg Philosophy".
  18. Chandra, Ram. Sahaj Marg Philosophy. The Heartfulness Store. ISBN 9789388095655 – via Google Books.
  19. "The Autobiography of Ram Chandra -PDF" (PDF).
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