What is Neem Karoli Baba?
Neem Karoli Baba (also spelled Neeb Karori Baba), known to devotees as Maharaj-ji, was a Hindu guru, mystic, and devotee of the deity Hanuman who lived in northern India throughout the 20th century. Born Lakshman Narayan Sharma around 1900 in Akbarpur, Uttar Pradesh, he is best known for embodying bhakti yoga—the path of devotion and selfless service—and for his profound influence on numerous Western spiritual seekers who traveled to India in the 1960s and 1970s. Unlike gurus who established formal teachings or written texts, Neem Karoli Baba transmitted his wisdom primarily through presence, unconditional love, and an emphasis on seva (selfless service). His name derives from the village of Neem Karoli (also Neeb Karori), where a railway station was built after a legendary incident involving a train that would not move until he reboarded. He died on September 11, 1973, in Vrindavan, leaving behind a network of ashrams and temples across India and a lineage of devotees who continue to practice his teachings of love, service, and devotion.
Origins & Lineage
Lakshman Narayan Sharma was born around 1900 into a wealthy Brahmin family in Akbarpur, a village in present-day Ambedkar Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh. Married at age eleven, he soon left home to become a wandering sadhu (religious ascetic), though he later returned at his father’s request and fathered two sons and a daughter. During his decades of wandering throughout northern India, he became known by various names: Baba Lakshman Das (or Laxman Das), Handi Wallah Baba, Tikonia Walla Baba, and Tallaiya Baba during his austerities in Gujarat. The name Neem Karoli Baba became widely used after a railway station was established in the village of Neem Karoli following a miraculous event in which a train allegedly stopped moving after he was removed for traveling without a ticket, resuming only when he was allowed back on board.
Neem Karoli Baba’s spiritual lineage is rooted in the bhakti tradition of devotion to Ram and Hanuman, though he did not claim formal discipleship under a specific guru or belong to a recognized monastic order. He lived primarily as an itinerant saint, spending extended periods in ashrams he established or frequented in Kainchi, Vrindavan, Rishikesh, Shimla, and other locations in northern India. The Kainchi Dham ashram, established in the 1960s near Nainital in Uttarakhand, became his primary residence in the final decade of his life; its main Hanuman temple was inaugurated in 1964. In Vrindavan, he was known as “Chamatkari Baba” (Miracle Baba) for his reputed siddhis (spiritual powers).
How It’s Practiced
Neem Karoli Baba’s practice centered on bhakti yoga—devotion expressed through service, simplicity, and love for God in all beings. He taught that seva (selfless service) was the highest form of devotion, instructing followers to “love everyone, serve everyone, remember God.” His ashrams functioned as spaces for communal worship, meditation, recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa (a devotional hymn to Hanuman), and bhajans (devotional songs). Rather than delivering formal discourses or initiations, Maharaj-ji typically sat on a wooden bench wrapped in a plaid blanket, greeting visitors with a pat on the head or back, distributing prasad (blessed food—often fruit or sweets), and engaging in playful banter that often contained profound spiritual guidance.
His teachings emphasized detachment from material things and ego, and he frequently reminded devotees that “a learned person and a foolish person are alike as long as there is attachment and ego.” He encouraged trust in divine will above personal striving and taught that love and faith dissolve unnecessary worry. For Western disciples like Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert), Bhagavan Das, Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, and Larry Brilliant, encountering Maharaj-ji often involved a radical shift from intellectual or experimental spirituality (sometimes involving psychedelics) toward devotion, mantra practice, and service. Many of these students went on to teach meditation, kirtan (devotional chanting), and contemplative practices informed by their time with him.
Neem Karoli Baba Today
Although Neem Karoli Baba left his body in 1973, his presence remains alive through a global network of devotees, ashrams, and foundations. His main ashrams in India—including Kainchi Dham (near Nainital), Vrindavan (where his samadhi shrine is located), Rishikesh, Shimla, and others—continue to host daily worship, meditation, and annual celebrations. The June 15th Bhandara at Kainchi Dham, commemorating the temple’s inauguration, draws over 100,000 devotees annually. In the United States, the Taos, New Mexico ashram serves as a pilgrimage site and gathering place for Western devotees.
His teachings have been disseminated primarily through oral tradition and the writings of his Western students. Ram Dass’s 1971 book Be Here Now, which chronicles his transformation under Maharaj-ji’s guidance, became a seminal text in the Western counterculture and introduced millions to Eastern spirituality. The Love Serve Remember Foundation, founded in the late 2000s, preserves and continues the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba and Ram Dass through retreats, podcasts, and publications. Musicians Krishna Das and Jai Uttal have popularized kirtan in the West, often performing chants learned in Maharaj-ji’s ashrams. Notable figures including Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg have visited Kainchi Dham seeking spiritual guidance, further cementing Maharaj-ji’s influence in contemporary culture.
Common Misconceptions
Neem Karoli Baba is not a deity or avatar in formal Hindu theology, though some devotees regard him as a manifestation of Hanuman. He did not write books, establish a formal lineage with successors, or create a systematized teaching methodology. His path was intensely personal and relational, transmitted through darshan (being in the presence of a holy person) rather than doctrine. Unlike many gurus, he did not charge fees, require initiation ceremonies, or demand exclusive devotion.
The name is often mispronounced or misspelled; the correct spelling is Neeb Karori, though “Neem Karoli” has become the common romanization. His teachings are sometimes conflated with New Age positivity or self-help, but his emphasis on selfless service, ego dissolution, and devotion to God places him squarely within classical Hindu bhakti. He was not a reformer or social activist in the political sense, though many of his Western students went on to found humanitarian organizations like the Seva Foundation, inspired by his teachings on service.
How to Begin
For those interested in exploring Neem Karoli Baba’s teachings, begin with Ram Dass’s Be Here Now (1971) and Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba (1979), which compile firsthand accounts from devotees. Krishna Das’s memoir Chants of a Lifetime (2010) offers a musician’s perspective on devotion and practice. Listen to kirtan recordings by Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, or Bhagavan Das, particularly chants of the Hanuman Chalisa or the Maha Mantra.
If possible, visit one of the ashrams: Kainchi Dham in Uttarakhand, the Vrindavan ashram where his samadhi is located, or the Taos ashram in New Mexico. Many ashrams welcome visitors for meditation, chanting, and participation in daily worship. The Love Serve Remember Foundation (ramdass.org) offers online satsang (spiritual gatherings), podcasts, and retreat information. Engage in seva—volunteer work or acts of service—as a living practice of Maharaj-ji’s core teaching. Read the Ramayana, particularly the sections devoted to Hanuman, to understand the devotional context that shaped his practice. Begin a simple daily practice of mantra repetition, such as “Ram Ram” or “Om Namah Shivaya,” and cultivate an attitude of love and service in ordinary life.