Bhakti & Prema

Neem Karoli Baba

Maharaj-ji • Premavatar • Akbarpur, Uttar Pradesh

c. 1900 – September 11, 1973 • Kainchi Dham, Uttarakhand & Vrindavan

Start 108 Japa

"Sub Ek — Love everyone, serve everyone, feed everyone, remember God."

Spiritual Essence

Core Philosophy & Universal Message

Sub Ek (All is One) • Love, Serve, Feed, Remember God

Feed everyone — feeding a hungry person with love is the highest worship of God. No one who comes to the ashram must leave hungry.(Miracle of Love)

Chanting the Name of Rama and the recitation of Hanuman Chalisa are the supreme remedies to dispel fear and karmic burdens in Kali Yuga.(The Near and the Dear)

Historical Chronology

Verified Life & Spiritual Journey

Early Life & Calling: Born as Lakshmi Narayan Sharma in the village of Akbarpur, Uttar Pradesh into a devout Brahmin family. From an early age, he exhibited an extraordinary dispassion for worldly possessions, leaving home in his youth to wander the forests and riverbanks of Northern India as an ascetic.

Spiritual Descent & Method: Known simply as Maharaj-ji, he shunned formal public discourses, titles, and organizations. Wrapping himself in an unadorned wool plaid blanket and resting on a simple wooden takhat, he embodied living devotion to Lord Hanuman, transmitting spiritual awakening through silence, food, and unconditional love.

Major Contribution: Consecrated over 108 Hanuman temples across Northern India, creating spiritual sanctuaries for collective prayer and communal feeding (Bhandara).

Major Contribution: Catalyzed the global yoga and kirtan renaissance by transforming Western seekers into lifelong servants of humanity and spiritual teachers.

Mahasamadhi & Living Presence: Attained Mahasamadhi on Anant Chaturdashi, September 11, 1973 in Vrindavan. His sacred presence remains tangibly experienced at his Samadhi Mandir in Vrindavan and at Kainchi Dham Ashram.

Documented Encounters

Verified Historical Followers & Impact

Steve Jobs

Co-founder & CEO, Apple Inc.

1974

The Historic Encounter: In early 1974, an 18-year-old Steve Jobs saved money working at Atari and traveled across Northern India seeking Maharaj-ji after reading about him through Baba Ram Dass.

Transformation & Documented Achievement:Though Maharaj-ji had taken Mahasamadhi months earlier, Jobs spent time in the Kumaon hills, studied Autobiography of a Yogi, and credited the ashram's intuitive, contemplative stillness with inspiring the minimalist design philosophy of Apple (Macintosh, iPhone).

Verified Source: Steve Jobs — Walter Isaacson (Simon & Schuster) (Chapter 4: The Journey)

Mark Zuckerberg

Founder & CEO, Meta / Facebook

2008

The Historic Encounter: During a challenging period when Facebook was facing acquisition pressure and strategic doubt, Steve Jobs advised Zuckerberg to travel to Kainchi Dham to reconnect with his vision.

Transformation & Documented Achievement:Zuckerberg spent two days at Kainchi Dham. In 2015, during a public town hall with Indian PM Narendra Modi, Zuckerberg verified: 'I went to this temple in India... Seeing how people connected re-anchored what we were doing at Facebook.'

Verified Source: Townhall Q&A with PM Narendra Modi and Mark Zuckerberg — Official White House / Meta Townhall Archives

Reference

Dr. Larry Brilliant

Chairman of Skoll Global Threats Fund, Former Director of Google.org

1971–1973

The Historic Encounter: Dr. Brilliant was a young physician living at Kainchi Dham when Maharaj-ji repeatedly commanded him: 'Daktar, go to the WHO (World Health Organization) and eradicate smallpox. It is God's work.'

Transformation & Documented Achievement:Dr. Brilliant joined the WHO Smallpox Eradication Programme in India, leading the field mission that successfully eliminated smallpox worldwide—one of humanity's greatest public health triumphs.

Verified Source: Sometimes Brilliant: The Impossible Adventure of a Spiritual Seeker and Visionary Physician — Larry Brilliant (HarperOne)

Ram Dass (Dr. Richard Alpert)

Former Harvard Psychology Professor, Author of 'Be Here Now'

1967

The Historic Encounter: Dr. Alpert was a tenured Harvard psychologist who traveled to India in 1967. Maharaj-ji accurately revealed private details of Alpert's mother's passing, dismantling his intellectual skepticism.

Transformation & Documented Achievement:Renamed Ram Dass ('Servant of God'), he authored 'Be Here Now' (over 2 million copies sold) and established the Hanuman Foundation and Seva Foundation, pioneering hospice care and seva in the West.

Verified Source: Be Here Now — Lama Foundation / Crown Publishing

Continuous Humanitarian Seva

Living Charitable Seva & Legacy Today

Administered by: Shri Neeb Karori Baba Ashram Trust

Continuous daily Bhandara feeding thousands of travelers and pilgrims.
Free local healthcare dispensaries in the Kumaon region.
Preservation of Himalayan heritage and environmental cleanliness.