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Miracle of Love: Stories About Neem Karoli Baba
"There can be no biography of him. Facts are few, stories many. He seems to have been known by different names in many parts of India, appearing and disappearing through the years. His western devotees of recent years knew him as 'Neem Karoli Baba,' but mostly as 'Maharajii'--a nickname so commonplace in India that one can often hear a tea vendor addressed thus. Just as he said, he was 'Nobody.' He gave no discourses; the briefest, simplest stories were his teachings. Usually he sat or lay on a wooden bench wrapped in a plaid blanket while a few devotees sat around him. Visitors came and went; they were given food, a few words, a nod, a slap on the head or back, and they were sent away. There was gossip and laughter for he loved to joke. Orders for running the ashram were given, usually in a piercing yell across the compound. Sometimes he sat in silence, absorbed in another world to which we could not follow, but bliss and peace poured down on us. Who he was was no more than the experience of him, the nectar of his presence, the totality of his absence--enveloping us now like his plaid blanket. --Anjani In 1967 I met Neem Karoli Baba, a meeting which changed the course of my life. In the depth of his compassion, wisdom, humor, power and love I found human possibility never before imagined...an extraordinary integration of spirit and form. I was with him only briefly for he left his body in 1973, still he entered my heart as living truth, and his presence continues to enrich and guide my life.
430 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
About the author
Ram Dass
174 books2,078 followersRam Dass (Richard Alpert), was one of America's most beloved spiritual figures, making his mark on the world giving teachings and promoting loving service, harmonious business practices, and conscious care for the dying. His spirit has been a guiding light for four generations, carrying millions along on the journey, helping free them from their bonds as he has worked his way through his own.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
November 16, 2022
I first read this book in 2008 and enjoyed it very much. I read it because a friend considered Maharajji her guru. Shortly after finishing the book, he appeared to me in a dream. That sort of thing doesn't happen to me, in fact I seldom remember dreams. Since then there have been other experiences, and as I reread the book there were many more. I don't pretend to know what it all means. I do know that this is one of the most important books in my life, and I am sure I will read it again.
February 1, 2018
This book finds you. When it does, the timing is right. Trust in that. Jai Jai Neem Karoli Baba kripa karahu avai sad bhava.
July 4, 2018
Amazing book, a truly one of a kind, it gives you an inside view on what one of these 'elevated beings' or Guru's are really like! He is nothing like you would expect. An ADD madman, he is always running all over the place, never sleeps for very long, he is friends with the most unlikely people because he is out wandering the streets at 3am just talking to people. He gets beaten up when he visits Mecca, he is chasing down some thieves when they break into the temple, and he is always losing his temper or messing with somebody!
The book is entirely comprised of paragraph long stories, so it's a super easy read, and you can just flip around the book to any chapter that interests you.
The book is entirely comprised of paragraph long stories, so it's a super easy read, and you can just flip around the book to any chapter that interests you.
December 12, 2020
One of my favorite books. Timeless teachings about loving everyone and being of service. I used to keep it by my bed and read something every night until the book got worn out. Been a few years and rereading it I found these teaching stories still quite valuable reminders to live everyone. The book is a compilation of devotees stories about their time with their (and Ram Dass’s) guru/teacher Neem Karoli Baba and what and how he taught them in the 1960’s in India. I felt still feel a warmth of the heart when I think of him.
July 20, 2021
I picked up this book after knowing that Daniel Goleman(author of Emotional Intelligence) was a disciple of Neem Karoli Baba. It has short stories on Neem Karoli Baba, narrated by his disciples. I enjoyed reading these short stories. As the title of the book says, these stories are full of miracles & love. It would disappoint to those who would look for rationality in these stories. These stories
instils the sense of fearlessness, loving & being loved.
One would definitely love this book if they are reading at right time & with the right mindset.
instils the sense of fearlessness, loving & being loved.
One would definitely love this book if they are reading at right time & with the right mindset.
July 9, 2008
A collection of stories about and sayings of Neem Karoli Baba, who was Ram Das' guru. Whether you think Ram Das an ass or not, this is an intimate look into a very strange guru that may challenge your notion of what is reality. Or at least be interesting. And it's mainly quoting other followers, not just Ram Das.
June 3, 2015
A great human being, a great master and a man who carried a very pure heart. Baba Neem Karoli has influenced many people by his simplicity and devotion towards God. His greatest teaching was to love God through service to mankind. His life is an example of a true spiritual master. This book truly honours the great master.
February 16, 2008
If you've read Be Here Now, you may be interested in these assembled recollections about Ram Dass' guru, Neem Karoli Baba. I'm trying to develop my rational side, but here are these stories of amazing, impossible things... I realize my rational side doesn't know everything.
April 29, 2013
Phenomenal! One of the most deeply felt and devotional and loving books I have ever read. Love for his guru shines through.
June 18, 2019
Neem Karoli Baba is very wild, very confusing guru. Many stories of him throwing fruit at people. Hey, whatever gets the job done.
June 5, 2021
Must to read about an amazing story about a superhuman born with ability to cure and connect.
February 24, 2019
Lovely. Lovely. I know I will re-read this book again soon.
August 11, 2019
This is very well written and Ram Dass has managed to touch a cord. Read on if you want to understand your soul
July 8, 2021
Guru's love and yoga , meditating name of Lord rama and cosmic blessings of universe explained beautifully
February 18, 2021
Great book
Lovingly, heart felt, well written book. Ram Dass put all the good stories together. Easy to read and digest. Makes you wish you were there
Lovingly, heart felt, well written book. Ram Dass put all the good stories together. Easy to read and digest. Makes you wish you were there
January 16, 2022
Neeb Karoli baba's influence across humanity is immense, right from the name of Apple Computer company to the eradication of smallpox in the world.
The greatness of a saint is to be measured by the influence and goodness he/she created , rather than the miracles they perform. But, I guess to attract people's attention, one needs to exhibit miracles and Maharajji was compelled to do it, hence the title of this book.
Maharajji was one of the greatest saints the world came across. But, what differentiated him from the others was the documentation of his influence and his followers taking the message worldwide.
Ram Dass did a fantastic job in spreading Maharaj ji's message. This book is more of a collection of anecdotes collected from maharajji's followers. The book is nicely organised logically across various topics of Food, Devotion, hanmuanji, Family, etc. One can read any chapter as every chapter has its own theme and they are not inter-related.
Wonderful book to explore in case you are dipping your feet in the world of spirituality and are curious of fundamental questions of life.
The greatness of a saint is to be measured by the influence and goodness he/she created , rather than the miracles they perform. But, I guess to attract people's attention, one needs to exhibit miracles and Maharajji was compelled to do it, hence the title of this book.
Maharajji was one of the greatest saints the world came across. But, what differentiated him from the others was the documentation of his influence and his followers taking the message worldwide.
Ram Dass did a fantastic job in spreading Maharaj ji's message. This book is more of a collection of anecdotes collected from maharajji's followers. The book is nicely organised logically across various topics of Food, Devotion, hanmuanji, Family, etc. One can read any chapter as every chapter has its own theme and they are not inter-related.
Wonderful book to explore in case you are dipping your feet in the world of spirituality and are curious of fundamental questions of life.
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November 6, 2015I love this book. So simple yet so profound. Did you know that there is a Facebook group for Karoli baba.?
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October 22, 2020Another read that will never be done. To be read again and again randomly finding some glimmers of hope.
January 18, 2018
The book falls in the category of spiritualism and basically on ability of man (read babas, gurus, saint) to have supernatural abilities. While I believe in spiritualism, the idea of baba/guru/saint is something I am really skeptical about. I doubt when people speak about miracles they can do or have done. I wonder if that is/was possible why on earth we have hatred, why poverty, why illness, why wars.
As far as ability of man in terms of knowledge and intellect is concerned I have no doubts there have been men and there still are men with immense knowledge and intellect who can lift you up, explain you things, help you understand things, its only their super-natural capacity that I doubt as I have never witnessed anything like that myself.
So the book is about Neem Karoli Baba, while his way of life, simplicity and philosophy are certainly inspiring, I doubt the miracles or so called status of "God" (Lord Hanuman from Hinduism) given to baba. He might have helped the westerners feeling empty and aghast during vietnam war, cold war which subsequently gave birth to hippie-culture, to direct their frustration to love and service (as a way to forget/ignore events that had disturbed them) but I doubt his ability to exist in two or more places at the same time, heal illness, decide fate, make people get through exams when they only attempted 10% of the questions, curing cancer etc.
While I would have been happy to seek his knowledge in understanding the world or make him my guru I would always have been skeptical on his ability to do miracles unless I witnessed with my own eyes. The way the baba dies makes my skepticism more firm.
The book is more of a compilation of people's experiences and hearsay. It is not a book on philosophy or spirituality but a compilation.
The Guru's life is simple, his philosopies for greater good makes one feel good. It was not a smooth read for me. "Autobiography of a Yogi" was a better read, though life of both were equally inspiring. Neem Karoli Baba seemed more simplistic and probably less materialistic than Swami Yogananda.
As far as ability of man in terms of knowledge and intellect is concerned I have no doubts there have been men and there still are men with immense knowledge and intellect who can lift you up, explain you things, help you understand things, its only their super-natural capacity that I doubt as I have never witnessed anything like that myself.
So the book is about Neem Karoli Baba, while his way of life, simplicity and philosophy are certainly inspiring, I doubt the miracles or so called status of "God" (Lord Hanuman from Hinduism) given to baba. He might have helped the westerners feeling empty and aghast during vietnam war, cold war which subsequently gave birth to hippie-culture, to direct their frustration to love and service (as a way to forget/ignore events that had disturbed them) but I doubt his ability to exist in two or more places at the same time, heal illness, decide fate, make people get through exams when they only attempted 10% of the questions, curing cancer etc.
While I would have been happy to seek his knowledge in understanding the world or make him my guru I would always have been skeptical on his ability to do miracles unless I witnessed with my own eyes. The way the baba dies makes my skepticism more firm.
The book is more of a compilation of people's experiences and hearsay. It is not a book on philosophy or spirituality but a compilation.
The Guru's life is simple, his philosopies for greater good makes one feel good. It was not a smooth read for me. "Autobiography of a Yogi" was a better read, though life of both were equally inspiring. Neem Karoli Baba seemed more simplistic and probably less materialistic than Swami Yogananda.
March 3, 2019
In this collection of stories gathered from thousands of people that have met Maharaji, we can get a sense of his true character and grace. Some of the stories are beyond belief, and some are beyond love, but even the ones that haven't met him could feel his presence. If we couldn't get his darshan in his presence, now its shared with us in this book.
Some excerpts I liked:
We all think we are chasing the guru, but really, you see, he is chasing us.
MA, WHAT AM I TO DO—THERE IS NO EYE THAT CAN FOLLOW ME. NO ONE KNOWS ME, NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ME. WHAT AM I TO DO? [SAID FOUR DAYS BEFORE HE LEFT HIS BODY]
I have yet to find another man at this stage. One can go up quite all right, but it is very difficult to reach the highest realization and come back to the physical plane. Maharajji seemed to be on all planes at once. That is the highest state.
To see, to hear, even to know about such a being who is “in the world but not of the world” is more than teaching; it is grace .
I AM IN THE WORLD BUT NOT CONCERNED WITH THE WORLD. I AM GOING THROUGH THE MARKETPLACE, BUT NOT AS A PURCHASER.
HE WAS CRUCIFIED SO THAT HIS SPIRIT COULD SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. HE SACRIFICED HIS BODY FOR THE DHARMA. HE NEVER DIED, HE NEVER DIED. HE IS ATMAN , LIVING IN THE HEARTS OF ALL.
Once Maharajji said that we are on a long journey, birth to birth to birth. The people we meet in each birth, we are predestined to meet. It is also predestined how long you will be with a person, so you shouldn’t get attached to trying to keep together or feel sad at loss. Realize that you will one day be separated, and then you will avoid that feeling of pain.
Some excerpts I liked:
We all think we are chasing the guru, but really, you see, he is chasing us.
MA, WHAT AM I TO DO—THERE IS NO EYE THAT CAN FOLLOW ME. NO ONE KNOWS ME, NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ME. WHAT AM I TO DO? [SAID FOUR DAYS BEFORE HE LEFT HIS BODY]
I have yet to find another man at this stage. One can go up quite all right, but it is very difficult to reach the highest realization and come back to the physical plane. Maharajji seemed to be on all planes at once. That is the highest state.
To see, to hear, even to know about such a being who is “in the world but not of the world” is more than teaching; it is grace .
I AM IN THE WORLD BUT NOT CONCERNED WITH THE WORLD. I AM GOING THROUGH THE MARKETPLACE, BUT NOT AS A PURCHASER.
HE WAS CRUCIFIED SO THAT HIS SPIRIT COULD SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. HE SACRIFICED HIS BODY FOR THE DHARMA. HE NEVER DIED, HE NEVER DIED. HE IS ATMAN , LIVING IN THE HEARTS OF ALL.
Once Maharajji said that we are on a long journey, birth to birth to birth. The people we meet in each birth, we are predestined to meet. It is also predestined how long you will be with a person, so you shouldn’t get attached to trying to keep together or feel sad at loss. Realize that you will one day be separated, and then you will avoid that feeling of pain.
February 9, 2023
I’ve always been a fan of Ram Dass and his spiritual journey, I became reconnected with him through John Higgs spectacular biography of Timothy Leary and so I bought the “here now” book and that led me to more books and podcasts of his talks. This one in particular was very interesting because anyone who knows Ram Dass’s story knows he’s connected to the Indian saint Neem Karoli Baba. It was intriguing to read stories from locals and westerners of what it was to live in the Maharaji’s ashram and the influence he had in his society and on Ram Dass and his crew. I think wether you believe the amazing things that are described here or not shouldn’t matter because the story and the mystery of its magic realism is what makes this book. The only thing I have to say against it is that maybe in some passages (and Ram Dass alludes to this in the introduction) the stories tend to become a bit repetitive but other than that it’s definitely worth checking out, specially if you’re curious about Ram Dass or Timothy Leary or aspects of consciousness.
June 24, 2018
This is a compilation of stories about Maharajji as told by his devotees. They are brief, from a few sentences to at most a few pages, both from Indian natives and Westerners. Although they are organized roughly by topic, there was a lot of overlap and lacking in continuity. I did get a sense of the deep love, the humorous antics and the magic of Maharajji. However, I read this book on the heels of Krishna Das' book Chants of a Lifetime. Through this latter book I felt more intensely the struggles, growth and love of both the devotee and the guru, what drew Westerners to him and how it changed their lives.
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February 13, 2021I found this book through a tweet on Twitter. The person has tweeted about the Maharajji (Neem Karoli Baba) and I got curious about him. The same tweet had mentioned about this book so I decided to read it. This book is different than traditional books. It contains stories but it's not a novel and it is about Maharajji (Neem Karoli Baba) but not his autobiography. This book gives immense pleasure while reading it. I used to feel very light and effortless while reading this book. I really had an experience mixed with spiritualism, devotion, happiness, and faith. Nice Book.
May 2, 2021
Eternally grateful to have read this book. I have heard a lot of stories of Neem Karoli Baba’s miracles from my grandmother and a dear aunt, who had long back mentioned about this book. In these distressing times, I felt called to read it and I am so glad I did. The essence of the book, as I take it, is: There is nothing to fear. Everything is Grace and Grace is everything. The only way forward is God-wards. As I finish this book I pray for each one of us that May God’s presence fill our hearts and our lives forever and always be our guiding light.🙏
April 15, 2019
This book is like fine wine. I read it very slowly, enjoying just few pages, few stories every day. I think it works the best this way. Not all the stories were amazing but they were like parts of the puzzle that were needed to give more ”complete” view. And there were plenty of those jaw dropping stories where you would just go ”wow - really?”. If you are skeptic by nature, let this book give you seed of belief.
May 6, 2023
Let's just say it was a long-standing wish of mine to know about him and it finally got fulfilled...the question is did I truly get to know the person he was? Perhaps yes, the more you open your heart, the more you revere him. As rightly mentioned in the book, a GURU might not be physically present with you to be your guide. Just remember him in your thoughts and all will be well!!! Jai Maharaj ji...
December 10, 2017
Grateful
I’ve read a few of these complied stories from people on their experience around a renowned saint. I’m deeply indebted to these individuals for sharing these wonderful stories.
If pulled to read, don’t worry about your faith or religion or spiritual values. Reading these stories brings us closer to our true self.
I’ve read a few of these complied stories from people on their experience around a renowned saint. I’m deeply indebted to these individuals for sharing these wonderful stories.
If pulled to read, don’t worry about your faith or religion or spiritual values. Reading these stories brings us closer to our true self.
July 28, 2023
Wonderful stories and reminiscences of this towering spiritual giant that not many from the south india have heard....
The book in itself, although the content is great and really enlightening, is not so greatly written...It could have been more interesting to read.
Nevertheless, it was a wonderful read for me..
The book in itself, although the content is great and really enlightening, is not so greatly written...It could have been more interesting to read.
Nevertheless, it was a wonderful read for me..
April 4, 2019
Knygoje surinkti prisiminimai ir psakojimai apie nuostabų šventajį.
Ji veikė mane kaip vaistas gydantis nudegimą. Net toks netiesioginis prisilietimas prie to kas yra dieviška meilė man buvo be galo brangus ir gydantis.
Ji veikė mane kaip vaistas gydantis nudegimą. Net toks netiesioginis prisilietimas prie to kas yra dieviška meilė man buvo be galo brangus ir gydantis.
October 29, 2020
A moving collection of stories from devotees. Although this man no longer inhabits the original body, I find myself moved and impacted in a way almost as if I've met him and received his Darshan. "Don't be silly, where could I go?"
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews