Great men are not born accidentally. They descend on earth with design. Humanity awaits them in eager anticipation and expectation. In the dark ages of medieval India, when spirituality was tottering helplessly under the onslaught of blatant materialism, Samarth Guru Mahatma Shri Ram Chandraji Maharaj came down to earth. He rediscovered and refined the ancient Raja Yoga method of pranahuti or transmission. This is a yogic technique by which a spiritual Master pours his divine energy into the heart of an aspirant. The aim is to expedite spiritual development. This great master brought within the reach of common people the highest spiritual goal, previously reserved only for ascetics. He himself attained perfection within a span of seven months, and went on to become the first Master of the Sahaj Marg system of spirituality.
Tracing the Roots
Affectionately called Lalaji, Revered Ram Chandraji Maharaj was born in Fatehgarh, U.P., on February 2, 1873, which coincided with the auspicious day of Basant Panchami by the Hindu calendar. Lalaji's father was a tax superintendent and his mother was a devout woman, who passed away when Lalaji was only seven. She left upon him the imprint of her strong faith.
Lalaji was always inclined towards God and displayed a deep love and aptitude for music. A private tutor was hired to educate him. He received his later education at the Mission School in Farrukhabad. Shortly after his marriage, his father passed away. Within a brief span of time, he also lost his elder adopted brother and all that remained of his family's ancestral property. Accepting these misfortunes with grace and courage, he went on to work for one of his father's associates in Fatehgarh.
Teachings
Renouncing worldly life for the sake of spiritual benefits was not right, Lalaji emphasized. Family life, he said, was most conducive to God-realization and self-development. It was from here that one learned love, sacrifice, patience and endurance. A sincere seeker could progress to the highest level of spiritual attainment while fulfilling the duties of a householder. A man could attain perfection in just one life — rather a part of it — leading a perfectly normal family life. He simplified the method of spiritual training to a great extent and adjusted it to suit the requirements of time. Lalaji abhorred display of any kind. He advised aspirants to stay away from powers until and unless they reached their goal and perfected discipline. Every aspirant, he felt, needed a spiritual Master. However, he was of the opinion that one should be extremely cautious in selecting one. His doors were open to all, and he would frequently transmit to his followers until wee hours of the morning. Both Hindus and Muslims loved Lalaji. Lalaji too had great affection for all his followers but he was also a strict disciplinarian. He discouraged rituals and idol worship. He was a great supporter of women and favored widow remarriage. He advocated women's emancipation through education.
Lalaji's pedagogy was simple and full of love. He never liked to lord over others. On the contrary, He served his disciples and all those who came to him with all humility. In spite of his limited resources, Lalaji did not expect or demand any help from his disciples.
Contribution to Spirituality
Lalaji Maharaj‘s research in the spiritual field was unique. He discovered the existence of the Central Region on the ladder of spiritual development. According to his chief disciple and successor Revered Babuji Maharaj, Lalaji's position in the spiritual realm is beyond human comprehension. He could transform a beast into a perfect human being by a mere glance. He did not criticize other spiritual masters or systems. Love he said was the greatest spiritual practice and morality was an essential attribute of a self-realized person. A person, who had advanced far in spirituality, yet lacked in morality, could not be treated as a saint, he said.
Lalaji was against display of miracles. If a practicant attained siddhi (special power) during his practice, he at once removed that state. He advised aspirants to refrain from such powers until they reach their goal. Ego was likewise never allowed to grow. The greatest miracle of a saint was to transform an animal into a perfect being, he believed. Lalaji based spiritual perfection on three things:
• Love for the Master
• Satsangh with the Master, and
• Obedience to the Master
Meditation on the heart, he said, was the real practice. Prayer was of great importance in his scheme of things but it was not to be used for material gain. He asked his disciples to befriend their enemies. His motto: Do not do to others what you would not like others to do to you. The real sadhana (practice) was to keep the mind in a balanced state.
Moments of Fame
Lalaji led a simple and pious life. As his fame spread far and wide, many people approached him for solace and spiritual progress. He never turned anyone down without blessing him/her with spiritual progress. Blessed with a melodious voice, Lalaji's songs had the power to touch the very soul of his audience. He knew languages like Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit and Hindi.
Lalaji Maharaj did not discriminate on the basis of color, caste, creed, sex and religion. Deserving aspirants were made ‘prefects' or ‘preceptors'. A prefect is a spiritual trainer endowed with the power of ‘transmitting' and ‘cleaning' the spiritual seekers. It is on the strength of the spiritual work done by this great master that Shri Ram Chandra Mission, the organizational arm of the Sahaj Marg system of spirituality, now stands erect, spreading his message throughout the world.
The Last Journey
Lamentably, most of the Great Master's life is shrouded in obscurity. A seeker wanting to get a deeper insight into Lalaji's life is disappointed as the grand master of Sahaj Marg has neither left an autobiography nor great many photographs. Like Kabir, most of his followers, Muslims and Hindus alike, tried to reserve to themselves Lalaji's literary wealth. Fortunately, some of the persons, who have had close association with him, are still alive. Some literature is also available with his descendents. Having served the humanity for more than five decades, this spiritual genius left for the brighter world on August 14, 1931, leaving his successor Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur, popularly known as Babuji, to continue working for salvation of humankind.
