Babaji’s original name is “Nagaraj,” which means “Serpent King” referring to “kundalini,” our great divine potential power and consciousness. He was born on the 30th day of November 203 A.D, in a small coastal village now known as Parangipettai is a coastal panchayat town in Cuddalore district Tamil Nadu, India. His birth took place during the celebration of Kartikai Deepam, the Festival of Lights, and the night before the new moon. His parents were Vedharanyam and Nyanambika Ammayar who had emigrated there from the Malabar Coast on the western side of south India. His father was the priest in the Lord Shiva temple of this village, which is today a temple dedicated to Lord Muruga.
Little is known about his childhood, as Babaji apparently does not see fit to talk about it. Two incidents however seem to stand out. The first was something that took place when he was only four years old. A jackfruit had been obtained for a family feast, but the young Nagaraj found it unattended and managed to eat it all up by himself. His furious mother lost her reason for a moment and stuffed a piece of cloth into the young child’s throat, almost suffocating him to death. This un-motherly action was a great spiritual revelation to the young child. He found out that he still loved her but there was no longer any attachment. His mother taught him detached witness compassion and love by this shocking act.
Secondly At the age of 6, Nagaraj was kidnapped by a trader and taken as a slave, to what is today’s Calcutta. A rich merchant purchased him, he worked as a slave there for almost 3 years,then he got released. From there he went to the powerful Chittagong Hill in Bangladesh. There, following intense sadhana towards Maa Kali. Returning to Kolkata, Babaji sailed to Katirgama, Sri Lanka, there he met and had an ancient and powerful link with the 18 Siddhas, particularly the scientific Siddha, Bogar. Siddha Boganathar had established a Skanda temple at Katirgama which had no image of God but merely a Yantra, an abstract geometric design which is the energy signature of that aspect of divinity. The temple still exists. He rapidly experienced the various stages of Samadhi, until a great day when he incarnated the consciousness of Murugan and Lord Shiva as both are two different forms of one SUPREME COINCIOUSNESS like Maa Parvathi & Maa Kali.
At the age of 15, Boganathar sent him to his own guru, the legendary Agastyar, who was known to be living near Courtrallam, in Tamil Nadu. After performing intensive yogic practices at Courtallam for 48 days, Agastyar revealed himself, and initiated him into Kriya Kundalini, a powerful yogic sadhana. He directed the boy Nagaraj to go to Badrinath, high in the Himalayas, and to practice all that he had learned intensively, to become a “Siddha.” Over the next 18 months, Nagaraj lived alone in a cave practicing the yogic techniques which Boganathar and Agastyar has taught him. In so doing, he surrendered his ego, all the way down to the level of the cells in his body, to the Divine. He became a siddha and attained “SWAROOPA SAMADHI” – being immortal physically without attaining any kinds of other samadhis. His body was no longer subject to the ravages of disease or death and there was merging with the divine that renders the body ageless and immortal.
Since that time, Babaji has continued to guide and inspire some of history`s greatest saints and many spiritual teachers, in the fulfilment of his mission. These include Adi Shankaracharya, Kabir Das, and Jesus Christ. Three are said to have been personally initiated by Babaji and refer to him in their writings. He has maintained the remarkable appearance of a youth of about 17 years of age.
During a six month period in 1954, at his ashram near Badrinath, in the Garwhal Himalayas, Babaji initiated S.A.A. Yogi Ramaiah into a complete system of 144 Kriyas. In 1970 to 1971 he initiated the author, M. Govindan, into all 144 Kriyas. M. Govindan practiced these intensively on the average for eight hours per day for 18 years under Yogi Ramaiah’s guidance in India, the USA and Canada. In 1983, Yogi Ramaiah gave him rigorous conditions to fulfill to begin initiating others. After fulfilling these, Babaji himself appeared to Govindan in 1988 and directed him to go and teach His Kriya Yoga to others. Babaji again gave his “darshan” to the, M. Govindan, in October 1999, on two occasions. This occurred 30 kilometres north of Badrinath, at an altitude of nearly 5,000 meters, at the source of the Alakananta River. During these visitations, Babaji appeared as a radiant youth, with copper colored hair, clad in a simple white “dhoti” or waist cloth, and allowed Govindan to touch his feet.
Shibendu Lahiri, one of the great-grandsons of Lahiri Mahasaya, also claims to have been visited by Babaji, at his home, in the late 1980’s. Babaji is said to have blessed him in his efforts to teach Kriya Yoga all over the world.
It is believed that Babaji is deathless and he maintains a physical presence even today in a remote area of the high Himalayas near Badrinath. Although Babaji lives in inaccessible heights, far from the teeming multitudes, he is deeply aware of what is transpiring in the world. From century to century, he keeps an eye on struggling humanity — sending his blessings and working to direct open souls to the Light.
Mahavatar Babaji, a Himalayan Mahayogi said to be about 2226 years old, is the founder of kriya yoga. The world first heard about him courtesy Paramahansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi. Yogananda called Babaji a “Mahavatar” — a great incarnation of God. He have ashram, located at a vibrational frequency at variance with the ‘normal’ three-dimensional one to keep intruders at bay. Their abode has been verily named Shambala or Siddhashram. Babaji had set up an ashram in the Himalayan heights above Badrinath, also called as “siddhashram” (Gauri Shankar Peetam / Badrikashram). He encourages disciples to strive for their highest destiny.
MAHAVATAR’S SPIRITUAL PARTNER (WIFE): NAGARANI
NAGARANI is the “Wife” of Babaji from his all incarnations. She is embodiment of kriya yoga & kundalini power. She is the great conqueror of death. She lives at Gauri-Shankar peetham and also performs tapasya inside the under-ground cave near Dasaswamedh ghat in Varanasi. She has Divine powers equivalent to Sri Babaji. She is beyond “Kaal” [i.e. Time & Death]. She is having 8 great miraculous powers and beyond that. She is having divine glowing form. She is extremely beautiful. She speaks very gently & sweetly like her Babaji. She is dressed in white cloths and red. She literally looks like the female version of Sri Mahavatar Babaji. She removes the impurities of Kali yuga. She is actively interested in establishment of Satya yuga [THE GOLDEN AGE]. Also said that Babaji is incarnation of SHIVA and Mataji is incarnation of SHAKTI
Mataji has attained a similar state as of the golden deathless Babaji. Paramahansa Yogananda introduced Mataji as Babaji’s paternal cousin-sister, a common term of endearment in Indian culture. Yogi Ramaiah, many times confirmed that Babaji and Mataji were in a Shiva-Shakti union. Every disciple of Yogiar would be aware of this. Babaji and Mataji worked through the 64 Tantric Kriyas. Thus, having mastered the paths of Vedanta, Siddhantha, and Kaula Marg Tantra together, For Babaji and Mataji, together they performed dynamic tantra sadhana in a small triangular cave near Gangotri.
So even in their next incarnation, their love and eternal bonding remained the same as NAGARAJ & NAGARANI. In their Himalayan Siddhashram (Gauri Shankar Peetam), Mataji is said to have many responsibilities. She takes care of the daily meal at noon and the organization of the ashram. She is incharge of rituals honouring Babaji, including Padha Pooja (washing feet) and the offering of flowers. Mataji wears a white sari with a green border. Mataji is specifically the embodiment of compassion. Babaji is the guru and spiritual teacher for all students in his ashram. Mataji and Babaji are purported to appear sporadically to devotees and pilgrims. They are able to manifest in either a spiritual or physical form. Although Mataji is the spiritual equal of Babaji, she has chosen the role of disciple to Babaji. Mataji is said to assist students in meditation. Yogananda describes her as being ageless and in the same level of spiritual attainment as her Babaji. She is referred to in most Kriya systems as his sister but, acknowledging Babaji as a tantric master, we recognize her as the consort or partner of Babaji. In other traditions some view them as romantic partners but when we look into their previous birth as SHIVA & SHAKTHI we strongly have evidence to consider them as an eternal Husband and Wife.