Jai Gurudev

Jai Gurudev

Jai Gurudev
Born Tulsidas Maharaj
c. 1896
Khitora District,
Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died 18 May 2012
Mathura, India

Jai Gurudev was the name used by Tulsidas Maharaj, a religious leader in northern India. He was imprisoned for 20 months during a period of political unrest in 1975 and led the Doordarshi political party in the 1980s and 1990s, unsuccessfully campaigning for election to the Indian national parliament. He died in 2012 at an unconfirmed age of 116.

Early life

Tulsidas ji Maharaj also known as Baba Jai Gurudev (Hindi: बाबा जय गुरुदेव) was an Indian spiritual guru, regarded by his devotees as a saint. No firm information is available on Baba Jai Gurudev’s birth date or early life. A hagiography has grown around him including stories that hold special meaning to his devotees and are considered evidence of his divine nature. Jai Gurudev is said to have been born in Khitora, a small village in the Etawah district in Uttar Pradesh, India. His father was a landlord. When he was a child he lost his parents. As she died his mother is said to have asked him to find God and avoid being ensnared in transient worldly pleasures.

Spiritual Education

Tulsidas left home when seven years old. He visited temples, mosques and churches seeking a perfect spiritual master. His search ended when he met Ghurelal Sharma in the village of Chirauli, Aligarh district, Uttar Pradesh and was initiated by him. Jai Gurudev followed and practised the path as guided by his spiritual master, initially performing sadhana for over 18 hours a day. Just before his death in December 1950 Guru Ghurelal Sharma instructed his three sons to follow Tulsidas and instructed Tulsidas to spread his message to mankind.

Career

He started preaching on 10 July 1952 in Varanasi. His preachings later reached most parts of India and abroad. Initial discourses were based on social and spiritual development. Following instructions from his guru, Saint Tulsidasji chose a name for God, Jai Gurudev, which he started to use. This caused him to be known as Baba Jai Gurudev.

Imprisonment

On 29 June 1975, during the Emergency, he was imprisoned. He was first kept in Agra central prison and later on moved to Bareilly Central Jail. Due to the crowds of followers he attracted, he was moved to Bangalore Central Jail then Tihar prison near New Delhi. He was released at 3:00pm on 23 March 1977. Every year his followers celebrate this day as Mukti Divas, fasting until 3:00pm.

After his release from prison, Indira Gandhi visited Baba Jai Gurudev in his ashram in Mathura. She apologized for his imprisonment and asked for his blessing as she sought to be elected to lead the country again. Baba Jai Gurudev blessed her and warned that no member of the Gandhi family should be become Prime Minister, as it would have dire consequences..

Politics

He entered Indian national politics in the 1980s and 1990s with his Doordarshi Party.[1][2] The party contested hundreds of parliamentary seats but did not win any.

Non profit organization

Baba Jai Gurudev led a non-profit organization named Jai Gurudev Dharm Pracharak Sanstha that operates from his ashram in Mathura, with a mission to spread the messages of the Sant Mat doctrine.

Death

Jai Gurudev died at 10:30pm Indian Standard Time on 18 May 2012, at the unconfirmed age of 116.[3][4]

After death, his assets were estimated at 120 billion Indian Rupees (approximately US$ 2.15 billion), including 250 luxury cars. His trust owns hundreds of acres of land beside the Delhi-Agra national highway.

Doctrine

"Jai" translates to "victory" and "gurudev" to "teacher".

He specifically said that Jai Gurudev was neither his name nor that of another object such as animal, tree or river. His followers believe the phrase "Jai Gurudev" to be a representation of "Anami Purush", the nameless supreme being, and use it when greeting each other. They maintain that a soul sent from Sat Lok (the place of truth), the perfect realm where enlightened souls dwell, can designate an indicative name for Anami Purush just as Kabir used the name "Sahib", Goswami Tulsidas used "Ram" and Guru Nanak Dev used "Wahe Guru". Such names are believed to have had miraculous powers during their lifetimes on this earth.

Miraculous powers attributed to the name Jai Gurudev include the power to :

Devotees proclaim that Jai Gurudev is the only name that can liberate the soul from the negative powers of kal (mortality) and maya (illusion).

They believe that the soul resides between our eyebrows and its power spreads to the entire body to make it work. The soul has an eye, an ear and a nostril but all these are closed at present due to past good or bad deeds. Through meditation and mercy of the guru, these can be removed so the soul can see the divine light and hear spiritual sounds. The divine sound, the word or "Naam", enables the soul to see the spirit world and reach sat lok, the perfect realm, true home of animal souls.

Although his followers called Jai Gurudev a guru, he called himself a servant of mankind and led a simple life.

Controversies

Jai Gurudev's ashram and his followers have had confrontations with local farmers, landowners, with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC).[5]

A report from the Sub-Divisional Magistrate indicates that the Jai Gurudev ashram is spread over 33 hectares, of which more than 13 hectares do not belong to them. Of this encroached land, 11 hectares belongs to the UPSIDC and the rest are common land owned by the local village council (gram samaj).

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Jai Gurudev still pulls weight in UP". Times of India. TNN. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  2. ↑ "Ramdev launching party evokes cold response from political opponents". Daily News & Analysis. Press Trust of India. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  3. ↑ "Baba Jai Gurudev, 116, passes away". Newstrack India. Indo Asian News Service. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  4. ↑ "Spiritual guru Baba Jai Gurudev passes away". 19 May 2012.
  5. ↑ "Mathura godman's treasure-hunt becomes ASI's nightmare". Indian Express. Retrieved 22 Oct 2000. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)

External links