नीम करोली बाबा

Neem Karoli Baba (Hindi: नीम करोली बाबा) or Neeb Karori Baba (Hindi: नीब करौरी बाबा) (died September 11, 1973, in Vrindavan, India), also known to followers as Maharaj-ji, was a Hindu guru and devotee of the Hindu deity Hanuman. He is known outside India for being the guru of a number of Americans who travelled to India in the 1960s and 1970s, the most well-known being the spiritual teachers Ram Dass and Bhagavan Das, and the musicians Krishna Das and Jai Uttal. His ashrams are in Kainchi, Vrindavan, Rishikesh, Shimla, Bhumiadhar, Hanuman Gadi, Lucknow, Delhi in India and in Taos, New Mexico, USA.

Early life and family

The exact details of Neem Karoli Baba's birth and early years are not known. He was born in an affluent Brahmin family and his father's name was Pundit Durga Prasad 'Vedacharya'. He was born as Pundit Lakshmi Narayan Sharma at Akbarpur, Faizabad district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. He was married at the age of 11 to Rambeti (daughter of Pundit Rewati Ram) and is survived by three children: Aneg Singh Sharma, Dharma Narayan Sharma and Girija Bhatele (née Sharma). He had two havelis (palatial homes) in Akbarpur, the older of which has been converted to a temple and the newer one is being preserved as his birthplace shrine. He also had another home in Agra in Gokulpura where he visited multiple times after he left his married life.

Sadhu and guru

Neem Karoli Baba Sculpture in a Ram Dass's library

He left his home around the time when his youngest child (daughter) was eleven (1958) and wandered extensively throughout northern India as a sadhu. During this time he was known under many names including Lakshman Das, Handi Wallah Baba, and Tikonia Walla Baba. When he did tapasya and sadhana at Bavania in Gujarat, he was known as Tallaiya Baba. In Vrindavan, local inhabitants addressed him by the name of Chamatkari Baba (miracle baba). He was considered by many to be a saint. Neem Karoli was a lifelong adept of bhakti yoga, and encouraged service to others (seva) as the highest form of unconditional devotion to God. In the book Miracle of Love, compiled by Ram Dass, a devotee named Anjani shares the following account:

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 non-Indian devotees of recent years knew him as Neem Karoli Baba, but mostly as “Maharajji” – 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 no more than the experience of him, the nectar of his presence, the totality of his absence.

Teaching

Baba Neem Karoli's Ashram in Taos is dedicated to his saying: "Love everyone, serve everyone."

Notable disciples

Among the most well known of Neem Karoli Baba's disciples were, Ram Dass, the author of Be Here Now, teacher/performer Bhagavan Das, Lama Surya Das and the musicians Jai Uttal and Krishna Das. Other notable devotees include humanitarian Larry Brilliant and his wife Girija, Dada Mukerjee (former professor at Allahabad University, Uttar Pradesh, India), and scholar and writer Yvette Rosser. Baba Hari Dass was also a disciple who maintained one of the ashrams before heading to the USA to become a spiritual teacher. Steve Jobs, along with his friend Dan Kottke, traveled to India in 1973 to meet Neem Karoli Baba, but arrived after the guru died in September of that year. Hollywood actress Julia Roberts was also influenced by Neem Karoli Baba. A picture of him drew Roberts to Hinduism.

Foundations

After returning to the United States, Ram Dass and Larry Brilliant founded the Seva Foundation, an international health organization based in Berkeley California that is committed to applying the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba toward ending world poverty. One of Seva's greatest accomplishments is to have helped return eyesight to nearly 3 million blind people suffering from cataract blindness in countries like Tibet, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Cambodia and throughout Africa. The organization also has a Native American Community Health Program that works to fight an epidemic of diabetes in Native communities throughout the United States. In the late 2000s another Foundation evolved, the 'Love Serve Remember Foundation', whose purpose is to preserve and continue the teachings of Neem Karoli Baba and Ram Dass.

बाबा की फोटो देख हिंदू धर्म में खिंची चली आईः जूलिया

भारत के अध्यात्म की गहरी छाप थी स्टीव जॉब्स पर

kumaoni traditional recipes

AALO DAAL KA PAKODA

1. Boiled Potatoes - 100 gms

2. Ginger - 10 gms.

3. Onions - 100 gms.

4. Hot spices - 1-tsp.

7. Coriander leaves

8. Green chilies 3-4

10. Fat/oil for deep frying - 300 ml

11. boiled mix Dal (pulse) - 100 gms.

12. Bread crumbs - 100 gms.

Peel and mash potatoes add salt and half of lemon. 2. Chop onions, ginger, chilies and coriander leaves. Mix it with Dal. Add lemon juice shot spice. 3. Flatten the potatoes and stuff the Dal mixture. 4. Make a cylindrical role and dip in beaten egg white. Coat it with breadcrumbs, deep fry in oil. 5. Served hot with chutney or tomato Ketchup.

Aloo Daal Pakora is served as a snack and is one of the favorite snacks of the locality of the Kumaon. It is served with chutney or tomato ketchup. It is an innovative food of Kumaon.

AALU KE GUTKE

1. Cumin - ½ Tea Spoon

2. Turmeric powder - 1 Tea Spoon

3. Coriander powder - 2 Tea Spoon

4. Red Chilli powder - 1 Tea Spoon

5. Whole Red Chillies - 5 gms

6. Green Coriander - 2 Bunches

1. Boil and peel the potatoes., 2. Cut the potatoes into small pieces. 3. Fry whole Red Chillies. (Keep it aside), 4. Fry cumin seeds till it crakes then add tumeric powder, 5. Add boil potatoes pieces with Coriander powder and Salt, 6. Cook on slow fire, 7. Garnish with chopped green Coriander and fried chillies

Kumaoni snack prepared from Boiled Pahari Potatoes.

BHANG KI CHUTNEY

1. Bhang Seeds - 50 gms
2. Cumin Seeds - 3 gms

3. Lemon (Big) - One

4. Salt to taste

5. Whole Red Chillies - 3 Pieces

1. Roast Bhang seeds and cumin seeds separately, 2. Grind Red Chillies, Cumin seeds and Bhang seeds into fine paste adding little water, 3. Squeeze Lemon juice into the paste, add salt and serve. A taste Sour Chutney prepared with roasted Bhang seeds (Hemp Seeds) and cumin seeds (Sauf), mixed with Lemon juice.

Chainsoo 

1. Black Gram seeds(Kali Urd whole) - 1 cup

2. Oil - 1/2 cup ( preferably mustard oil)

3. Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves

4. Cummin seeds - 1 tsp  

5. Black pepper - 4 nos.

6. Red chillies whole - 4 to 5

7. Asafoetida - a pinch

8. Dry coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

9. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

10. Red chillies powder - 1/2 tsp

11. Water - 3 cups

12. Salt to taste

13. Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Method

1. Place an iron frying pan (kadhai) on a moderate flame. Put Sabut Urad (black gram) in it and roast it without oil for about 3 to 5 minutes or till the pleasant aroma of roasted seeds comes. Do not over cook it. Take off the flame. Grind the roasted seeds into a coarse powder.

2. Heat oil in the Kadahi and add garlic cloves.When the garlic turns lightl brown, add cumin seeds, red chillies,black pepper, and heeng (asafoetida).

3. Immediately add the daal powder and fry it for 1-2 minute or so. Add turmeric powder, dry coriander powder, red chillies powder, salt and water. Bring it to boil.

4. Cover and Cook till the daal becomes very soft. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Before taking off the heat, sprinkle garam masala over chainsoo. 

5. Garnish with pure ghee and chopped coriander leaves. Serve with hot steamed rice.

Note

Chainsoo is prepared by using black gram daal. Normally due to the high protein content in this daal it is difficult

to digest. However it is said that the bad effect gets nullified by roasting. Similar preparation with slight variation is

made out of black bhat (a varity of soyabeen), but in that case it is called bhatwani.

Jholi (courtesy - ankana joshi)

ingredients
1. Besan or Rice flour - 1 cup
2. Curd - 3 cups
3. Oil or Ghee - 1/2 cup
4. Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves
5. Dry Faran or Cummin seeds - 1 tsp
6. Red chillies whole - 4 to 5
7. Asafoetida - a pinch
8. Dry coriander powder - !/2 tsp
9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Red chillies powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Water - 3 cups
12. Salt - 3 tsp or to taste
13. Chopped spinach or fenugreek leaves -optional
Method
1. Jholi can be made of besan or rice flour. Mix besan, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Make it into a thick paste by gradually adding water, and continuously folding it with a spatula or karchi. Now mix the paste with Curd and water. Churn the mixture well.
2. Take a pan or karahi and heat the oil. Add garlic cloves in the hot oil. When the garlic turns light brown, faran, red chillies and heeng.
3. Immediately pour the curd mix into the frying pan. Add turmeric powder, dry coriander powder, red chillies powder and salt.
4. Cook till the gravy starts thickening and the raw smell of besan is gone. Let the jholi cook for about 10-15 minutes. If you are using rice flour then cook it for few minutes more. Add more water to keep the consistency thin.
5. Before taking it off from heat, add handful of chopped spinach leaves or chopped spring onion leaves. Cook for few more minutes till the leaves are tender. Garnish with a table spoon full of ghee, coriander leaves and green chillies( slit apart into two pieces) and serve with bhaat (steamed rice).
Note
hol means very thin gravy. Jholi can be made out of tomatoes, potatoes and other tubers. On the other hand Jholi is gravy made out of curd. It is comparatively a much thicker jhol and similar to phanu in preparation.
Kaap
ingredients
1. Spinach - 1 Kg.
2. Curd - 300 gms.
3. Chilly Powder - 50 gms.
4. Turmeric Powder - 20 gms
5. Hot Spices - 50 gms
6. Cumin seeds - 20gms
7. Asafetida (Pinch)
8. Butter - 50 gms
9. Salt to Taste
10. Rice Paste 20 gms.
Method
1. Wash the Spinach and chop it roughly and boil. 2. Heat the Butter, add cumin seeds and Asafetida. 3. When seeds crackle, add Chilly Powder and Turmeric Powder. 4. Fry the spices well. 5. Add boiled spinach and cook a little. Add Beaten Curd and required amount of Water and thicken with Rice Paste. 6. Cook well, Add Salt and Hot Spices and serve. 7. Rice paste can be prepared by soaking the rice in plain water for about 3 hrs. and then grinding it in a Grinder to form a smooth Paste. Mix enough water so as to make a thick Paste.
Note
this is a green curry that is served in lunch or dinner and is eaten with Bread, Pita, Roti & Boiled Rice. This is a dish, which is very sumptuous as well as nutritious since it is a special preparation of Spinach.
Sisunak saag
Ingredients
1. Sisunak - 2 Kg
2.Jakhiya - 50 gm
3. Salt to taste
4. Oil - 30 ml
Method
1. Take small leaves of Bichu, boil them in water and cook well, till the leaves become pulpy.
2. Wash the pulp 3 times and drain the water and grind it.
3. Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan add Jakhiya stirs well add the pulp and fry. Add salt.
4. Garnish with tomato and butter. Serve hot with boiled rice.
Note
Sisunak (Nettle)saag is enhanced by high nutritious value. The leaves from where this saag is prepared are locally known as "Bichhu Ghas". It is a green leafy vegetables dish and is liked by everyone. (Nutritional Composition: - Mg, Iron). Pick only tender leaf if being picked from the wild.
Courtesy- chef Manoj Rawat