The Initiation of the Divine Guru Babaji

The Divine Guru, Mahavatar Babaji, Source: Mahavatar Babaji (@ombabajiom) / X (twitter.com)

After completing four chapters of my manuscript The Book of Resurrection, consecrated to the Initiations at the four cardinal points of the Zodiac-Mandala, an interesting story developed. It was in the summer of 1984. I met a friend, a clairvoyant, who told me: ‘The Heavens are happy with you, but you have not finished your work yet. You have to write another chapter in the Zodiac-Mandala of the Heavenly Jerusalem’. Knowing how difficult, although inspiring, was the work, I was slightly perturbed. A few days later an insight came to me: Of course, I have to write about the previous Golden Age and to describe the Initiation of the Lord Krishna. Thus, the Initiation of the Lord Krishna opens the Zodiac-Mandala, while the Initiation of the Holy Spirit closes it – the Initiation for the coming New Golden Age.

To help me describe the Initiation of the Lord Krishna I had a most amazing ‘ethereal encounter’ with the Divine Guru Babaji. I was working in the Institute of Musicology in Sofia and most of the time I walked from my home to the Institute. The route passed by the main Cathedral in Sofia, St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

One beautiful afternoon the space around the Cathedral changed and to my great surprise the Divine Guru Babaji began to appear on the etheric level. In my inner being I fell on my knees in a state of awe, wonder, love and devotion. The Divine Guru filled a quarter of the sky; he was in the lotus posture with all seven chakras lit as shining stars. The Light of his chakras began to disclose the secrets of the spiritual worlds with which they were connected. The mystical encounter with Babaji continued for about forty-five minutes and gave me important keys to the essence of Kriya Yoga. I was ecstatic and gave thanks from the depths of my soul. Amazingly my ethereal contact with Babaji continued for a few months and developed into a great spiritual romance. From the Divine Guru Babaji I learned a lot about Kriya Yoga, the Hindu spiritual tradition, and with the help of the book Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda, I wrote the chapter about the Initiation of the Lord Krishna in the Mandala of the Heavenly Jerusalem.

It is well known that Babaji, as a Mahavatar, gave Initiation to many spiritual Teachers over the centuries like Shankara, Kabir, Lahiri Mahasaya and others for the fulfilment of their missions. With great joy and appreciation, I could say that the Divine Guru Babaji helped me in fulfilling my task as well!

In every Rila Assembly we link devotedly with the great Hindu Tradition. Thanks to Ramakrishna's spiritual achievements, the idea of the unity and integration of all religions has been extremely vivid and real for our spiritual activities on the sacred Mountain Rila. We also make a special link with the Divine Avatar Babaji, who requested Sri Yukteswar to show the unity of the Hindu and Christian traditions, which he did in the book The Holy Science. Sri Yogananda, Sri Yukteswar most famous disciple, taught Kriya Yoga and worked for the unity of all religions throughout the whole of his mission in the western world. Moreover, Yogananda had a deep contact with Ramakrishna through one of his closest disciples.

From the Master Beinsa Douno it is known that Rila is one of the oldest spiritual universities in the world. In its Akashic Chronicles are written many initiations from the spiritual history of humankind. Symbolically speaking, the entry into one or another spiritual world of the religions is ascending to the top of the Sacred Mountain, i.e. like climbing the highest summits in the Himalayas. In line with the great spiritual achievements of Ramakrishna we appreciate the sacred mountain Rila as the Spiritual Himalayas. Then one of the main goals of our Summer Assemblies is receiving the Initiations of the world religions – i.e. climbing the glorious and awesome summits of the Spiritual Himalayas.

Here another inspiring example for us is the Divine Guru Babaji with his legendary group in the Himalayas. It is well known that Babaji and his group move around in the Himalayas by materialising and dematerialising from place to place. In a sense our spiritual work on Rila is the entry into one or another spiritual world of the religions, climbing to the top of their Sacred Mountains, meeting the Coming of the Divine Masters and the Personifications of the Divine Feminine connected with them on ethereal level - in other words, to ‘materialise and dematerialise’ on the summits of Initiation in the Spiritual Himalayas.

This is why I often feel the spiritual presence and the great support of the Divine Guru Babaji very strongly. For instance, I remember with great appreciation our trip on the bus to the Rila Mountain for the Summer Assembly in 2003. Approaching Rila Mountain I felt the presence of Babaji and his invitation to ascend to the Mountain and enter in it as into a Temple where he would bless us with his Initiation. Immediately I shared this with the group in the bus, and we become aware of this great possibility. The Summer Assembly went very well and I felt the presence of the Divine Guru throughout. At some stage the metaphysics of the place changed – from the picturesque Seven Lakes area it became the reality of the Heavenly Jerusalem with the celestial Temples of the world religions, the Kingdom of God with many mansions. I was, of course, deeply moved by this vision and connected it with the fulfilment of the blessing of Babaji. Since then the idea of forming a spiritual group similar to the legendary group of Babaji in the Himalayas became an important goal of every Summer Assembly.

Here I would like to emphasis the most special spiritual connection with the Enlightened Sister of Babaji – Mataji! The great yogi, Ram Gopal, who witnessed a miraculous meeting between Babaji, Mataji and Lahiri Mahasaya, spoke about Mataji as follows:

Mataji (Holy Mother) also has lived through the centuries; she is almost as far advanced spiritually as her brother.  She remains in ecstasy in a sacred underground cave near the Dasasamedh ghat. (Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi, p. 352)

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Mataji, according to the description of Ram Gopal, is 'a young and surpassingly lovely woman, surrounded by a soft halo. (Ibid.,

p. 351)

The fact that Mataji lives for centuries in an underground cave suggests that her mission is related to the purification, transformation and illumination of the Earth.  Every completely self-realised yogi or yogini knows that, from a higher state of consciousness, the Earth is a transparent spiritual entity and that meditation on it has an objective power which can influence the destiny of humankind and the Earth itself, even from an underground cave. We could expect that while Babaji is a Personification of the radiant Light from the cosmic-spiritual Sun, Mataji is a personification of the qualities of our Mother Earth. Thus, both the brother and the sister, the Personifications of the Sun and the Earth, manifest the Divine union between the universal masculine and feminine principles.

Jesus Crist, Laheri Mahashay, Mahaavtar Baba Ji, Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, Paramahansa Yogananda, Sri Krishna, Anandamayi Maр, Source: Pinterest - Babaji, Christ, Yogananda, Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswar & Ananda Mayi Ma

The link with the Hindu spiritual tradition, the metaphysical and mystical connection with the Lord Krishna, Ramakrishna, Babaji, his sister Mataji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswar, Yogananda and other Divine Gurus is a great joy and celebration for us. During these days we feel part of the extended spiritual group of Babaji, performing important work for ourselves, the nations to which we belong and for the whole of humankind.

The whole journey on the Nine-Fold Rainbow Path can be compared with a climbing expedition to the Himalayas. The three-fold vertical structure of the Universe with its supramundane worlds and shining summits of initiation (that is, the states of consciousness reaching the highest Divine world symbolised by the Sacred Mountain) represents the Spiritual Himalayas. We have to cross these Spiritual Himalayas - i.e. to ascend through the whole vertical structure of the Universe to the top of the Sacred Mountain - in order to reach 'the other side' and to enter into the reality of the New Heaven and the New Earth. So, in a similar way as the climbers carefully prepare themselves for the forthcoming expedition, embark on the journey itself, build many camps before reaching the summit and after the conquest come back full of amazing experiences, the participants in the spiritual journey on the Nine-Fold Rainbow Path have to prepare themselves thoroughly, make their Exodus from the restricted earthly consciousness, start the spiritual climbing Step by Step on the Path and after reaching the climax of the Divine Rainbow enter into the New Reality.

Merging with the Ultimate Reality is the final goal of every spiritual path. It reveals the mystery of God's existence and the secret of the Universe. After dissolving into the Ultimate Reality, the human being becomes one with the Absolute Origin of Being. Following the most inspiring example of the Divine Guru Ramakrishna, we have to work, pray and meditate in order to achieve the highest states of consciousness in the world religions.

The different spiritual initiations reveal different aspects of the Ultimate Reality.  In Ramakrishna and Babaji initiation this is the Absolute, in Buddha's - the Great Void (Sunyäta), in Christ's - the Lord God Almighty, in the Master Beinsa Douno - God as eternal Love, Wisdom and Truth, and in the Holy Spirit's - the Creator.  Of course, all initiations refer to the same Absolute Truth of Being, but each one reveals a different aspect because of the particular cosmic season and the different universal principle in action. We could say that, when human beings receive various initiations, they are receiving the Crown of Initiations, as Ramakrishna did.

The Initiates with Crown of Initiations will experience the Ultimate Reality in different sublime states of consciousness, shifting easily from one to another. Their integrative illumination will shine with all aspects of Samadhi, Nirvana, Satori, Resurrection, Transfiguration and Revelation. 

When the human beings enter into these highest states of consciousness, their existence extends to the whole three-fold vertical structure of the Universe as the Tree of Life: they live in the physical world with an illuminated physical body and personality; in the world of angels with a soul in full bloom; and in the highest Divine world with an awakened Divine Self.  Thus, they achieve the richness and fullness of their cosmic-spiritual wholeness and become models of the Universe with three perfect bodies. This is the Eternal Truth about the human being revealed by all world religions.