Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj was born in 1922 on the auspicious night of sharat pūrṇimā , on October 5 1922, in a highly respected Brahmin family in the village of Mangarh in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. He completed His early education in Mangarh and Kunda. Later, He studied Sanskrit grammar, literature and Ayurveda at Indore, Chitrakoot and Varanasi.
At the age of sixteen, He retreated into the dense forests near the Sharbhang ashram in Chitrakoot and then into the forests near Vanshivat, Vrindavan. During this period, He was deeply engrossed in the divine love of Shri Radha Krishna. Whoever saw Him in that state of trance was astonished and felt that He was the very embodiment of love and bliss. In the state of divine ecstasy nobody then could have known that He had an ocean of spiritual wisdom hidden within Him. For the benefit of humanity, He gradually started to conceal and control these ecstatic states in order to propagate the bhakti of Shri Krishna. Then along with His inspiring messages of divine love, He started revealing His divine wisdom and knowledge of the scriptures.
In 1955, Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj organized the first of two big religious conferences in Chitrakoot. It was attended by many Jagadgurus of India and other eminent scholars from Kashi, considered to be the spiritual capital of India. The second conference took place in Kanpur in 1956. The most learned scholars from Kashi attending the conference were amazed to see such a young man possessing such scriptural knowledge. The most eminent and universally recognized scholar present, the Chief Secretary of Kashi Vidvat Parishat, a body of topmost 500 scholars, was Acharya Shri Raj Narayan Shatshastri. He was a leader in scriptural debate and a foremost philosopher. After listening to Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj’s discourses on October 19 1956, he said to the audience present there, “You are extremely fortunate to have in your midst a Saint who can present this level of divine knowledge. Kashi is the center of spiritual learning for the entire world. We, the residents of Kashi are seated here. Hearing Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj’s divine utterances yesterday, we were all compelled to accept humble submission before Him.”
Upon the Chief Secretary returning to Kashi and informing others of his experience, Kashi Vidvat Parishat invited Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj to address them. Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj accepted the invitation and addressed them in January 1957.
Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj delivered extraordinary discourses first in simple Sanskrit and then with increasing complexity in literary Sanskrit so as to become incomprehensible even to the experts present. Combined with His magnificent personality immersed in the bliss of divine love the audience was left the spellbound. They had never witnessed such an event and unanimously admitted that He was not only a great scholar of the Vedas and other scriptures but also an embodiment of divine love. They honored Him with the tile of Jagadguru and went further declaring Him to be Jagadguruttam or the supreme amongst all the Jagadgurus. Prior to Him there were the following four saints honored with the title of Jagadguru:
- Adi Jagadguru Shri Shankaracharya
- Jagadguru Shri Ramanujacharya
- Jagadguru Shri Nimbarkacharya
- Jagadguru Shri Madvacharya
For over fifty years, Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj has delivered hundreds of enlightening discourses, reciting Sanskrit verses from the Vedas, Purāṇas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures effortlessly and eloquently leaving both the scholar and layperson speechless. He has revealed thousands of bhajanas and kīrtanas that evoke extremely special devotional sentiments within the heart. His literary works explain the philosophy of the Vedas and Vedic scriptures in a simple, practical and logical manner. His discourses are televised throughout the world. He has personally trained preachers. They travel the world and spread Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj’s philosophy.
The spiritual work undertaken by Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj is certainly His greatest contribution to the whole world but He has inspired people to engage in humanitarian activities as well. Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat is a non-profit, charitable, educational and spiritual organization. Its charitable activities including running health care centers and educational institutions serve the poor and needy in under-developed areas. Centers for devotional practice spread all over the world provide venues for people to practice bhakti yoga in their daily life.
Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj made no distinction between caste, creed, color, race or religion of all those who came to Him. With His infinite love and compassion, He gathered everybody in His divine embrace. His divine effulgence shines through in His words. Every seeker is amazed to see how approachable He was and those who met Him felt the special privilege of His individual attention and sense of belonging with Him. True to His name “Kripalu,” He was an ocean of grace.
