Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj

As the years passed by, Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj continued to adapt the sadhana programmes to the changing times and needs of the people coming. For the benefit of others, he provided more and more facilities. In addition, Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj also modified the rules of the programme, thereby simplifying the mode and method of devotional practice. His kindness, benevolence, deeds, and personality all are indescribable. At all times his only aim, mission, and desire was for all people, those indulged in sensual pleasures as well as those detached from the world, to sing the glories of God completely engaging their minds in His loving remembrance. Nobody can attain his ultimate goal despite resorting to arduous practices like japa, tapa, niyam yoga, etc. So our great Guru explained that the simplest way is sankirtan, which can be performed anytime, anywhere, and by anyone - children, adolescents, and the elderly; men and women, the illiterate and the most learned,...

His sublime playing of any musical instrument was so natural that it seemed as though the instrument was an extension of his own self... no one had ever seen him practice, nor had anyone ever taught him... Everyone bowed to his musicianship and authorship, attributing it to being possible only through some divine intervention. The intoxicating manner of his singing and playing was irresistible... Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj's flair for music and musical phrasing was evident right from his childhood. Sitting in the trees in Mangarh his sweet voice thrilled his little friends, who joyfully tried to mimic the tonal quality in his voice as they sang radhe govinda, swaying in unison on the branches. By his late teens, he had already started to add his own unique brand of drum playing to the sankirtana he led, chanting for hours with his eyes closed in perfect timing to the rhythm of his hypnotic mridanga playing - hare rama hare krishna, radhe govinda bhajo, govinda jaya jaya go...

Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj was so restless to immerse worldly people in the ocean of love that each and every moment was devoted to planning and practice, i.e. how to approach people, awaken them and make them practice true devotion. His Greatest gift to humanity is his unique philosophy of divine love that liberates suffering souls and intensely inundates loving souls. Just as a candle burns brightest before it goes out, similarly in his later years, Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj travelled extensively showering his utmost love and grace on all the devotees without caring for his own health or comfort. He traversed vast distances with great zeal without experiencing any tiredness. Once he mockingly said, "I never feel tired. Weariness remains far away from me." His wittiness and sense of humour were irresistible. He would be on his way to one place and then instruct his driver to take him somewhere else! All of a sudden he would arrive at the undisclosed destin...

Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj returned to his studies in July 1940, when he enrolled himself at Ram Nam Sanskrit Vidyalaya, a Sanskrit college in the town of Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh. In 1943, he studied advanced Sanskrit for the degree of Vyakaranacharya in the holy city of Kashi, situated on the banks of the Ganga River in Uttar Pradesh. Later that year he returned to Mahu Chhawani and stayed until 1945. Due to his exceptional ability, Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj completed the equivalent of many years of study in just two and a half years, receiving the following degrees: SANSKRIT SAHITYA ACHARYA (Master of Sanskrit Literature) from Calcutta University in 1943 VYAKARANCHARYA (Degree in Sanskrit Grammar) from Cunes College, Kashi in 1944 AYURVED ACHARYA (Degree in Ayurved) from Akhil Bharatiya Vidyapeeth, Delhi in 1945 Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj also spent time in the ancient city of Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh where he studied the course for the degree of Jyotishachary...