Baba Somanath Ji (1885-1976) was born on September 7, 1885. In India, at the time of a child’s birth, an astrological chart or Jyotisha is cast that indicates the future of that newly incarnated soul and the qualities that would be inherent in them.
According to the Pundits calculations, “Baba Ji” was born in the 19th Mula Nakshatra or “lunar mansion.” The qualities associated with individuals born as this time are that they have a passionate desire to find the Truth and they have tremendous powers of concentration enabling them to endure severe tests and trials in their Quest.
It is believed that those born in the Mula nakshatra have the potential to become great yogi’s or king’s but that the parents of such a one can die within a year of their birth. This is the same Nakshatra under which Baba Somanath Ji’s illustrious Successor, Sant Ajaib Singh Ji was born on September 11, 1926…
–Christopher McMahon
Memoirs of a Western Disciple
When I reflect on all the incidents that happened during my years with Baba Ji, it really boils down to developing a compassionate attitude toward all and everything. There is a deeper inner spiritual dimension to the Teachings of the Saints but until one becomes a good human being, that subtle dimension of life remains a mystery, at least for people like me.
Sant Kirpal Singh Ji often used to say, “God realization is easy but to become a true human being is very difficult.” I have certainly found it so. It seems so simple in writing but for me it has been am almost 50 year learning curve just to get the tiniest glimpse of what it is like to live a life of gratitude, appreciation and respect for all that is rather than what I want it to be.
At the core of it is that hidden beneath the veneer of outer appearance is the mystery of Love. That Love is permeating every cell of the Creation and to aspire to live in accordance with the law of Love appears to me to be the only thing worth living for.
It is my hope that the reader might feel that they are with me, sharing the experiences that arose while living with Baba Ji.
–Christopher McMahon
The History of Mahadevappa
Mahadevappa met Baba Somanath Ji in the early 1920’s. Baba Ji was moved both by the sincerity of Mahadevappa’s longing to meet God and his wish to devote himself wholeheartedly to the practice that would take him to this goal.
Baba Ji did not initiate many people into Nathpanth as the practices were intricate and dangerous, but in Mahadevappa’s case, he felt a kindred spirit and so imparted to him the secrets of the mystic power he was practicing, giving him the mantra of “Om Namaḥ Shivāya.”
Later, when Baba Somanath went to the feet of Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji, he took Mahadevappa and other seekers to Hazur for intiation into Surat Shabd Yoga. In this brief history, you can read a more complete account of the spiritual journey of Mahadevappa and his deep connection with Baba Somanath Ji and Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji…