Sadhguru says true devotion isn't in rituals alone, but in the yearning that drives one to seek the divine beyond idols. The life of a mystic is marked by encounters beyond life and death, for the journey where the soul is undivided by such boundaries.
Article | Burdwan | December 06, 2008
Sadhguru: In the spiritual heartland of India, legends speak of a mystic whose life journey was marked by profound wisdom, daring wanderings, and mystical feats—Tibetan Baba, born as Nabin Chandra. From a young age, he was driven by questions that transcended the ordinary, leading him away from the comfort of his Zamindar home and into an arduous path of self-discovery. Guided by an unyielding desire to unravel the mysteries of existence, he traversed treacherous mountains, befriended enlightened sages, and underwent intense spiritual disciplines. His encounters with divine energies, yogic powers, and miraculous episodes with life and death astounded all who came near. This introduction to the journey of Tibetan Baba reveals not just a tale of a wandering ascetic but the awakening of a soul to the ultimate truth that lies beyond worldly confines. As we delve into the life of this extraordinary sage, we glimpse the wisdom and spiritual hunger that shaped a legacy—one that endures in the sacred narratives of India’s mystical heritage.
On the auspicious day of Shiva Chaturdashi, Nabin Chandra’s mother meticulously prepared offerings for Lord Shiva and set them out in a ritual display of devotion. She entrusted her son with the task of watching over these sacred offerings while she went for a bath, firmly reminding him of his responsibility. However, upon her return, a sight met her eyes that left her utterly astonished. In her absence, a mischievous rat had found its way to the offerings and was hungrily nibbling on the delicacies she had so carefully arranged. And her son, whom she had entrusted as the sentinel of this holy prasad, appeared blissfully unaware!
The path to enlightenment is rarely paved; it winds through sacrifice, solitude, and the courage to confront the unknown.
Her patience snapped, and, eyes blazing, she turned on her son, chastising him with an intensity that reflected her outrage at such a disrespectful oversight. Yet as she scolded, young Nabin Chandra listened in silence until finally, he could not hold back. In a calm but fervent tone, he responded to his mother, “What purpose does it serve to worship a deity who cannot protect even his offerings? Why should we confine the Almighty to this darkened room, decorating him with rice, bananas, flowers, and bilva leaves? He is everywhere—in water, land, and sky—and I long to see Him, Mother.”
At this revelation, his mother felt a chill run through her. She was reminded of a mysterious prophecy delivered by a wandering monk just before her son’s birth. The saint had foretold that her son was destined to renounce the material world and walk the path of asceticism. Now, with such profound words coming from her young son, her heart was gripped by a haunting apprehension: could it truly be that her son was meant to become a sanyasi? Would he abandon her for the solitary path of renunciation?
Those who dare to abandon worldly comforts in pursuit of truth often find themselves adorned in the mantle of eternal wisdom.
That young Nabin Chandra would, indeed, go on to become the great mystic known as Tibetan Baba. A sanctum in the village of Palitpur, Burdwan, was later established in his honour as the Pragya Mandir. But how much do we really know about this Tibetan Baba? Where was he initiated? Where did his spiritual practices unfold? What miraculous feats surrounded his life and legend?
The pull of the divine is often so intense that one destined for the path of realization cannot remain bound to worldly attachments. Nabin Chandra felt this calling acutely at the tender age of fifteen. Though raised in a life of privilege as the son of Rajchandra Chakrabarti, a minor landlord from a village near Sylhet, he was already captivated by the mysteries of existence. He approached his mother one day, his voice brimming with a rare curiosity: “Mother, where do people come from? Where do they go? Who resides at the core of this creation? I can never find answers to these questions without leaving the world behind.”
Miracles are but whispers of the divine, touching the lives of those whose devotion surpasses the limits of reason.
Thus, driven by an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, he set off on his spiritual quest. In his early years, Nabin Chandra studied under Pandit Din Dayal Upadhyay, a renowned herbalist and philosopher in Gaya. Living with Upadhyay for three years, he delved into the depths of Vedanta and Ayurveda. Although he considered using his herbal knowledge as a means of livelihood, a profound sense of inner awakening surged within him, propelling him to abandon this aspiration and journey instead to the spiritual city of Varanasi.
In Varanasi, he and a companion sought out a renowned tantric ascetic for guidance, only to discover the man’s sinister intentions to use them as sacrificial offerings. Recognizing the peril they were in, Nabin Chandra escaped with his friend, leaving behind the shadow of potential doom. In the months that followed, Nabin Chandra journeyed from Vrindavan, where he immersed himself in divine contemplation, to various sacred pilgrimage sites: Kurukshetra, Pushkar, Jwalamukhi, and, finally, the snow-covered shrine of Amarnath in Kashmir. Here, he encountered a powerful yogi who initiated him into several secretive yogic practices, but who, sensing Nabin’s ultimate path, advised, “I am not your true Guru. He awaits you in Tibet. First, go to Nepal, where the Prime Minister, who reveres me, will aid your journey into Tibet.”
The divine doesn’t dwell in the confines of temples, but in the vastness of mountains, rivers, and the boundless space of one’s inner being.
With the Prime Minister’s assistance, Nabin eventually reached Tibet, where he sought out the reclusive tantric master, Paramanda Thakkar, who resided in an isolated cave. Thakkar Baba was a being of great yogic power, reputed to have lived for centuries through the mastery of divine energies. Under Thakkar Baba’s tutelage, Nabin underwent intense spiritual training, mastering both yoga and tantra. His dedication was such that he earned the title Tibetan Baba, a name that would later resonate through the spiritual communities across the land.
For thirty-two years, Tibetan Baba resided in the wilds of Tibet, dedicating himself to profound meditation. In his final seven years there, he remained in near-constant samadhi, dwelling in secluded locations: icy mountain caves, riverbanks, and dense forests where serpents and tigers prowled. Only the powerful Buddhist lamas and tantric monks could approach him, and from them, he acquired even more esoteric knowledge.
After years of Himalayan austerities, Tibetan Baba descended to the plains, embodying the unmistakable aura of a spiritual giant. His wild matted hair crowned his head like a halo, and he wore the ochre robes of a renunciant. When he appeared in public, his presence often drew mockery from those who could not comprehend his ascetic lifestyle. At a roadside inn, two strangers ridiculed him and even spat on him in scorn, yet Tibetan Baba remained unperturbed. Soon after, those two men died, seemingly afflicted by an inexplicable force.
Another time, in a remote village in Uttar Pradesh, twenty-two men jeered at him, draping a garland of shoes around his neck in contempt. Without a word, Tibetan Baba slipped into a meditative state, and, within moments, those men too lay dead. Seeing the devastation his silent power had wrought, Tibetan Baba’s heart was filled with remorse.
To seek the essence of existence, one must shed the comforts of familiarity and journey into the heart of mystery.
The next morning, a miraculous event unfolded in the village graveyard. A grieving Muslim father had just buried his ten-year-old son when Tibetan Baba approached. He calmly dug up the grave, retrieved the lifeless child, and performed sacred rituals over the body. In an extraordinary moment, the boy opened his eyes, fully restored to life. After reuniting the child with his family, Tibetan Baba quietly resumed his travels.
He once described his spiritual outlook as a synthesis of Buddhist and Vedantic wisdom. “I am both a Buddhist and a Vedantist,” he said. “The Buddhic state of Bodhi, in its pure essence, is the final realization of the Vedantic Brahman.”
In honour of Tibetan Baba, devotees established the Pragya Mandir in Palitpur, Burdwan. This temple became a centre of reverence, where his teachings and memory were preserved. After a life spanning 182 years, Tibetan Baba attained nirvana on November 18, 1930, leaving behind a legacy woven with miracles, mystical insight, and the light of the Absolute.
