The author remembers her first encounter with the venerable Devraha Baba at the Ardha Kumbh in Haridwar in 1980.

Devraha Baba

Devraha Baba hailed from Deoria District in UP and was called, ‘The ageless yogi.’ Nobody knows for sure how long he lived – at least 200 years, but probably much longer. The first President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, stated that his father had sat at the feet of Devraha Baba as a child in the middle of the nineteenth century, and Devraha Baba was already old at that time. An Allahabad high court barrister had stated that seven generations of his family had sat at the feet of Baba. Onelegend has it that Devraha blessed Tulsidas (1532 – 1623). Devraha Babahimself claimed that he had lived for over 700 years.

Baba was observed staying under water unaided for half an hour. He also reportedly could be in two places simultaneously and understand the language of animals, could control wild animals, heal people by a look or word, and forecast the future. Devraha Baba had supposedly predicted the time of his death five years in advance. His samadhi is located across the Yamuna from the pilgrim city of Vrindavan.