Baba Hari Dass बाबा हरि दास | |
|---|---|
 Baba Hari Dass in California (2006) | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Hari Datt Karnatak 26 March 1923 |
| Died | 25 September 2018 (aged 95) |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Order | Vairagi-Tyagi Vaishnava |
| Founder of | Mount Madonna Center, Watsonville, CA; Pacific Cultural Center, Santa Cruz, CA; Dharmasara, Salt Spring Centre, Vancouver, Canada; Sri Ram Orphanage, Haridwar, India; Ashtanga Yoga Institute |
| Philosophy | Ashtanga Yoga, Kriya Yoga, Samkhya, Tantra, Vedanta, Ayurveda |
| School | Ashtanga (eight limbs of yoga) of Patanjali |
| Lineage | Ramanandi Sampradaya |
| Ordination | sannyasa |
| Religious career | |
| Guru | Baba Raghubar Dassji Maharaj |
Influenced
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Baba Hari Dass (Devanagari: बाबा हरि दास) (26 March 1923 – 25 September 2018) was an Indian yoga master, silent monk, temple builder, and commentator of Indian scriptural traditions of dharma and moksha. He was classically trained in the Ashtanga of Patanjali (also known as Rāja yoga),[1] as well as Kriya yoga, Ayurveda, Samkhya, Sri Vidya, Tantra, Vedanta, and Sanskrit.
Baba Hari Dass took a vow of silence in 1952, which he upheld through his life.[2] Although he did not speak, he was able to communicate in several languages through writing. His literary output included scriptural commentaries to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Bhagavad Gita, Samkhyakarika, and Vedanta Panchadasi, collections of aphorisms about the meaning and purpose of life, essays, plays, short stories, children's stories, kirtan, mantras, and in-depth instructional yoga materials that formed the basis of a yoga certification-training program.[3]
Upon his arrival in North America in early 1971,[4] Baba Hari Dass and his teachings inspired the creation of several yoga centers and retreat programs in the United States in Santa Cruz County, California,[5] and in Canada at Salt Spring Island and in Toronto.[6] He was an early proponent of Ayurveda,[7] an ancient Indian system of health and healing, and helped introduce the practice to the United States.
In an annual rendition of the Indian epic Ramayana,[8] he taught performing arts, choreography and costume making. Baba Hari Dass devoted himself to helping others, with an emphasis on selfless service (karma yoga); In 1987 he opened Sri Ram Orphanage for homeless children in Haridwar, India.[9] To the local population of Nainital and Almora, Baba Hari Dass was also known as Haridas[10] (lit "servant of Lord Hari"), Haridas Baba,[11] Chota Maharaji[4] (literally "little great king"), or Harda Baba.
- ^ Feuerstein 2008, p. 28.
- ^ Ibarra, Nicholas (25 September 2018). "Silent monk Baba Hari Dass, who inspired thousands at the Mount Madonna Center, dies at 95". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ^ "Yoga Teacher Training 200, 300-hour, and Prenatal Program". Yoga Teacher Training 200-hour Program. Mount Madonna Center, Watsonville, CA. 11 May 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
- ^ a b Leviton 1990.
- ^ "Baba Hari Dass". Mount Madonna Center. Hanuman Fellowship. 2001. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ^ Jones & Ryan 2006, p. 180.
- ^ Tierra, Michael; Purkh Singh Khalsa, Karta (2008). The way of Ayurvedic Herbs: A Contemporary Introduction and Useful Manual for the World's Oldest Healing System. Twin Lakes, WI: Lotus Press. pp. X. ISBN 978-0-940985-98-8.
- ^ Fuess 1983.
- ^ Jones & Ryan 2006, p. 179.
- ^ Mukerjee 2012, p. 221.
- ^ Mukerjee 1990, p. 61.