Baba Lokenath Brahmachari or simply Baba Lokenath was a semi-legendary Hindu saint and philosopher in Bengal.

Life and Death

Baba Lokenath Brahmachari was born on Janmastami,the birthday of Lord Krishna, in 1730 A.D.(18th Bhadra,1137 bangabda) to a Brahmin family in the village of Chaurasi Chakla, a couple of miles from Kolkata. His father Ramnarayan Ghosal's one wish in life was to dedicate a child to the path of renunciation to liberate the family. So when the fourth son was born to his wife Kamaladevi, he knew that the time had come to initiate his boy to the service of God.He pleaded with Pandit Bhagawan Ganguly of the nearby village of Kochuya to be his son's guru and teach him the wisdom of the Shastras. At the age of 11, young Lokenath left home with his guru. He visited Kalighat Temple in Kolkata and then lived in the forests for 25 years, selflessly serving his master and practising the Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali

After his enlightenment he traveled extensively on foot to Afghanistan, Persia, Arabia and Israel, making three pilgrimages to Mecca. When he came to the small town Baradi near Dhaka, a wealthy family built him a small hermitage, which became his ashram. He was at the time one hundred and thirty six years old. There he accepted the sacred thread of the Brahmins and clothed himself in saffron robes. For the rest of his life he performed miracles on and gave divine wisdom to all who came to him to seek his blessings.He recieved the title Baba(bengali for Father).

On the 19th day of Jyestha, 1297 (1890), at 11:45 am, the Baba was meditating when he went into a trance with his eyes open, and while still meditation, left his physical body forever. He was aged 160. He had said before his death -

• "I am eternal, I am deathless. After this body falls, do not think that everything will come to an end. I will live in the hearts of all
  
  
  
  living beings in my subtle astral form. Whoever will seek my refuge, will always receive my Grace".

Teachings

His teachings were infused with simplicity that endeared the common man. He preached love, devotion and unwavering faith in God and in one's deeper, immutable self. After attaining enlightenment he had said: "I have seen only My self. I am bound by my own karma. The materialistic world is bound by the tongue and the sex organ. He who can restrain these two is fit to attain enlightenment."

Appearance

Baba Lokenath is said to have been nearly seven feet tall with little flesh on him. He was an ascetic, denying him self physical pleasures. He could even negate sleep, never closing his eyes or even blinking.

Impact

Today, Lokenath Brahmachari is a household deity of millions of Bengali families on both sides of the Indo-Bangladesh border. He is regarded a saint among Hindus and is often deified as a living God.

An often repeated legend tells that Baba Lokenath was an avatar of Shiva, sent as a Messiah to redeem the world of sin.