June 25, 2023
Sri M - Indian Guru
TRS Clips Podcast
I first stumbled upon Sri M while watching the TRS Clips Podcast - an Indian podcast about consciousness, politics, conspiracies, occult, etc. I thought Sri M was a fascinating man with an interesting story to tell and a profound insight to share. For a week or so, I was just listening to interviews of him.
Brief Biography
Sri M (born November 6, 1949, Mumtaz Ali Khan) was born into a Muslim family in Kerala and met a mystic at age 9, who touched his head. A few realizations set in and at age 19, he left home to go to the Himalayas in search of a guru. In a surprising twist of fate, in one the caves, he met the same man who touched his head 10 years ago. This man, Maheshwarnath Babaji was to become his guru. Sri M lived with Babaji in the many caves in the Himalayas for 3.5 years, traveling on foot, learning yoga, meditation and esoteric knowledge. He met many spiritual people and had many mystical encounters. After Babaji, Sri M was told to resume his life in the default world and teach what he learned.
Todate, Sri M continues to travel, give lectures, workshops and presentations. He wrote many books and founded a foundation.
Sri M giving a lecture in a satsang
Maheshwarnath Babaji
He should not be confused with Sri Guru Babaji (aka, Mahavatar Babaji) who was the immortal guru depicted in the book, Autobiograhy of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. Maheshwarnath Babaji lived his life in obscurity and was a devotee of Mahavatar Babaji. According to Sri M, his guru alwasy traveled by foot barefoot, lived in the caves of the Himalayas with only the thinnest of clothing, can read minds and fortell the future. He never wanted to be photographed because he didn't want to be worshipped. Babaji had no ashram, no foundation, no social media, and no property. His life is shrouded in mysticism.
Highlights / Revelations
- Magic - he manifested a rudraksha and ash from thin air, only to underscore that even if a guru can do that, it's "no big deal". Thus, he doesn't go around performing 'magic' to gain a following. I also understand his 'no big deal' to mean that even if a guru can do that, it doesn't mean the guru is enlightened or spiritually evolved.
- Little Fellas - when asked where the rudraksha came from, he said it wasn't manifested from thin air - it actually came from a tree in Nepal. He was just assisted by his 'agencies' or 'little fellas' in securing it. While this may sound over the top, it's not new. In Tibetan tantric history, it is said that Padma Sambhava, the India guru who brought Yoga to Tibet, subjugated the demons to help him with his crusade. This is also an ongoing theme in Tibetan Yantra yoga where you control the lower elementals to do your bidding.
- Samadhi but Cold - when he was initiated by Babaji, he went into 3 days of Samadhi. But when it was cold in frozen lake with Tummo practitioners almost naked, Sri M was advised by Babaji to bundle up or freeze. My realization here is this - I thought that when you reach Samadhi, you would have already activated a lot of your Siddhis (supernatural powers, including withstanding freezing temperatures). But apparently, not. Sri M still had to bundle up.
Even though I've done 23 minutes on an icebath below 10 degrees, I would still catch cold if I get cold in the night with no blanket. - Spiritual path - he said that a few things should happen first for the spiritual path to beckon. First, you must first have this deep seated inquiry inside you, "Is this all there is to life?" This is essentially the spark that starts the kindle. 2nd, the mind has to be quiet - this is where meditation comes in.
I've always been curious about existence. I don't know if it's simply having a curious mind or that's the triggering inquiry. - Yeti - When Sri M got sick in the caves of the Himalayas, a Yeti appeared and gave him medicine. He was cured.
Ending Thoughts
I'm not really a big fan of modern day gurus who talk about enlightenment and the like. Nearly everyone I've come across (in real life, books or social media) are mostly frauds or at best, questionable. With Sri M, there were no red flags - he doesn't even try look the part (no dreadlocks or loin cloths, no white ashen stripes on his forehead). Everything he said resonated or validated what I know and what I pursue.
I've always admired men who walked away from the default world and braved the Himalayas in search of answers. Like Tirumalai Krishnamacharya who came before him, they were both an apprentice to a Himalayan master - and their lives up in the mountains defy the day to day mundane existence of a householder, or even a monk. I wish a big production movie is made about these magnificent lives. In this day and age of finding grounding, such a movie would be timely, relevant and urgent.
--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
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Himalayan Yogi Sri M, II
Himalayan Yogi Sri M, III
Himalayan Yogi Sri M, IV
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