Babaji

Babaji is an honorific term used in Hindu and yogic traditions to address a revered teacher or sage. Derived from a combination of words meaning “father” and a respectful suffix, the title is applied to various spiritual figures across different lineages rather than to a single historic person.

In modern popular spirituality, the best-known reference is the Baba described by Paramhansa Yogananda in Autobiography of a Yogi. In that work, Babaji is depicted as an immortal Himalayan master who revived Kriya Yoga in recent times and initiated Lahiri Mahasaya, who then passed the teaching to a lineage including Sri Yukteswar and Yogananda. Followers regard Babaji as a living, timeless guide, while others view the figure as mythic or symbolic. There is no universally accepted historical verification of Babaji’s existence beyond hagiographic accounts.

Outside of Yogananda’s narrative, the name Babaji appears in various Indian spiritual traditions as an honorific for other saints or teachers. Because it is a title rather than a precise personal name, different communities may refer to different figures as Babaji within their own histories and practices.

Scholars typically describe Babaji as a figure within religious narrative and devotional literature, representing ideals such as spiritual continuity, the transmission of Yoga, and the archetype of an enduring, transcendent teacher. The figure’s prominence varies by tradition and is often tied to the beliefs of individual communities and followers.