Kriya Yoga and the Himalayan Mahavatar Babaji tradition

Record summary

The Kriya Yoga tradition associated with Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswar, and Yogananda describes Babaji as an exceptionally long-lived or deathless Himalayan master who mediates a sacred transmission. The tradition matters because the figure occupies a borderland between guru, saint, hidden adept, and quasi-angelic intermediary. Period evidence is uneven: many stories circulated orally before appearing in twentieth-century books, and identities may have been conflated. Researchers should anchor claims to specific editions, witnesses, and publication dates rather than treating “Babaji” as one securely documented person.