When asked why he was surrounded by so many badmash (naughty people), Maharajji said, “Only sick people come to a doctor.” And like an old and trusted family physician, Maharajji was available day and night for his devotees, and he made “house calls.” Thus Maharajji’s own behavior was a perfect model for that sadhana he most encouraged in his devotees: selfless loving service.

For the householders, who composed the largest percentage of his devotees, Maharajji did not generally encourage severe austerities, nor extensive meditation practice, nor complex rituals. Rather, he guided us to karma yoga, a way of coming to God through living life as an act of devoted service. In this way Maharajji mirrored the teachings of the greatest devotional literature, as in the Ramayana, the Bhagavad-Gita, and the Bible. But Maharajji made it clear that hard work alone was not the essence of the matter. Rather, it was work carried on with remembrance of God; that is, work done with love in the presence of God’s grace.

– Excerpt from Miracle of Love: Stories of Neem Karoli Baba, compiled by Ram Dass

“Forgiveness is the greatest weapon, because a saint so armed is unperturbable… he can give up anger immediately.” – Neem Karoli Baba.