Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj was an Indian religious leader, and the founder of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP), a worldwide Hindu non-profit organization with five main ashrams, four in India and one in the United States.

He was awarded the title of Jagadguru (world teacher) by Kashi Vidvat Parishat on Makar Sankranti (January 14, 1957), the fifth original Jagadguru in Indian history.

Early life and education 

Jagadguru Kripalu Ji Maharaj was born on 5 October 1922 in the village of Kripalu Dham, Mangarh, Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh. His mother was Shrimati Bhagwati Devi and his father was Shri Lalta Prasad Tripathi, a pious Brahmin.

He started his primary education in the neighborhood school and started learning Hindi and Sanskrit. In 1935, at the age of 13, he left Mangarh to attend Peeli Kothi Sanskrit School in Chitrakoot.

Jagadguru

In 1955, Kripalu Ji Maharaj organized a religious convention for prominent spiritual leaders in India. Mahamahopadhyay Giridhar Sharma, President of the Kashi Vidvat Parishat, attended the convention and was impressed by Kripalu's scriptural knowledge. In 1957, Kripalu Ji was invited to lecture for ten days on scripture philosophy at the Kashi Vidvat Parishat, the elite body of 500 leading scholars of Vedic literature who collectively represented the seat of spiritual learning.

The congregation had scholars from Varanasi and other parts of India. Shri Maharaj Ji lectured for seven days about the Hindu scriptures. On 14 January 1957 the scholars unanimously declared him to be Jagadguru, a spiritual master of the world. He was 34 years old when given the title, the fifth person ever to receive it. The Kashi Vidvat Parishat also conferred on him the titles Bhaktiyog-Ras-Avtar and Jagadguruttam, as well as the title Samanvaya-Acharya: he who analyses and reconciles the meaning of all the scriptures, the six philosophies and the teachings of other previous Jagadgurus.

Life after Jagadguru

After accepting the title of Jagadguru, Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj traveled throughout India continuously for around 14 years between 1957 and 1971. He delivered month-long discourses in various cities, lecturing to tens of thousands of people.

In 1970, he established Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP), a charitable religious organization, to disseminate his teachings throughout the world.

Shri Kripalu ji Maharaj composed thousands of bhajans and kirtans, including Prem Ras Madira, a collection of 1008 devotional songs. His book on philosophy, Prem Ras Siddhant, discusses the ultimate aim of the individual soul, the importance of attaining divine grace, and the indispensability of surrendering to a Saint. Shri Maharaj Ji's bhajan books include Braj Ras Madhuri, Yugal Madhuri, Yugal Shatak, Bhakti Shatak, Yugal Ras, Shyama Shyam Geet, Radha Govind Geet, Krishna Dwadashi and Radha Trayodashi.

During his lifetime, he personally trained more than 50 Pracharaks, male and female monastic disciples. They continue to travel in India and around the world as his ordained representatives, spreading his teachings.

TV appearances

Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj's discourses are broadcast daily on several religious TV channels, including DD India, Aastha TV, Sadhna TV, IBN 7, News24 and Sanskar TV. In the United States, his discourses are also broadcast everyday on TV Asia.

Work

Philosophical books
Prem Rasa Siddhant (ISBN 978-93-80661-35-3) – 'Prem Ras Siddhant' or 'The Philosophy of Divine Love', a popular book written by Shri Maharaj Ji contains the gist of all the teachings of our scriptures.The philosophy of Divine love was first published (in Hindi) in 1955. It was later published in several other Indian languages.
Bhakti Shatak (ISBN 978-93-80661-26-1) – The concise philosophy of the Upaniṣats, Gītā, Brahma sūtras and the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.
Radha Govind Geet (ISBN 978-81-90966-16-0) – Printed in two volumes, with 11,111 couplets of Radha Krishna leelas and the devotional philosophy.
Ras Panchadhyayi (ISBN 978-93-80661-15-5) – A series of discourses on the esoteric subject of Raas Leela.