Ep. 282 – Of Miracles and Maharaj-ji

Jul 21, 2025

Dive into miraculous tales of Ram Dass’s guru, Maharaj-ji, from the 1978 recordings. Experience the wonder of a bird coming back to life and explore unique stories that touch on deep love and spirituality. Hear about Maharaj-ji’s extraordinary way of nourishing souls, highlighting the inner thirst for food even beyond the physical. The podcast beautifully contrasts Eastern acceptance of miracles with Western skepticism, inviting listeners into moments of transformation and connection with divine experiences.

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ANECDOTE

The Dead Bird Miracle

Ram Dass recounts becoming overwhelmed with emotion when touching Maharaj-ji's foot despite cultural and personal confusion.
He witnessed Maharaj-ji revive a dead bird, challenging his analytical mind and beliefs.

ANECDOTE

Mantra Given Then Realized

One devotee received a mantra unexpectedly from Maharaj-ji but rejected it initially.
Twenty years later they realized Maharaj-ji had given that mantra, illustrating his deep, timeless influence.

ANECDOTE

Maharaj-ji Vanishes on London Bus

An English girl saw Maharaj-ji on a London bus mysteriously vanish without anyone standing up.
Later in India, she recognized him and connected this event to a specific blanket gifted to Maharaj-ji.

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In this recording from 1978, Ram Dass reads stories about his guru, Maharaj-ji, and his many miracles. We invite you to set aside your analytical mind and simply enjoy these miracles of love.

This episode of Here and Now is from a recording of Ram Dass at the Lama Foundation in June of 1978. Here, he reads stories from the manuscript of Miracle of Love, which would be published about a year later.

Ram Dass begins by reading one of his own stories about Maharaj-ji, which involves a dead bird coming back to life. This was one of many experiences that overwhelmed Ram Dass’ analytical mind.
Next, Ram Dass reads a series of stories from some of Maharaj-ji’s oldest devotees. He dealt with each person in a unique fashion and would often touch places of the deepest love within people.
Ram Dass slips in a story about another great Indian saint, Ramana Maharshi. He then turns back to Maharaj-ji stories, focusing on miracles around food. Maharaj-ji said, “We have an inner thirst for food. We don’t know of it. Even if you don’t feel you could eat, your soul has a thirst for food.”

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“You see why it’s peculiar to live in a culture like India, where all of these events are sort of like everyday occurrences. In the villages we live in, in the mountains, every family has dozens of these stories, and they just sit by the fire of the evening telling them. To come back to the West, where these stories are thought to be ‘miracles,’ is very confusing sometimes, difficult to integrate.” – Ram Dass

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