Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Real name	Ramkripalu Tripathi [1]Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat's Official Website
Profession	Spiritual Guru
Famous for	• Being considered as the India's fifth Jagadguru [2]Jadaguruttam Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj's Official Website • Being the founder of ‘Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat’
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 178 cm in meters- 1.78 m in feet & inches- 5’ 10”
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Salt & Pepper
Personal Life
Date of Birth	5 October 1922 (Thursday)
Birthplace	Village Mangarh, Uttar Pradesh
Date of Death	15 November 2013 (at 7:05 am)
Place of Death	Fortis Hospital, Delhi
Age (at the time of death)	91 Years
Death Cause	Brain Injury [3]The Indian Express
Zodiac sign	Libra
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Village Mangarh, Uttar Pradesh
School(s)	• Primary schooling at a school in Mangarh, Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh • A school in Mhow, Indore (1934)
College/University	• Shri Ram Sanskrit College, Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh • Calcutta University • Quines College, Varanasi • Ayurvedic Vidyalaya Sangh at Brahmacharya Ashram, Indore College • All India Vidyapeeth Delhi
Educational Qualification(s)	• Sanskrit Literature & History as Vyakaranachrya (Master of Sanskrit Grammar; 1940) at Shri Ram Sanskrit College, Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh • A degree in Kavyatirtha (1942) • Sanskrit Sahityacharya from Calcutta University (Indore Examination Center; 1943) • Grammaracharya- Sanskrit grammar degree from Quines College, Varanasi • Ayurvedacharya from Ayurvedic Vidyalaya Sangh at Brahmacharya Ashram, Indore College (Indore Examination Centre; 1945) • A course in astrology (did not appear for its examination) [4]Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat's Official Website [5]The Tribune India
Religion	Hinduism [6]The Tribune India
Caste	Brahmin [7]The Tribune India
Controversies	• FIR Filed in Rape Charges There are a few rape cases filed against Kripalu Maharaj. In 1991, an aged man filed a missing complaint of his two daughters who were devotees of Kripalu Maharaj. Later, his daughters escaped from Maharaj’s ashram. In a court, when the girls were asked about the Maharaj, they said that against their will, Maharaj used to have physical relations with them. In another case, the parents of a 12-year-old girl filed a complaint against Maharaj for having an unnatural physical relationship with the girl. Later, when the girl was tested medically, Maharaj came out clean. In another case, in May 2007, his former devotee Guyanese woman in south Trinidad accused him of having a physical relationship with her in the name of God. In 2012, an author named Keren Johnson authored a book titled ‘Sex, Lies and Two Hindu Gurus: How I Was Caught by a Dangerous Cult’ in which she wrote about the ill practices of Maharaj. A few lines from her book are, "My experience of 15 years with her former guru was very bad. I was a member of the Jagadguru Kripalu Parishad (JKP) sect. I lived for 15 years at the JKP Ashram in Austin, USA. Earlier this ashram was called Barsana Dham. When I felt that I was part of a dangerous sect, I felt it was necessary to expose it. In the beginning, I was an innocent young woman in search of spirituality. But now I want justice. I want to fight for the girls and children who became victims of these gurus. He is considered by the devotees to be an incarnation of Krishna, his sexual touch is considered as a gift of divine love or love donation.” For all the charges against Maharaj from the time period of 1985 to 1991, an FIR was filed against him. [8]Hindustan Times Later, he was cleared of all charges due to the lack of proofs. An Indian girl then published an online secret letter in which shared all her bad experiences of her at Maharaj’s ashram. She wrote, "My name is ——. Now I am living with my husband in Cuttack in Orissa. My request is please keep my name secret as it may destroy my happily married life. My husband does not know about past expirences with Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat. I will put in front of you in detail about the dark sides of this huge organisation. In the name of Lord Srikrishn they initially attracting people with their nice musical chantings and authentic Vedic philosophy of Sanatan Vaidic Hindu Dharm. Anyone can be attracted after listening the philosophy of Jagadguru Kripaluji Maharaj. Once you entered their boundry their disciples just like dalals of dalal street pull you and make your mind wash to make you prepared for sexual relations with Kripaluji Maharaj. On the seventh day when I was returning I told KM that I want to stay in ashram. He replied you need written permission from parents and at least 1 lakh rupees in your name. After that you may stay here.” Than he hugged me tightly. This time I feel a little ackward but I didn’t feel as his asst. told me before that he is the god himself. I returned home with his sweet memories. I did not know that it is a hundred percent DHOKHA …… cheating …… making fool of innocents ….. playing with their BHAVANAS, their simplicities.” She continued, "One thing I marked that at 11:00 A.M. (after Maharajji having a nap for 2 hours) when we prepare light break fast everyday that is taken by different different ladies who are living in the ashram before me. After completing one month like this KM’s asst. told me that I am going to feed Maharajji the next day at 11:00 A.M. I was a very happy that who I am respecting as a God is being fed by an ordinary JEEV like me. I could not sleep the whole night in joy. I was a little nervous too. So I asked one of the elders how to feed Maharajji.. she laughed at me…..and told me once you enter his room Maharajji’s asst. will help you. The next day when I went to M’s room with food I saw M’s asst. and other 3 girls are there before. Maharajji after finishing food moved his hand to others to go out and told me to stay there with him without any words. Everybody went out and M’s asst. locked the door from inside. Then she went outside from the other side of the room and locked that from outside. I was so scared ….my heart satrted beating very fast..then M’ said – “You are doing sadhana and loving me so much. TUM MERI PYARI AND MEIN TUMHRA PYARE. Aa gale lagja. (Translation: “You are my love and I’m your love. Come close to me and hug me.”) At that time my head was eating circles, my intellect, mind completely empty.. not in mood to think anything.. Stand before him with head down looking on my toes. M’ stand from his bed and hugged me tight. At that time he was telling that MEIN TUMKO BOHUT PYAR KARTA HUN TUM MUJHE PYAR KARO. (Translation: I love you so much, now you love me too.) Than he kissed my head, slowly comming down to my laps….. I don’t know helplessly I didn’t even utter a word at atht time. He held me very tight and kissed me for about 5 minuts in different parts of my body. HE was telling me TO TELL PYARE TUM MUJHE AISE PYAR KARTE ROHO. (Translation: Tell me my love that you keep loving me like this; in other words, he wanted her to tell him to keep doing whatever he was doing to her).” In the end, she wrote that in the name of Bhakti Ras, he raped her many times. • People Killed During an Event at His Ashram In March 2012, he announced free distribution of food and utensils at his ashram in Mangarh, Uttar Pradesh, on his wife’s shradh. A large no. of people gathered at the ashram, but later, someone spreaded the rumour that a bomb was implanted in the ashram. This created a situation of a stampede in which many people were killed. The family members of the victims accused the ashram officials and local police of not managing the crowd properly. [9]YouTube- Aaj Tak
Relationships & More
Marital Status (at the time of death)	Married
Marriage Date	Year, 1933
Family
Wife/Spouse	Padma Devi (daughter of a scholar residing in Leelapur, Uttar Pradesh)
Children	Son(s)- 2 (both are spiritual leaders) • Ghanshyam Tripathi (elder) • Balkrishna Tripathi (younger) Daughter(s)- 3 (Spiritual leaders and president of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat) • Vishakha Tripathi • Krishna Tripathi • Shyama Tripathi
Parents	Father- Lalta Prasad Tripathi Mother- Bhagwati Devi
Siblings	Brother- Ramnaresh Tripathi

Some Lesser Known Facts About Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj

• Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj was an Indian spiritual leader who belonged to the lineage of Bhakti yoga of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s tradition.

• Reportedly, he was born on the day of Sharad Purnima.

• While he was in school, he used to sing bhajans and do kirtans of Radha Krishan along with his friends. He was inclined towards spirituality since his childhood. In an interview, one of his devotees shared an incident from Kripalu Maharaj’s childhood. His devotee said,
  

  Once when Maharajji was writing an exam, there was a question that asked the students to convert a line of Hindi into Sanskrit. Maharajji wrote three translations in half the time it took others to do so. The first one was in simple Sanskrit. The second was in Saahitya (classical) Sanskrit – this was quite difficult to comprehend. And the last one was in poetry form. Then he left a note in the end for the marker saying, Please mark this according to your level of comprehension meaning that the answer is even beyond the marker’s comprehension!!! Well there is no need to say that Maharajji got 100% for that exam.”

• When he was 16 years old, he left his home and moved to the forests near Sharbhang Ashram in Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh and Banshi Vat, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh.
  

  Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj’s old photo while he used to stay in the jungles

• He then realised that people were not aware of the real meaning of the spiritual books and religious scriptures. So, at the age of 17, he organised a spiritual event which lasted for 6 months and did chanting of ‘Maha Mantra’ at the event. As per one of his devotees, Kripalu Maharaj used to chant,
  

  O purifier of Sinners! O Causelessly Merciful Lord! Friend of the Destitute! How will you make these attributes of yours meaningful if you remain unconscious in a state of divine ecstasy? How will you deliver sinful souls, divert their worldly mind towards God and give the nectar of divine love to people accustomed to drinking the poison of material objects?”

  

  Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj in divine ecstasy

• By the time Maharaj was in Paramhamsa state (a state where a person is in divine ecstasy and simultaneously, he is actively wakeful). He then realised that people around him were in pain, and he needed to solve their worldly problems by showing them the path to a godly world. In one of his preachings, Maharaj said,
  

  Where do you people live? What do you do? He had now concealed himself and his intense devotional state. Had he remained in a state of ecstasy, he would never have been able to converse with anyone.”

  

  Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj’s old picture with his devotees

• After meeting a few people, he realised that the people were not aware of the real meaning of the religious scriptures and were misguided by a few spiritual leaders.

• In 1955, to talk over the religious scriptures, he organised two grand conferences in Chitrakoot and Kashi. The conference was attended by many Indian spiritual leaders. The spiritual leaders present there were surprised with Kripalu Maharaj’s knowledge, and on 14 January 1957, the ‘Kashi Vidvat Parishad’ (a group of 500 Vedic scholars) decorated him with the Jagadguru (spiritual Master of the whole world) title. He was then accoladed with the title ‘Jagadguruttam’ (which means the best of all Jagadgurus). ^[10]Aaj Tak
  

  A picture from the day when Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj was given Jagadguru title

• Kripalu Maharaj received many honours for his immense knowledge of Hindu scriptures. He received accolades like:

1. Shrimatpadavakya- Pramanaparavarina: For not only reciting the preachings of the religious scripture but explaining the true meaning of them
2. Vedmargpratisthapanacharya: For helping people to find the path to the realisation of God
3. Sanatanavaidikadharma-Pratishthapanasatsampradaya-Paramacharya: For not forming an ethnic group and focusing on the selfless devotion of Radha-Krishna
4. Nikhiladarshana-Samanvayacharya: For helping the people to understand the existing spiritual philosophies in the easiest form by combining them with his own philosophies.
5. Bhaktiyogarasavatar: For helping the people in establishing a divine connection with Radha-Krishna in the Kalyug era

• He then started organising satsangs and kirtan across India. He even penned down the kirtans and made the satsangs relatable by adding daily life examples to them. He chanted “Hare Ram” and “Hari Bol” while singing bhajans. Some of his popular bhajans are ‘Prem Ras Madira,’ ‘Braj Ras Madhuri,’ ‘Yugal Rasa,’ and ‘Shri Krishna Dwadashi.’
  

  Prem Ras Madira

• In 1955, he penned a book titled ‘Prema Rasa Siddhanta- Philosophy of Divine Love.’Some of his popular compositions are 1008 couplets of Radha-Krishna leelas, religious songs, and spiritual philosophies.
  

  Prema Rasa Siddhanta- Philosophy of Divine Love

• His spiritual philosophies are explained in 2-line couplets in ‘Radha Govind Geet,’ a divine composition of 11,111 couplets.

• He authored many spiritual books like ‘Bhakti Shatak,’ Radha Govind Geet,’ and ‘Ras Panchadhyayi.’ All his books and bhajans are focused on spreading the message that Radha-Krishna is the supreme form of God.

• Kripalu Maharaj’s satsangs and kirtans were also telecasted on Hindi TV channels like DD India, Aastha TV, Sadhna TV, and Sanskar TV.

• Later, his satsangs were aired in the US on TV Asia channel. His preachings, bhajans, and satsangs are uploaded on his official YouTube channel ‘Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj– Official.’

• The rendition of his bhajans has been sung by many popular Indian singers such as Manna Dey, Anuradha Paudwal, Anup Jalota, Suresh Wadkar, and Kavita Krishnamurthy.

• In 1972, he started a non-profit spiritual organisation named ‘Sadhana Bhawan Trust’ later renamed ‘Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat’ (JKP). The organisation has three ashrams in India i.e., Rangeeli Mahal in Barsana, Bhakti Dham in Mangarh, Shyama Shyam Dham in Vrindavan, and Jagadguru Dham in Vrindavan. One of his ashrams ‘Radha Madhav Dham’ is located in Austin, USA.

• The teaching centres of JKP are located in various countries such as Australia, Canada, Trinidad, West Indies, and the United Kingdom.

• In 1990, Kripalu Maharaj started ‘Radha Madhav Dham’ in the US, which is a non-profit spiritual organisation. On its premises, a ‘Shree Raseshwari Radha Rani Temple’ is built which is said to be the first and largest Hindu temple in Austin, Texas.

• Every three times a year, a spiritual magazine Sadhan Sadhya is published by his organisation. JKP also publishes a monthly spiritual newsletter.

• Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP) is also available on various online apps like ‘Sanatan Vedic Dharm App,’ ‘Kripalu Nidhi App,’ and ‘Jagadguru Kripalu Bhaktiyoga Tattvadarshan App.’

• Kripalu Maharaj’s organisation has laid down the foundation of three charitable hospitals named ‘Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya’ in Mangarh, Vrindavan, and Barsana.
  

  Hospitals built by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj

• His organisation has started Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Education (JKP Education) to provide free education to needy girls up to post-graduation. Some of the educational institutions started by JKPE are Kripalu Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Kripalu Balika Primary School, and Kripalu Balika Intermediate College. In 2013, the Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award, Mother Teresa Excellence Award, and the Nari Shakti Award was given to the president of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Education, Vishakha Tripathi for the social work done by Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Education.

• JKP has also provided financial aid to various natural disaster victims like Rs 10 lacs for Bhuj earthquake victims in 2001, Rs 25 Lacs for Tsunami victims in 2004, and Rs 2 Crore for Bihar flood victims in 2008.

• JKP has built three famous Radha-Krishna temples in India i.e.

1. Bhakti Mandir Mangarh: A Hindu temple built in November 2005 at Kunda, Uttar Pradesh. There are a few idols of Maharaj and his family members in the temple
2. Prem Mandir: A temple of Radha-Krishna and Seeta-Ram was built in February 2012, at a cost of Rs 150 crore
3. Kirti Mandir Barsana: Built in 2019, the temple is considered the only temple where Shri Radharani is in the lap of Kirti maa
   

   Temples built by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj

• In November 2013, Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj slipped on the lawn of his ashram after which he had a severe brain injury. When his devotees found him lying unconscious on the ground, they immediately took him to the Fortis Hospital in Delhi. After being on life support for a few days, he left the world on 15 November 2013. As per the official website of Kripalu Maharaj,
  

  By air ambulance he was taken to Fortis Hospital in Delhi. There, too, all specialists gave up thinking his condition would improve. Three doctor devotees of Shri Maharaj Ji were also present there. All the doctors unanimously agreed that Shri Maharaj ji was breathing only because of the ventilator; otherwise there was no hope of his regaining consciousness. Shri Maharaj Ji’s family members and devotees suggested keeping Maharaj Ji on the ventilator a few more days. After that, the fleeting hope (his breath) also stopped, thus quashing the last of the hopes of all devotees. For four days Shri Maharaj Ji was in a state of deep coma and doctors had declared that medically speaking there wasn’t any chance that he would ever wake up or speak again.”

• On 18 November 2013, his family members and his devotees gathered in a large no. on the premises of his ashram in Mangarh. Later, his sons performed his last rites.
  

  A picture from the last rites of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj

• His three daughters were then appointed as the president of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat.
  

  Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Presidents