Pilot Baba: A Little Biography

PILOT BABA: A Little Biography

Compiled by the Sanskriti Kendra Staff~

                                     

[In volume II of the Antarbrahmandiya Sanskriti Kendra Newsletter, we described a meeting between Sri Swami Shyamananda Paramahansa Maharaj and Pilot Baba, the famous flying Yogi who is so popular in India and famous for his camp at the yearly Kumbha Mela & being buried alive without an air supply for days at a time along with other members of his ancient Satsanga & his wife. He is also a member of one of Babaji Nagaraj's Yogi Satsangas.]

During childhood Kapil Advait (Pilot Baba) had many visions of a kind and guiding Yogi whom he nicknamed “Baba” which means “father” in Sanskrit and is a very common and affectionate name for male Yogis, just like “Mataji” is for female Yogis. Baba would appear to him in visions and show up in person also. Baba hung around Kapil’s house quite a bit and used to play with him whenever he drew close. A Banyan tree was Baba’s favorite place to sit. He used to amuse Kapil and his little friends by drinking whole buckets of water and then spitting it all out in a huge shower. Hiding one day, unwilling to go to school, little Kapil was found by his beloved Baba and agreed to return to his studies.

Born in eastern India, in Bihar, where Buddha was born, Kapil became a Wing Commander in the Indian Air Force and fought in the ‘65 and ‘71 wars involving Pakistan. During the fighting in ‘65, he was noted in the Guiness Book of World Records.

KUMBHA MELA

Pilot Baba, as Kapil Advait is now known, usually has a large tent at the Kumbha Mela and he and some of his Yogi friends and disciples are famous for going into sthal samadhi and jal samadhi underground encased in boxes or above ground encased in airless glass cases. These samadhi techniques entail holding one's breath for several days at a time. They usually plan one of these demonstrations to take place at the Mela in order to promote World Peace through Inner Science by demonstrating the power that only one single human being has.

The Maha Kumbha Mela of 2001 ("Khumbha is Sanskrit for "Nectar" or "Overcoming the Powr of Poisoning Energy"; and "Mela" is a word representing "Fair" or "Festival") was a once in every 144 years' occurrence. Its main center was in Allahabad, India. Each yearly Kumbha is calculated by Jyotish or Hindu Astrology and all of them fit into a particular cycle of Kumbhas. Swami Shyamananda leads devotee groups to every yearly Kumbha.

Every Kumbha is an astrological alignment that is used for healing and positive directional influences. The Maha Kumbha of 2001 occured when the Moon and Venus were in the house of Jupiter. The Sun was above in a particular position from the 9th of January to the 29th of January. This astrological position only occurs once in 144 years.

This forms a nucleus center of gravity energized in and around the banks of the Ganga and Yamuna Rivers merging at Allahabad and flowing into the Saraswati River.

The radiation from this combination of stars and planets spreads out nine kilometres from the banks of these rivers. A bath taken on these days in the Ganga or Yamuna will clense the environment, human mind and bring forth peace, harmony and universal sisterhood and brotherhood among all peoples by the powers of its positive energy. It is a good idea to visit such celebrations with a Yogi of the stature of Sri Swami Shyamananda who is well versed in the mantras and ceremonies and specific items suitable for each devotee to gain maximum understanding and knowledge of the event. Also, he is knowledgeable of many of the Yogis in the areas one would visit.

SCHOOLS & REVELATIONS

Pilot Baba is also known (see our previous issues of The Antarbrahmandiya Sanskriti Kendra Newsletter), following his career as a pilot in the Indian Air Force, for flying through the air unaided, solely using Yogic powers.

He began his formal education in a school in Badayun, He is from a relatively economically advantaged family, but was a generous boy who liked to give clothing to poorer children and also preferred vegetarian food.

Kapil went to Darjeeling to pursue a higher education. As a child, he had a flair for writing sotries and plays which delighted others. He wrote three plays: Prithviraj chowhan, Satya Harish and 'Ma' which were popular among his schoolmates.

While studying in Darjeeling, Baba would still visit him and taught him to develop a close relationship with nature and the two would walk together in the incredible beauty of the surrounding area. Baba always protected the young Kapil and would request two rupees from him before he would leave to go on his way. Asking for these two rupees became a signal that the person young Kapil was conversing with was his Baba...who was to show up at some rather unusual times.

The youthful Kapil met a young Nepalese girl, Laxmi, the daughter of a Major General in the Nepali Army, who had come to INdia to study. Her family was very wealthy and Kapil eventually also met members of the Bhutan and Nepal Royal Families who attended his school. Laxmi and Kapil became close friends and would take many vacations and trips together.

Once a group of friends and the two of them went to a valley in the Himalayas for a day or so. Baba called out to Kapil. Leaving his friends, Kapil followed Baba until they arrived at a cave in Kanchan Ganga which was lit with the light of a lamp. There were snakes with gemmed hoods on the floor of the cave, a huge amount of wealth lying in piles on the floor of the cave, and some Mitbuttian monks sitting quietly in a deep corner.

A large number of Langpong tribal members lived in the cave as well. There were many pitchers carved from stone, filled with gems or food. They were kept neatly. The women were highly ornamented. Baba and Kapil left the unusual cave by a different way which opened into another area.

Kapil returned to his friends and Baba asked him again for two rupees and went on his way.

After copleting his education at Don Bosco in Darjeeling and Shillong, Kapil went abroad to seek more education. Laxmi also joined him there. Among the places they went to were Paris, Germany and some of the Arab countries.


In Baden, Germany, the two friends were surprised to see Baba expensively dressed in a current Western European style and gambling in a casino. The intriguing Yogi won all his stakes without difficulty and gave thousands of tokens of winnings to Laxmi. Taking two rupees from Kapil, the amazing Baba went on his way.

While studying in Patna, Nehru visited Kapil's college and Kapil was able to speak with him since he was a student leader at the time.

It was after these experiences with education that Kapil entered the Air Force and it was there that he discovered his innate abilities to renounce and the direction of his life was changed forever within the realm of Yoga and Spirituality.


[See our forthcoming Issues for Pilot Baba's association with Yogananda's Babaji Nagaraj in PART TWO of "Pilot Baba: A Little Biography". This series is partially compiled from "Himalaya Unveils Mystery" by Pilot Baba and is available for reading in its entirety online along with audio tapes in English and Indian languages - and other books - at the Pilot Baba official website located at the Pilot Baba link above on this page.]