KK Sah is a mentor, friend and teacher to many of the Westerners who have come to India in search of the extraordinary being known as Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaj-ji). His experience and knowledge of Bhakti Yoga (yoga of devotion) and his vocal renditions of Bhajans (devotional poems) from the mystic saints have been an important spiritual transmission for many of these same Westerners who have come under his guidance. In particular he was the first Hindi translator for Ram Dass (Dr. Richard Alpert) when he first met the Guru in 1967 as he was searching for what he called “a map of consciousness”. It was KK who was instructed by Maharaj-ji to take Ram Dass back to his family home and show him the love and affection of an Indian family. KK is part of a highly unusual family that was host to some of the most esteemed Saints of the 20th century in Northern India in an area called Deva Bhumi or Land Of the Gods. His father, as a police inspector for the British Raj travelled the remote trails in the Himalayan mountains and met the likes of Hariakhan Baba, Sombari Baba and Brahmachari Baba who are considered to be a few of the most accomplished Yogis of the last century. KK himself had the grace to grow up in this environment, literally in the lap of Neem Karoli Baba. In Deva Bhumi, the title of KK’s book, we get an opportunity to hear of the vibrancy and spiritual tapestry of this very special region of India where the divine presence presided through these beloved Gurus in KK’s story. We also hear, for the first time, the stories of one particular Saint of this region of the Himalayas, Sombari Baba, who exemplified the enigmatic and holy presence of a completely free being or as it is known in India, a Siddha- a fully accomplished and realized being. In Deva Bhumi KK passes forward the love and wisdom of these very special beings who represent the promise of what we can be as humans. It is the story of a place on our planet that has been the centre of a tradition of love, compassion and service through the living examples of these great beings.
