The Telephone Baba

About the Telephone Baba: Mohan Baba was a well-loved holy man of the Kumaon hills. He was known as Telephone Baba because although he could truly communicate with God, at times he used gestures as if he were talking to him on the telephone. Like many Indian saints, he did all sorts of lila to hide his mystical powers. He was a very innocent, childlike being, and his prophecies proved to be true. Excerpt from The Divine Reality of Sri Baba Neeb Karori Ji Maharaj by Ravi Prakash Pande “Rajida”

Baba’s devotee Dr. Naval Kishore was the gynecologist at Agra Medical College until he received a post at Ramsay Hospital in Nainital. Sometime after he arrived, Baba asked him to treat the hill women at Hanumangarh, which he did daily from 10 am until 4 pm.

One day Naval Kishore could not go to work. Baba had been away from Nainital but returned to Hanumangarh that day. He asked the reason for the doctor’s absence, but nobody could tell him.

That evening, while walking around with some devotees, Baba stopped near the Empire Hotel and asked, “Where does the doctor live?” When a devotee pointed to the hotel, Baba sent someone inside to call the doctor. He came out, and Baba said to him, “You are ill?” When the doctor said no, he then said, “You have a cold?” The doctor replied, “Just an ordinary cold.” Baba immediately called a dandi and told the doctor to get himself admitted to Ramsay Hospital. The doctor did not feel it necessary, but Baba insisted and sent him to the hospital with some devotees.

Later, on their return from the hospital, the devotees saw Baba walking toward Kelakhan. Baba told them that he was worried about the doctor and his family, and he continued down the slope to Kelakhan, where he went to Mohan Baba’s hut.

Mohan Baba, who was also known as Telephone Baba, was a devotee of Lord Vishnu, and Maharaji asked him to ring up the Lord and tell him about the doctor. Mohan Baba gave an imaginary phone call to Narada, saying that Baba wanted to talk to Vishnu. Narada replied that Lord Vishnu was not available, for he was talking to Goddess Laxmi. After some time Maharaji asked Mohan Baba to ring again. This time Mohan Baba did not hear whatever Narada said clearly and went on shouting into his mystical telephone in vain.

All of a sudden Maharaji got up and picked Mohan Baba up by the hair. He then dropped him on the ground and cried aloud, “He is saved now! He is saved now!” and left. The two devotees also left and returned to Nainital where they received good news about the doctor’s condition.