Bhagavan Das
Bhagavan Das with Amulya Maa in October 2020
Bhagavan Das with Amulya Maa in 2020
Born
Kermit Michael Riggs

Laguna Beach, California[1]
Occupation(s)Spiritual teacher, singer, writer
Spouses
  • Bhavani
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1972; d.[2] 1983)​
  • Sharada Devi[3]
  • Amulya Maa
    ​
    (m. 2020)​
Children3
Websitebhagavandas.com

Bhagavan Das (Devanagari: भगवान दास) (born Kermit Michael Riggs[4]) is an American yogi who lived for six years in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. He is a bhakti yogi, kirtan singer, spiritual teacher and writer.

History

In 1963, Kermit Riggs was a 18 years old living in Laguna Beach as photographer, musician and surfer. He planned a solo through Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East and Asia. At the time he became disillusioned with American imperialism and disliked the American lifestyle; this sentiment increased after the John F. Kennedy was assassinated and he felt embarrassed of being an American.

He traveled in December 1963 and visited Greece, after this time he spent as a wandering ascetic in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. He writes that he received numerous initiations and teachings from various saints and sages.[5] In India he lived and learned many Indian lifestyles, dialects, their music, songs and traditions and meet many swamis and saints. He became Bhagavan Das and a devotee of goddess Kali.

In 1965 he was living with a Swami and was practice Sādhanā for 6 months and he went to a Pilgrimage with him to meet the Hindu holy man Neem Karoli Baba, and from that moment he became a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba. He stayed with him a few months, then he went back to live his ascetic lifestyle and then returned to live with his guru for a few months, this became his life style.

In 1967 was living with two women in his off-ashram time and heard that two Americans were giving LSD to people in the restaurant Blue Tibetan, he sent down beside Richard Alpert and got a dose, after that he stayed with them for five days at the Sewati hotel were they had a seminar. Richard Alpert decided to follow Bhagavan Das instead of traveling to Japan with David Padwa.[6] After three months guiding Alpert he decided that Richard Alpert should meet his guru Neem Karoli Baba,[7] whom became his guru and gave him the name Ram Dass.[8][9]

In 1971 Bhagavan Das returned to America. In 1997 he wrote his autobiography, It's Here Now (Are You?).[1] In 2002, he released his seventh full album, called Now, that was produced and arranged by Mike D of the Beastie Boys, an East-meets-West musical pairing.[10] Bhagavan Das appeared in Ram Dass' 1971 book Be Here Now, which described Bhagavan Das' role in Ram Dass' spiritual journeys in India.[11]

Personal life

In 1972 in California Bhagavan Das married his girlfriend, Bhavani, who was expecting their child; subsequently their daughter, Soma, was born in New York.[12] In 1974 in Berkeley, California, while still married to Bhavani,[lower-alpha 1] he met Usha. Bhagavan Das and Usha had a son, Mikyo, and a daughter, Lalita.[13] Bhagavan Das' marriage to Bhavani ended with her death in 1983.[2] He and Usha separated c. 1984.[2]

Bhagavan Das was married to Sharada Devi for 12 years.[3]

In early 2019, Bhagavan Das and his current wife Amulya Maa began singing and teaching together. On October 1, 2020, they were married.[14]

Works

Autobiography

  • It's Here Now (Are You?): A Spiritual Memoir. Broadway Books. 1997. ISBN 0-7679-0009-X.

Radio plays

Selected discography

  • AH, 1972
  • Now (produced by Mike D of the Beastie Boys),[10] 2002
  • Holy Ghost Sessions (with Richard Sales), 2004
  • Golden Voice, 2007
  • Love Songs to the Dark Lord, 2009
  • The Howler at Dawn, 2009
  • Mother Light, 2014

Selected video appearances (self)

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Bhagavan Das (1997): "[I] wasn't divorced from Bhavani, and yet I already had 'wife' number two."

Citations

  1. 1 2 Rottenberg (2016).
  2. 1 2 3 Richardson (1998), p. 87.
  3. 1 2 Sharada Devi (n.d.).
  4. ↑ Bhagavan Das (1997), p. 265.
  5. ↑ Bhagavan Das (1997), p. 179.
  6. ↑ Be Here Now, Chapter 1: "Environmental Changes"
  7. ↑ Bhagavan Das (1997), p. 151.
  8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNMm-RWkcac
  9. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Iw3vdM8zmA
  10. 1 2 Now at AllMusic
  11. ↑ Ram Dass (1971), p. .
  12. ↑ Bhagavan Das (1997), pp. 190, 194.
  13. ↑ Bhagavan Das (1997), pp. 220, 221, 238.
  14. ↑ "Updates". bhagavandas.com.

Works cited

Further reading

  • Black, Lee Bob (June 10, 2016). "The Dharma and Cult of Bhagavan Das: An interview". Medium. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  • Brown, Jeff (2010). Soulshaping: A Journey of Self-Creation. North Atlantic Books. pp. 149 ff. ISBN 978-1556438103.
  • Brown, Jeff (2019). Grounded Spirituality. ENREALMENT Press. ISBN 978-1988648033.
  • Clores, S. (2000). Memoirs of a Spiritual Outsider. Red Wheel Weiser. ISBN 978-1573241724.
  • Heilig, Steve (December 1, 1997). "Bhagavan Das' Spiritual Journey Has Been a Wild Ride". SFGATE. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  • Ingram, M. (2020). Retreat: How the Counterculture Invented Wellness. Watkins Media. ISBN 978-1912248780.
  • Johnsen, Linda; Jacobus, Maggie (2007). Kirtan!: Chanting As a Spiritual Path. Yes International. pp. 37–51. ISBN 978-0-936663-43-2.
  • Liechty, M. (2017). Far Out: Countercultural Seekers and the Tourist Encounter in Nepal. University of Chicago Press. pp. 146 ff. ISBN 978-0226428949.
  • Narayan, K. (2008). My Family and Other Saints. University of Chicago Press. pp. 129–30. ISBN 978-0226568218.
  • Newman, David (2014). The Timebound Traveler. Non-Duality Books. Ch. 4. ISBN 978-1908664426.
  • Osborne, Adam (n.d.). "Bhagavan Das". the-wanderling.com. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  • Osborne, Adam (n.d.). "Kermit Michael Riggs: Bhagavan Das and the Laguna Beach Connection". the-wanderling.com. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  • Smith, H. (2015). "Allen Ginsberg and Bhagavan Das: January 1972". The Smith Tapes: Lost Interviews with Rock Stars & Icons 1969-1972. Princeton Architectural Press. pp. 386 ff. ISBN 978-1616893835.
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