Shillong (ancestral roots in Ratangarh, Rajasthan)·1892 – 1971
हनुमान प्रसाद पोद्दार
Hanuman Prasad Poddar
Bhaiji — The Beloved Brother
The man who refused India’s highest honor because devotion was honor enough.
“Most people are out there praying and striving for liberation — but what we should be striving for is not liberation, but DEVOTION.”
Life
Born on 17 September 1892 in Shillong, Hanuman Prasad Poddar lost his mother at two and was raised by his grandmother Ramkaur Devi in Vaishnava devotion. His ancestral roots lay in Ratangarh, Rajasthan.
As a young man in Kolkata, he was drawn into revolutionary nationalist circles, participating in the Rodda Arms Heist of 1914. He endured arrest, imprisonment, and 21 months of house arrest. After this period, a profound spiritual transformation occurred.
He became the founding editor of Kalyan magazine in 1926 and held that position for 45 years. From 1934, he lived at Gita Vatika in Gorakhpur in the manner of ancient sages. Those closest to him testified he had attained jagrat samadhi. When asked about his spiritual state, he would dismiss it: “Matho Kharab Ho gayo” — “My head is ruined.”
He refused the Bharat Ratna. The Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in his memory in 1992. Gita Press received the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2021.
One Heart
“The purpose of all scripture is to bring the heart to that point where it can say: I am Yours.”
Teachings
Devotion Over Liberation
Do not seek liberation as the goal. Seek devotion. Bhakti is not a means to an end — it is itself the supreme attainment.
Rasadwait — The Non-Duality of Love
The non-dual reality is not an impersonal void but love itself. Radha and Krishna are one reality expressing itself as divine love.
The Power of the Divine Name
The Name is not a symbol pointing to God; it is God. Naam is the supreme practice for Kali Yuga.
Works & Publications
Kalyan Magazine (Editor, 1926–1971)
India’s most widely read religious periodical. Over 167 million copies. No advertisements, ever.
Ramcharitmanas Commentary (Tika)
The annotated Gita Press edition — the standard household copy across India.
53+ Books and 2,000+ Poems
Including Prem Darshan, Shri Radha Madhava Chintan, Poorna Samarpan, and Pad Ratnakar.
An Inspiration
Bhaiji is the figure Ananta has “fallen in love with” — quoting him extensively in satsang, reading from his books directly, and treating him as a supreme reference for understanding bhakti.