Known as Bageshwar Baba, Dhirendra Krishna Shastri is the head priest of Bageshwar Dham Balaji Temple in Madhya Pradesh. Over the years, he has become one of India’s most recognised spiritual figures, drawing huge crowds through his religious discourses and sermons. The latest episode of Sunday Brunch with Kamiya Jani peeled back that public image and showed a side of him that’s quite playful. Between laughs, stories and philosophy, the conversation flowed from hilarious fan moments to a lesson that challenged the very idea of guru worship.
Bageshwar Baba Reacts To Devotee’s Tattoo
Kamiya Jani, our Editor-in-Chief, asked him about the wildest thing a follower had ever done for him. Instead of naming one incident immediately, Bageshwar Baba smiled and admitted that it’s hard to keep track because devotees from Bageshwar Dham are constantly coming up with something unexpected. Laughing, he said, “Hamare paagal chele, kuch na kuch naya naya naatak karte rehte hain.”
One memory, though, has stayed with him. A young devotee once got Bageshwar Baba’s portrait tattooed across his back. His first reaction wasn’t pride, but disbelief. He said he felt emotional because of the boy’s affection, but almost at the same time, he burst into laughter. Pointing out the irony, he joked that now his picture would spend its entire life getting “pressed” because people sit on their backs.
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Shares A Powerful Lesson On Guru Worship
That light-hearted exchange opened the door to something even more meaningful. Bageshwar Baba made it clear that admiration should never become blind devotion. He summed up his belief in a single line: “Guru ke charan ko mat pakdo, aacharan ko pakdo.” In other words, don’t cling to a guru’s feet; follow the values the guru lives by. He went a step further, saying that surrender belongs only at God’s feet, not a spiritual teacher’s.
So yes, one moment he was cracking jokes about an unexpected tattoo, the next he was reminding everyone that spirituality loses its meaning the moment a person is placed above God. It made for a conversation that was funny, thoughtful and unexpectedly grounded all at once.
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Watch the full Sunday Brunch episode on the Curly Tales App.
Cover Image Courtesy: Internal
FAQs
What is the wildest thing a devotee did for Bageshwar Baba?
Bageshwar Baba recalled that a young devotee once tattooed his portrait across his back. While he was touched by the affection, he also laughed, joking that his picture would now spend its life being "pressed."
What did Bageshwar Baba say about guru worship?
He said, "Guru ke charan ko mat pakdo, aacharan ko pakdo," encouraging people to follow a guru's values and conduct rather than blindly worshipping the individual.
Did Bageshwar Baba encourage people to worship gurus?
No. He said surrender should be offered only at God's feet, not a spiritual teacher's, emphasising that gurus are guides rather than objects of worship.