The life of Shanti Devi 1926-1986

Even though Shanti didn’t start to put things into words until shortly after her fourth birthday, she became articulate and well- spoken at a very quick pace. Around this time, she told her older sister that she had a husband, a house, was pregnant, and was a happy and respected Brahmin wife from Muttra.

Her sister was taken by surprise at both her story and her ability to tell it. She laughed and told her she had a playful imagination, but Shanti was a feisty girl and refused to let go of the tale. Her sister told her mother, Prem Pyari, about Shanti’s outlandish claims and that she said they weren’t really sisters, which hurt her deeply. Her Mother made her promise to be a good sister and not to laugh at Shanti again.

When Prem admitted her skepticism to Shanti about the story, Shanti felt ridiculed and offended. She told her mother that she wanted her picture of Krishna back and pleaded with her to take her to Muttra. She told Prem that she was not her real mother, she didn’t look anything like her. Prem Pyari became unsettled, sensed that something was wrong, and that the situation was slowly becoming more serious. On the outside Shanti was no different than the other kids, but on the inside, she felt an emptiness and longing to find her lost family which robbed her of the joy and splendor that most kids her age are capable of feeling.

At dinner one night she refused to eat because, as Shanti explained, from where she came from in Muttra, they did not eat meat only sattvic food. Prem Pyari’s pent up frustration couldn’t be contained any longer. She told her to cook her own food. She scolded Shanti and sent her to her room, but in an attempt to keep the situation calm, her father intervened.

Shanti’s father, Rang Bahadur Mathur, spoke with his wife after dinner that night about how their precious girl was so out of the ordinary, maybe even delusional, and how unusual the situation had become. Prem revealed that when Shanti became excited, her voice changed, and she took on a completely different personality, as if she was from another time and place. They hoped that there might be a sensible reason that she was behaving this way, but it seemed as though an alter ego was overpowering her. It was at this point the idea that she was talking about a past life first came to the surface. They feared they had enormously negative karma and their daughter might have a serious psychiatric disorder.

Both agreed that it would be good for her to have a picture of Krishna to pray to, but they were unsure about what else to do. It was a real dilemma, because they were concerned that if they made the slightest mistake, they would be punished karmically. But they also knew they must take action to help their daughter. They were very frightened, but united in their belief that it was extremely dangerous for Shanti to have memories of her past life because, according to the ancient Vedic scriptures, the result would be that she would be forever propelled into a life of joylessness, almost like a curse.

Tara Chand Mathur was a highly regarded, powerful lawyer, and a personal friend of Shanti’s father. He was part of the wealthy, cultured class in New Delhi, a highly competent, well-connected, attorney who worked on high profile cases in the highest courts of the Indian legal system and possessed all the trappings of power. He had twin boys who were Shanti Devi’s age.
One day when the children were playing, Shanti sketched a drawing of a temple. When the boys saw it, they said that it was not their temple. Shanti explained to them that it was her temple that she visits daily, the Dvarkadeesh Mandir, in her hometown of Muttra. Of course, this created a whole new opportunity for her to be teased and poked fun of by the boys. It was totally understandable, most of what she said seemed like fantasy. She was only six years old but every time she spoke about anything having to do with Muttra it opened up a huge can of worms and invited in criticism and shaming which gave her self-doubt and a negative outlook on sharing her inner life with anyone. She made up her mind that she was going to leave right then and there and find her way to Muttra.

 The boys followed her for a while, but she kept walking while asking directions along the way. After a short while she wasn’t sure she was on the right course, so she stopped and asked a shopkeeper how to get to Muttra.

Once again, this invited in the back-and-forth questioning about why she wanted to go to Muttra, and all of the irritation that came along with it. When she explained why she was going there, others stepped in and interrogated her further and their reactions started the whole agonizing process over again.

It was at this time that her family friend and neighbor, Tara Chand Mathur, was walking by and called out to her. He really knew Shanti Devi, and when she started to open up about why she was going to Muttra and how she had a husband, a house, and a family there, he listened intently. He was an experienced man who dealt with many facets of life and part of him understood that there might be some level of truth to what she was saying. He could not make sense of it then, so he held her hand and asked her to tell him about her husband and where he lived as he convinced her to walk home with him.

He told Shanti that he might be able to help her but deep inside he didn’t feel right about it.  It was then that he realized that she was speaking of a past life. Even the rich and powerful don’t know how to deal with such a sensitive subject as reincarnation and remembering a prior life.

 A few months later there was an incident at Shanti’s school where a handful of kids surrounded, teased and bullied her when she let it slip that she was married. However, this time Shanti kept her composure under extremely difficult circumstances. This was the worst she had been treated by anyone so far but fortunately her teacher was close at hand. His name was Bishan Chand.

He confronted the children and asked why they were being so cruel to her. They responded that Shanti was a liar who pretended to have a wealthy, powerful husband and that they were just trying to teach her a lesson about speaking the truth.

Shanti Devi confided in the teacher that She was not lying. She really was married to a well-to-do businessman in Muttra and that is where her real home was.

Her teacher gave her a talk in a kind and loving way about how important the truth is to all of us as the fundamental essence of our peace of mind.

But Shanti had heard enough. She couldn’t take it anymore. He was nice to her and very polite, but his words accused her of lying and she couldn’t stand that, so she ran from him and kept running.

Shortly after, she was sitting on the steps of a temple, crying, when a lady asked her who she was, and she responded that she didn’t know for sure.She told the saintly woman that her name was Shanti Devi but, simultaneously, she was also a grown woman named Lugdi Bai. She was born in Delhi but also born in Muttra and was married there. She remembered her husband’s name and her home address. She said that initially she was overwhelmed and demoralized about having two identities. But things slowly became easier to deal with, and she understood her situation better and was learning more about it as time went on. At such a young age, she carried a sage’s wisdom and a deeply felt sense of emotional literacy, shifting from child to mostly adult in her thinking.

The lady’s name was Maitri Deviji. She offered understanding, empathy and some advice: don’t try to hold back the memories and don’t try to control them, just allow the process to unfold and don’t get distressed about anything. She had felt so down about being different from the others and was deeply hurt that they thought she was a liar. She was thrilled to pieces that she had finally met someone who validated her experience.

Her father was out searching for her and was relieved to know that she was talking to a lady he knew well and respected. He Asked her for advice as a spiritual master. Was it true that if someone remembered a past life they could be condemned to death through the law of Karma?

Rang Bahadur Mathur and Shanti Devi were out during the Durga Festival of Navaratri. As they came upon the parade, with elephants marching and guitars playing, he explained to her the significance of the event. She told him she was familiar with Navaratri and that she was married during the Festival back in Muttra. She explained more about her wedding and told her father a lot of little details including her previous parents’ names.

For the first time the father went deeper into the discussion of her past life. He asked the name of her husband. She answered that she wasn’t allowed to reveal that, she needed ask his permission first. He then asked if she could describe his appearance. She revealed that he had a mustache and a birthmark on his cheek that he was embarrassed about. Her father became convinced that she was truly referring to a past life.

After the festival, the principle of her school, Lala Kishan Chand, and her teacher Bishan Chand, paid her family a visit. They told her parents that she was wonderful and considerate girl, one their best students, who always did her assignments on time and that they were very happy with her.

Her father understood, but he also brought up the fact that she had peculiar notions and ideas which she was unable to keep quiet about. He implied that they concerned past life memories.

Bishan Chand told him that he had given it a great deal of thought, that they have both discussed her situation, and they believe what she’s said is compelling. They have both studied reincarnation and wanted to go over some questions they had with Shanti Devi.

Bishan Chand asked her directly if she felt as if she had a life before her present one. She was surprised. This was the first time that little Shanti Devi was exposed to the idea that she may have had a previous life, a different life. She was asked how she experiences her past life as Lugdi. How did her mind provide access that life’s experiences ?

She answered that indeed she could see herself as Lugdi in her mind’s eye. When she really tried, she could imagine she was in Muttra and hear the voices of family members. She went into a vivid recall of her previous life and told a lot of the details including her husband’s name and the exact address where they lived.

They two men agreed that it was an authentic experience for her because of the names and the specifics that she remembered. They thought they should take her to Muttra to verify the particulars.

The father told the gentlemen that he understood they felt they must follow their instincts, but he did not believe it was prudent. Perhaps, it could even jeopardize her future to casually explore the subject of her past life out of curiosity. Both men told him it could be equally dangerous to not investigate it further.

 Rang Bahadur  politely denied them permission to further investigate Shanti Devi’s past. The three men agreed that it would be better to wait until she was older to pursue a clearer understanding of her previous life.

A short while later at a coffee shop, the teacher and the headmaster came up with the idea that they would write a letter to Kedar Nath Chaube at the address she gave them. The headmaster thought it was unlikely he even existed but could not keep his curiosity in check. He decided to defy Shanti Devi’s father, send the letter, and let the chips fall where they may.

The headmaster and teacher were thrilled when they received a response from Kedar Nath  a few weeks later. They were so excited that they read the letter several times, in astonishment, that their instinctive intuition about this situation was accurate. Shanti Devi’s story was true.

In the letter Kedar Nath wrote that he was very pleased to send his cousin, Kanji Mal,who lived in Delhi, to meet them to talk about it more. When the cousin arrived at the school, he told the men that he knew Lugdi Bai well and wanted to meet Shanti Devi as soon as possible. They cautioned that her parents were in opposition to this as it was their duty to protect their daughter, but they gave him the address and told him it was a very delicate situation and to handle with care.

At the last minute the headmaster and teacher decided that it was going to be a historical event that they wanted to witness firsthand.

Kanji Mal thought that the whole thing was a fraud. He anticipated a brief encounter with the family and reporting back to his cousin that…

Upon arrival, the front door to the house was open, they slowly walked in a few steps. Shanti Devi recognized him right off the bat, ran up to him and hugged him. Kanji Mal was stunned. She had a hard time recalling his name, but she remembered that he was her husband’s cousin because he lived with them temporarily while he was looking for a new home.

He’s already partly convinced but he feels obligated ask a few questions. First, he asked her what she knew about Kedar Nath’s brother. She responded accurately that he had one older brother whom she called her “Jeth”, which is a colloquial term for older brother in Hindi. After a few minutes she remembered Next, he asked about her father-in-law. She replied accurately by recalling he was in frail health. She’s happy that his health is improved and said she would definitely recognize him and most everyone else.

As she remembered Kanji Mal’s name, it dawned on her that her husband should have been the one who came to see her. The cousin told Shanti Devi that Kedar Nath was away on business, but he has very fond memories of Lugdi and has awakened to the possibility that she might be the reborn soul of the wonderful woman that he still loves and misses dearly. Shanti Devi remembered that Kanji Mal was flirtatious with her once. When she brought that up, he was slightly embarrassed.

She gained confidentin momentum in her ability to describe her previous life. She recalled yellow house, the Kedar Nath’s store by the Vishram Gat, her secret hideaway where she hid 150 rupees to donate to the Dvarkdeesh Temple. She was the only one who knew about the secret hideaway and would be happy to show them to prove her story. She painfully remembered more and more about her last days in the hospital before she died, the little details about how tired she was, that it was suddenly dark, and how she chanted Krishna’s name nonstop.

With teary eyes, Kanji Mal declared that the eight-year-old girl that articulates like a grown woman, Shanti Devi, is without question the reincarnated spirit of Lugdi Bai.

In the back of their minds her parents must have felt that it was so, but it was a lot of emotion to process as the situation was changing at the speed of light.

A few days later, Kedar Nath received Kanji Mal’s letter which broke the news to him that, without reservation, he absolutely believed that he encountered the soul of his cousins deceased wife.

Kedar Nath made arrangements to go to Delhi immediately with his new wife and his little boy, Naunita Lal, who was he was so very proud of.

Kedar Nath decided to be coy and pose as his brother with the aim of verifying if Shanti Devi’ could recognize him.

As he stood at the door, he introduced himself as his brother, Babu Ram Chaube, and explained that Kedar Nath could not visit at the moment so he sent him to learn more about the situation and report back to him.

 Rang Bahadur welcomed him and called Shanti Devi into the room. Her father, ever so polite, introduced Shanti to the man. Without hesitation she told him that she recognized him as her husband, Kedar Nath Chaube from Muttra.

They were both bewildered for a moment, staring at each other, and Shanti saw the little boy and bubbled with joy assuming it was her son who she had only held for a few days before she died.

They were blissfully reunited as emotion took over and the entire family  weeped in joy and disbelief. For her parents, the fear of losing their daughters love slipped into their consciousness for the first time. They realized that this was the beginning of an emotional struggle to keep the loving bond they had with Shanti.

Tara Chand Mathur, neighbor and close family friend, dropped in to visit and witnessed much of the interaction. word quickly spread throughout the neighborhood that it was true that little Shanti Devi really did have a husband from Muttra.   

More to Come Soon ...    

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​​​Kedar Nath Chaube was a handsome, tall, broad shouldered man who was known to be shrewd with his money. He was a seasoned businessman with a fabric store next to the Vishram Ghat, a thriving area in the heart of the city. It was a lucrative enterprise in a time when most clothing was sewn at home.  Chaube was firm in his asking price for the dowry he worked out with Lugdi's father. Chaturbhuj wanted only the best for his daughter and went through much hardship to pay off the debt.

Lugdi was privileged to have fine garments made with the best silks. She was a stylish lady, with flair, who wore ankle bracelets and earrings and always looked her best for her man. Lugdi relished her role as a proud Brahmin wife who lived with her beloved in the ninth house on Chaube Street. In the afternoon she ritually polished her treasured silver goods near a well in her courtyard while eagerly anticipating her husband’s arrival.

 She became an advanced spiritual practitioner, genuinely faithful, who regularly studied the Veda’s and was a gifted student of Bhakti yoga and studied under a guru named Yogi Raja. Known as saintly and generous, she was totally devoted to God and went to the Dwarkadheesh Mandir daily to pray to Krishna.

Lugdi, whose name means "Heavenly Doll" in Hindi, was born to Chaturbhuj Chaubey and Jagti Devi on January 8th, 1902, in the town of Mathura. Also known as “Muttra” it is the acknowledged birthplace of the Hindu savior Lord Krishna, the God of compassion, tenderness and love.

Nowhere in India is more sanctified than Mathura. It is a most revered and distinguished pilgrimage destination dating back to 1500 B.C. Locals and pilgrims perform a ceremonial bathing ritual in the river Yamuna that purifies the soul, cleanses away sin and liberates them from the cycles of death and rebirth. Over 1000 temples there are devoted to Krishna with the most famous being the Dwarkadheesh Mandir where Lugdi Bai married Kedar Nath Chaube from the Brahmin caste during the Festival of Navaratri as a child bride of only 10 years old.

The legend of the Chaubes in Mathura goes back as far as Krishna himself. It is said that Krishna granted privileges to the Chaube men as a reward for their “carefree courage” in protecting him. He awarded them the lucrative dominion over all pilgrimage priests in the Braj area of Mathura. They retain this monopoly even today.  Their primary responsibility is to guide pilgrims through the holy spots of the city during elaborate religious ceremonies. Return patrons bestow generosity to their Chaube guides annually in a practice that has been passed down through the generations on both sides.

In her home was a prayer room where she grew Tulsi and holy basil plants. Her diet was strictly vegetarian. She regularly bathed in the venerated waters of the Yamuna river, as many millions of Hindu devotees do each year, in a centuries old sacred ritual.

Lugdi  often journeyed to notable pilgrimage sites to worship. These were known to be long and arduous trips, that cut through dangerous terrain, walking from city to city over the course of as many as forty days.  On one of the outings she was wounded in a mishap. The incident left her leg stricken with arthritis from which she never fully recovered. 

 She longed with all of her heart to have Kedar Nath’s son and she set money aside to donate to the temple if her wish became true. There was a loose floorboard in her prayer room which opened into a secret compartment where she stashed the money she intended to give as an offering.  This hiding place later became an important part of her story.

Lugdi remembered every sordid detail when Kedar Nath seduced the nurse who took care of her. At first, it seemed like they were just flirting but she soon discovered her caretaker was no angel of mercy. One day she mustered up enough strength to walk just far enough down the hall to spot them being romantic in the next room. They thought they were alone, but Lugdi managed to witness their betrayal while staying hidden from view. She was so deeply hurt that the memory burned inside and lingered through into her next incarnation as Shanti Devi. Heartbroken and shattered, she was dumb struck about it until she confronted Kedar Nath when they met again in a new life. 

Lugdi and Kedar Nath’s first child arrived prematurely, fate intervened, and she didn't survive.

A few years later, on September 25, 1925 her son Navneet Lal, which means “one who has been enlightened by wisdom”, was born at Lady Lyall Hospital in Agra, the home of the wonderous Taj Mahal.

Then something went terribly wrong and Lugdi wavered in and out of consciousness.

Exhausted and weak, she knew in her heart that she was dying but wasn’t ready to surrender yet. Kedar Nath was beside himself when he made a deathbed vow to never marry again. Although she didn’t request it, she embraced his tender pledge with open arms as she wanted no distance between them even in the afterlife. Lugdi reciprocated by promising him in the name of Krishna that someday they would be together again.

After 5 days in the hospital Yogi Raja was summoned to her bedside as her inner being told her to prepare for death. She could no longer focus on her earthly life. This meant that her mother and husband could no longer stay by her side. She spent the next 5 days with Yogiraja smoothing the way for her departure.

 She replayed the mantra continuously in her mind, day and night, until it took over her entire consciousness. She was brimming with bliss. Her heart became Krishna’s abode. Her thoughts were pure. By chanting Krishna’s name quietly in her mind, continually, the pain couldn’t reach Lugdi’s spirit and she was free from distress.

Then suddenly Her mind’s eye darkened. She was exhausted, paralyzed when she began to feel the cold settle in. Her heart stopped beating but her blood still moved ever so slowly through her veins. Lugdi  heard Krishna’s name in the distance. It was her own sagacious murmur like a soft breeze blowing through the trees. She had no insight into time or space. She was still partially inside her body but now watched herself while floating above.

The doctor and nurse pronounced her dead. Kedar Nath and Jagti were filled with a sense of gloom and anguish. Their beloved Lugdi had departed unexpectedly at such a young age.

It was agreed that her body be taken to Muttra immediately to be burned so that the ashes could be scattered into the Yamuna river. Her consciousness was withdrawn into the third eye chakra. She could perceive but not in the normal way. She still sensed what was happening but it was more of a sense of knowing or awareness than actual thought.

In her home in Muttra, her body, shrouded in linen and silk, laid in wait while family and friends stopped by to offer their condolences. The next morning she was taken to the river and placed on a gurney made from bamboo cane and surrounded with flowers. Kedar Nath lit the fire with the help of a holy vessel. The priest gave his divine blessing as her mourning family walked in procession around the pyre with their heads facing away from her body.

Her physical awareness diminished. There was nothing about the earthly world that her spirit could connect to.

She suffered no physical agony at the moment of death. It was a scene of utter darkness before seeing smoke and then a brilliant, stunning, radiant light. She floated from her body like the hazy mist of a Genie in a bottle.

A handful of handsome, youthful boys donning saffron and yellow robes greeted her. She was placed into a cup and felt the sensation of ascending to indescribable heights, passing by a fragrant, lush, garden, and a river, serene and pure like milk.

Lugdi traveled through three levels, feeling the presence of Saints and souls which resembled the flickering flames of lanterns. She was told that those who genuinely hoped for a more advanced life but who had committed earthly sins in this life were dipped in the river before moving upward.

She rose up to the fourth level alone. It was entirely open space, timeless in nature, and had a radiant, godlike energy. There she saw Krishna sitting on a throne. There were Saints and souls around him along with a saintly man with a long white beard.  He had a document in his hand and read to her an account of all of her earthly actions, a panoramic review of everything she had ever done, righteous and unjust, and he benevolently disclosed her karmic plan for the future.

The same boys escorted her onto an opulent, illuminated staircase of silver and gold for the descent as she traversed into a dark room, which was her new mothers womb, where she embarked on a fresh incarnation into her next life in the physical dimension as Shanti Devi Mathur.

Her spiritual goal had been to be liberated from the force of the earth, to avoid new incarnations and be permanently reunited with the divine. But the abundance of love and devotedness she felt for Kedar Nath, her son Navneet, and her family left her craving for another opportunity at earthly life. All her memories of life on earth won out at the moment of death and she was launched into a new beginning as Shanti Devi.

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The fantastic true-life story of Shanti Devi Mathur is without question the most extensively investigated genuine occurrence of reincarnation in history. It has been proven beyond a doubt and is accepted as fact throughout the world.

Around the 5th century B.C., the legendary mythological Greek mystic Orpheus began to spread the teaching that after death one must take a drink from the river of forgetfulness so that all awareness of past life would be lost.
The next incarnation would start fresh with no details from the previous existence draining the power to stay grounded in the new life.

Perhaps the spirit of Lugdi Bai  refused to drink from that mystical river between lives and instead jumped over it, effectively rolling the dice on her next life and becoming an angel of heavenly empowerment who changed forever the way the world views reincarnation.