Bhagavan Das

Bhagavan Das, born Michael Riggs, served as the spark behind Baba Ram Dass and his 1971 volume Be Here Now, which evolved into a cornerstone of new-age literature. Through decades that followed, the musician has sustained an ongoing commitment to merging sound with spiritual insight. In conversation with an interviewer he observed that “singing and chanting the divine mantras repeatedly creates a heightened ecstasy that leaves the mind behind and brings pure stillness of the heart.”

An Irish Catholic father raised him, yet as a boy he attended an Episcopal congregation. During adolescence he turned toward alternate perspectives and developed a strong attraction to beat poetry alongside folk music. In December 1963 he departed the United States carrying only forty dollars and an acoustic guitar, performing on streets across Europe and North India. He eventually established residence in India and Nepal, where he pursued a seven-year immersion in Hinduism, Buddhism, Transcendental Meditation, and the existence of the sadhu. The Hindu name he received in 1966 means “servant of God.”

At the time he remained unaware of how profoundly Baba Ram Dass’ volume would resonate; the must-read text of the hippie ’60s elevated both men to widespread renown. After re-entering the United States in 1971, Das traveled the “guru” circuit and shared stages with the late beat poet Allen Ginsberg. In 1976 he stepped away from public appearances to “begin the integration of spiritual experience into modern Western society.” Even so, he persisted in chanting and teaching about Nada Brahma, the discipline of aesthetic devotion. Broadway Books issued his memoir, It’s Here Now, Are You?, in 1997. Four years later he issued the album Bhagavan Das Now, produced with assistance from Mike D. of the Beastie Boys.