She Was Born Twice, a Thrilling Rebirth Story Gandhi Supported
Shanti Devi’s true reincarnation tale shocked Mahatma Gandhi.
From the age of four, Shanti Devi started narrating the tales of her old life to her parents — all the eerily specific details of her life in a town 75 miles away from where she lived, and interestingly, she had never been to that place before.
Shanti Devi claimed to recall her previous life in shocking detail, and her reincarnation account drew the attention of researchers from all over the world.
Religion and philosophy had at length discussed the possibility of the souls getting reincarnated. But, Shanti Devi from Delhi, India, was the first girl who became famous as a living example of the concept.
In the 1930s, when many only believed about such a process, Devi came out and elaborated her convincing case for reincarnation — which till today boggles many. Let’s dig into it:
Devi revealed startling details
After beginning to speak, Devi(11 December 1926–27 December 1987) voiced tales about events to which neither she nor her parents had been.
Different times would trigger her several memories, compelling her to unfold the detailed narratives — from the meals she used to eat to the dress she used to wear, from the startling details of the shops to numerous descriptions of streets in town.
Soon Devi was able to recall her old name which she informed her parents to be ‘Lugdi’. Further, she unfolded the event that led to her demise — she passed away shortly after bearing a son in October 1925.
As a little girl, Devi was able to report the uncanny details of not only her labor pains but also the underwent surgical procedures — facts that practically cannot be coined by a most imaginative and creative child.
Devi’s parents dismissed her peculiar memories as mere childishness. But soon, their dismissal took a turn when at the age of nine, she revealed the name of her former husband to be Pandit Kedarnath Chaube, further detailing him being fair and owning a wart on his left cheek.
The facts stirred the minds of her family.
When Devi meets her husband from her former life
Instead of dissolving the matter, one of the family friends decided to take a deep dive and find out about the truthiness of Devi’s claims.
The person whom Devi talked about was still alive, living exactly where Devi briefed she was from — something that silenced even science.
Next, the family friend decided to send him a note. By sending a letter to Kedarnath Chaube, the inquirer detailed Devi’s bizarre memories, questioning if there exists any truth in the matter.
Surprisingly, Nath wrote back and confirmed all the details Devi mentioned, further agreeing to send a relative to Devi’s place to gauge the situation.
Devi’s narrative was still doubted by many and even Nath’s relative didn’t want to settle for her word, thus, he, in an effort to test her, introduced himself as her husband.
Not falling into the trap, Devi disapproved and stated him being her husband’s cousin rather than the husband himself.
Convinced and shocked at the same time, Kedarnath Chaube and the son he had with Lugdi, then ten years old, went to meet with Devi in her house.
Upon their arrival, Devi reportedly erupted into tears — indeed, a historic meeting.
Kedarnath Chaube further requested Devi’s family to speak with her in private, and upon granting the permission, he threw several questions at her.
Later, breaking down to tears, Kedarnath Chaube claimed how her response was entirely accurate and he felt as if his dead wife spoke with him.
Those several days spent with Kedar Nath and her son fell short, as the time finally approached of bidding farewell; the two had to return to Mathura.
Saddened by the thought of their departure, Devi requested her parents for a trip to her former home at Mathura, promising she possessed the address of the exact location of her old house in her memory, as well as the details of a money box she had buried.
Devi’s parents had to surrender on her request as by then Devi’s reincarnation had become the talk of the town — the story had even seized the interest of Mahatma Gandhi, who set up a commission to investigate her mind-boggling case.
In November 1935, Devi and her parents and a dozen researchers took a three-hour train ride to Mathura, a place she called home.
Devi’s emotional return to her previous life home
The investigators ensured that once they were out of the railway station, Devi would lead the route of the destination. The little girl was settled on the front seat of the carriage and all other carriages were commanded to follow her.
Further, two vital precautions were taken: no pedestrians were allowed to lead the way and the driver was supposed to go wherever she instructed, without caring if she was wrong.
Devi again did exactly what she had been doing since the time she had started speaking — shocked everyone. Having no problem directing the carriages to her former home, Devi reached an accurate place.
Interestingly enough, Devi noted various small details about the streets which were not paved earlier. Along the way, she kept on commenting about the buildings that didn’t exist during her previous life, and the driver confirmed her observation to be completely accurate.
The commission, Devi's family, and Kedarnath all explored the house. During the cherishable moment, one of the members of Gandhi’s commission inquired about the treasure she buried.
Quickly running upstairs, Shanti Devi headed straight to a corner of the room, pointing towards the floorboard beneath which she had hidden the box.
Kedarnath Chaube dug up the flooring and found a small coffer, but it was empty. Surprised, Shanti Devi looked inside the hole, absolutely sure she had hidden the money there. To ease her shock, Kedarnath Chaube admitted taking the cash after his wife’s death.
Further, Devi’s reunion tour stretched to her former parent’s house. Interestingly, the girl identified her old father and mother in a crowd of more than fifty people. The investigators noted how she embraced her parents who wept bitterly after seeing her.
Everything comes to an end, so does Mathura’s tour. Devi wished to stay in Mathura longer but the parents and investigators all had to head back to Delhi.
The reports which the investigators prepared briefed how they found no rational explanation in whatever they witnessed. They further concluded in the report of 1936 that Shanti was indeed the reincarnation of Lugdi Devi.
Apart from commissioning the investigation, in 1936, Mahatma Gandhi invited 9-year-old Shanti to his seminary in Central India.
When Devi detailed her experience of afterlife
Apart from the unusual revelation of her former life, Devi also possessed an explanation for her afterlife. Between 1936 to 1939, Devi relayed her experience in detail to hypnotists.
Explaining the time of her death, she recalled how dizziness overpowered her, and profound darkness consumed her. But before sinking into the darkness, a flash of light exposed four teenage boys clad in bright yellow underwear.
Further, she added how they dropped her into a cup and carried her to their Hindu God Krishna, who was occupied in showing each person their bad and good activities on earth, explaining what would happen to them next.
Later she was taken to a golden staircase, from where a crystal clear view of the river could be enjoyed — a river that was pure as milk. Devi also witnessed different souls which were like flames in lamps.
In 1958, newspapers took her follow-up: she was 32 and not married. Dedicating herself to spirituality, Devi was living a quiet life in Delhi. One of her missions was to form an organization that would guide people to live according to their inner voice.
The lady treasuring miraculous gift passed away in 1987, aged 61. But her story lived through history. A Swedish author Sture Lonnerstrand wrote a book on her, “I Have Lived Before: The True Story of the Reincarnation of Shanti Devi” in 1994, translated to English four years later.
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