Kripālu was born on Sharad Purnima, the full moon on the month of Sharad, as Rām Kripālu Tripathī in Mangarh district Pratapgarh, near Allahabad, in India. He received his preliminary education in Hindi and Sanskrit in the local school. He went on to study advanced Sanskrit and Ayurved in Ashtang Ayurved College, Lokmanya Nagar, Indore and Varanasi and spent a year or more around Chitrakoot. After completing his formal education, at the age of 16, he entered into self-imposed vanvas. He found his way to Vrindavan and the next year he emerged as a Guru, known affectionately as Shri Maharaj Ji. When he was 17 years old, he led a 6-month continuous chanting of the "Maha Mantra".
Jagadguru
In 1955 Kripalu organized a religious convention for prominent spiritual leaders in India. Mahamahopadhyay Giridhar Sharma, President of the Kashi Vidvat Parishat had also come and was impressed by Kripalu's scriptural knowledge. Kripalu was invited to give discourse at the Kashi Vidvat Parishat in 1957. The congregation had scholars from Varanasi and other parts of India. His speeches lasted for seven days, after which he was formally installed as the fifth Jagadguru. He was 34 years old when given the title on 14 January 1957, by the Kashi Vidvat Parishat, a group of Hindu scholars. The Kashi Vidvat Parishat also conferred on him the titles Bhaktiyog-Ras-Avtar and Jagadguruttam. Shri Kripalu Ji was given the title of Jagadguru in 1957, prior to him there were four original Jagadgurus i.e. Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya, Śrīpāda Rāmānujācārya, Śrī Nimbārkācārya and, Śrīpāda Madhvācārya, he was known as the "fifth original Jagadguru". He was also awarded, by the Kashi Vidvat Parishat, the title Samanvaya-Acharya, i.e., He analyses and reconciles the meaning of all the scriptures, the six philosophies and the teachings of other previous Jagadgurus. After being awarded Jagadguruttam, he spent most of the initial years in Agra. Prem Ras Sidhhant and Prem Ras Madira were also written during that phase of His life, which extends from late 1950s to 1970s.
Teachings
According to Kripalu, "the desired goal of the soul is to attain the selfless Divine love of Radha Krishna who are eternally related to you". He taught that Radha Krishna are the supreme 'form' of God and the 'form' of Divine Love and are eternally related to us.
TV discourses
Kripalu's discourses are broadcast daily on several religious TV channels, including DD India, Aastha TV, Sadhna TV, IBN 7, News24 and Sanskar TV. In the United States, his discourses are also broadcast everyday on TV Asia. In his TV discourses, Kripalu quotes the chapter and verse of almost everything he cites from the scriptures.
Two of his longest lecture series are available on the official YouTube channel, JKP Vedic:
Brahm Jeev Maya
Main Kaun Mera Kaun
Ashrams and temples
Kripalu was the founder and preceptor of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, a worldwide Hindu non-profit religious organization with four main ashrams in India, and one in the USA. Besides these 5 main ashrams, Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat has established a number of teacher centres in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Fiji Island, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Nepal, Ireland, Scotland, Singapore, Trinidad, West Indies, United Kingdom and in many cities throughout India and USA. The organization also publishes a Hindi magazine, Sadhan Sadhya, three times a year, as well as a monthly newsletter. He also established three temples. – Shri Raseshwari Radha Rani Temple, Austin; Bhakti Mandir, Mangarh; Prem Mandir, Vrindavan
Prem Mandir is a religious and spiritual complex in Vrindavan. Construction of Prem Mandir began on January 2001 and the inauguration ceremony took place from 15 to 17 February 2012. The temple was opened to public on 17 February 2012. The cost was 150 crore rupees. 30,000 tons of Italian marble, carved with specialized KUKA robotic machines, have been used in the construction. The presiding deity are Shri Radha Govind and Shri Sita Ram. A 73,000 square feet, pillar-less, dome shaped satsang hall is being constructed next to Prem Mandir, which will accommodate 25,000 people at a time.
Philanthropic activities
Kripalu established three free hospitals. The Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya, Mangarh, the Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya, and the Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya are serving rural populations of 1,000,000 within their catchment radius of 80–100 km each and each treating 600 – 700 patients daily. The expenses are all borne by Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat. A secular educational Institution is being financed and run by Kripalu's educational trust, Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Education, which provides underprivileged women and girls free education up to post graduation level. JKP Education runs three colleges for girls in Kunda, Uttar Pradesh. Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat also donates money for disaster relief, including Rs. 10 lacs for the aid of Bhuj earthquake victims in 2001, Rs. 25 Lacs for tsunami victims in 2004 and again Rs. 2 Crore for Bihar flood victims in 2008. In May 2013, Kripalu donated Rs.1 crore to the Chief Minister's Relief fund for the victims of the Uttarakhand floods. In 2013, Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Education president Vishakha Tripathi received the Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award, the Mother Teresa Excellence Award and the Nari Shakti Award for work providing free education to 5000 girls and women in rural India.
Philosophical books
Prem Rasa Siddhant — The philosophy of Divine love. It was first published in 1955. Later, it was published is several other languages of India. It has been described as an "incredible book" by Swami Sivananda among others.
Radha Govind Geet — Printed in two volumes, with eleven thousand one hundred and eleven couplets of Radha Krishna leelas and the devotional philosophy.
Ras Panchadhyayi — Represents a series of discourses given on the esoteric of subject of Raas Leela.
Kirtans
Prem Ras Madira — 1008 songs of Radha-Krishna Leelas, Devotional Philosophy and humility.
Braj Ras Madhuri — Printed in four parts, hundreds of kirtans dedicated to Radha-Krishna, Sita-Ram, and others.
Yugal Shatak — One hundred "kirtans" of Radha Rani and Krishna.
Yugal Rasa — Kirtans of Radha Krishna.
Shri Krishna Dwadashi and Shri Radha Trayodashi — Twelve "padas" which fully describe the beauty and the decorations of Krishna. And thirteen "padas" about the beauty and the decorations of Radha Rani.
