Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was one of the first persons to bring Indian spirituality to the west. He inspired several celebrities including the Beatles.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi passed away on February 5, 2008 in his home in the Netherlands. In January he had declared that his life’s mission had been accomplished and that he would devote the rest of his to complete his publications. However that was not to be. But he passed away peacefully in his sleep, without illness and without suffering, the way most of us would want to go, but very few are fortunate enough to do so.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was one of the first to take Hinduism to the west as a practical discipline rather than merely an academic study. He received tremendous popularity when the Beatles became his disciples, but unfortunately that relationship did not endure.
Mahesh Yogi is best known for founding Transcendental Meditation, a meditation technique aimed at eliminating stress, promoting good health and attaining inner fulfillment. He himself was the best proof of his theories living a healthy life to the age of over ninety. Transcendental Meditation encouraged both followers and copiers and has remained one of the most popular practices till date.
Transcendental Meditation soon became big business and it provided Mahesh Yogi the means to implement his other schemes. Prominent were the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, and the Maharishi Vedic City, a few miles north of Fairfield.
Mahesh Yogi was born as Mahesh Prasad Varma in the central Indian town of Jabalpur. He studied physics at Allahabad University and later became the disciple of Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, who was the Shankaracharya of the Jyotir Math. It was under the influence of Swami Brahmananda that Mahesh Yogi developed his spiritual capabilities.
