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The Maharishi died peacefully in his sleep last evening due to "natural causes, his age" in the Dutch town of Vlodrop, his spokesman, Bob Roth said.
The physicist-turned spiritual guru transformed his interpretations of ancient vedic scriptures into a multi-million dollar global empire and went on to built up a following of about six million people worldwide, including celebrities like Beach Boys, singer Donovan, Clint Eastwood and avant-garde filmmaker David Lynch.
The Maharishi introduced the Transcendental Meditation movement to the West in 1959, but rose to popularity when the Beatles travelled to India to learn the mind control technique at his Ashram in the Himalayas in 1968.
The band, however, fell out with the Maharishi soon thereafter.
The guru announced his retirement and retreat into silence at his Vlodrop home last month, saying his work was done and that he wanted to dedicate his remaining days to studying ancient Hindu Vedas texts, media reports said.
"He had been saying he had done what he set out to do," Roth said.
Born in Madhya Pradesh, the Maharishi, whose real name was Mahesh Prasad Verma, graduated in physics from Allahabad University before devoting himself to spiritual enlightenment.
In 1955, the Maharishi began publicly teaching a traditional meditation technique through chanting of Sanskrit mantras, which he later renamed as Transcendental Meditation.
"Don't fight darkness. Bring the light, and darkness will disappear," the Maharishi said in an interview in 2006, repeating one of his own mantras.
The Transcendental Meditation movement, founded by him, has constructed 'Peace Palaces' or meditation centres in dozens of cities around the world, as well as several universities.
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RatingIn 1968 i saw Maharishi in india. set across from Donavon. missed beatles by day or two. He was lovely in that this young hippie was invited in to meditate. he was my first guru. now i meditate everyday using a silent meditation through Shiva Boli yogi. thankyou sweet Maharishi for showing me the pure path of meditation. blessings as you travel on. Pranananda.
Sata-Sata Pranam Maharishi MaheshJi! You are a Maharishi, Mahatma, Immortal Son of Bharat Mata and Vishva-Mata. May your Atma rest in Peace. AUM Shantih Shantih Shantih!
May his soul rest in peace. I am sure his devotion to studying vedic scriptures would have led him to Jesus who is referred to as Prajapati in Vedic scriptures (Prajapati - who is to come born of a virgin and to die on a tree and shed innocent blood for remission of sin).
Is n't it an irony that his holiness had to be known as 'Beatles guru' to Indians ? People go around the world looking for 'foreign' principles of management with little if any interest or knowledge of Indian gems ! The 'toyota ways' and the 'IBM ways' get media space when people like Mahesh Yogi needed to impress the west albeit the knowledge and vision that he sells as far superior, to the west is from 'vedic' or 'sanatan' dharma ! Indian press had to 'borrow' this news item too from the west ! What a tragedy :-(
Satyameva Jayate Nanritam, Truth alone Triumphs, not Falshood. Maharishi's work, dedication and contribution to Vedic Dharma and Bharat will be remembered always, as we remember Maharshi Vyasdev, Valmiki and others. Bharat will emerge as Vishva Guru, as it was before. Vande Bharat Mataram.
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