Updates:
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi cremated (11 Feb, 2007, Allahabad)
- ‘Mahanirvan’ of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (6 Feb 08, Vlodrop)
- Mahesh Yogi quits as head of meditation empire (29 Jan 08, Amsterdam )
Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh): Uniformed policemen of Uttar Pradesh lowered their guns as the last post was sounded by another set of cops as a mark of respect to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who was cremated in Allahabad with state honours on Monday noon.
The funeral pyre was lit at exactly 12.40 pm by his nephew Girish Srivastava on a specially erected platform over a mound overlooking the holy ‘sangam’ of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythological Saraswati rivers — where a dip is widely believed by Hindus to wash away a lifetime’s sins.
Chants of Jai Ram Jai Ram Jai Shree Ram by hundreds of his close disciples provided the backdrop to the cremation while several other enthusiastic followers of the Maharishi raised cries of Jab tak suraj chand rahega, Maharishi ji ka naam rahega (The Maharish’s name will live as long as the sun and moon exist.)
The Maharishi’s family members laid out logs of mango and sandalwood to prepare an elevated pyre on which the body was placed before being smeared with sandalwood and vermillion powder.
One of his nephews offered ‘Gangajal’ to his mouth while another poured out ghee from a golden pitcher all over his body.
His followers from far and wide — nearly every corner of the globe as well as different parts of India stood in stoic silence while showering rose petals on his body that was carried in a procession from the assembly hall of Maharishi Ved Vidyapeeth to the far end of the sprawling campus overlooking the Sangam.
Carrying the body in turns were members of the Maharishi’s family together with students of the Vidyapeeth, attired in white ‘dhotis’ and vests.
The Maharishi’s body was flown from his spiritual headquarters in Netherlands to Allahabad — his hometown � on Saturday. Thousands of people visited the Vidyapeth to offer their homage to him.
The 1km journey took nearly an hour and a half to reach its final destination where the yogi’s newly nominated successor Tony Abu Nader and team of administrators — designated ‘rajas’ — received the body .
Attired in white silk brocade regalia and displaying the insignia conferred on them by the Maharishi himself , the ‘rajas’ — mostly European or American — also wore huge gold medallions around their necks and golden crowns on their heads making them look like the cardinals from the Vatican.
These included the 35 ‘rajas’ and 13 ministers named by the Maharishi to oversee the functioning of his organisation, spread across 130 nations.
Just as the pall-bearers climbed atop the mound, a helicopter took several circles to shower rose petals on the body.
Uniformed policemen lowered their guns as the last post was sounded as a mark of state honour to the departed spiritual ‘guru’ .
Then came the turn of Tony Abu Nader, now renamed Maharaja Dhiraj Raja Ram, to bow his head down at the feet of the Maharishi. The other ‘rajas’ followed course .
Famous spiritualist Sri Sri Ravi Shankar who had himself been a strong disciple of the Maharishi rose with a wreath in hand and went round the special platform to offer obescience to his ‘guru’.
Hollywood film-maker David Lynch was in tow, to be followed by VIPs including Union Food Processing Minister Subodh Kant Sahay, Vishwa Hindu Parishad chief Ashok Singhal, former UP Assembly speaker and state BJP chief Keshri Nath Tripathi, top local officials and others.
Source: Rediff news
‘Mahanirvan’ of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
February 6, 2007
Vlodrop : Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a guru who introduced the West to transcendental meditation, has died at his home in the Dutch town of Vlodrop, a spokesman said.
He was thought to be 91-years-old.
‘He died peacefully at about 7 pm,’ said Bob Roth, a spokesman for the Transcendental Meditation movement that the Maharishi founded. Roth said his death appeared to be due to ”natural causes, his age.”
Once dismissed as hippie mysticism, the Hindu practice of mind control that Maharishi taught – called transcendental meditation – gradually gained medical respectability.
He began teaching TM in 1955 and brought the technique to the United States in 1959.
But the movement really took off after the Beatles visited his ashram in India in 1968, although he had a famous falling out with the rock stars when he discovered them using drugs at his Himalayan retreat.
With the help of celebrity endorsements, Maharishi parlayed his interpretations of ancient scripture into a multimillion-dollar global empire.
After 50 years of teaching, Maharishi turned to larger themes, with grand designs to harness the power of group meditation to create world peace and to mobilize his devotees to banish poverty from the earth.
Just last month, the Maharishi retreated into silence at his home in the grounds of a former Franciscan monastery close to the German border, saying he wanted to dedicate his remaining days to studying the ancient Indian texts that underpin his movement.
‘He had been saying he had done what he set out to do,’ Roth said late yesterday. Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.
Source: ndtv.com
Mahesh Yogi quits as head of meditation empire
January 29, 2008
Amsterdam (USA): Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who became a guru to the Beatles, stepped down this month as the head of the organisation that brought transcendental meditation to the West, an aide said on Monday.
"His work is done and now he’ll be concentrating on the field of silence and dedicating himself more to pure knowledge rather than administrative matters," Benjamin Feldman, finance minister for the Global Country of World Peace, said.
After teaching the Beatles and other 1960s and 70s icons to meditate, the Indian mystic gained a worldwide following with six million people taking his courses. He moved his headquarters to the small southern Dutch village of Vlodrop in 1990.
Transcendental meditation, known as TM by its followers, involves reciting a mantra that practitioners say helps the mind stay calm even under pressure.
Source: ibnlive.com
