About Us
Our Vision
The aim is to make the world an everlasting garden of peace by the 25th century. 
The way to attain this is to ensure that each and every individual lives with love and unity with themselves and whomsoever they come in contact with.
In our journey towards this aim, it is important that we understand the goal of human life which is to attain everlasting peace and good health. The only way to achieve this twin objective is to ensure that we develop subtle and critical intellect. Our Ashram is fully engaged in the service of helping people achieve this keen-edged thinking through the practice of meditation.
Paranjothi Mahan simplified the meditation technique which can be practized by people from all walks of life.
It is proved beyond doubt and from time immemorial that if each one of us in this world practice meditation, he or she will be the messiah of love and unity within the family and outside. Love and unity will flourish and people will live without the slightest difference in caste, religion, rich or poor.
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Paranjothi Mahan
Jegat Maha Guru Gnanavallal Paranjothi Mahan was born on May 2, 1903 at 8.30 pm in a small village in Kansapuram, part of Virudhunagar district, Srivilliputhur in Tamil Nadu.
On Nov 11, 1911 at 11:00 am he witnessed a public celebration in his native place which kindled the desire to see God. His longing for God made him observe several practices (fasting, chanting, etc) till 1938. Finally, his thirst for Almighty led him to a Guru who initiated him on Jan 7, 1938. At that moment indeed he blossomed as Primordial Lord (Paranjothi). In 1939 he returned to India and stayed at Madurai and started initiating people.
Paranjothi Mahan
Jegat Maha Guru Gnanavallal Paranjothi Mahan was born on May 2, 1903 at 8.30 pm in a small village in Kansapuram, part of Virudhunagar district, Srivillputhur in Tamil Nadu.
Raised in a poor family, much of Mahan’s life was poverty-ridden. On Nov 11, 1911, at about 11 am, Mahan who was a young boy of 8, noticed a crowd in the village school. Driven by curiosity, he went inside the school and enquired from one of the onlookers about what was going on there. The person told him that the school was having a function to celebrate the coronation of the Emperor in London. The function was organized as a mark of respect to the Emperor.
Mahan then asked him, why it was necessary to have such a huge celebration to respect the Emperor. The onlooker replied to him that the Emperor was the “administrator and the saviour of the people,” and hence the need to respect and bow down to him. Mahan, who had got more curious by now, asked him, “Will the Emperor not bow down to anybody?” The man said, “ Yes he will.... to God.” Instantly Mahan asked him, “Can we see God ?” The man smiled and said, “Yes. You can see God.”
From that moment, Mahan’s thirst for God only grew multifold, for on the one hand he knew God existed and on the other he did not know how to see HIM. His thirst prompted him to undertake severe penance in the form of practice of yoga, chanting of hymns, fasting and many arduous ways to see God. For a great number of days he toiled with just one objective - to see God.
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Paranjothi Mahan
Meanwhile years rolled by and in 1918 he went to Rangoon to make a living and worked in a shop. Because of his intense longing for God, he observed several austerities and on many days spent the wee hours of morning in prayer.
On a Milad-i-Nabi day, he met a saint, who had actually been watching him in deep prayer for several days. They started conversing with each other and as days passed, a cordial relationship developed. On 7.1.1938, while both were involved in a discussion, Mahan asked about the various spiritual practices that the saint was following. Impressed by now with the intense longing for God that Mahan evinced, the saint gave him initiation at 11.11 pm on the same day and that happened to be the calling for Mahan from the Divine. Within a few minutes of initiation, he plunged into a state of inexpressible experience.
Following that incident, on 7.7.1938, the saint authorised Mahan to initiate anybody who longed to seek God. Mahan wanted to share what he had experienced with the rest of the world, so he underwent several trials on his own physical body and finally gifted to the world, a simple and practical meditation technique. This meditation can be practised by all including house holders and women folk without having to renounce anything.
Mahan returned to Madurai in September 1939 and stayed in a separate house for a rent of Rs 7 per month. He started to deliver discourses to the public. Spiritual seekers flocked around him and he started the `PARIPPOORANA PARANJOTHIYIN UYAR GNANA SABHAI'. He initiated anybody and everybody who came to him into Raja Yoga.
He attained Mahasamadhi on January 7, 1981.
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Gnanaoli Mahan
A 90 year old seer, Paranjothi Gnanaoli Mahan is a direct disciple of Gnanavallal Paranjothi Mahan. He got initiated in 1963 and from then on, has been working tirelessly for the spiritual upliftment of the people.
In 1965, he set up his ashram in Erode and propagated the teachings of His Holiness Paranjothi Mahan in his own inimitable style - humble and unassuming.
Gnanaoli Mahan
His Holiness Paranjothi Gnanaoli Mahan was born on March 21, 1929 in a well-to-do family in Erode.
From his childhood, he was spiritually inclined and involved himself in intense prayers and yogic practices. His thirst and intensity to know more about God, lead him into Bhakthi Yoga (Path of Devotion). In the course of his penance, he acquired several powers. However, he knew this was not the end of the road. He felt he still lacked the knowledge of God and yearned to see Him.
Once he had visited the famous shrine of Lord Muruga in Palani, Tamil Nadu and performed the 'Anga Pradakshinam' to Lord Muruga. The 'Anga Pradakshinam' is a traditional worship where the devotee lies down on the floor with his hands stretched out over his head and palms folded in reverence and circumnavigates the outer ring of the temple. Swamiji went round the hill, bare bodied, offering himself to the Lord seeking to know one thing – to know HIM. Awestruck by his spiritual fervour, the public hurried behind him to assist him as the path was rocky and rough whereas he felt there was 'another force' pushing him on until he completed his prayer.
At that time, Swamiji was not only deeply involved in Bhakthi but was also a great orator, a composer, an artist and a photographer. On December 12, 1948, he was married to Rajamani Ammaiyar. In his effort to understand spiritualism, he read a lot of spiritual books. In the course of this effort, he came across Jegat Maha Guru Paranjothi Mahan’s book titled “I-God.” Upon reading the title of the book, he jumped to the conclusion that Mahan was calling Himself God and must be a highly egoistic person. With that conclusion he literally discarded the book.
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Gnanaoli Mahan
In the year 1956, Swamiji visited Sri Ramanashram at Tiruvannamalai. There he read a book written by Bhagawan Sri Ramana Maharishi's disciple Sri Paul Brunton which was in the form of Question and Answers between the author and Bhagawan The first question he read was “Who am I ?”. Bhagawan’s reply to that was “That thou art.” The next question was “Am I the body ?” Bhagawan’s reply was “That is for you to conclude.” Almost every other question thereafter elicited only one reply from Bhagawan which was “What is the use of asking me? You have to go within yourself and find out who you are.”
This book happened to be the turning point in Swamiji’s life. This conversation was deep rooted in his mind. In the year 1957, while he was attending to his spiritual duties, this conversation ran over deeply in his mind and he became absorbed and merged with the inquiry, ‘Who am I?”. In a few moments, he felt he was present everywhere.
After this blissful experience that lasted more than four hours, Swamiji realized the principle behind “I” and he rushed for H.H. Paranjothi Mahan’s book “I-God” that he had discarded a few years ago. He read and re-read the book and yearned to meet H.H. Paranjothi Mahan. On August 23, 1963 he met his Guru Paranjothi Mahan and surrendered to him. His Guru’s compassion and words, “I have been waiting for you. You have come late,” brought tears to his eyes as he sat absorbed with his Master.
Paranjothi Mahan initiated him into the Kundalini Yoga or Raja Yoga. In due course, Mahan christened him 'Gnanaoli' and entitled him to impart this meditation technique to all. Since then, Paranjothi Gnanaoli Mahan has been working tirelessly for the spiritual upliftment of the people. In 1965, he established his ashram in Erode and propagated the teachings of H.H. Paranjothi Mahan in his own inimitable style – humble and unassuming. He has also established centres in Chennai, Coimbatore, Kayapakkam, Namandi in Tamil Nadu. Outside India, his centre is based at Malaysia. All these centres are engaged in disseminating spiritual knowledge to people to help them lead a life with peace and sound health.
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Ashram
Paranjothi Gnanaoli Peedam @ Universal Peace Sanctuary was founded by Paranjothi Gnanaoli Mahan in the year 1965. The ashram has its headquarters at Erode with branches spread across Coimbatore, Salem, Kolathur, Dharapuram, Cuddalore and Trichy. The administrative office (Madhya Peedam) was established at Chennai in the year 2005. The Madhya Peedam will be the main centre to propagate the message to the world.
In order to serve the world through social activities, Paranjothi Gnanaoli Yagna Peedam was established at Namandi, Kanchipuram in 2006 and at Kayapakkam (Kala Peedam) in 2007.
As per Mahan's instructions, Swamiji headed the 'Dawn of Wisdom day' celebrations at Malaysia in the year 1985. He made subsequent visits and established meditation centres at Ipoh, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Kuantan, Malacca and Kluang in 1999. In 2010, Mahan's 107th Jayanthi was celebrated at Malaysia under the auspices of Swamiji. On the same date, a meditation centre was also established at Johor.
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Emblem
When the human (Jivan), that is the Spirit (Jiv-Atma) attains its natural state of eternal peace, then the human will live with love and unity with all. This is the significance of our emblem.
ஆ - ஆன்மிகமே
உ - உலகை
ச - சமாதானமாக்கும்
"ஆன்மிகமே உலகை சமாதானமாக்கும்"
"Spiritualism indeed renders Universal Peace"
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Flag
The ashram flag has a green background with a white circle in the centre. The white colour represents the Sun and green represents plants and the food obtained from them. The radiant energy from the Sun is responsible for rain and the greenery which in turn sustains all life forms including the harmless cow and the poisonous snake.
Similarly, administrators in rule should be righteous with a pure heart, unbiased like the Sun and ensure even distribution of all essentials to the people.
It was His Holiness Paranjothi Mahan who designed the flag. The flag was first hoisted by Gnanaoli Mahan in the Holy presence of his Master. This noteworthy event took place at Erode ashram on Nov 11, 1979 during the 'Dawn of Wisdom day' celebrations.
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