Maharishi Mahesh Yogi inedito 16mm***************Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (born Mahesh Prasad Varma January 12, possibly in 1917 (other sources give the year as 1911 or 1918); died February 5, 2008 in Vlodrop, Netherlands) was the leader or "guru" of a new religious movement, often called "Transcendental Meditation movement", notable for influencing The Beatles and other celebrities of the period, for which reason he is also known as the "Beatles guru". Varma's given name was Mahesh, while maharishi and yogi are honorifics. Varma was known as "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi" beginning around the year 1960. His devotees referred to him as "his holiness".In approximately 1939, the Maharishi became a disciple and assistant of Swami Brahmananda Saraswati,[3] who was the Shankaracharya (spiritual leader) of Jyotir Math, located in the Indian Himalayas from 1941 to 1953. The Maharishi credits Saraswati with inspiring his teachings.Beginning in 1955, the Maharishi began to introduce the Transcendental Meditation technique (also known as TM) and other related programs and initiatives to the world. His initiatives include schools and universities with campuses in several countries including India, the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom and China. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's first global tour began in 1958, from which time his techniques and programs have been taught worldwide, yielding immense profit, providing the guru with an estimated yearly income of several million GBP during the 1970s.In 1992, the Maharishi began coordination of his global organization from his residence in Vlodrop, the Netherlands On January 11, 2008, he announced his retirement from all administrative activities and went into mauna (spiritual silence) until his death three weeks later.