The Three Maharishis (by Deepak Chopra)

It was late in sixties and the occasion which attracted the crowd, including me, was the Beatles who were with him in the Ashram.I saw him from a close distance in Rishikesh where he sat on a soft-rubber mattress with a white sheet on it and with a yellow rose in his hands explaining about TM to the visitors and the journalists. I wanted to learn from him the unique meditation technique he was propagating. But it was not destined at that time and Beatles became an excuse for that. It was late in ninetees when I learned TM and visted his Ashram at Vlodrop in 1999 where Tim took me to the various places in the Ashram. I somehow missed him. I practice TM regularly for the last nine years and am indeed thankful to His Holiness for provoking interest in me for meditation which he made so simple and open to all that people could practice and derive benefit. I am benefited. I wish success to the various programmes started by His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and bow to my guru Prof. Wilfred Stremme who taught me TM technique.
Jai Gurudev !

Dearest Deepak,
Your words are precious and comforting. To read your children's stories have lifted our hearts at this time. Maharishi's Light will no doubt be felt more powerfully now, from all levels of creation. I met him for the first time in 1975 at the LA Convention center. I was 17yrs at the time, and I KNEW I was in the presence of a Holy Man. I was forever deeply touched that day, when Maharishi turned to me after he had been handed numerous flowers. "Now go and share these with our friends" So I turned and handed out flowers one by one to others. VERY PRECIOUS MOMENT.

In 1971 I had the privilege, or should I say blessing, to be near Maharishi for 9 weeks at a teacher training course. Later, I had the opportunity to be near him for shorter periods of time. Being in his holy presence was indiscribable. The atmosphere radiated with silence and purity. You knew you were where you wanted to be and it didn't matter what else was going on anywhere. He was the embodiment of the ancient Vedic sages of India. He was the representation of human potential, and his gift of Transcendental Meditation is the simplest and most natural way to realize what is possible for mankind.
Just a short story, one night after a lecture at teacher training, I came down with some sort of food poisoning. I don't know what I ate but I was so sick that I couldn't walk. The next evening before the lecture, my friends suggested that I sit as close to Maharishi as possible as I was still very sick. We managed to sit near him but to his side. Before the lecture started I noticed he was scanning the audience. As his gaze came around to our side, he focused on me. Instead of seeing the usual sweet gaze and smile, he looked very serious. In his eyes there was a look of power that hit me so hard I yelled out, "wow, look at that!" My friend beside me saw it also. In an instant, all feelings of illness were gone and I felt filled with bliss and energy. Suddenly he broke into the most beautiful smile and shinned at both my friend and I. I knew that I had experienced a glimpse of his true spiritual power. It was worth every bit of being sick!
Though he has now left the physical, his silence, love and compassion is still very much with us. Just enjoy within.
Craig