Beginnings
Gurudev was born in 1956 in southern India. Raised in the Vedic tradition, he could recite the Bhagavad Gita by the age of four. He holds degrees in Vedic literature and physics, which is a rare path through both ancient tradition and modern science.
His teacher was Sudhakar Chaturvedi. In 1997 he also founded the International Association for Human Values (IAHV).
Gurudev's Mission
For more than four decades, Gurudev has been inspiring people toward one vision: a stress-free, violence-free society.
His mission started humbly, in a small village in southern India, during a period of deep reflection in silence. Since 1981, his work has grown into a global movement of service and education which, by the organization's own count, has touched more than 1 billion people in 182 countries.
Spiritual Teacher: Peace Starts Within
Gurudev's teachings help people reduce stress, find peace, and expand their vision. His most unique gift to the world is a pioneering breathwork technique: SKY Breath Meditation, also known as Sudarshan Kriya. It came to him in 1982 in Shimoga, Karnataka, after ten days of silence.
According to The Art of Living, over 100 peer-reviewed studies have examined SKY, at institutions including Stanford and Yale.
Gurudev is also the author of Notes for the Journey Within. He has trained nearly 40,000 teachers. His talks have been hosted at the United Nations, the European Parliament, national parliaments, US state legislatures and the World Economic Forum in Davos, among other venues.
Humanitarian and Peacemaker: Love in Action Is Service
From the beginning, Gurudev's vision has found expression in humanitarian work. Many people who experience a personal change in his programs go on to become catalysts for social change, leading or joining service initiatives. Today his volunteer network is over a million strong. Its work includes:
- Caring for refugees in the wake of disaster and war
- Reducing violence and infractions in schools
- Supporting student mental health
- Caring for the environment and restoring rivers
- Offering rehabilitation and emotion-regulation programs to people in prison
For details and figures, see What He Does in the World.
A Voice for Peace and Nonviolence
Gurudev works for peace in two directions at once: from the grassroots up, and from leadership down.
In Colombia, he met FARC leadership in June 2015. The FARC later declared a unilateral ceasefire and reaffirmed a commitment to nonviolence. In 2016 the Colombian government and the FARC signed a historic peace agreement, ending a conflict of about 52 years. Alongside this, volunteers worked at the grassroots to support reconciliation among families on both sides, helping to uproot the seeds of future violence.
On an individual level, Gurudev's approach gives people tools to transform aggression and violent tendencies. Launched in 1991, his prison program has, by the organization's count, benefited over 800,000 people worldwide. In urban areas with high crime, his Cities4Peace program promotes social change through training and dialogue.
Making Life a Celebration: Bringing People Together as a One-World Family
Gurudev has also been a driving force in uniting communities and revitalizing culture. He founded the World Culture Festival, a global celebration that has drawn over seven million people (by the organization's count) in cities including Washington, D.C., New Delhi, Berlin and Bangalore. World leaders have taken part, and tens of thousands of local artists have performed, showcasing the richness and diversity of global heritage.
These landmark events celebrate unity in diversity. They foster harmony, and they offer a vision of what it could look like to live together.
Through his teachings, humanitarian work and community-building, Gurudev continues to inspire people around the world to come together in pursuit of a common goal: a stress-free, violence-free society.
Source: The Art of Living International official data.