Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari
Shri Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari (24 July 1927 – 20 December 2014) better known as Chariji ,[1][2][3][4] was the third in the line of Raja Yoga Masters in the Sahaj Marg System of Spiritual Practice of Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM).
Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari "Chariji" | |
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Shri Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari, India, 2008. | |
Born | |
Organization | Shri Ram Chandra Mission |
Notable work | My Master, Yatra: India in the West & Sahaj Marg in Europe, Heart to Heart (5 Volumes), Down Memory Lane (2 Volumes), In His Footsteps (4 Volumes), Spider's Web (3 Volumes), Fruit of the Tree, What is Sahaj Marg?, Religion and Spirituality, Principles of Sahaj Marg, Love and Death, Guru and The Goal, Revealing the Personality, Role of the Master in Human Evolution, Sahaj Marg Meanderings, HeartSpeak Series (14 Volumes), Diaries of Chariji (1983–1985), वे कहते हैं (Ve Kehthe Hein, 4 Volumes in Hindi), Heart of the Lion, Messages Universal (Volume II) and Call of Spirituality (Volume I & II) |
Title | President of Shri Ram Chandra Mission (1983-2014), Founder of Sahaj Marg Spirituality Foundation (2003), Founder of Lalaji Memorial Omega International School (2005) |
Predecessor | Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur |
Spouse(s) | Sulochana Rajagopalachari |
Children | P. R. Krishna |
Website | Chariji |
Early life
Chariji was born in a South Indian family. The eldest of four children, his father Shri C. A. Rajagopalachari served in the Indian Railways and his mother, Srimathi R. Janaki, was an amateur violinist who died when Chariji was only five years old.[5]
Professional life
After graduating from Banaras Hindu University with a B.Sc., Chariji worked for Indian Plastics Ltd. and T.T. Krishnamachari & Co., retiring from employment in 1985 as a corporate executive director in the TTK Group[4][6]
Sahaj Marg and contribution to Spirituality
In 1964, Chariji met and became the disciple of Shri Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. He is better known as Babuji and was the founder President and the second in the line of Raja Yoga Masters of the Sahaj Marg System.[4]As Babuji health was deteriorating, he nominated Chariji as his successor. After Babuji's Mahasamadhi in 1983, Chariji became the President of Shri Ram Chandra Mission and the third Raja Yoga Master of Sahaj Marg. He oversaw the growth and expansion of Sahaj Marg into more than 100 countries.[3] Chariji started the system of Value Based Education[7] and the Lalaji Memorial Omega International School, Chennai, India[8][9] based on Value Based Education principles. He traveled extensively around the world giving talks[10][11][12] and conducting seminars on Raja Yoga up until 2008.
His books, videos and audio tapes have been translated into 12 languages.[13]
Final years and mahāsamādhi
Chariji's health deteriorated from 2008 until he attained mahāsamādhi on 20 December 2014.[14] His spiritual successor – Shri Kamlesh Patel also known as Daaji, is the current Guide of Sahaj Marg System and is the President of Shri Ram Chandra Mission.[15]
References
- "Reflections from my stay in an Ashram, India". www.ichakadizes.com. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- "A Flexible Mind by Elizabeth Denley, Australian Yoga Life, Issue 7" (PDF). www.wellnesscentre.net.au. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- "Sahaj Marg system of meditation". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- Rajagopalachari 1999, p. ix–x, About Chariji.
- Vasu 2014, pp. 51–52, The Brahmachari.
- "Remembering Chariji". www.industrialeconomist.com. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- "Value Education". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- "New school promises value-based education". www.thehindu.com. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- "The Founder". www.omegaschools.org. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- "Spreading Love, Peace and Unity This New Year". www.huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- Hughes 2015, p. 28.
- Hughes 2014, p. 45-46.
- "Spiritual Hierarchy Publication Trust list of Books, Video and Audio recordings by Chariji". www.shpt.in. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- "Obituary – 21st December 2014". www.thehindu.com. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- "Kamlesh D Patel". www.sahajmarg.org. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
Sources
- Rajagopalachari, Parthasarathi (2014), Down Memory Lane, 1 (Second ed.), ISBN 978-93-81281-06-2
- Rajagopalachari, Parthasarathi (1999), Thus Speaks Chariji (Babuji Maharaj Birth Centenary ed.), ISBN 0-945242-46-8
- Vasu, Prashant (2014), At the Feet of the Master - The becoming of a Disciple, A Biography of Shri Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari, 1 (First ed.), Spiritual Hierarchy Publication Trust, ISBN 978-93-83516-89-6
- Rajagopalachari, Parthasarathi (2010), My Master (Second ed.), ISBN 978-93-80335-48-3
- Hughes, Kim (2015), Journey Beyond, ISBN 978-0-9859480-0-9
- Hughes, Kim (2014), The Journey Within, ISBN 978-0-9863343-0-6
- Callahan, Daren (2007), Yoga: An Annotated Bibliography of Works in English, 1981-2005 (First ed.), McFarland, ISBN 978-0-7864-3162-5