Jay Randolph Coplin, in his dissertation on the history of the SRM, writes that in an interview with the then-Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math, Vasudevananda (the successor to Guru Dev's successor, Shantanand, and predecessor of the current Shankaracharya, Vishnudevananda, in Shantanand's line) -- Vasudevananda told Coplin that it was the Jyotir Math Peeth, itself, that bestowed the title "Maharishi".
Whether that happened before or after Maharishi began teaching in southern India wasn't written. It may have been an after-the-fact recognition by the Jyotir Math organization, or it may have actually been given shortly after Guru Dev died when Shantanand first ascended the seat. Ramana Maharishi's elevation to maharishi-hood was based on one person's insistence that it was the appropriate appellation for him, Ganapati Muni. All this stuff is made up anyway. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj <vajradh...@...> wrote: > > > On May 29, 2009, at 12:46 PM, Jason wrote: > > > I want to know who gave him the title *Maharishi* .?? > > > > Why does he put his bald head in all the org's emblems.?? > > > > I think he was a good meditation teacher, but a very poor > > Philosophy teacher.!! > > > > Paradoxicaly, I know many good philosophy teachers who are > > poor meditation teachers.!! > > > > > All his titles are self-proclaimed. > > The movement spiel is that people heard a rumor at one of his early > lectures in Southern India that a maharishi was coming from the > Himalayas, i.e. probably suggested by some forward materials for the > lecture. After that, he just assumed the name himself. According to > one of the Shanks. he also added the yogi and was never actually > trained as a yogi (thus the asana course made my a gym teacher). Joyce > Collin-Smith, an early secretary, actually caught him adding "His > Holiness" to his other aliases. >
