Vethathiri Maharishi (14 August 1911 – 28 March 2006) is an Indian yoga guru, philosopher and Hindu spiritual leader.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} He founded the World Community Service Centre (WCSC) in Chennai and established the Temple of Consciousness (Arivu Thirukkoil) at Aliyar near Coimbatore. He promoted the practice of yoga and meditation as a means of achieving spiritual awareness and thereby the development of mankind for the furtherance of human brotherhood and world peace. He evolved a simplified Kundalini Yoga combining yoga with meditation, simple exercises, and traditional medicinal practices which enabled him to teach it to the common people.

Vethathiri was born into a Tamil family on August 14, 1911, in Guduvancheri near Madras in the Madras Presidency (now part of Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu).^[6] He was the eighth child of his parents Varadappan and Chinnammal, who were weavers.^[2] In 1916, he was enrolled for schooling at the age of five but had to drop out of school due to the poor economic situation of the family and extreme poverty.^[2][6]

At the age of 12, he met A. Balakrishna, who introduced Vethathiri to spirituality, Advaita philosophy and devotion to God. He moved to Madras after accepting a job at a private company. There he met S. Krishna Rao, who trained him in traditional Siddha and Ayurveda medicine. Vethathri passed the Ayurvedacharya examination conducted by the Government Medical Council to qualify as a physician and served as an aide during the Second World War.^[6] He met seer Paranjyothi, who initiated him into Kundalini Yoga and taught him Hindu philosophy and meditation techniques.^[7]

At the age of 23, he married Logambal.^[8] He engaged in multiple businesses till his late 30s and worked as a clerk with the postal department before embarking on a spiritual life.^[6]

While he was involved in analyzing scriptures and trying to ascertain the meaning of self-realization over the years, he was inspired by Ramalinga Swamigal, after which he was completely engrossed in spirituality.^[5][9] Vethathri spent time investigating civil wrongs in social life and motivated him towards a moral life with charity to share one's possessions equitably with others.^[2][6] He preached attaining a state of knowledge through self-realization and to live in peace.^[10]

Vethathri practiced Kundalini Yoga and evolved a Simplified Kundalini Yoga (SKY) from the same combining it with kayakalpa and simple exercises in order to teach them to the common people.^[3][11] In 1958, he founded the World Community Service Centre (WCSC) in Chennai.^[11] WCSC was established as a non-profit, non-religious and philanthropic organization and has an ECOSOC consultative status with the United Nations. It is involved in running meditation centers internationally and in teaching his practices.^[11] In 1984, he established Arivu Thirukkol (Temple of Consciousness) at Aliyar in Coimbatore district which became the center of his teaching and practices during the later part of his life.^[5][12][13]

As per Vethathri, “Individual Peace leads to World Peace” and he emphasized that world peace is only possible when every individual is living peacefully in co-existence. He believed that peace percolates to his/her immediate family and society and eventually to the whole world.^[2][11] He gave 14 practical points to achieve the same, collectively termed as Vethathiriam. He integrated scientific practices with spirituality and medicine. Because of his preaching of simplified teachings, he was addressed as Thathuva Gnani (loosely translated as "the Common Man’s Philosopher").^[11]

He believed that the fundamental cause of human misery was the lack of self-awareness and awareness about the relationship with others. He emphasized proper education as it is the basis for physical and mental maturity. As per Vethathri, introspection leads to self-awareness, and the practices of yoga help in developing the necessary strength and character to achieve the same.^[14] The Universe is made up of space which evolves consistently with various objects in it made up of smaller particles. According to him, time, matter, and energy are manifestations of space and gravity itself is a manifestation of compression of particles in space.^[15]

Vethathri Maharishi passed away on 28 March 2006 after a brief illness followed by a heart attack.^[16]

Vethathri has written more than 75 books mostly in Tamil language and later translated into others.^[5] Most of the books are on the subjects of world peace, virtues to be followed in life and practice of Yoga and meditation. He ran a monthly journal titled Arivoli for more than 35 years.^[5] Notable works include Gnana Kalanjiyam (Encyclopedia of knowledge), published in two volumes and contains 1854 songs.^[10] Other notable works include:^[17][18] Original from: the University of Michigan

• Vethathiri (1982). The story of my life. Vethathiri publications.
• Vethathiri (1982). Sex and spiritual development. Vethathiri publications.
• Vethathiri (1983). Simplified physical exercises. Vethathiri publications.
• Vethathiri (1983). Physical exercises for health and longetivity. Vethathiri publications.
• Vethathiri (1983). Yoga for modern age. Vethathiri publications.
• Vethathiri (1983). Karma Yoga for holistic unity. Vethathiri publications.
• Vethathiri (1990). Kayakalpa Yoga to maintain health, youthfulness and longetivity. Vethathiri Maharishi Kundalini Yoga and Kayakalpa Research Foundation.
• Vethathiri; Thomas Fitzgerald (1992). Journey of Consciousness: A Complete, Powerful, and Unique Synthesis of Revealed Yogic Truth Explicating Simplified Kundalini Yoga and Karma Yoga as a Simple, Systematic, and Scientific Path to Enable Modern Man to Achieve a Harmonious Life and Self-realization. Macmillan India. ISBN 978-0-333-92629-1.

In 2010, India Post released a commemorative stamp of Vethathri Maharishi on his hundredth birth anniversary.^[1][9][19]