362:(known then as Guru Maharaj Ji or Bagyogeshwar), succeeded him. The young guru appointed some new Mahatmas, including one from the United States. In one incident, a prominent Indian Mahatma nearly beat a man to death in Detroit for throwing a pie at the guru. In the early 1980s, Prem Rawat replaced the Divine Light Mission organization with the Elan Vital and replaced the Mahatmas with initiators. The initiators did not have the revered status of the Mahatmas, and they were drawn mostly from Western followers. In the 2000s, the initiators were replaced by a video in which Rawat teaches the techniques himself.
377:
294:
199:
276:, wrote that Johnson "claims in all of his books that there were no Masters at all in early Theosophical Society history, and that Helena Blavatsky invented them (as others had claimed she had invented her travels)". Sanat wrote that Johnson "deliberately ignores the main sources of evidence for their real physical existence". What Sanat thought these were is not made quite clear.
228:. According to the Theosophical teachings, the Mahatmas are not disembodied beings, but highly evolved people involved in overseeing the spiritual growth of individuals and the development of civilizations. Blavatsky was the first person in modern times to claim contact with these Adepts, especially the "Masters"
357:
and formally incorporated in 1960. The DLM had as many as 2,000 Mahatmas, all from India or Tibet, who taught the DLM's secret meditation techniques called "Knowledge". The
Mahatmas, called "realized souls", or "apostles", also served as local leaders. After Hans Ji's death in 1966 his youngest
244:
The
Masters whom Theosophy presents to us are simply high-ranking students in life's school of experience. They are members of our own evolutionary group, not visitants from the celestial spheres. They are supermen only in that they have attained knowledge of the laws of life and mastery over its
249:
After
Blavatsky's death in 1891, numerous individuals have claimed to be in contact with her Adept Teachers. These individuals have stated that they are new "messengers" of the Masters and they have conveyed various esoteric teachings. Currently, various Theosophical movements refer to them as
432:) is a third sect, called Mahá-átma; group separated from the Oswal Jains, have the dress and appearance of Jatis; however, do not pluck their hair with tweezers, but cut it. They live the social life and spread the teaching of Mahavir and other Jain
801:"The Dabistán: Or, School of Manners: The Religious Beliefs, Observances, Philosophic Opinions and Social Customs of the Nations of the East, Fani Muhsin, Translated by David Shea, Anthony Troyer, Publisher, M. Walter Dunne, 1901 p. 275-276"
815:"The Dabistán: Or, School of Manners: The Religious Beliefs, Observances, Philosophic Opinions and Social Customs of the Nations of the East, Fani Muhsin, Translated by David Shea, Anthony Troyer, Publisher, M. Walter Dunne, 1901 p. 275"
308:
is said to have used this title for Gandhi on 6 March 1915. Some claim that he was called
Mahatma by the residents of Gurukul Kangadi in April 1915, and he in turn called the founder Munshiram a Mahatma (who later became
380:
Mewad
Ramayana manuscript: the colophon in red: state text was written by the Mahatma Hirananda, was commissioned by Acarya Jasvant for the library of Maharana Jagat Singh I of Mewar. Finished on Friday 25 November
427:
written around 1655 CE, is a text that describes various religions and philosophies the author encountered. Its
Section 11 is dedicated to Jainism. It states: "Similar to the dervishes of both classes (Monk and
491:"PM's address on the occasion of release of Commemorative Coin in honour of Mahatma Basaveshwara : Speeches : Prime Minister of India – Dr. Manmohan Singh (May 22, 2004 – 26th May 2014)"
436:
in the society. They accumulate money, cook their meals in their houses, drink cold water, and take to them a wife." The term
Mahatma was thus used for priests/scholars who were not celibate.
409:, was written by one Mahatma Hirananda and finished on Friday 25 November 1650. Being a Jain scribe, Mahatma Hirananda incorporated traditional Jain scribal elements into the manuscript.
262:
There has been a great deal of controversy concerning the existence of adepts. Blavatsky's critics have doubted the existence of her
Masters. See, for example, W. E. Coleman's exposes.
570:"Aryel Sanat (Miguel Angel Sanabria) is currently Adjunct Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the American University in Washington, D.C." //
928:
643:
329:
in 1909 referred to Gandhi with the title and thus remains the earliest written record available to use the title. The use of the term
Mahatma in
268:
in his books speculates that the "Masters" that
Blavatsky wrote about and produced letters from were actually idealizations of people who were her
657:
Sankar R N, Ajith (July–December 2012). "Ascertaining Linkages between Trikaranasuddhi and 'Tapping Spirituality as the Context of Leadership'".
881:
814:
800:
709:
861:
The Theosophical Movement of the Nineteenth Century: The Legitimation of the Disputable and the Entrenchment of the Disreputable.
401:
of the Mewar Ramayana, described as "one of the most beautiful manuscripts in the world", states that the text, commissioned by
350:
864:
772:
318:
786:
686:
Price, Maeve (1979): The Divine Light Mission as a social organization. (1) Sociological Review, 27, Page 279-296
631:
933:
114:
31:
254:, although their character and teachings are in several respects different from those described by Blavatsky.
834:
The theosophical masters: an investigation into the conceptual domains of H.P. Blavatsky and C.W. Leadbeater.
571:
938:
333:
to denote a class of lay priests, has been noted since the 17th century. A Mahatma is someone who practices
209:
490:
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326:
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is preserved at the National Gandhi Museum in New Delhi, India. A private letter from Gandhi's friend
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539:. Adyar, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1929 (Reprint: Kessinger Publishing, 1997).
445:
334:
322:
297:
265:
251:
237:
871:
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741:"The Mewar Ramayana at the British Library: How the complete digital version came to be"
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644:"A lesser-known friend of Gandhi who gave the 'Mahatma' a lesson in European etiquette"
627:
470:
465:
288:
168:
144:
917:
550:
New Religions: A Guide: New Religious Movements, Sects and Alternative Spiritualities
313:). However, a document honoring him with the title "Mahatma" on 21 January 1915, in
293:
147:, who is often referred to simply as "Mahatma Gandhi". Albeit less frequently, this
702:
Cults and New Religious Movements: A Report of the American Psychiatric Association
523:
455:
354:
773:"Ramayana – Pages 21 and 22 (British Library Add MS 15296-15297 and IO San 3621)"
433:
754:
198:
846:
The Masters Revealed: Madam Blavatsky and Myth of the Great White Brotherhood.
359:
229:
859:
755:"In pictures: Stunning Ramayana manuscript goes digital, BBC, 21 March 2014"
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183:
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137:
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the term Mahatma is used for the class for scholars who are householders.
832:
17:
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179:
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has also been historically used for a class of religious scholars in
152:
274:
The inner life of Krishnamurti: private passion and perennial wisdom
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Madame Blavatsky & the Latter-Day Messengers of the Masters
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60:
300:, who is commonly referred to as the Mahatma in modern times
96:
78:
69:
51:
87:
876:
Ph.D. Thesis. Whitefish, Montana: Kessinger Publishing.
208:
The word, used in a technical sense, was popularized in
725:
Bartel, Dennis (November 1983). "Who's Who in Gurus".
119:
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Albany, New York: State University of New York Press.
848:
Albany, New York: State University of New York Press.
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63:
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81:
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151:has also been used with regard to such people as
353:-based movement begun in India in the 1930s by
873:Theosophy: A Modern Revival of Ancient Wisdom.
405:for the library of Maharana Jagat Singh I of
8:
615:"और इस तरह गांधी महात्मा बन गए, 01-Oct-2012"
909:The theosophical Mahatmas and Their Letters
245:forces with which we are still struggling.
841:, Department of Religious Studies. Sydney.
212:literature in the late 19th century, when
186:; and for local religious teachers in the
182:; for the selected religious leaders in
561:Johnson (1994), Johnson (1995) – p. 49.
482:
894:Dutta, Krishna, and Andrew Robinson.
7:
600:Dutta, Krishna and Andrew Robinson,
929:Theosophical philosophical concepts
896:Rabindranath Tagore: An Anthology.
853:Initiates of Theosophical Masters.
704:. American Psychiatric Pub., Inc.
552:Oxford University Press, USA 2004.
25:
628:National Gandhi Museum, New Delhi
602:Rabindranath Tagore: An Anthology
220:, claimed that her teachers were
898:Picador/Macmillan: London, 1997.
44:
574:The inner life of Krishnamurthy
280:Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi as
143:The term is commonly used for
1:
831:French, Brendan James (2000)
216:, one of the founders of the
224:(or Mahatmas) who reside in
548:Partridge, Christopher ed.
341:In the Divine Light Mission
304:According to some authors,
120:
955:
865:University of South Africa
787:"Ramayana – Pages 3 and 4"
393:Mahatma Hirananda of Mewar
369:
286:
145:Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
132: 'great' and
29:
858:Kalnitsky, Arnold (2003)
659:IPE Journal of Management
319:Nautamlal Bhagvanji Mehta
272:. Aryel Sanat, author of
109:
870:Kuhn, Alvin Boyd (1930)
851:Johnson, K. Paul (1995)
844:Johnson, K. Paul (1994)
537:The Masters and the Path
42:(English pronunciation:
32:Mahatma (disambiguation)
867:. Dissertation: 443 pp.
700:Galanter, Marc (1989).
27:Honorific term in India
514:Kuhn (1930), – p. 147.
382:
301:
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240:wrote about mahātmās:
205:
379:
370:Further information:
327:Gopal Krishna Gokhale
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242:
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839:University of Sydney
572:About the author of
347:Divine Light Mission
218:Theosophical Society
188:Divine Light Mission
136: 'soul') is an
30:For other uses, see
306:Rabindranath Tagore
535:Leadbeater, C. W.
423:Dabestan-e Mazaheb
415:Dabestan-e Mazaheb
383:
311:Swami Shraddhanand
302:
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157:Swami Shraddhanand
882:978-1-56459-175-3
646:. 2 October 2021.
495:archivepmo.nic.in
413:Jain Mahatmas in
167:(1863–1941), and
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124:, from
918:Categories
477:References
385:Among the
366:In Jainism
360:Prem Rawat
230:Koot Hoomi
161:Lalon Shah
130:महा (mahā)
924:Theosophy
451:Theosophy
258:Criticism
184:Theosophy
174:The term
165:Ayyankali
138:honorific
115:romanized
759:BBC News
727:Harper's
576:in 1999.
500:7 August
440:See also
399:colophon
351:Sant Mat
190:church.
126:Sanskrit
106:Sanskrit
18:Mahatmas
817:. 1901.
803:. 1901.
671:2212138
331:Jainism
282:Mahātmā
270:mentors
180:Jainism
176:mahātmā
149:epithet
121:mahātmā
117::
110:महात्मा
40:Mahātmā
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669:
604:, p. 2
358:son,
315:Jetpur
222:adepts
153:Basava
430:Jatis
407:Mewar
387:Jains
381:1650.
234:Morya
203:Lalon
128:
878:ISBN
706:ISBN
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586:See
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420:The
397:The
372:Yati
345:The
232:and
226:Asia
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