“My vision is a world without bloodshed and tension,” said Sri Ravi Shankar, a spiritual leader and humanitarian ambassador who has worked for decades to promote international peace. The ‘Art of Living Foundation’, one of the world’s largest humanitarian non-governmental organizations, was founded by him. It is renowned for its outstanding services to humanity. As a child, he was exceptionally talented and always desired to create a peaceful society. Today, he spreads his ideas through the innumerable ‘ashrams’ and Art of Living institutes all across the globe. Ravi Shankar, an internationally venerated saint, is a multifaceted social crusader whose humanitarian activities include conflict resolution, trauma treatment, and poverty alleviation. He asserts that profound meditation and a potent breathing technique known as the “Sudarshan Kriya” may be incorporated straight into one’s daily life to calm the mind and promote positivity and vitality. Through personal lessons, social contacts, public events, and Art of Living courses, his preaching and ideals have touched more than 300 million people around the world. This amazing figure has received numerous awards for his undeniable contributions to humanity.
Early Childhood & Education
Ravi Shankar was born to Smt. Visalakshmi Ratnam and R.S. Venkat Ratnam in Papanasam, Tamil Nadu, India. At the age of four, he began practicing meditation with his parents and could recite poems from the ancient Sanskrit classic Bhagwad Gita. He was a child genius.
He began studying Vedic literature with Sudhakar Chaturvedi and attended MES in Bangalore at the same time. At the age of 17, he received degrees in Physics and Vedic Literature in 1973.
Rise To Fame
After graduating, he traveled with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, under whose direction he began delivering Vedic science sermons at Ayurveda facilities. During this time, he became a close friend and confidant of the Maharishi.
Throughout the 1980s, he traveled the globe preaching spirituality wherever he went. In 1982, he founded the Art of Living Foundation, and in 1983, he conducted the first Art of Living course in Switzerland. In 1986, he traveled to California for an Art of Living course and quickly rose to fame among the American populace.
He devised a sequence of efficient breathing exercises called Sudarshan-Kriya around the end of the 1980s. Supposedly, while he was meditating on the banks of the Bhadra River in Shimoga, Karnataka, the idea for a novel breathing technique came to him.
In 1997, he established the International Association for Human Values (IAHV), a humanitarian organization with the mission of bringing sustainable development to rural areas and revitalizing human values and morality.
Theories and Philosophies
He is one of the most prominent spirituality advocates and has repeatedly underlined that spirituality nurtures human qualities such as love and compassion and can be embraced by people of all religions. According to him, a “violence-free society” can be attained through spirituality in addition to religion.
He believes that daily meditation should be undertaken in order to feel revitalized and reenergized. In addition, he organizes “Satsangs” (group gatherings) where his countless devotees can listen to his teachings and meditate in unison.
According to his belief, the omnipresent God resides in the hearts of all people. He preached that every religion has three defining characteristics: practices, symbols, and ideals, all of which are vital for constructing a peaceful and unified global community.
One of his other positions is that it is simple for humans to evaluate others and that individuals should not be too strict when creating ideas or points of view. This could have an effect on their morality or character, which in turn could have repercussions for society as a whole.
Current Humanitarian Efforts and Activities
Numerous honors and distinctions have been bestowed upon him for his work as a peace ambassador, for which he has received worldwide recognition. Through the Art of Living Foundation, he promotes his vision of nonviolence, and he is currently involved in countless other philanthropic endeavors.
In 1992, he initiated a program to rehabilitate prisoners and assist them in finding decent employment upon their release.
In 2004 and 2007, he traveled to Pakistan and Iraq, respectively, and met with political and religious leaders to advocate global peace. He is currently a member of the ‘Board of World Religious Leaders.
Volunteers from the Art of Living Foundation offered relief, food, and shelter to tsunami victims in the aftermath of the 2004 disaster. In addition, his volunteers participated in the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort.
Shankar founded “Volunteer for a Better India” on December 5, 2012, in response to the 2012 Delhi Gang Rape Case.
Recently, he created the NON-VIVO Movement with the intention of permanently ending violence. It urges individuals to take a stand against violence using social and digital media.
Sri’s Major Opera
Sri Ravi Shankar has addressed millions of people throughout the world with a strong and distinctive breathing method known as “Sudarshan Kriya,” a continuous breathing pattern that harmonizes the body and mind and enables individuals to experience inner peace.
The ‘Sudarshan Kriya’ breathing technique, the foundation of all Art of Living courses, has been examined by a variety of medical institutes and recognized for boosting immunity and strengthening brain function.
“Celebrating Silence” is widely recognized as one of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s most impactful works to date. This is a chronological compilation of the weekly speeches from 1995 to 2000. The book sold over 1,400,000 copies in the first two weeks and continues to be immensely popular.
Awards & Achievements
In 1986, he was awarded the title of “Yoga Shiromani” by the President of India.
The Government of Maharashtra awarded him the Guru Mahatmya Award in 1997.
In 2005, he received the prestigious “Global Humanitarian Award” in Illinois, United States of America.
In 2007, Amity University in New Delhi awarded him the “Leadership Award for Extraordinary Promotion of World Peace and Harmony.”
Forbes Magazine ranked him as the fifth most powerful person in India in 2009.
He received the Atmajyoti Award in 2010 for his humanitarian work in New Delhi.
On September 13, 2012, he was awarded Paraguay’s highest civilian accolade, the National Order of Merito de Comuneros.
Sri Shankar’s Legacy
Today, the Art of Living Foundation is present in more than 152 nations and has more than a million followers. Other institutes and ashrams, such as “Ved Vignan Mahavidyapeeth,” “Sri Ayurveda,” “The Sri School for Performing Arts and Fine Arts,” and “Sri Sri Pre-University College,” continue his legacy.
Estimated Net worth
Sri is one of the wealthiest and most well-known activists. According to our research, Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million.
Trivia
This spiritual leader’s ‘Art of Living’ course is included in the NASA Astronaut training curriculum.