Biography of Gnanavallal Paranjothi Mahan

His Holiness  Gnanavallal Paranjothi Mahan was born on the 2nd of May, 1900, at 8.30 p.m. in Kanspuram, located in the Ramnad District in Tamilnadu, India. Mahan hails from a very poor and pious family.  

Mahan's childhood was poverty-ridden; he always thought of the spiritual consciousness in his mind. When he was eleven years old, Mahan saw the coronation of the Emperor. Mahan asked a man attending the coronation ceremony: "Who is greater than the King?" The man replied the following to Mahan's query: "God." Then Mahan enquired the following: "Can I see God?". The man responded: "Yes, you can see God." From that moment onwards, Mahan was determined to see God and pursued intense spiritual austerity.  
 

While living in Rangoon-Burma, Mahan regularly visited a place of worship near his home. Mahan used to arrive at the worship site at 4 a.m. before prayers commenced. Mahan participated in group prayers and was always seated in the front row of the prayer sessions. Due to his regular visits to the place of worship and enthusiasm for spiritual knowledge, Mahan met an aged friend, a philosopher well-versed in religious affairs. This friendship was a significant turning point in Mahan's life.  
 

The elderly person was impressed with Mahan's determination and enthusiasm for spiritual knowledge. He accepted Mahan as his disciple. The elderly person initiated Mahan to practice meditation on 7-1-1938 at 11.11 p.m.  
 

The initiation enlightened Mahan, and he realized the answers to all his eternal questions. The elderly person felt that Mahan was enlightened, and on 7-7-1938, he permitted Mahan to preach and initiate others into this meditation practice.  
 

The next day, 8-7-1938 when Mahan was on his way to his business, someone told Mahan, that he was looking like a Guru. Mahan accepted those words and considered himself a Spiritual Teacher. From that day onwards, he discontinued his business and intensified his spiritual pursuit. He used his body as an experimental laboratory to experience the different stages of initiation. Through his efforts, he refined and perfected the method of awakening the kundalini force.  
 

After overcoming all the doubts, he experienced satisfaction and began to preach the principles of Self-realization and initiated many people to this practice. In September 1939, Mahan returned to Madurai, India. In India, Mahan experienced several difficulties, both financially and with the loss of a close family member. Despite these difficulties, Mahan continued his initiation and preaching. Mahan established the 'PARIPOORNA PARANJOTHI UYAR GNANA SABHAI' and published a treatise titled 'l-GOD'. The treatise outlined the philosophy of Self-realization through the practice of Kundalini meditation.  
 

Mahan established several branches in India and traveled to several countries in the Asia-Pacific region, England and Canada to preach the practice of Self-realization. Mahan established the Persatuan Paranjothi Paripurana Gnanam in Malaysia under the leadership of His Holiness Paranjothi Siva Sankaran. Mahan celebrated his 80th  birthday in Malaysia and appointed His Holiness Siva Sankaran as Malaysia's first Principal Gurupiran to continue his Self-realization teachings.  
 

On 7-1-1981 Mahan attained Mahasamadhi in India. Mahan's samadhi day is also the birthday of His Holiness Gurupiran Siva Sankaran.