(October 19, 1920 – October 25, 2003)

Born in the village of Roha near Mumbai. Was taught in a system very similar to that of the Tapovan system of ancient India. In 1942, started to give discourses at the Srimad Bhagavad Gita Pathshala, a centre set up by his father.

A philosopher, spiritual leader, social reformer and Hinduism reformist. Founded the Swadhyay Movement and the Swadhyay Parivar organization (Swadhyay Family) in 1954, a self-knowledge movement and a model community peacefully practicing and spreading the divine Vedic thoughts and the message of the Bhagavad Gita which has spread across nearly 100,000 villages in India. He was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership and the Padma Vibhushan in 1999.