FAQ « Maharishi Vedic Pandits
regarding the Maharishi Vedic Pandits
WHY IS THIS GROUP MADE UP ONLY OF MAHARISHI VEDIC PANDITS?
Scientific research has shown that groups of people from all walks of life practicing Yogic Flying together can produce a powerful influence of peace, however maintaining harmony in society is the traditional occupation of the Maharishi Vedic Pandits. They do this not only by participating in long sessions of meditation and Yogic Flying, they also perform specific Yagyas for peace. The daily performance of these Yagyas creates a steady and powerful influence of peace that is unique to the Maharishi Vedic Pandits.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VEDIC PANDITS AND MAHARISHI VEDIC PANDITS?
First of all, Maharishi Vedic Pandits practise Transcendental Meditation and the TM-Sidhi programme including Yogic Flying. These techniques bring direct experience of transcendental pure consciousness, which is the basis of all Vedic knowledge.As a result of their daily meditation, Maharishi Vedic Pandits perform Yagyas from a more settled level of awareness. They engage deeper levels of natural law, so that the Yagyas have a more powerful effect.

In addition, Maharishi worked closely with the most revered Master Pandits over decades to restore the training of Vedic Pandits so that they learned the proper practice and pronunciation in its full traditional effectiveness. Visitors often remark how the Maharishi Vedic Pandits recite slowly and softly. This gives vital integrity to the Vedic sounds as they reverberate throughout the environment.

HOW MANY MAHARISHI VEDIC PANDITS ARE THERE NOW?
About 2,000 Maharish Vedic Pandits are in the group at the campus at the Brahmasthan of India. Over 3,000 advanced student Pandits live in 26 residential training centres throughout India.
WHAT IS VEDA?
Veda means knowledge. Much more than ancient books, Maharishi has explained that the Veda is the knowledge and organizing power that underlies and governs the entire creation. The Veda contains the knowledge of how to lead human life to achieve its most exalted and fulfilled state the state of enlightenment.
WHAT IS YOGIC FLYING?
Yogic Flying is part of the Advanced TM-Sidhi program. For the individual, Yogic Flying integrates the silent coherence in the brain found during deep meditation with dynamic activity, thus helping to develop higher states of consciousness. For society, groups of Yogic Flyers practicing together have been shown to spread an influence of coherence and harmony to the surrounding population. This latter effect forms the basis of the Global Peace Initiative.
WHAT ARE THE ACTIVITIES OF THE MAHARISHI VEDIC PANDITS?
Their daily program, as designed by Maharishi, includes early rising, meditation and group flying, Maharishi Yagya performances, group dining and some time for recreation.
WHY THE BRAHMASTHAN OF INDIA?
Brahmasthan refers to the central point of a living area, such as a house, town or country. Maharishi has indicated that for the greatest peaceful effect, a group of Yogic Flyers should be located in the Brahmasthan of a country. For this reason, the main campus of Maharishi Vedic Pandits has been situated in the Brahmasthan of India, near Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN ONCE THE TARGET OF 9,000 MAHARISHI VEDIC PANDITS IS REACHED?
We will celebrate. A new era of peacefulness for the world will have arrived. Because there is always room for more progress, the Trust and Foundation will continue to increase the numbers of Pandits in India practicing Yogic Flying in groups and performing Yagyas so that an even greater influence of peace and coherence is created worldwide.
HOW CAN I STAY UPDATED ABOUT THE PROGRESS OF THE PANDIT GROUP?
The best way is simply to subscribe to the newsletter, which is free of charge. Each month Dr Harris Kaplan, Chief Executive Officer of the Brahmananda Saraswati Trust, sends a one-page email to all subscribers. If you become a donor on this website, then you will receive these newsletters automatically.You can also contact your national ‘Ambassador of World Peace’ and ask to be kept informed of any initiatives in your own country.

CAN I SUPPORT A SINGLE MAHARISHI VEDIC PANDIT?
We encouraged everyone to contribute on a monthly basis for Pandit support. You can choose to provide full support for a Pandit or some fraction of that amount. A Maharishi Vedic Pandit can be fully sponsored for US $ 250 per month. This includes their room and board, salary, administration costs, Yagya supplies and incidentals. However, to allow the Pandits to keep their attention on their daily responsibilities, there is not a one-on-one relationship set up between donors and individual Pandits.
regarding Donations, Finances and Bequests
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DONATING FOR A MAHARISHI NATIONAL YAGYA AND DONATING FOR THE MAHARISHI VEDIC PANDITS?
All donations to support the Maharishi Vedic Pandits automatically count towards the national Yagya program.
IS MY DONATION TAX DEDUCTABLE?
For EU Donors: Stichting Brahmananda Saraswati Trust (The Netherlands) has the status of ANBI (Institution Aimed at the Common Good), so donations made to the Trust are tax deductable for Dutch residents and now also for those from other EU countries. However not all EU countries have implemented tax deductibility for donations made to institutions abroad. So for EU countries other than The Netherlands, please ask your Ambassador. For US Donors: Brahmananda Saraswati Foundation (US) is a 501 (c) (3) organization and donations to it are tax deductible for US taxpayers.For other countries: Some national charities offer tax-deductible status for donations to the Maharishi Vedic Pandits. These include those in United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand. Click on the country name to find out more about how to make a donation through your national organisation. Even if your country is not listed above among those that offer tax benefits, you can still support the Maharishi Vedic Pandits from any country in the world by making online donations to Brahmanandha Saraswati Trust or the Foundation.

WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO GIVE ON A REGULAR MONTHLY BASIS?
One-time donations are warmly welcomed and always helpful. However, as the Maharishi Vedic Pandits are hired for a career at the Brahmasthan campus, once we take them on we want them to be confident that they will be reliably supported on an ongoing basis. So we encourage our donors to give regular monthly donations and create a stable donor basis on which to build the 9,000 group.
WHAT PERCENTAGE OF MY DONATION GOES TO SUPPORT THE VEDIC PANDITS?
Over 90% of regular donations goes to India to support the Maharishi Vedic Pandits. Less than 10% is used to cover credit card, wire transfer and administration costs. Among fundraising organizations, under 10% is considered a low percentage.
HOW MANY COUNTRIES DONATE TO THE MAHARISHI VEDIC PANDITS?
Donors from over 100 countries support the Maharishi Vedic Pandits.
HOW IS THE ENDOWMENT FUND MANAGED?
Donations to the Endowment Fund do not go to India but are invested. Only the income from the investments is used to support the Pandits so the Endowment Fund is never depleted. The BSF and BST Investment Committee includes a group of experienced administrators from different businesses and financial institutions. Click here to see the Investment Committee.

CAN I LEAVE A BEQUEST IN MY WILL TO THE MAHARISHI VEDIC PANDITS?
Yes. Naming the Brahmananda Saraswati Foundation (BSF) in your will allows you to make an important charitable gift to the Maharishi Vedic Pandits. The benefits are double — for the support of the Maharishi Vedic Pandits and for yourself. An act of charity to such a rare and worthy cause is highly auspicious. For questions you may contact Jeannie Rose.
jeannie@bsf-international.org
You can read more below.

WHAT ARE THE STEPS THAT I NEED TO TAKE IN ORDER TO LEAVE A BEQUEST TO THE MAHARISHI VEDIC PANDITS IN MY WILL?

Donors can leave a bequest to Brahmananda Saraswati Foundation USA, which is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization in the United States. Should a bequest be of considerable size in another country, please contact us at BSF as it may be best to set up a special Brahmananda Saraswati Trust/Foundation in your country to maximize your local tax benefits. Please read more below about the wording of your will. You may contact Jeannie Rose – jeannie@bsf-international.org

A donor must seek legal counsel from their independent advisors to ensure that their last will fulfills all legal and tax requirements of their country. When you wish to leave a bequest to the Maharishi Vedic Pandits, we can assist with this process by suggesting sample language (see below) that may be useful to your attorney when drafting a simple bequest in your last Will and Testament.

HOW DO I CLEARLY STATE THE BENEFICIARY IN MY WILL?

The beneficiary of a will has to be named precisely. It must specifically state the beneficiary as ‘Brahmananda Saraswati Foundation’. It cannot just say ‘Vedic Pandits’ or ‘Maharishi Vedic Pandits’. Also, the will must include the complete address and tax ID of BSF.

The required language in a will to support the Vedic Pandits is simple. The charitable gift can be either a fixed amount, a percentage of your total estate or a percentage of your estate after other gifts you provide. A donor may use one of the following three options of ‘will language’. Or a donor may use language suggested by their attorney.

We have prepared ‘suggested language’ to use when you wish to leave a gift to the Maharishi Vedic Pandits in your will. See below.

>Read more about leaving a gift to the Maharishi Vedic Pandits

SUGGESTED LANGUAGE IN A WILL FOR BSF

Specific Bequest:

“I give to Brahmananda Saraswati Foundation, located in Fairfield Iowa, the sum of $_______ to be used for its general operating support (or for the support of a specific location or program).”

OR A

Percentage of Estate:

“I give _____% of my estate to the Brahmananda Saraswati Foundation, located in Fairfield Iowa.”

OR A

Residual Bequest: A residual bequest comes to us after your estate expenses and specific bequests are paid.

“I give and devise to Brahmananda Saraswati Foundation, located in Fairfield, Iowa, all (or a stated percentage) of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, both real and personal, to be used for its general operating support (or for the support of a specific location or program).”

Brahmananda Saraswati Foundation
1100 N. 4th Street, Suite 124
Fairfield, Iowa 52556
Phone: 1-641-209-5022
Here is a link to Questions and Answers. https://donate.vedicpandits.org/donate/faq.php

You may contact Jeannie Rose – jeannie@bsf-international.org

What is the BSF Employer Identification Number (EIN), also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number? We will be happy to send you this number.

We trust that this is all clear and helpful for you. Many people have asked us to advise and guide them about offering their last and most precious gift to this programme so dear to Maharishi and so treasured for the future of mankind.

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