Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: A “dirty old man” or counterculture guru?
Any musician can find themselves losing their way from time to time. Whether it’s because of personal matters or drugs taking too much priority in one’s life, there are just as many artists that have fallen prey to their vices and have been spiritually lost ever since trying to find their way back to Earth. Although The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi may have had his fair share of influence on acts like The Beatles and Donovan in the 1960s, there have always been questions surrounding his teachings.
When the Fab Four were getting used to Eastern spirituality thanks to George Harrison, the spiritual guru had a great deal of effect on them in the late 1960s. Looking to find a way to reach cosmic awareness, the band eventually made their way to Rishikesh, India, to find their true calling. While the idea may have briefly worked, things began to fall apart as soon as the band arrived.
Not wanting the same thing out of the trip, every band member had a different outlook on the whole experience, with Ringo Starr leaving after only a few days, complaining that he didn’t like the food and that he had gained everything that he could from the experience. Though the rest of The Beatles stayed on for a few more weeks before leaving, something sinister was suspected in the background.
Despite his status as a counterculture guru, the Maharishi was also accused of inappropriate behaviour. Years before cancel culture had become accepted, many women said the guru had tried to make sexual advances in exchange for added cosmic wisdom. When speaking about her experience, Linda Pearce claimed that the guru was terrible, explaining to The Mirror, “He was a brilliant manipulator. I just couldn’t see that he was a dirty old man. We made love regularly. At one stage, I even thought I was pregnant by him. And I don’t think I was the only girl. There was a lot of talk that he’d tried to rape Mia Farrow.”
Although details about what happened are scarce, other rockers saw The Maharishi as a dangerous force, with Keith Richards remarking about the Beatles’ involvement, saying, “They didn’t want to be ‘God’ anymore, so they plugged it all onto the Maharishi.”
Neil Young was also not a huge fan of what the spiritual guru had to teach. As much as the teacher seemed like a holy figure compared to the rest of the world, Neil Young couldn’t help but see similarities between The Maharishi and what Charles Manson would do with ‘The Family’ in America in the late 1960s, leading by his teachings and leading various characters into potentially dangerous situations.
By the time the rumours surrounding the Maharishi reached a turning point, Lennon had had enough, thinking that every one of the guru’s teachings didn’t hold any water after they were being misconstrued through immoral intentions. While Harrison would defend the guru by saying that the accusations were exaggerated, Lennon would eventually renounce his faith in the guru’s teachings, using his solo album Plastic Ono Band to decry any notion that any spiritual teachings had some semblance of truth.
Although The Maharishi remains a divisive figure amongst the religious community, his presence among rock stars speaks to where the counterculture was moving. Rather than believing allegations because someone told them, the next generation of humanity was looking to get the whole experience of spirituality in whatever way they could. They could have obtained it from The Maharishi, but even without finding his wisdom, the journey towards finding the meaning of life had become more prevalent than ever.