Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math monastery, was a rare accomplished sage with extensive knowledge of Sri Vidya and was known for his Advaita philosophy. Within a short span of time, he garnered a vast following and reinforced the importance of Jyotir Math as a center for Advaita philosophy.
In 1979, during the Malnak v. Yogi case, it was found that TM teachers offered obeisances to a "deified Guru Dev" during the puja ceremony before imparting mantras to students. However, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi emphasized the concept that every individual is divine and that transcendental experience can awaken that divinity within oneself. He believed that it was the right of every human being to experience that divinity.
Gurudeva developed a modified practice of meditation that was suitable for householders engaged in daily affairs, and this method was propagated globally by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In 2008, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi established a trust fund in the name of Brahmananda Saraswati to support 30,000 Indian Vedic Pandits.