Present Mentor of AWGP

• Revered as: Shraddheya Dr. Sahab
• Born: 1950 (Roop Chaturdashi, Kartik) — celebrated as Chetana Diwas
• Roles: Head of All World Gayatri Pariwar · Chancellor, Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya · Director, Brahmavarchas Research Institute · Editor, Akhand Jyoti

Introduction

Shraddheya Dr. Pranav Pandya — affectionately known as Dr. Sahab — is the present head and mentor of the All World Gayatri Pariwar. A close and direct disciple of Gurudev Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya, he is widely regarded as a pioneer of “scientific spirituality” — carrying the founder’s vision forward for a new generation and across the world.

A physician who chose service

Dr. Pandya completed his M.B.B.S. (1972) and a gold-medal M.D. (1975) in India, and briefly worked in cardiology and neurology and as an intensive-care physician. Although he qualified for medical service in the United States, at the insistence of his Guru he set that path aside and settled at Shantikunj, Haridwar, to serve the mission — becoming director of the Brahmavarchas Research Institute in the late 1970s.

Bringing science and spirituality together

At Brahmavarchas he helped lay the foundation for research that studies India’s spiritual heritage with scientific rigour — including work on Ayurveda, psychology, yagyopathy, and the therapeutic benefits of meditation and pranayama. This synthesis of reason and reverence has remained a hallmark of his work.

Leading a worldwide family

As head of the All World Gayatri Pariwar, Dr. Pandya has helped the movement grow into a global fraternity with branches in around eighty countries. He has represented the spiritual and scientific aspects of Indian culture on international platforms — including the World Parliament of Religions, and an address to a joint session of the House of Lords and House of Commons in London in 1992.

Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya

In 2002 he established Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya (DSVV) in Haridwar — a university inspired by the ancient gurukuls of Nalanda and Takshashila, dedicated to shaping a new generation of value-based, service-minded youth. As editor of the monthly Akhand Jyoti magazine, he also reaches a very wide readership across India and abroad.

A path for the youth

A recurring theme of Dr. Pandya’s guidance is the awakening of young people through a threefold discipline — sadhana (self-refinement), upasana (communion with the divine), and aradhana (selfless service) — so that personal growth and service to society advance together. This continues the heart of the mission described on our Mission & Vision page.