Guru Pashupati
Guru Pashupati, commonly known as Ashwin Chekava, is the co-founder of Chamundi Gurukulam established under Guru Pashupati Foundation and directs all the courses and programs here.
His unique circumstances and life experiences moulded him into a true Guru; one who has lived the most painful and devastating life experiences and learnt from it.
It is this vast experience that taught him to handle the massive responsibility of being the Parampara Adhikari of Trilok Akhada, a very ancient Akhada established by Shankarnath, the founder of Yoga; 17,000 years ago.
Table of Contents
Childhood and Early Life
Ashwin was born in Bangalore on Feb 24, 1977. His father, Mohan Rao was a scientist at the Indian Institute of Science and his mother, Shobha Mohan was an engineer, also the first woman engineer in Karnataka.
He had studied Bachelors in Science first, before moving on to getting a Bachelors in Fine Arts in sculpture. After that and till date, his education has been from Trilok Akhada.
Ashwin’s attitude towards life was set at the age of 4 when he first realised that the adults around him were not happy. They didn’t have any expectation from others around them to be happy as well. He observed that people wasted a lot of time and energy on useless emotions and things that brought no profit.
Ashwin suspected that happiness is normal and not unhappiness. This positive suspicion set the tone for the rest of his life as this allowed him to differentiate between positive thoughts, emotions and feelings versus the negative ones.
He had an accident with electricity at the age of 4, which left him with severe stammering that he suffered with for the rest of his childhood, teenage and up until his late 20s.
Because of the stammering, people would complete his sentences for him. They would interject with their own interpretation of what he wanted to say. And so, he learnt how to express himself in very few words in writing. He learnt to get to the heart of the matter and understand very deeply how people need to be spoken to in order to respond in a particular way.
A Rough Start
People took advantage of his stammering and it led to a lot of bullying because he couldn’t speak up. Eventually, it became a matter of survival when he faced violent physical bullying and even sexual abuse.
He pursued martial arts as a way to take responsibility for his situation and stop being a victim. He was first exposed to martial arts by his grandmother who taught him the traditional martial art of his family. She had taught him only the strength building aspect of the art and didn’t teach him how to hit or fight.
Ashwin found his first guru of martial arts, the first one to teach him how to fight after he confronted his bullies. He was armed with some karate training but his training didn’t prepare him for a street fight, as the bullies had knives. They threatened to stab him if he resisted and he was left beaten up on the streets again.
His guru, a Nepali Gorkha, was watching the whole scene unfold. He found Ashwin curled up and crying on the street and decided to teach him how to fight. His teaching method was rather unconventional; he asked Ashwin to go and get into a fight on purpose with strangers. His Guru said that he’s not going to learn how to fight without fighting.
And so, Ashwin would start a fight with a stranger chosen by his Guru. He participated in more than 300 street fights by spitting and swearing at them and getting them mad enough to fight with him.
The Martial Journey
Ashwin got good at fighting really fast this way. He understood the nuances of street fighting and also knew the kind of weapons people would use in a street fight. A hunger was awakened in him to learn more. His pursuit of learning various martial arts ended up with him learning more than 44 martial arts from different cultures and countries over the years. He is also certified to teach in 44+ martial arts some of which include:
Kalaripayattu, Kuttu varisai, Pudi varisai, Thattu varisai, Adimurai, Thang Ta, All the 5 forms of Shaolin Kung Fu, Wing Chun, Southern Mantis, Tai Chi, Bagua Zang, Xin Yi Zang, Systema, Krav Maga, Mixed Martial Arts, Kali Escrima, Capoeira, Brazilian Jujitsu, Taekwondo, Hwa Rang Do, Tang Soo Do, Savate, Karate, Ninjutsu, Judo, Pankration, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Wrestling, Angampora, Pencak Silat (Harimau Style), Archery and more.
Ashwin travelled extensively to various parts of India, Nepal and Bhutan to learn some of these martial arts. Many times various teachers would visit Bangalore to teach and he never missed an opportunity to learn.
His violent childhood gave rise to a desire to help people facing similar circumstances. He had first started to teach Martial Arts at the age of 13 and by the age of 30, he was running India’s biggest Martial Arts training centre called Shootfighters. At its peak there were more than 5000 people training in just 13 centres across Bangalore.
He had also set up the Bangalore Fight Club, where people could spar openly with other martial artists. Whether it was internal politics at the office or dealing with a toxic relationship at home, Ashwin’s students learnt to face them fearlessly after sparring at the fight club.
His reputation as a martial artist started to spread and in 2010, Ashwin got an opportunity to work with UNICEF. He was asked to develop and present a manual for gender sensitivity training for the Karnataka Police. His efforts were recognised by the police authorities who then approached him to train the women police officers in self defence.
The police commissioner attended the self defence training and was amazed at the ease and effectiveness of Ashwin’s training. The Commissioner requested Ashwin to train Karnataka Police in Close Quarters Combat. To this day, the Karnataka Police are using Ashwin’s techniques for their training and in day to day problem solving.
As Ashwin’s reputation spread, he started training the Navy Commandos in Goa. He was initially hired to teach Krav Maga to the instructors of the Navy Commandos but they later asked Ashwin for his self defence methods as it was faster and easier to learn.
Ashwin was also the first person in India to bring in Mixed Martial Arts training. He had personally worked with the Goa Judo team, who went on to win the national championship.
Ashwin was also invited to talk about self defence in various universities in the country. In 2013, he was invited to Jaipur TedX. In 2014 he was invited to Gitam University TedX and in 2015, he gave a demonstration on self defence at Christ University TedX.
Mission 14 Million
In 2009, Ashwin got an opportunity through an NGO to help rehabilitate displaced Sri Lankan refugees. The Indian government had allocated shelters for them in Tamil Nadu. The entire refugee population had been reeling under the trauma of war and losing their homes and livelihoods in a matter of weeks.
Violence was widespread in the refugee shelters; the stress of poverty and hunger piled up on the population. Muggings, thefts, rapes and assaults were common in the shelters.
Ashwin had developed a self defence module that could be learnt in just 4 hours and this program was launched in the refugee shelters as well as various government schools across Tamil Nadu.
Soon, the program was a roaring success as the children were now equipped with the knowledge to combat the daily violence they faced. With simple conflict resolution techniques, they ensured their own safety without having the need to escalate the violence. There was a reported decrease in all kinds of violence in these shelters and among the children.
Ashwin’s students took over the responsibility of teaching the modules and till date, he and his team have trained over 14 million people across the country. His self defence module is still being used to this day and more people are continuing to empower themselves against violence.
Mahavatar Babaji and the journey to the Himalayas
The first ever Guru Ashwin had found to teach him martial arts, had to leave Bangalore without notice. Ashwin began a quest to find a Guru who could really teach him. Over the course of his teens, he couldn’t find a teacher who would guide him beyond the usual platitudes.
By the time he had turned 18, Ashwin found out that most martial art and yoga teachers (even the famous ones) were masquerading as something they were not. Their reputation went beyond their actual teaching skills and the brave people Ashwin wanted to learn from were already dead.
Frustrated and deeply disappointed by the fact that there was no one to teach him, Ashwin decided to end his life. He sat down in his room and held his breath. With the training he had so far, he could easily overcome the body’s reflexes to breathe. Soon his fingers, toes, skin, nose and other extremities started to turn cold and blue. His body started to die due to the lack of oxygen.
He had held his breath long enough to leave his body and experience himself as a being of light. He could feel the weightlessness of not having a body. A few more minutes would have resulted in his death, but at that exact moment, Mahavatar Babaji appeared at his doorstep.
When Babaji rang the doorbell, Ashwin was forced back into his body. It was an excruciatingly painful experience to be back after leaving his body for so long. Ashwin was now writhing in pain when Babaji walked in.
Babaji said that he would come back another time to teach him the yoga of embodiment and immortality, and that he wasn’t ready for it yet. Babaji told him to be patient and continue living, and left.
Ashwin continued learning various martial arts and teaching it. His entrepreneurial spirit never diminished and he became a partner with one of India’s biggest corporate training companies whose clientele included Infosys, HCL and Wipro to name a few. He had pioneered various “Campus to Corporate” programs which directly led to the exponential growth of these companies, adding to the software boom of the early 2000s in Bangalore.
By the time Ashwin turned 31, he was heading two multi crore businesses. He was also married at this point. He was extremely rich in terms of financial and material wealth, but his health and his conscience were taking a huge blow. Physically he was wrecked due to alcoholism because he was not happy with what he was doing. He found no meaning in life by being involved in these businesses and his failing marriage added more misery to his woes.
At his lowest point in life, Babaji finally returned.
After almost 13 years, Babaji returned and decided to teach Ashwin. He instructed Ashwin to exit his businesses, inform his family and leave with him to the Himalayas. Without hesitation, Ashwin gave away his stake in his corporate training company, stopped teaching martial arts and walked out of his marriage.
At the age of 32, Ashwin began his journey to the Himalayas with Babaji. They had started off in Varanasi and walked the entire journey by foot.
Himalayan Education
Ashwin’s training in immortal yoga began when they reached the Kali Gandaki valley in Nepal. Ashwin lived with Babaji in the remote, inaccessible parts of the Himalayas for close to two years. He was introduced to the other Mahasiddhas and was initiated into the 6 immortal schools of yoga namely:
- Aghora
- Nath
- Giri
- Siddha
- Vajra
- Naga
He also trained extensively in a secret Himalayan martial art form that was used by the wandering sadhus to protect themselves from wild animals, thieves and the elements. This art form is the only martial art to work directly with the Panchamahabhutas.
Apart from learning directly from Babaji, he was also sent to learn from various other teachers in the mountains. During his time with Babaji, Ashwin mastered the teachings in the 4 Vedas, 108 Upanishads, 64 Tantras, 18 Puranas, all Yoga texts by Goraksha Natha, 30+ Yoga Textbooks from Hindu Yoga and Vajrayana Yoga; Shri Chakra textbooks like Nityotsava, Tripura Rahasya, Thirumanthiram and Parshurama Kalpasutra.
Even though learning all of these texts takes at least 15 years, Ashwin could do it in 13 months thanks to Yoga Nidra.
Ashwin’s purpose in life was revealed here, deep in the Himalayas with Babaji. When Ashwin was initiated into Trilok Akhada, he received his yoga name, Pashupati. At the Akhada, the name given to us by our guru reveals our purpose in life.
Pashupati means the leader of animals; Ashwin’s purpose was to guide people away from animalistic impulses, behaviours and conditioning and teach them to reach the highest potential a human being can reach.
Ever since, Ashwin Mohan was known as Guru Pashupati.
After 18 months of training under the care and protection of Babaji, he was sent back to civilization to teach the real immortal yoga.
Guru Pashupati walked back to civilization all the way from Nepal to India.
Internal conflict and slow descent into rock bottom
Guru Pashupati faced many hurdles trying to teach the immortal yoga of the Himalayas. At first he found that people were just not ready for what he was prepared to teach, as a lot of people were struggling with their own emotional instabilities.
It took years for Guru Pashupati to figure out that people are too absorbed in their own thoughts and inner voices and this blocks them from learning efficiently.
As a result, he started to judge others as idiots for crying too much about their lives. He couldn’t connect with what he was doing and got depressed because of this.
Guru Pashupati lost his compassion towards others and his ego was getting out of control. He turned to alcohol again to numb the pain of this depression. He had to learn how to let go of his own hurdles even before starting to teach yoga. And because his ego was getting too big, Babaji took away everything he learnt in the Himalayas and replaced them with the karma of suffering.
He got into a relationship and moved to Naggar, Himachal Pradesh and there began the chapter of his suffering. The water in the place where he lived was polluted with a lot of pesticides and pathogenic microbes. And so his and his partner’s health started to fail.
In the process of trying to heal his partner, Guru Pashupati fell very sick. He lost weight rapidly and was weighing only 54 kgs at this time. The doctors diagnosed him with 13 different diseases (including type 1.5 diabetes, and other autoimmune diseases) and he found himself to be at the mercy of hospitals, pills and prescriptions.
He started studying about healing the human body because his life was entirely dependent on learning this. He learnt how to read his own blood reports and experimented with various diets all the while figuring out how to teach the immortal yoga.
He moved from Naggar to Pondicherry, where he found a teacher who could teach him how to heal himself using a few secret breathing techniques and movements. Guru Pashupati practiced hard as his life literally depended on these practices. It was his last resort and his intense practice helped him climb his way out of the depths of illness.
In one year, he went from being a hopeless patient with incurable diseases to a fit and able warrior yogi. All thanks to his dedicated, sincere and unrelenting practice. He continued to learn about healing and various modalities and slowly, he was also able to remember and relearn what he had received at the feet of Mahavatar Babaji.
The Turning Point
There were 2 crucial life changing events that happened in Guru Pashupati’s life:
One was when he left civilisation to learn from Babaji personally.
The second was when Babaji gave him the knowledge of removing karma.
In August of 2020, right after the lockdown, Babaji was pleased with how Guru Pashupati was able to bounce back and recover. This was in fact Babaji’s way of teaching him; by putting him in the depths of suffering.
And so, Guru Pashupati was blessed with the knowledge of how to remove karmas. This knowledge not only helped Guru Pashupati but also 100s of his students who were able to rid their bad karmas of their ancestors and their own past lives. Guruji was instructed by Babaji to teach this knowledge openly for the first time in the history of humanity.
Guru Pashupati got back to teaching martial arts with renewed vigour, along with teaching everything he had learnt about healing. He realised that martial arts is what is going to save people and that people need to be warriors first in order to have a meaningful life.
He deeply understood the reason why it is time to teach the secret Himalayan Martial Art to the world: it is the discipline that people need right now, not only for their physical health, but also for their emotional strength and the attitude of never giving up in the face of adversity.
Along with the secret Himalayan martial art, people also learn an attitude of never giving up in the face of adversity. And so, these martial art classes are preparing people for life.
Establishment of Chamundi Gurukulam
Guru Pashupati established Chamundi Gurukulam along with Shweta Danawade in 2020. The main aim of the Gurukulam is to become the foremost educational institution providing much needed life skills and life education.
The current education system does not prepare one to face life and hence it is time for a warrior gurukulam to step up and impart the real education needed in one’s life.
Guru Pashupati gathered a team and trained them with the singular mission of imparting warrior wisdom and training. More than 2000 people have benefited since the gurukulam’s establishment in 2020.
He presently serves his students through a number of programs. He is also serving as the traditional fitness and combat instructor for 200 police personnel from Tamil Nadu, Theni district to regain their health and build immense strength and inner peace.
The future of Chamundi Gurukulam lies in building a school for children to learn the ancient yogic warrior ways to help the modern world rid itself of all major problems that are coming up.
Shweta Danawade
Shweta Danawade (pronounced as Daan-waade) is an Indian Entrepreneur, Co-founder, CEO and Director of Guru Pashupati Foundation and Chamundi Gurukulam.
She is a direct disciple of Guru Pashupati – (who is a Parampara Adhikari of Trilok Akhada and a direct disciple of Mahavatar Babaji)
She has received deeksha/initiation in Kalim, Giri, Siddha and Nath Yoga lineages.
She has directed programs and campaigns that have collectively transformed the lives of more than 40,000+ people since 2019.
Most popular ones being Kalim Self Defense, Kamakala, Yoga Vyayama, Karma Visarjana, Pancha Kosha Rahasya, Healing wood, Healing Triangle, Warrior Training by Chamundi Gurukulam, Indian Functional Fitness (IFF), Ancient Indian Fitness (AIF), Raja-Vidya, Ancient Indian Martial Arts (AIM) and Yogasiddhi.
Students of these programs have received significant results:
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In their health. Thousands of them recovered from serious illnesses like ED, Hypertension, Arthritis, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, chronic body pains, joint pains, migraine, insomnia, etc
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In parenting kids diagnosed with autism, adhd, digestive issues, etc. Changed their suffering karmas
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Changed their suffering karmas
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Found their life purpose and peace of mind
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Revived their loveless relationships
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Broke Free of dysfunctional relationships and marriages and found happiness
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Emotional wellbeing from overcoming addictions, major depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia
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Found the courage to quit their energy draining jobs and pursued their ambitions
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Became leaders in their field
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Started career as YogaSiddhi Healers and Therapists
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Started career as instructors of traditional martial arts
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Quit smoking and alcohol
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Discovered a wholesome warrior lifestyle for themselves and their family
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Activated body intelligence and much more...
She had also been personally training and coaching students in all age groups, in dynamic warrior movements and breathing. And has helped GenZ students to reverse chronic relationship and health symptoms with Yogasiddhi Therapy, where the medical system failed.
Shweta believes that we humans can cultivate superhuman mental and physical abilities. Provided the existing and upcoming generations are given conditioning-free education. This will ensure that all of the human race thrives and becomes unstuck from day-to-day survival mode.
Shweta was born to a family of forefathers who were freedom-fighters, politicians and landlords. Her grandfathers’ have been businessmen, author, civil engineer, civil services authority. Her mother holds a BA in Economics and her father is in Civil engineering business.
Like the majority of the Indian population, Shweta underwent regular education and family life… she graduated as an engineer from CCOEW affiliated to SP-Pune University. Soon after, she worked as an infrastructure engineer for a German multinational software company.
One fine morning, while she was sparring, one of her fingers accidentally fractured. During orthopaedic visits she discovered that the finger bone had been affected by a benign bone tumour and so got easily fractured. It was shocking news.
Soon she underwent surgery. This was a turning point in Shweta’s life. When no doctors could tell the root cause of the benign tumour, Shweta sought her Guru’s help. Guru Pashupati blessed her with the knowledge of karma and health and gave her deeksha in 4 yogic lineages in the following years.
Since then, she has been active in realising her vision to spread the knowledge of superhuman Yogis to humanity across the Globe — in the fields of leadership and service, relationships, longevity and health, food and luxury, warrior arts and yoga of sexuality.
You can contact her at: shweta.8.danawade@gmail.com