Our Founder

Inspired by this heritage, Sri Jayettan stepped into public service at a remarkably young age. At just 15, he began conducting literacy classes for elderly citizens under the Kerala Government’s Literacy Mission, kindling light in hearts long untouched by letters. At the age of 17, he began his spiritual odyssey under the loving mentorship of Sriman A.B. Shanmukhanji of Vijnana Ramaneeya Ashrama, Palakkad, affectionately known as Sri Shanmughettan.

Despite facing numerous challenges, including poverty, in his young age, Jayettan persevered in his spiritual pursuit and public service. There were times when he had to take on daily labour to repay family debts. However, he remained committed to his spiritual journey and continued to work tirelessly for the betterment of society. At that juncture, Sri Jayakumar Ramakrishnan was inclined to embrace Sannyasam, but a pivotal letter from a revered Swami altered the course of his life. The Swami's counsel was profound: "Wait until you attain a state where you perceive no distinction between the ascetic and materialistic paths."

Sri Jayettan's leadership skills and dedication to public service led to him becoming the president of Bala Bhawan, a child welfare organization under the control of the Orphanage Control Board, Kerala at the age of 25. During his tenure, he became a source of comfort and support for many destitute children.

Following the wise counsel of elders and well-wishers, Sri Jayettan also joined government service, where he served faithfully for seventeen and a half years. In December 2020, responding to an irresistible inner calling and a profound spiritual experience on Karthika Deepam day at Tiruvannamalai, and with the wholehearted blessing of his beloved mother, he renounced worldly duties and embraced the path of an ascetic, dedicating himself entirely to the vision of Tadvanam.

After his resignation from government service, Sri Jayettan entered a small hut-like dwelling deep within the forests of Kalladikode in the Western Ghats. This remote sanctuary, with no human habitation for nearly five kilometers around, was surrounded by wild animals and posed tremendous challenges to ordinary life. There, in complete solitude and communion with nature’s raw power, he spent five transformative years in intense spiritual practice and deep meditation.

This period of profound tapas exemplified his total surrender to the spiritual path, in the ancient tradition of forest-dwelling sages who have illuminated India’s spiritual heritage for millennia.

For more than a decade before his renunciation, Sri Jayettan had walked in the sacred footsteps of his Guru, absorbing every word, every gesture, and the silent grace that flowed from Sri Shanmughettan’s serene presence. To Sri Jayettan, this was a deeply intimate journey — for he experienced that the relationship with the Guru is purely one-to-one, an unspoken communion that no outsider can ever fully grasp. During these transformative years, he also undertook intense Shakti Sadhana, guided by a revered Mataji who initiated him into the sacred traditions of the Divine Feminine — all with the loving oversight of his Guru, who nurtured each step of his inner journey.

On the auspicious day of Shivaratri in 2025, Tadvanam Ashramam started a new center near Palakkad town, at Kanjirakadavu, Malampuzha II. Due to certain health conditions, Sri Jayettan now mostly resides at this new center, continuing his mission of guiding sincere seekers while maintaining his practice of quiet simplicity and inner work.

With serene presence and profound wisdom, Sri Jayettan continues to support sincere seekers on their inward path. He seldom delivers lectures or public discourses; instead, he welcomes those who seek him, wherever he dwells in quiet simplicity. To him, true spirituality is reserved for the few who truly yearn for it. He holds that the earnest seeker, moved by genuine thirst, will inevitably find the true source, for sincerity itself is the surest guide. For him, sadhana is not a matter of outward show but an invisible inner work, woven intimately into each moment of daily life.

Over the years, Sri Jayettan has formed close and heartfelt bonds with many tapasvis and renunciates in sacred centres like Tiruvannamalai, Kashi, Haridwar, Vrindavan, and other holy places — drawing deeply from these living wells of tapas to enrich his own path and that of all who come to him.

Tadvanam Ashramam stands as a living testament to his vision: a sanctuary where selfless service, ancient wisdom, and the grace of the Supreme converge, gently leading every earnest heart towards the unfading fragrance of inner peace. It is here, and here alone, that the unique Vedic wisdom of Tadvanam — revealed through profound Upanishadic insight and upheld by an unbroken lineage — finds its purest expression, illuminating many lives with the light of liberation.