Born on 16th September, 1947 to Late Shri Pyare Lal and Smt. Sushila Devi, in Moga, Punjab. Dr. Shiv Kumar was introduced to Lord Shiva, meditation and Hindu philosophy in the company of great sages and mendicants by his father. At the young age of 11 years he was independently practicing Yoga, pranayam and Samadhi. He was a brilliant student and obtained his medical degree from Amritsar Medical College going on to London where he did his specialization in Neurology.
While a student at Amritsar Medical College the 1965 war broke out with Pakistan. His enthusiasm for contributing to the defense of his country made him volunteer in the war effort. On the western front he was given the work of identifying casualties, limbs of Indian soldiers and keeping records. General J. N. Chowdhary, Chief of Army visited one such unit and shook hands with the young Shiv Kumar while he was attending a patient in the ward. His efforts were appreciated by the Indian Army. This experience made him join the war efforts in 1971 when he took part at the Khemkaran border, operating in makeshift camps and taking care of the wounded.
On the banks of the river Bhagirathi, at Uttarkashi (Himalayas), a place considered the abode of Lord Shiva, he started this next chapter of his life, serving people as a medical doctor and also searching for the higher purpose of life. He got married to Sunita and had two sons Munish and Ashish. For 19 years in Uttarkashi, while living the life of a grihasta, taking care of patients, his worldly duties, he continued the practice of meditation. After the untimely demise of his wife, he devoted more and more time for seeking answers to life-death, karma and Truth.
His understanding of the deeper meaning of life, its purpose and values attracted many people. His talks on his experiences with truth, spoken from the heart appealed to hundreds of followers. At the request and invitation of some, he travelled to many parts of India and abroad. For example, in US he was widely appreciated by fellow doctors for his approach of philosophy in medical treatment along with the use of conventional medicine. In India he continued giving public talks every month to his devotees and followers and since 2002 his talks at the Air-force auditorium, Dhaula Kuan have been attended by over 800 listeners every month. His self realization experiences have been documented in a 20 volume work titled ‘Atma-anubhuti’ has been published and circulated among his followers. This was distributed ‘at-cost’ with no profit and published by a local press.
