Hari Aum.
We all have our favourite places we like to visit to experience peace and bliss. I will write about one of my all-time favourite spirtual places today- the Ashram of my Guru Sivananda, called the 'Divine Life Society' in Rishikesh. I have recently visited the Ashram and, as before, it has given me much-needed spiritual solace and inspiration.
Rishikesh is a small city located in the foothills of the Himalayas. The natural scenery here is lovely. The river Ganga majestically flows through Rishikesh- the river is beautiful and clean here and freezing cold even in summer. Simply looking at the placid flowing waters of the Ganga makes the mind peaceful and happy.
This city is filled with Ashrams, temples and seekers of God. There are people following every possible yogic path to attain God- from hatha yoga and jnana yoga, to bhakti yoga and karma yoga. People gather at the banks of the Ganga and chant sacred mantras in praise of the Divine at sunrise and sunset while lighting lamps and offering flowers- it is a beautiful sight.
Like many other parts of India, there is chaotic traffic on the roads with loud honking of horns, and unfortunately people have polluted the earth by throwing rubbish on the ground in some parts (the Indian government has recently launched a massive drive to clean India so hopefully this will change with time). Despite the chaos and mess, Rishikesh still maintains beautiful spiritual vibrations due to the natural scenery and the spiritual people present. The flowing river, the mountains, the Ashrams and temples all contribute towards the spiritual atmosphere.
Stepping into the Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh, from the road outside is like stepping into a different world. The chaos of traffic on the roads is suddenly left far behind. The Ashram premises are clean and well-maintained. The atmosphere here is immensely peaceful and uplifting.
Although the location of the Ashram on the banks of the Ganga makes it beautiful, what really makes it wonderful is the philosophy practiced here. Simply put the philosophy of the Ashram is that taught by Sivananda and is encapsulated in six simple words "Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realise".
In the centre of the Ashram is the Vishwanath temple, where Krishna is worshipped along with Shiva, Rama and the Divine Mother. This temple is built on the spot where Sivananda is said to have had the darshan of Sri Krishna after long years of tapas (spiritual practice- japa of a Krishna mantra).
Near the temple is the 'Samadhi Shrine' where Sivananda's mortal remains were placed after he left his body in 1963. There is a Shiva temple here. Satsangs involving spiritual discourses, meditation and kirtan take place here twice a day and are open to all members of the public.
In the Samadhi hall, the 'Om Namo Narayanaya' and 'Om Namah Sivaya' mantras are chanted for 2-3 hours daily along with various other prayers such as the Vishnu sahasranama.
Then there is the 'Bhajan hall' where the Hare Rama mahamantra is chanted or sung 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without any break. The Ashram residents have a rota to ensure there is no break in the chanting. This chanting was started by Sivananda in 1943 during the second world war as a prayer for world peace. After the war, he said it must continue non-stop and his instruction has been carried out till the present (ongoing for about 74 years). In my view, this is likely to be a major reason why a third world war with nuclear weapons has not occurred yet despite many dangerous political situations. The sincere prayers of people such as those in the Ashram is a valuable protective force against the negative thoughts of the war-mongering people on this planet.
The Ashram has many more important activities some of which I will briefly mention here. They run a wonderful hospital providing free medical care and medicines for the poor. I have worked here briefly while visiting and can say this was a very inspiring experience. The Swami in charge of the hospital is a very kind elderly gentleman.
There is also a service to take care of people with leprosy- the Ashram provides food, shelter and livelihood for them. They run a home for people who have been abandoned by their families for various reasons (e.g. mental illness, social reasons and so on). They help provide education for children from poor families.
Aside from providing free medical and social support to the public, the Ashram provides spiritual teaching to anyone who is interested in the subject. They run a two month free course on Vedanta a few times a year. This provides a valuable introduction to the Gita, Upanisads and other sacred texts. They also have their own printing press and publish numerous books with valuable and uplifting spirtual teachings by Sivananda, Chidananda and other disciples.
There are many more activities- it is impossible to describe them all here (not least because I myself am not aware of every detail of the huge amounts of service to society that they do).
The people of the Ashram are generally come across as kind and helpful. Some of the Swamis come from eminent professional backgrounds- they joined the Ashram after retirement. Other Swamis joined the Ashram at a relatively young age in their early 20s and have dedicated their entire lives to the service of God and Guru. No matter what their background, the majority of them are humble and simple. Many of them are very well-read in the scriptures (the Gita, Upanisads, Bhagavatam and so on). They are generally ever ready to help sincere seekers who want to learn the techniques of meditation and yoga and study the scriptures.
The interesting thing about the residents of the Ashram is that they regard the extensive service to society that they do as worship of the living God in human form . Therefore they try to perform this service with humility.
As advised by the Guru, they reject the idea that they are doing others a favour by helping them. Instead, they try to cultivate gratitude to those who give them the opportunity to serve because this helps spiritual growth. This is a very wonderful attitude that is extremely rare in the world. It is a divine attitude that creates an atmosphere of peace and bliss.
During my recent visit to the Ashram, I asked a senior Swami who is a very kind person, what his formula to attain God is. (Theory is one thing, practice is another. I wanted to know what practice he does- for my own learning).
He is an extremely busy person, and is constantly meeting people all day who want different types of help with all sorts of problems, both material and spiritual. Despite this, he never seems to get tired and always has a kind smile for everyone. He is also remarkably humble despite his relatively senior position in the Ashram. He come across as a true bhakta of God and Guru.
I asked him, how on earth he finds time to formally worship God despite his busy schedule. He told me his secret is to dedicate every act to God while repeating the name of God within. He said to me his formula is to "Remember Hari, don't worry and be merry". He advised me to follow this formula too and I plan to try my best to do so. (Just to say, this is a different person to the Swami who has advised me in the past whom I have mentioned in other posts. Both of them come across as very good people and are extremely helpful).
He also advised me to keep up the purascharana practice and said that the practice of the name or mantra of God is extremely important to keep up daily. He told me that the mantra of Narayana is a 'brahma- astra', a powerful spiritual weapon to create goodness and destroy negativity. He advised me to repeat this mantra as much as possible.
I feel deeply grateful to him for this encouragement in the spiritual path and will continue my sadhana with enthusiasm. As I am currently in India on pilgrimage, I will start the next purascharana on returning home back to my usual routine in a couple of weeks.
I would highly recommend a visit to Rishikesh for any sincere spiritual seeker. The whole atmosphere is wonderful and uplifting. There are many Ashrams to choose from. Any sincere seeker is welcome to stay at the Sivananda Ashram (accommodation and food are provided free of cost- one can make a donation if desired but there is absolutely no pressure/request to do so. One needs to email/contact the General Secretary if one wants to stay in the Ashram).
Om Namo Narayanaya
Hari Aum Tat Sat
We all have our favourite places we like to visit to experience peace and bliss. I will write about one of my all-time favourite spirtual places today- the Ashram of my Guru Sivananda, called the 'Divine Life Society' in Rishikesh. I have recently visited the Ashram and, as before, it has given me much-needed spiritual solace and inspiration.
Rishikesh is a small city located in the foothills of the Himalayas. The natural scenery here is lovely. The river Ganga majestically flows through Rishikesh- the river is beautiful and clean here and freezing cold even in summer. Simply looking at the placid flowing waters of the Ganga makes the mind peaceful and happy.
This city is filled with Ashrams, temples and seekers of God. There are people following every possible yogic path to attain God- from hatha yoga and jnana yoga, to bhakti yoga and karma yoga. People gather at the banks of the Ganga and chant sacred mantras in praise of the Divine at sunrise and sunset while lighting lamps and offering flowers- it is a beautiful sight.
Like many other parts of India, there is chaotic traffic on the roads with loud honking of horns, and unfortunately people have polluted the earth by throwing rubbish on the ground in some parts (the Indian government has recently launched a massive drive to clean India so hopefully this will change with time). Despite the chaos and mess, Rishikesh still maintains beautiful spiritual vibrations due to the natural scenery and the spiritual people present. The flowing river, the mountains, the Ashrams and temples all contribute towards the spiritual atmosphere.
Stepping into the Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh, from the road outside is like stepping into a different world. The chaos of traffic on the roads is suddenly left far behind. The Ashram premises are clean and well-maintained. The atmosphere here is immensely peaceful and uplifting.
Although the location of the Ashram on the banks of the Ganga makes it beautiful, what really makes it wonderful is the philosophy practiced here. Simply put the philosophy of the Ashram is that taught by Sivananda and is encapsulated in six simple words "Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realise".
In the centre of the Ashram is the Vishwanath temple, where Krishna is worshipped along with Shiva, Rama and the Divine Mother. This temple is built on the spot where Sivananda is said to have had the darshan of Sri Krishna after long years of tapas (spiritual practice- japa of a Krishna mantra).
Near the temple is the 'Samadhi Shrine' where Sivananda's mortal remains were placed after he left his body in 1963. There is a Shiva temple here. Satsangs involving spiritual discourses, meditation and kirtan take place here twice a day and are open to all members of the public.
In the Samadhi hall, the 'Om Namo Narayanaya' and 'Om Namah Sivaya' mantras are chanted for 2-3 hours daily along with various other prayers such as the Vishnu sahasranama.
Then there is the 'Bhajan hall' where the Hare Rama mahamantra is chanted or sung 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without any break. The Ashram residents have a rota to ensure there is no break in the chanting. This chanting was started by Sivananda in 1943 during the second world war as a prayer for world peace. After the war, he said it must continue non-stop and his instruction has been carried out till the present (ongoing for about 74 years). In my view, this is likely to be a major reason why a third world war with nuclear weapons has not occurred yet despite many dangerous political situations. The sincere prayers of people such as those in the Ashram is a valuable protective force against the negative thoughts of the war-mongering people on this planet.
The Ashram has many more important activities some of which I will briefly mention here. They run a wonderful hospital providing free medical care and medicines for the poor. I have worked here briefly while visiting and can say this was a very inspiring experience. The Swami in charge of the hospital is a very kind elderly gentleman.
There is also a service to take care of people with leprosy- the Ashram provides food, shelter and livelihood for them. They run a home for people who have been abandoned by their families for various reasons (e.g. mental illness, social reasons and so on). They help provide education for children from poor families.
Aside from providing free medical and social support to the public, the Ashram provides spiritual teaching to anyone who is interested in the subject. They run a two month free course on Vedanta a few times a year. This provides a valuable introduction to the Gita, Upanisads and other sacred texts. They also have their own printing press and publish numerous books with valuable and uplifting spirtual teachings by Sivananda, Chidananda and other disciples.
There are many more activities- it is impossible to describe them all here (not least because I myself am not aware of every detail of the huge amounts of service to society that they do).
The people of the Ashram are generally come across as kind and helpful. Some of the Swamis come from eminent professional backgrounds- they joined the Ashram after retirement. Other Swamis joined the Ashram at a relatively young age in their early 20s and have dedicated their entire lives to the service of God and Guru. No matter what their background, the majority of them are humble and simple. Many of them are very well-read in the scriptures (the Gita, Upanisads, Bhagavatam and so on). They are generally ever ready to help sincere seekers who want to learn the techniques of meditation and yoga and study the scriptures.
The interesting thing about the residents of the Ashram is that they regard the extensive service to society that they do as worship of the living God in human form . Therefore they try to perform this service with humility.
As advised by the Guru, they reject the idea that they are doing others a favour by helping them. Instead, they try to cultivate gratitude to those who give them the opportunity to serve because this helps spiritual growth. This is a very wonderful attitude that is extremely rare in the world. It is a divine attitude that creates an atmosphere of peace and bliss.
During my recent visit to the Ashram, I asked a senior Swami who is a very kind person, what his formula to attain God is. (Theory is one thing, practice is another. I wanted to know what practice he does- for my own learning).
He is an extremely busy person, and is constantly meeting people all day who want different types of help with all sorts of problems, both material and spiritual. Despite this, he never seems to get tired and always has a kind smile for everyone. He is also remarkably humble despite his relatively senior position in the Ashram. He come across as a true bhakta of God and Guru.
I asked him, how on earth he finds time to formally worship God despite his busy schedule. He told me his secret is to dedicate every act to God while repeating the name of God within. He said to me his formula is to "Remember Hari, don't worry and be merry". He advised me to follow this formula too and I plan to try my best to do so. (Just to say, this is a different person to the Swami who has advised me in the past whom I have mentioned in other posts. Both of them come across as very good people and are extremely helpful).
He also advised me to keep up the purascharana practice and said that the practice of the name or mantra of God is extremely important to keep up daily. He told me that the mantra of Narayana is a 'brahma- astra', a powerful spiritual weapon to create goodness and destroy negativity. He advised me to repeat this mantra as much as possible.
I feel deeply grateful to him for this encouragement in the spiritual path and will continue my sadhana with enthusiasm. As I am currently in India on pilgrimage, I will start the next purascharana on returning home back to my usual routine in a couple of weeks.
I would highly recommend a visit to Rishikesh for any sincere spiritual seeker. The whole atmosphere is wonderful and uplifting. There are many Ashrams to choose from. Any sincere seeker is welcome to stay at the Sivananda Ashram (accommodation and food are provided free of cost- one can make a donation if desired but there is absolutely no pressure/request to do so. One needs to email/contact the General Secretary if one wants to stay in the Ashram).
Om Namo Narayanaya
Hari Aum Tat Sat
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