We cordially invite you to the release of the book "KaivalyaNavaneetam" of Sri Tandavaraya Swamigal translated into Sanskrit by Sanku Kavi, published by Sri Gnanananda Niketan.
The book release function will be at 6.00 P.M. on Saturday, the 24th June 2017 at Sanskrit College, Mylapore, Chennai - 4.
Pujya Swami Omkarananda Swamigal will release the book and Dr. K.S.Maheswaran Namboodri, Professor, Advaita Vedanta, Sanskrit College, Chennai will receive the first copy.
We invite you to participate in the function and make it a big success.
The supreme divine incarnation of Lord Muruga took place in the Tamil month of Vaikasi (mid May – mid June) on a Full Moon day in the asterism or nakshatra `Vishaka`. The auspicious Vishaka nakshatra is a combination of three stars that shines brightly in the sky. It is the sixteenth nakshatra of the 27.
Lord Muruga incarnated to destroy the demons – Surapadma, Tarakasura, and Singamugha.
It was on this day that Lord Muruga manifested to destroy the dark forces and establish dharma and grant supreme protection and wisdom. Many Muruga temples hold the 10 day Brahmotsavam festival on Vaikasi Visakham. Devotees carry Pal kudam (milk pots) to do milk abisekam to Muruga and vow to carry kavadi ( a decorated yoke) on their shoulders in procession to the temple of Muruga. On this day, in temples special pooja, homa, aarti and abisekam are done to Muruga to seek his blessings.
Lord Muruga incarnated for a divine purpose on Vaikasi Visakam day as a young and ever resplendent one in all glory.
Saint Arunagirinathar says we should bear this in mind, draw strength and power to think of Muruga today at least for half a minute and meditate on his beautiful form with eyes closed to be blessed by his grace.
The saint says that he is the infinite reality residing in the cavern of our heart, who will protect us and lead us in the path of wisdom and light.
On this auspicious day, annadanam was organized at Sri Gnanananda Niketan.
Around 250 people from the nearby villages participated in the annadanam. Swami Nityananda Giri started the annadanam by serving to the people. Swami Sadasiva Giri, Swami Prabhavananda Saraswati, Swami Atma Tatvananda Saraswati, Swami Amrutheswarananda and other vedantic students at Niketan participated in the Annadana.
Sri
Sankara Jayanti Mahotsavacommenced at Sri Gnanananda Niketan
as usual on the sacred day of Akshaya Tritiya on Monday, the 28th
April 2017. It was celebrated with NarayanaSeva (annadana).
More than 250 people from the neighboring two villages were served with food on
the auspicious occasion.
“Akshaya”
means never diminishing. Many things happened on this sacred day. Lord Krishna
blessed Draupati with Akshaya Patra (bowl which supplied unlimited food
to the Pandavas and to all the guests during their vanavasa). Kubera who
is treasurer of god prayed to Sri Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth to fill his
treasury. Lord Vishnu took his sixth avatar as Parasurama. After the end
of Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga commenced on this day. Ganga descended
from heaven in response to the tapas of Bhagiratha. Veda Vysasa
began dictating the epic Mahabharata to his scribe Ganesa. Sudhama came
to Dwaraka to see Lord Krishna. He could bring only a handful of beaten rice
which the Lord received with great happiness and blessed him with immense
wealth on this day. Gates of the temple of Badri Narayana open on this day
after winter. Construction of the chariots for Jagannath Rath Yatra at
Puri commences on this day. This is also important day for Jains for fasting
and prayer marking the breaking of one year long fast by king-turned-muni Rishabadeva.
Sri Sankara Jayanti was celebrated on
Wednesday, the 30th April 2017. Elaborate poojas were
performed at Satsang Mandap. Ashtottarasata Namavali Archanas
were offered to Sri Dakshinamurti, Sri Adi Sankara Bhagavatpadacharya and
Sadguru Sri Gnanananda.
Before
the Aarti, Swami NityanandaGiri read the portion from Sri Sankara’s
GitaBhashya on sloka no.
50 in Eighteenth chapter. It is about Gnana-nishta,
which Sri Sankara points out, is same as Para-bhakti.
Sri Sankara laid great emphasis on
proper performance of prescribed ritualistic duties Svadharma, which leads one to spiritual perfection. In Karma Yoga, which is Bhakti in action one offers all his
actions to the Divine and accepts the result as Iswara prasada. In fact, it marks the commencement of the spiritual
journey of man. He realizes in due course of time that all his skills come from
the Divine and, in fact, his work is a part of the universal yajna and the result is yajna prasada which gives chittasuddhi. Slowly, he realizes that
it is only the Prakriti that is
performing the action and he is only a witness.
Apart from developing chittasuddhi
and fourfold qualities of Sadhana chatushtaya;
which makes him eligible for receiving instruction in Brahmavidya, which alone dispels the primordial Ignorance, avidya. In fact, it is Bhakti that gives the Grace in the form
of viveka and vairagya and develops in him the inclination towards advaita in him.
Adi Sankara points out that Sanatana Dharma comprises of both pravritti, engagement in religious
activity and nivritti, withdrawal
from all such activities, turning inward and becoming exclusively devoted to
the study of Upanishads and Self-enquiry. Mere Vedic rituals can only give
temporary results and not Self-knowledge, which is freedom from the cycle of
birth and death. This was particularly important and had to be emphasized, as
at the time of Sankara, as there was resurgence of Purvamimamsa with the advent of Kumarila
Bhatta. Thus, He gave proper orientation to the place of karma kanda in a man’s life.
Sankara brings out that Samsara is the sense of doership and of
enjoyership of the results of actions. It is due to ignorance about one’s own
true nature as the Infinite. He compares the constant contemplation on the
teaching of Upanishads to the rubbing of Sandalwood, stinking because of its
lying immersed in an unused well for long time, till its natural sweet fragrance
only is clearly felt.
It was Sankara who highlighted the
importance of Prasthanatraya –
Upanishads for spiritual insight, Gita
for discipline and Brahmasutra for
logic. He establishes through them that the Trans-causal Brahman is the
Ultimate Reality as per the Upanishads. The later Acharyas also used the same
criteria for proving the validity of their spiritual insights of the Causal
Brahman, God. In this manner, Veda Mata in the Upanishads is able to
take care of all aspirants of different spiritual attitude and disposition.
Thus, the Upanishads present a broad spectrum of God-experience.
Sankara lucidly explains the
Upanishadic method of superimposition and negation by which the nature of the
Ultimate Reality is very well unfolded as the Changeless, Timeless Substratum
of the appearances of all changing and time-bound phenomena. This brings out clearly the difference
between the appearance and reality and how the Reality supports the appearance.
As in the past few years Krishna Yajur Veda parayana of Samhita and Saka was commenced with ghatasthapana
on the day of Sri Sankara Jayanti. It
concluded on 4th May 2017.
Swami Vidyananda Giri was given
initiation into Sannayasa by Sadguru Gnanananda on Sri Sankara Jayanthi day. His Aradhana
also followed Sankara Jayanthi and was celebrated on 05th May 2017
at the Main ashram.
Sannyasins and devotees from Niketan
attended the special puja at the Adhishtana (Samadhi shrine) of Swami
Vidyananda Giri in the morning of 5th May 2017. Sri Swami Sadasiva
Giri attended the traditional aradhana,
which was performed in the main ashram. A samaradhana
was organized at Niketan and a special bhiksha
was offered to Sannyasins and other devotees. Bhiksha for sadhus was also arranged at Yogi Ramsuratkumar ashram,
Tiruvannamalai on the day of aradhana
of Swami Vidyananda Giri.
Sankara Jayanthi Mahotsav concluded with prayers that the Grace of Adi Sankaracharya
and blessings of Sadguru Gnanananda be showered on you and all the members of
your family. May all of you be blessed with Sowbhagya,
prosperity and Sreyas, the highest
good!
Watch the beautiful rendering of Sankara Vijayam by these children from Chennai who are students of Smt. Mohana
School children from the nearby government school visited Sri Gnanananda Niketan and collected their school uniforms. As part of this function the children and teachers interacted with Swamiji.
Small video clip from that function was broadcast by regional television
A group of about 10 French students led by Marion Zammarchi on a tour to India visited Sri Gnanananda Niketan for Satsang. The French students are in India for a singing tour. The students sang bhajans soulfully.
Swami Nityananda Giri interacted with students and spoke about the teachings of Sadguru Gnanananda. Swamijis talk in English was translated to French by Marion.
A group of about 17 Chinesestudents led by Dr.David Blanco on a spiritual tour to India visited Sri Gnanananda Niketan for Satsang. Swami Nityananda Giri, Swami Prabhavananda Saraswati and Swami Atmatatvananda Swaraswati interacted with students and gave them an Introduction to Vedanta.
It was on completion of the construction of Satsang Mandap at Sri Gnanananda Niketan, the first group singing of Tiruvacakam, “Tiruvacakam Muttrodal” was organized on 12th December 2011. It was a great success and made many people in and around Tapovanam, and also devotees from outside get interested in it. Hence, it has now become a regular annual feature, a joyful spiritual event, a Gnana Yajna at Niketan and devotees eagerly look forward to it. It charges the atmosphere with exalted spiritual vibrations by the soul-stirring content of the devotional hyms.
This year, the annual festival took place on Sunday, 27th November 2016 in the sacred month of Karthigai, just a few days before the commencement of 43rd Aradhana Mahotsava of Sadguru Gnanananda at Tapovanam. It is most appropriate as the great Sage encouraged the singing of Tamil Saivite and Vaishnavaite devotional hyms at the ashram.
The Muttrodal was very well coordinated by Sri Ambalavanan of Trichy under the guidance of Sri Swami Samananda Saraswathi of Tatvananda Ashram, Madurai. Swami Nityananda Giri, Swami Sadasiva Giri, Swamini Prabhavananda Saraswathi, Swamini Atmatatvananda Saraswathi and Trustees of Sri Gnanananda Niketan were present throughout the recital.
Two hundred well-trained Sivan-adiyars(devotees of Lord Siva) in and around Trichy, Chennai, East Tambaram, Arcot and Kandachipuram together with a group of one hundred devotees in and around Tirukovilur participated in the group singing.
As usual, Sandana-kappualankara (decoration with sandalwood paste covering) of the Moorthies of Somaskanda- Lord Siva, Sri Parvati and Sri Subramanya and also of the four Saivaite saints – Appar, Sambandar, Sundarar and Manikkavachakar was exquisite. The Puja was performed by the Vedic pundits from Sri Bhuvaneswari Peetham at Pudukottai, as in the past years.
Special arrangements for accommodation and food were made in the nearby Kalyana Mandapam as in the past years. More than four hundred devotees were served with food on the occasion.
Vyasa Pooja marks the commencement of Chaturmasya.
The elaborate pooja was performed by
Swami Nityananda Giri. One Yajur Veda
Pundit and two Rig Veda pundits
performed preliminary poojas like SriGanapathi
Pooja, Punyaha Vacana, etc. and
chanted Vedic hyms wherever required.
Dr.
Srinivasan, an eminent Sanskrit scholar and retired principal of Vivekananda
College, Chennai, helped Swamiji in the performance of pooja of the six GuruPanchakams. Swamiji pointed out the
sequence of the poojas of the panchakams and explained the continuance
of the tradition. At the end of the pooja
of every Panchaka, its significance
was explained by him.
Ashtottara sata namaarchanas
were offered to Sri Krishna, Sri Vedavyasa,
Sri Sankara Bhagavadpadacharya, Sri Daskshinamoorti
and Sadguru Swami Gnanananda. NirgunaAshtottara sata namaarchana was performed to Sudda Chaitanya. Guru Stuti (selected verses from Guru Gita) was chanted after the pooja of the Dravidacharyapanchakam.
Swamini
Prabhavananda Saraswati and Swamini Atmatatvananda Saraswati were present
during the performance of the pooja.
Devotees
chanted Stotras and rendered Keertanas in respect of each Guru Panchakam.
Dr.
Srinivasan gave an illuminating discourse on Chaturmasya vrata, importance of Sampradaya Nishta and devotion to the tradition of the lineage of
the Gurus who have transmitted the Upanishadic
message in the proper manner.
Just
before the final arati, Smt. Indumati
sang the very famous Pada of Sri Purandarasa “Varaguru Upadesa’ and ‘Ramanama
Payasakke’.
There
was a good attendance of the devotees and Vyasa
Akshata and fruits were distributed as Prasad.
Following
Vyasa Pooja, the parayana of Rig Veda Samhita, was performedby fourqualified Vedic pundits guided
by Brahmasri Rajesh Bhat from the 20th
July 2016 to 23rd July 2016.
As part of the Sankara Jayanthi Mahotsava, Sama Veda parayana was organized at Sri Gnanananda Niketan.
Sama Veda Parayana (Kauthuma sakha) was performed by five well qualified Vedic pandits (srautigal). It was under the guidance of
Brahma Sri Seetharama Srautigal. Parayana commenced in the morning of 26th
May 2016 and concluded on noon of 29th May 2016.
May the Grace of Adi Sankaracharya and blessing of Sadguru
Gnanananda be showered on you and all the members of your family. May all of
you be blessed with Sowbhagya, prosperity and Sreyas, the highest good!
