Sri Vivekananda Ashrama History

Sri Vivekananda Ashrama

A Brief History

 

     Sri Vivekananda Ashrama Was Founded In 1940 By Swami Ambanandaji Maharaj, A Disciple Of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi.

Aim And Objective

     Swami Vivekananda, The Chief Architect Of Modern India, Once Said In A Course Of Conversation: “What You Have To Do Now Is To Establish A Math In Every Town And In Every Village. Can You Do That? A Well-Educated Sadhu Should Be At The Head Of That Centre And Under Him There Should Be Departments For Teaching Practical Science And Arts, With A Specialist Sannyasin In Charge Of Each Of These Departments.”

     Sri Vivekananda Ashrama Is A Modest Attempt To Fulfil This Wish Of The Great Swami Vivekananda. It Is A Monastic Organization And Functions In A Way Similar To The Ramakrishna Ashramas Founded By Swami Vivekananda, The Motto Of Which Is, “For One’s Own Liberation And For The Welfare Of The World.”

Emblem

     Swami Madhuranandaji, The Second President Of The Ashrama, Designed An Emblem And Explained The Objective Of The Ashrama Thus:

    The (Sanskrit) Om At The Top Represents God.

     The Swan Indicates Jnanayoga, The Trident Karmayoga, The Lotus Bhaktiyoga, And The Triangle Rajayoga Or Concentration Of Mind.

     The Sanskrit Mantra In The Emblem Stands For The Motto Of The Ashrama. It Is The First Mantra Of Isavasya Upanishad. The Line Reads Tena Tyaktena Bhunjeethaah, Which Means Enjoy Through That Renunciation. In This Context “That” Represents God. So The Implication Of The Motto Is¾To Enjoy This World With The Idea That Everything Belongs To God.  

     In Summary The Emblem Denotes: The Aim Of Life Is To Attain God, Living A Life Of Sacrifice With The Help Of Jnana, Karma, Bhakti, And Raja Yogas.

History

1.Swami Ambananda: 1940-1951

     Swami Ambanandaji Founded This Ashrama In A Small Thatched Hut. Ever Living In Holy Mother-Consciousness And Radiating Love, He Inspired A Small Group Of Men And Women To Lead A Holy Life.

     The Swami Organized Celebrations Of The Birthdays Of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, And Swami Vivekananda And Also The Auspicious Day On Which He Had The Blessed Fortune Of Seeing Holy Mother (Mahalaya Amavasya). He Kindly Consented To The Request Of The Devotees To Celebrate His Birthday Also. In Addition He Organized Occasional Satsanghs. As Far As Service To Others, He Humbly Helped The Poor And Needy Whenever Possible.

     He Initiated A Few Devotees With Mantra Diksha (Initiating With A Holy Mantra). Leaving Two Monastic Disciples, Namely Swami Madhuranandaji And Swami Satyanandaji, The Swami Passed Away In 1951. 

2.Swami Madhurananda: 1951-1999

     After Swami Ambanandaji, Swami Madhuranandaji Became The Head Of The Ashrama. Under His Leadership, The Ashrama Expanded Its Activities In Various Fields:

1. Mantra Diksha: Swami Madhuranandaji Blessed Many Devotees With Mantra Diksha And Ordinated About Twenty Spiritual Aspirants Into Sannyasa.
2. Spiritual Retreat (Antaryogam): The Swami Started Monthly Spiritual Retreats In The Ashrama. Chanting And Singing The Glories Of God, Japa, Meditation, And Discourses Have Been The Main Programmes Of These Retreats.

     Religious Preaching Has Become One Of The Main Activities Of The Ashrama Since This Period.

     The Swami Found That There Was A Pressing Need In The Kanyakumari District For Awakening Hindus To The Glories Of Their Own Sacred Religion And Country. So, He Instituted A Threefold Scheme: Sunday Religious Class, Deepa Puja, And Satsangh.

     Swami Madhuranandaji Started These Activities In The Kanyakumari District. But Currently The Programme Has Spread Not Only To Nearby Districts And States, But Also Is Making A Mark In Other Countries As Well.

1987: Publication Of Books Was Started And Has Become An Important Activity Today. The Swami First Published Ambanandar Padalgal, A Tamil Booklet. This Was A Compilation Of The Malayalam Songs And Poems Written By Swami Ambanandaji. Then In 1979, Madhuranandaji Published The Tamil Version Of Sri Ramakrishna Varnanukrama Keertanam. It Is A Sanskrit Hymn Of 365 Lines On Sri Ramakrishna Originally Composed By Swami Vimalananda, Ramakrishna Ashrama, Nettayam, Kerala, And Translated By Madhuranandaji. The Third Publication Was Srimat Ambananda Swamigal: Vazhkai Varalaru In 1987. This Is A Brief Life Of Swami Ambanandaji Written In Tamil By Madhuranandaji. Several More Titles Followed During This Period.

1988: In 1984, Hindu Dharma Vidya Peetam Was Founded To Consolidate These Activities Which Mainly Takes Care Of Religious Preaching And The Publication Activities Of The Ashrama.

1989: In 1986, Veda Murasu, A Tamil Monthly, Was Started To Carry The Message Of Hinduism And Bharat To The Local Hindus. The Monthly Serves As The News Magazine Also.

Relief Activities: Swami Madhuranandaji Expanded The Relief Activities Of The Ashrama.

     A Major Effort Was The Flood Relief In 1993-94. With The Financial Help From Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai And Ramakrishna Mission, Coimbatore, Seventy Houses Were Built And Given To The Severely Affected All Over The Kanyakumari District.

      A Few Buildings Have Been Constructed Within The Ashrama Campus To Accommodate The Growing Activities:  

1. In 1979, Sri Ambananda Prarthanai Mandapam, A Large Hall, Was Built Mainly For Conducting Monthly Spiritual Retreats And For The Meetings Of The Religious Class Teachers.
2. In The 1980s, Balamurugan Illam, A Hall, Was Constructed. Originally This Was Meant To Be An Orphanage. However, This Project Could Not Be Completed As Originally Intended. Subsequently, The Hall Was Converted Into A Monks’ Quarters.
3. In 1988, A Guest House Was Built Slightly Away From The Main Campus Mainly To Accommodate The Women Devotees. This House Was Extended Through An Additional Room In 1995.
4. In 1994, Sri Saradeswari Ashrama, A Separate Wing For Nuns, Was Founded At Nettankode, About Eight Kilometres Away From Vellimalai.
5. Sri Ramakrishna Sarada Ashrama Was Affiliated In 1996.
6. In A Picturesque Spot On The Hillock Vellimalai, Revered Pavanananda Mataji, A Sannyasini Of The Ramakrishna Tradition, Established A Sarada Ashrama And Was Carrying On Activities According To The Ramakrishna Tradition. In 1997, She Bequeathed The Property To Sri Vivekananda Ashrama. Since Then The Sarada Ashrama Has Become A Part Of Sri Vivekananda Ashrama.

3.Swami Chaitanyananda: (1999 Onwards)

1. In 1999, Sri Ramakrishna Seva Sangam Was Founded In Order To Streamline And Consolidate Various Social Welfare Activities Such As Helping The Poor, Catering To Their Education, Medical Needs, Marriage, And Other Such Requirements. The Sangam Also Renders Relief Services During Natural Calamities Such As Flood, Cyclone, And Fire.
2. In 2002, Yatiswarananda Kutir, A Guest House With Two Spacious Rooms, Mainly For Visiting Monks, Was Constructed. The House Was Sponsored By Smt. Bhooma Padmanabhan, A Disciple Of Swami Yatiswaranandaji, A Saintly Monk (1889–1966) Of The Ramakrishna Mission.
3. In 2012, A Large Temple Dedicated To Sri Ramakrishna Was Built. The Ground Floor Houses An Assembly Hall, Sri Saradeswari Library, And Two Rooms Dedicated To Swamis Ambanandaji And Madhuranandaji.
4. As The Threefold Scheme And The Other Activities Of Hindu Dharma Vidya Peetam Expands And Spreads, A Few Working Centres Other Than Vellimalai Have Been Established. The Peetam Has Now The Following Working Centres:
5. In Kanyakumari District: At Munchirai, Thiruvattaru, Thuckalay, And Killiyur.
6. In Coimbatore District: Malumichampatti.

     In Most Of The Above Places, Religious Classes, Teachers’ Training Camps, And Students’ Camps Are Regularly Conducted. A Few Centres Have Prayer Halls Where The Birthdays Of The Holy Trio Are Celebrated.