Ashram
(Interview with Chitrangani:) Q: Could you tell us something about when the first cowshed was built in the Ashram and why? A: When the first Indian hostel children came to stay in the Ashram, I think it was around 1990, …
Being that no devotees coming from abroad were able to physically participate in the Mahashivaratri celebrations this year, we organized an international live Mahashivaratri programme through Zoom to connect devotees from around the world with the Ashram and some Centres …
From March 2 to 4 a Chandi homam will be conducted in Sri Premananda Ashram. A Chandi homam is a sacred fire ritual for Goddess Chandi.
It’s considered the ultimate homam for Devi, the universal Divine Mother. This Chandi homam will be performed specifically to benefit Mother Earth. Swamiji said Mother Earth is very unbalanced now due to the selfishness of human beings who have depleted the Earth’s resources for their own personal gain. By conducting this yagam we hope to enforce within us the wisdom, love, compassion and courage necessary to take care of our precious and holy planet so that we can help restore balance and harmony…
As always, Mahashivaratri will be celebrated in a grand way in Sri Premananda Ashram in 2019. At the same time, this year, there will be a conference and a special sacred fire ritual…
Since the creation of the world, humans have forgotten about other living beings and their rights. They reared cows for milk. Once the cows stopped giving milk they were slaughtered for meat. They didn’t consider it as a sin. When a pin pricks our finger, it hurts. So, when a cow is slaughtered it feels the pain. Why doesn’t mankind realize this? …
My Experience with Swamiji, by Siddhananda, France
It had been three years ago since I had first visited the Ashram and now, this time, as I entered the gates, it was with a reflective nostalgia. I took my time to look all around me, wanting to take full advantage of my return here.
When you come from the West, living in the Ashram is like discovering another dimension, for it is quite literally another world. Not only is the way of life different but also the way of being, the climate, and especially the notion of time. Compared to the Western idea of time, here time seems to no longer exist; it acquires another density and sometimes a single day can seem like an eternity. I remember having had this feeling after my first week in the Ashram, it seemed to me that six months had passed! Yes, time is different here, it’s as if the Ashram is a kind of temporal vortex where time appears to have stopped but, in fact, it’s our mental perception that changes, our approach to everyday life and our attitude towards Life…
Early morning bhajans in the month of Margali – by an Ashram resident
In the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna tells us that, of all the months, he is Margali. Margali is a Tamil month that begins in mid-December and ends in mid-January. It is also said that to the Devas – divine beings – one of our years is for them one day, and our month of Margali is the brahma muhurtamof their day.
In 1992 I had the opportunity of being in the Ashram during that auspicious time. Back then the daily Ganesha abhishekam began at 5:30 a.m. instead of 5 a.m. as it does now. Swamiji asked us all to come together at 4:45 a.m. every day during this special month and go around the Ashram singing bhajans. Swamiji, of course, went along with us and sang too! It was so much fun. Every day he would ask a different Ashram resident to prepare a warm drink for everyone and we would end our nagarasankeertanamat their place. After having the tea, coffee, chocolate milk or other drink, we would then all go to the Ganesha abhishekam together…
In Sri Premananda Ashram there is a beautiful Shiva-Shakti temple which was planned by Swamiji long ago. In 1993 Swamiji said, “After this body dies and goes into mahasamadhi the divine vibration from it will help the world for the next 2, 500 years.” Swamiji started building the temple in 2008. He said he would imbue the lingam with a divine power so that all the people’s problems would be solved and therefore it would be ‘Kurai Teerkum Shiva’ – Lord Shiva who solves all your problems…
“… bringing Swami Premananda’s divine light…”
Swamiji blessed Ashram delegates to go to all the Sri Premananda Centres and Groups around the world who invite them, and to take the powerful pink Lingam with them on such world tours.
He blessed them to go to all the Centres, to give blessings with that Lingam, to solve the devotees’ problems through the greatness of that Lingam, to give people the opportunity to receive Swamiji’s divine, spiritual grace, and to spread Swamiji’s divine light. These tours are for everyone’s benefit and peace of mind, for the growth of spirituality, and to spread Swamiji’s message.
Since Swamiji’s Samadhi on 21st February 2011, the night of Mahashivaratri has continued to be one on which Swamiji’s divine presence has been so strongly felt by all his devotees and especially in Sri Premananda Ashram. Each year, just as Swamiji manifested lingams on Mahashivaratri night during Lingodbhava when he was still in his physical body, a lingam has manifested at the foot of Sri Premeshvarar lingam or at the feet of the statue of Swamiji that resides in Sri Premeshvarar temple.
