Southern California Visit

Swami Viditatmananda Saraswati, a senior disciple of Pujya Swami Dayananda will be returning to Southern California June 28 – 30, 2015.  This year he will be giving discourses in both San Diego and in the Los Angeles areas. Talks are in English. Admission is free and open to all.

Please join the Arsha Drishti mailing list for details and updates.  Or follow Arsha Drishti on Facebook or Twitter. Contact Swami Advayatmananda (San Diego) or Ruchika Raval (Los Angeles) if you would like to help with these events.

See pictures from Swami V’s 2014 visit and download audio or view the video of his talks HERE :

• Intelligent Living : Dharma in the 21st Century
• Freedom From Sadness

About Swami Viditatmananda

Sri Swami Viditatmananda, a senior disciple of Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati, expounds Vedanta with a simplicity and directness that make it easy to assimilate. Having lived and worked in the United States prior to becoming a renunciate, Swami Viditatmananda is familiar with the lifestyles in India and the West. With his insight into both cultures, he reaches out to everyone with equal ease.

Swami Viditatmananda graduated in 1978 from the course taught by Pujya Swamiji in Bombay, India. Since then he has been extremely active, teaching, writing books and preparing Pujya Swamiji’s words for publication. He visits the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Saylorsburg PA every year during spring/summer and conducts classes.

Under the banner of Adhyatma Vidya Mandir, Swami Viditatmananda conducts various programs to disseminate the knowledge of the scriptures. He gives talks on the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita all over Gujarat, India. He also conducts management seminars with a view of showing the relevance of Vedanta in management.

Swami Viditatmananda’s Tatvatirtha Ashrama is situated in the western outskirts of Ahmedabad in Gujarat. As its name suggests, it is a center for learning the Tattva, i.e. the truth.

2015 – Swami Advayatmananda after initiation into saṃnyāsa by Pujya Swami Dayananda

Daksha Chaitanya was given Saṃnyāsa-Dīkṣā – initiation into the Daśanāmī monastic order – on March 22, 2015 in Rishikesh, India by Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati.  Pujya Swamiji blessed him with the name  Swami Advayatmananda Saraswati (स्वामी अद्वयात्मानन्द सरस्वती) – “One who finds his joy and completeness in the truth of the non-dual self from which nothing is separate.”

The vows taken by a saṃnyāsī, a Hindu monk, reflect his commitment to lead a simple life of non-injury, study, teaching, and contemplation.  These vows of renunciation spring from the depths of one’s own vision of inherent inner freedom and fullness, and reveal the intention to fully express the wisdom and joy of the teachings of the ancient sages in one’s life .

The Initiation

The initiation activities span over two days, beginning the day before the main vows are taken with a shave and a purifying Gaṇgā-snānam (dip in the Ganges river).  Another trip to the Gaṇgā for changing the yajñopavīta (sacred thread) is followed by tarpanā – offering libations of water to the sages, gods, and ancestors, said to bless seven generations back.

At the yajñaśāla, the building wherein most of the rituals will take place, pūjās to Ganesha (remover of obstacles), Navagraha (the universe), and Devī (Goddess) are performed – rituals to invoke the Lord’s grace to bless our coming lives as saṃnyāsīs.  The elaborate aṣṭaśrāddha ritual was next – a ritual of final offerings of food to the departed forefathers, mothers, gods, rṣis (ancient sages), and elements.  This includes the final funeral ceremony even for oneself, since the initiate will die to his old life to be transformed anew.

Mid-morning begins the chanting of Gāyatrī mantra, followed several hours later by Gāyatrī Homa, a prayer for brilliance in one’s knowledge and teaching.  Chanting of Gāyatrī mantra and offerings into the sacred fire continue until sunrise the following day.  Morning brings the performance of the powerful Viraja Homa, a ritual to purify all aspects of one’s being in preparation for saṃnyāsa.

Finally the formal Saṃnyāsa-dīkṣā (initiation) commences in which, with sun and moon, sky and earth, sunrise and sunset,  the gods and sadhus as witnesses, all aspects of one’s previous life –  one’s ego, personal history, possessions, all small pursuits and identifications, everything in this world and the next – are renounced.  Then with an offering of water, the vow of ahiṃsā, to cause no harm to any living being is taken: Abhayaṃ sarvabhūtebhyo mattaḥ svāhā – For all living beings may there be no fear from me.

Then standing in the Gaṇgā, discarding his sacred thread and even his white clothing into the river, having abandoned all worldly aspirations, and in the spirit of total renunciation and freedom, the freshly-minted saṃnyāsī begins walking north, the north being a symbol of mokṣa, liberation.  He is ceremonially called back by fellow sādhus who offer him the traditional orange robes of a monk.  Pujya Swamiji then gives a new name which reflects one’s true nature, and the saṃnyāsa mantra.  This is followed by the performance of a pādapūjā for Pujya Swamiji to honor the guru and the lineage.

Finally the new saṃnyāsīs journey to Kalikamaliwale Annakṣetra (a Rishikesh establishment that freely feeds hundreds of sādhus a day) for bhikṣā (taking alms), dal and roti, in the same manner as Pujya Swamiji did some 50 years ago.

Sannyasa Diksha March 22, 2015

Read about Swami Dayananda

Read about Swami Advayatmananda

A Handful of Sanskrit Tools is now available on ArshaDrishti.org.

There are many online and offline digital tools available to help those interested in reading Sanskrit.  It is best to study Sanskrit with a teacher, so the resources below are not meant to teach Sanskrit. They are simply a handful of recommended tools useful to have at your fingertips to help along the way.  Pāṇini tools will be posted separately.

Let me know what your favorite Sanskrit tools are!

Read the newest email newsletter sent to the Arsha Drishti Email List.  Newsletter includes class recording descriptions and links.

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Look For New Upcoming Classes

Bhagavad Gītā with Śaṇkarācārya’s Sanskrit commentary with reference to Bhāṣyārkaprakāśaṭīkā subcommentary

Beginning Chanting: 

Universal Peace Prayer (svasti prajābhyaḥ);

Teacher-Student Prayer  (sahanāvavatu)

Vision of Non-duality (pūrṇamadaḥ)

Additional Śāntipāṭhāḥ

You can up sign for the Arsha Drishti Email to keep you abreast of visiting teachers, special events, and class offerings and in the San Diego area as well as online.  It is a low volume list, and is easy to unsubscribe from if it fails to tickle your fancy.

Audio recordings of the Thursday Tattvabodha classes and meditations will be made available on a weekly basis for downloading.   Meditations will be broken out separately from the classes themselves.  The plan is to post the Thursday evening classes on the Sunday following the class.

LISTEN TO TATTVABODHA CLASSES

LISTEN TO GUIDED MEDITATIONS

नमस्ते

The Meaning of Namaste

Discovering the Undivided Self

Download Audio