TV Channel

Viśva Guru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvar Paramahaṁsrī Svāmī Maheśvarānandapurījī Satguru Devā Kī Jaya. Hari Om to everybody around the world from everyone here in Jadan. Today’s webcast will be slightly different. Through photos and description, we will take you on a short tour of Jadan Ashram, showing its various aspects and activities. Over the coming weeks, perhaps once per week, we will explore different facets of life here. Different members of the ashram will speak about specific areas, sharing their experiences, what they have learned from the local people, and the knowledge they have received from Gurujī. We hope this helps people understand the many different parts of the ashram, the diverse learning opportunities here, and the many ways Swāmījī works within the community for the benefit of society, the local people, and everyone's spirituality. Today, we will slowly go through a broad outline of the āśram. As many know, the center point is the Oṃ Āśram, the Oṃ building. This project has been ongoing since the early 1990s. It is Swāmījī's life work—a place where everyone can come to spend time studying and practicing yoga, whether for a short visit or a longer stay. It is a place to immerse oneself in spirituality and the atmosphere of the ashram. Within the Oṃ Āśram, there are facilities for studying and practicing. At its heart is the Samādhi of our Dādā Gurujī, Swāmījī's Gurujī, Swāmī Madhavānandjī Mahārāj. This holy resting place is for darśan, to receive his blessings and share his life and energy. Also in the temple complex will be a temple to Śiva, to Mahādevjī. As Swāmī Yogeś Purujī will later explain when he talks about the Oṃ Āśram, it is a huge temple made only of stone. It is a beautiful place for worship and visitation that also helps preserve traditions, ancient handicrafts, and the way of carving—a tradition still very much alive in India. The beauty and skill of this work can be seen within the Oṃ Āśram as it slowly comes together. You can see the shape of Oṃ in the building, as shown in the slides. It is our hope and Swāmījī's vision that it will be ready within two or three years. This year, people were already staying in parts of the Oṃ Āśram, appreciating the peace and energy inside—a wonderful place to stay. One of the most important aspects of the ashram is education. People come from throughout the world and India to practice yoga, receive instruction and guidance from Swāmījī, and put the system of yoga into daily practice more intensely. There are beautiful facilities for practice, both inside and in the gardens—an atmosphere conducive to practice. With people converging from all over the world, bringing extensive teaching and practice experience, it is a center point for sharing ideas and experiences with Swāmījī. It is a place where long-term visitors support each other in developing their sādhanā, and short-term visitors can refresh, receive an injection of spiritual energy, and let go of worldly tensions for a week, a month, or longer. For those who have experienced it, they appreciate just how special a place it is. Along with yoga practice, an integral part of the day is the pūjās, āratīs in the Mandir, and Vedic culture. Being immersed in the local area and following local festivals, one develops an understanding of the culture that cannot be gained from books or formal study alone. While one studies theory from books, being immersed and living within the culture gives it new meaning. For example, during the monsoon season in the month of Śrāvaṇ, every Monday the ashram is full of local people coming to the Śiva temple, to Mahādevjī. This flow continues from morning until evening, showing how this tradition fits into and is important for people's lives. Sometimes the emphasis is on Hanumānjī, and people come to Gaṇeśjī. By being here, you see there are many different ways of worshipping. In the morning, during sunrise, if you simply sit outside and observe around the Śivamandir and Gaṇeśjī's place, you will see teachers from the school, our staff, doctors, and school children. Each comes in a slightly different way, greets Gaṇeśjī, performs some pūjā, and goes to the Śivamandir. Although the words and actions may differ, you slowly appreciate that the one constant in all practices is the feeling with which it is done—the bhakti, devotion, and faith. Along with Vedic education and yoga, visitors from foreign countries also learn the local languages, studying Hindi. Many find their English also blossoms and improves. It is a wonderful atmosphere where many cultures converge. One can sit and hear four, five, or six languages spoken at once. This makes me appreciate that this is truly a center for people from all over the world to come and practice. The yoga students also learn Sanskrit and, according to their disposition, study Jyotiṣa or Āyurveda principles. We also have students from the local area. The ashram includes a school with 1300 students, a college, and a graduate college with about 250 students. There is interaction between these students and visitors from abroad. Volunteers also help teach in the school. As you can see in the slides, it is an interaction between local knowledge and knowledge from abroad. Like the Oṃ Āśram, we will have more information and insight into the school and college in the coming weeks. I hope the students themselves will explain what they do, why and how they study, and their backgrounds. The ashram is also deeply involved in preserving the environment. Since the ashram's establishment, more than 100,000 trees have been planted. Those who have been coming for years have seen a transformation from an empty desert into a place with abundant trees and beautiful greenery. Over time, more birds and wildlife have appeared—squirrels, turtles, owls, peacocks—and increasingly diverse bird varieties. The tree-planting project also educates local children. Regularly, school students participate in planting trees and learn the need to take similar care in their villages. The ancient history of Rajasthan is that it had vast numbers of trees, but they have slowly disappeared. Now, the community is realizing the need to give something back. It is one thing to wish to plant trees, but through doing it, through experience and observing results, you learn successful methods—how to plant without needing excessive water and accounting for poor soil. This is another type of learning, education, and knowledge: how to give each tree the best chance of survival. Alongside this, there are many rainwater harvesting projects and different methods of preserving water. The next slide refers to our hospital. There is a great need for good healthcare in this local area. Swāmījī, together with Dr. Śāntījī, has developed a wonderful hospital over the years, giving people access to good healthcare with good hygiene. Śāntījī also travels extensively to villages in the local area with a team of doctors, promoting health awareness and offering advice, assessment, and treatment. We also provide health awareness education for school students. If these children learn, they take it home to their families—a quick way to spread awareness that is not easy to disseminate in villages. Here are a few shots from around the ashram. This one is from Google Earth. For those who haven't looked recently, the image was updated a few months ago, making the ongoing work much clearer. On the far right, you can see the school building. In the bottom right corner is the hospital in the star shape, the swastika building that houses the hostel. Slightly to the left of the school, you can see it. Towards the top right is the mountain and the talāb (dam). Towards the left, you can see the Oṃ Āśram. This photo is from one or two years ago, as some now-finished elements are not complete here. Beyond the Oṃ Āśram, towards the left-hand side, is our Gośālā, where the cows are. The Gośālā will also be a topic for a satsaṅg. Here is a photo of the area with the Śiva Mandir and Bhakti Sāgara, where we are broadcasting from now. The Bhakti Sāgara is on the left, the building with the grass roof. Grass roofing is another construction tradition Swāmījī preserves. It is a simple material that keeps rooms cooler in summer and warm in winter, with a beautiful, natural atmosphere inside. For those who came 10 or 15 years ago, if this picture had been taken then, there would be no trees, or only small saplings three or four feet high. For me, the trees symbolize what is possible when you stay in Jāradanā, when you spend time here. Each tree we plant needs a lot of energy and care to start, but once it roots and begins to grow, it blossoms quickly. Similarly, when people come to the ashram from different cultures, adjusting can be difficult. But once established, it is a wonderful place for blossoming and spiritual development. This panorama of the Oṃ Āśram gives an idea of its size and immensity. Although its appearance will change as parts rise higher and the final stonework with domes and spires is added, you can already see the beauty and complexity of the building. These are photos from around the Oṃ Āśram. One shows Gurujī's Samādhi. Gurujī's picture is there in a large size. This is where he rests and gives his blessings. It is a pilgrimage site for people from around the country and world—a place we can always come to receive energy from Gurujī and absorb some of his purity. Other pictures show examples of the stone carving artwork. The handwork and methods are ancient traditions practiced for generations. Although parts have been mechanized over time, much must still be done by hand. These workers and craftsmen are the custodians of that tradition, carrying it into the future. In the photo on the top right, you see Swāmījī with his hand on the wall. This showcases another local tradition: plaster made from cow dung (gobar). Like the grass roof, this natural material gives a beautiful atmosphere to the room. Swāmījī strives to preserve these ancient methods and show people how to use them in a modern context, offering something special that modern technology cannot provide. The next slide shows a view from the Oṃ Āśram towards other parts of the ashram. The dominant building in the distance is the hospital, shaped like a star—the symbol of the Anāhata chakra, representing the heart center, compassion, and caring. In front are other buildings for living, eating, satsaṅgs, and temples. This photo was taken in winter. In the fields, you can see wheat, barley, or fenugreek growing. As much as possible, we grow our own organic wheat and food for the ashram. We use more traditional wheat seeds, which are darker, more nutritious than modern grain. Earlier, I mentioned the Bhakti Sāgara, the hall we are in now. In these pictures, you can see the grass roof clearly and the center of devotion where Swāmījī sits, with the altar beside. Here, we gather every evening for satsaṅg, bhajans, and prayer. Students from the hostel and people from the ashram come together to share that time at sunset. The Śiva temple, Mahādevjī Mandir—about which Swāmī Nirañjan Purujī will also tell more—is shown again. For many years, the morning Āratī has happened there, with people coming from all around for worship. You can also see the gardens. All our vegetables and fruits are grown organically. This provides amazing education as we develop methods to cope with local challenges for organic gardening. For 15 years, natural fertilizer has been used. Locals who taste the vegetables often try to take some home, commenting that they have a different taste from market produce—more flavor, like sabjī used to taste 20 years ago. About gardening, Puṣpājī will talk more in the future, covering methods, issues, and practical techniques people can try in different countries. Here is a photo of the kitchen and eating area, a center of the ashram. All food is vegetarian, and as much as possible, we cook with ingredients from our gardens. We do not come just to fill our bellies but to learn about Indian culture—how to eat, serve, cook, make chapatis, and make sabjī. It is a combination of local knowledge and people helping, part of the education center. Another aspect is the Gośālā, the animal refuge. We have about 700–750 cows. It is one way Swāmījī puts humanitarian work into action. A slogan of Gośālās throughout India is to practice compassion in action. We often face challenges: because we are near a highway, cows are sometimes hit by trucks, and people call asking us to pick them up and care for them. We try to take care as much as possible. When cases are too difficult, we get help from local government doctors and seek advice from Jodhpur and farther away. We also have ashram horses. Many know the beautiful photo of Swāmījī with one of the horses. As much as possible, we let the horses roam within the ashram. As seen in the bottom right photo, they are roaming outside the Śivāmandir. They are part of the family and atmosphere. The next photo is of the Swastika building, the hostel for school children. It is one of the older buildings in the ashram and has had many uses over time. At one stage, it was a center where women from the whole district came for training to teach in village preschools. In conjunction with the government, 80–90 women at a time would stay for a month, learning how to teach children basic letters, hygiene, and nutrition. They then returned to their native villages to spread this knowledge in their own centers, where local mothers could come with their babies for education. It was a beautiful time, full of singing and dancing. One person running it commented that when the women first arrived, they cried because they had to leave their homes. After a month, when leaving, they cried because they didn't want to leave the ashram. This happened repeatedly in each camp. That phase lasted about a year and a half. Then the building became the school, then outgrew for the school, and then became the hostel. Who knows what is next? Here are photos of some children. I mentioned the school earlier and won't elaborate now, as we will have a broader view later. In both school and college, we emphasize girls' education, encouraging them by providing free education. The boy in the left photo is smiling because he just participated in a ceremony called Yajña Pavīṭ, similar to the Catholic Confirmation. It is a point in a boy's life when they perform a certain pūjā, are taught mantras and practices for their youth, and traditionally enter their guru's call and real education. Every Guru Pūrṇimā, Swāmījī preserves this tradition for any school boys who wish to participate. For those who have seen it, it is a beautiful morning ceremony. Like that boy, they always glow afterwards. The next slides show some school activities. We have excellent science labs. Students make inventions, participate in competitions, and engage in art and painting. In the bottom right photo, we have had wonderful programs creating animations and videos. Examples can be seen on the school blog on the website. Here is a beautiful photo of the hospital. Again, we will have a broader perspective in the coming weeks. The hospital is not about buildings but patients and treatment. We have specialists for dental and occasionally orthopedics, eye operations, and Āyurvedic treatment. All forms of diagnosis, blood testing, X-ray, etc., are available. One major project over the years has been rainwater harvesting. Rajasthan is in the desert, and every drop of water is precious. Swāmījī encourages projects to preserve water, catch rain, and sustain the ashram and its projects during the dry season. The previous photo showed a dry talāb. In this photo, Swāmījī observes a good monsoon where the talāb is filling with water. We always dream it will look like that, but reality is different, making rainwater harvesting crucial. One beautiful effect of the rainwater harvesting project comes from a village two kilometers from the ashram. The year before we built this talāb, the water level in village tube wells was below 250 feet, even in a year with good rain. Two years after completion, in a year with very little rain, I asked the water level in the village tube wells at the same time of year. It was 80 feet. The villagers realized that although the work occurred within the ashram, they were the beneficiaries. It affects water quality and quantity in the ground, vital for the sustainability of the whole area. Here is a beautiful little photo of caring for a baby squirrel that lost its mother. Caring for cows and any animal in need is part of yoga, part of sevā, and part of karma yoga. In this photo, guests from Europe are painting the roof of the Gośālā. This was a huge job that would have taken weeks, but we were racing against the coming rain, which would have destroyed the fodder if the roof wasn't ready. Many hands make light work; what would have taken weeks was done in two days. All involved enjoyed the energy of working together and seeing quick results. Here, Dr. Śāntījī is taking care of a local child, giving practical advice on childcare. That concludes a quick tour of the ashram. In the following weeks, we hope you join us as we explore each part in more detail. I would like to share one piece of news with everyone in Jadan and worldwide. At the bottom of the last slide is a new web address. This website shows all aspects of the Oṃ Āśram and activities within Jadan, as well as Swāmījī's ashrams throughout India—in Kathu, Kailash, Nepal, Jaipur, and Delhi. There are incredibly beautiful photos and stories there. After the webcast, take a chance to look.