Sri Pranavananda Ashram

Organization History: Acharya Swami Pranavanandaji Maharaj was an incarnation of Lord Shiva. He lived in the first half of the Twentieth century. Acharya Deva was born in the year 1896 in what is now Bangladesh and strove to realise in the Order he founded an organization which would bring new energy, life and pride to the Hindu masses and the world. He was only 44 when he attained Maha Samadhi on January 8th, 1941. He left his imprint on India in various ways. From his very childhood he would always remain immersed in meditation and self contemplation. In some ways he stands most authentically for Hindu values which can easily be overlooked by modern commentators, scholars and interpreters of religion. Perhaps he was one of the figures whom we ought to take seriously in estimating the power and value of the modern Hindu renaissance, stretching from recent history to contemporary times when a variety of new religious leaders have made their impact on both the Indian and Western scene. His type of spirituality is very different in certain ways from that of other Gurus and saints whose lives have come to the attention of the English public. From his early days the young Binode - as the Acharya was the called - was drawn to spiritual persuits and a kind of ascetic athleticism. The Kali Yuga is not a fortunate time to be alive, even if it contains great and holy figures who can arrest human decline by recalling humanity to the holy dharma or teaching. In previous ages, life was more blessed and spacious. This is a common theme of Indian thought and is shared with other cultures. Not for them the easy assumption of human progress, rather that life and virtue are decaying, sliding downwards. In the Kali Yuga, humanity is afflicted by diseases both physical and spiritual. It is rare for men to live beyond a hundred years. Religion is in decline, and various forms of viciousness are on the increase. The dharma, in other words, is no longer preserved and this, in itself, affects the health of society. Still there are those who struggleagainst this downward flowing stream, they swim higher. They are saints and human beings of great virtue. And their births are typical by all kinds of signs. Such was the case of Acharya Swami Pranavananda. He was practising being a holy ascetic, preparing himself for his future career. During this span of intense preparation, he was supposed, moreover, to have had a spiritual experience of great power when he was very young. The story was told by him many years later, when he was already in his 20s, but there was no reason to doubt the authenticity of the account. He refered to the experience in conversation with Swami Purnananda for instance, in October 1924, when he said: "My first God-realization came to me at the age of six. For the Hindu austerity does not empty you it fills you with power." As Hinduism serves, so to speak, as a window on the Acharya so this life of the Acharya may serve as a window on Hinduism. First, if his dynamism has helped to create a new conciousness within Hinduism which can lead to a restoration of Hindu values and a flourishing of genuine religion, then this is something of vital moment to global civilization, in which Hindu values must surely play a major role. Second, his accent on austerity presents an ideal from which many outside India can learn. So the first main comment about the Acharya is this - that he was the chief apostle of tapasya in the modern period, but he applied it in a positive, practical manner to contemporary problems. He was traditionally Hindu in thinking of the transmission of power and energy in a sacramental manner. On the whole, modern commentators on Hinduism have underplayed its strong sense of ritual. This is partly because in the West there has been a progressive watering-down of ritual practice and a distrust often of anything that can be seen to be "ritualism". The Acharya applied the principles of ritual to his own organisation and his own sense of destiny. Since he felt himself to be chosen as an instrument of the devine will, and a channel of the energy of the All-dispenser, he provided means for transmitting that power so that he could energise his followers and, more broadly, the Hindu nation. Because of his emphasis on the Hindu national ideal he was nesessarily drawn to emphasising the vitality of the ancient heritage. A group gains its sense of identity through recalling, pondering and celebrating its past. Conciousness is thus shaped by sacred and historical narrative. To point to the Hindu past was therefore a necessary part of the preaching of the Sangha. On the other hand his reforming attitudes were themselves, in their own way modernising: to build pilgrim rest homes in the holy places was to bring something new to the scene; his flood and famine relief work among the poor pointed towards more systematic effortsto resolve age-old problems with up-to-date activities and institutions; his concern for breaking down ceste barriers could also be regarded as modern in spirit. It was done with a view of restoring a sense of pride and that pride depended both on action today and on a recollection of ancient glories. In that sense he was a traditionalist, but he was a traditionalist with untraditional energy. For more details pleaseClick Here .

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"Never trust anybody not of sound religion, for he that is false to God can never be true to man.

Solitude shows us what we should be society shows us what we are.

Reverence is one of the signs of strength, irreverence one of the surest indications of weakness, no man will rise high who jeers at sacred things. The fine loyalties of life must be revered or they will be forsworn in the days of trial.

The difficulties, hardships and trials of life, the obstacles one encounters on the road to fortune are positive blessings. They knit the muscles more firmly, and teach self-reliance. Peril is the element in which power is developed".

- Swami Bhajannanda

BHAKTI (The positive way to approach God.)

Bhakti is Open to all. Bhakti is resting on God. It is lifting our hearts in thanks to God. Bhakti is the flow of devotion like the flow of a river. Bhakti is attraction of the Jiva to the Lord, just as there is attraction of the needle to the magnet.

Bhakti awakens and elevates man into a state of divinity. It intoxicates the devotee with divine Prem. It makes the Sadhaka (aspirant) rejoice in God. Emotional excitement is not devotion to God. Bhakti leads to immortality or God-realisation.

Bhakti can be practised under all conditions and by all alike. Divine love can redeem even the worst sinners. Learning, austere penance, study of the Vedas, and academic brilliance are not needed for the attainment of Bhakti or devotion. What is required is a deep and abiding faith in God. Unalloyed love, Vimoka or freedom from desires, Abhyaasa or practice, Kriya or doing good to others, Kalyaana or purity consisting of truthfullness, straight-forwardness, kindness, non-violence and charity; all these constitute the practice of Bhakti or devotion to God. Nishada was born in a low caste, Sabari was a rustic woman, Dhruva was an uneducated boy, Vidura and Sudama were very poor; Vibhishana lived in Lanka, Hanuman was a monkey, Jatayu was a bird, Gajendra was an elephant, the Gopis of Brindavan were not initiated into Vedic rites, but all these attained God-realisation on account of their devotion and self-surrender to God.

What is called Bhakti or devotion to God is a state of mind in which it is being melted by the force of spiritual discipline, the mind constantly flows towards the Lord. The intellect is found to be active in cognizing the glory and majesty of God, the emotion in experiencing the delight of divine bliss, and the will in consecrating all activities by complete surrender to Him.

The way of devotion is not different from the way of knowledge or Jnana. When intelligence matures and lodges securely in the mind, it becomes wisdom. When wisdom is integrated with life and issues out in action, it becomes Bhakti. Knowledge when it becomes fully mature, is Bhakti. If it does not get transformed into Bhakti, such knowledge is useless tinsel. To believe that Jnana and Bhakti-knowledge and devotion are different from each other is ignorance. "If Shri Adi Shankaracharya, who drank the ocean of Jnana as easily as one sips water from the palm of one's hand, sang in his later years hymns to develop devotion, it is enough to show that Jnana and Bhakti are one and the same."

Paradox Of Our Times

* The paradox of our times is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We buy more, but enjoy it less.

* These are times of steep profits and shallow relationships; world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; two incomes and more divorce.

* We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time. We have more advanced degrees, but less common sense; more knowledge, but less good judgment; more medicine, but less wellness.

* We have been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour. We've conquered outer space, but inner space is still a mystery to too many of us.

* We have cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; split the atom, but not our prejudices.

* We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We have higher incomes, but lower morals.

* We talk too much, love too seldom and hate too often.

* It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring a letter to you in seconds, and you can choose either to make a difference or just hit "delete".

"Steadfastness to duty on the other hand, strengthens man and aids the building of character".

- Swami Purnananda

Purushartas (Four Fundamental Values of Life):

Hindu saints and sages proceed to the study of what man should be and what he should pursue, and so they discovered what is described in this Sanskrit work "Purushartha". This word when translated means the 'values of life'. To Western thinkers the 'ultimate values' referred to as Truth, Goodness and Beauty. But 'Purushartha' means and connotes the aims and purposes of life or the Fundamental Aspirations of man.

The term 'Purushartha' not only denotes what the objectives of life should be but it also means what the objectives of life are as the result of the psychological tendencies of the individual. These 'Purusharthas' are said to be four in number.The Agni Purana states clearly that Dharma, Artha, Kaama and Moksha are the four 'Purusharthas'.

Dharmaartha-kaama-mokshashcha Purushartha Udaahrithah. This Purushartha classification is so well-established that it forms part of the Samkalpa which is recited by every Hindu supposedly before any ritual, ceremony or other religious or charitable act is begun. Dharma-arth-kaama-moksha- Chaturvigh-Purushaarth-Sidhyartham Karma Karishye. It is a well established principle that every ritual, ceremony or other religious act is performed for the purpose of enabling the worshiper or individual who performs it to realize these four Purusharthas of life. Whenever these are mentioned the order has always been that Dharma was the first, Artha was the second, Kama was the third, and the fourth and last was Moksha.

No Hindu has ever thought even in gesture to change this sequence, to mention these four in any different order. So we see the order in which they are referred to, has great significance and there is meaning behind it. A change in the order may alter the scope, content and relative importance of these four objects of life. Man longs, therefore, for pure joy, unalloyed, ever-lasting happiness, free from the least trace of misery and pain. Here on earth "we look before and after and pine for what is not real; our sincerest laughter is fraught with pain, and our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thoughts".

Death, disease, old age, poverty and want bring in their train untold misery. The human heart is sick with hope deferrred, expectations blasted, ambition wrecked and desire unfulfilled. Dharma is the stability of society, the maintenance of social order, and the general welfare of mankind. And whatever conduces to the fulfillment of this purpose is called 'dharma'.

Artha is the acquisition of wealth, is regarded as the primary purpose of life, as without it, human existence is impossible. One has to live before one can live well. Artha is the foundation upon which the whole structure of life has been built and all the other Purusharthas can be achieved only by the fulfillment of this primary purpose in life. Kaama means desires. Desires of varying degrees. It is from Dharma that Artha and Kaama result. Man recognises here that Artha and Kama satisfy the psychological tendencies of man and they form essentially the two fundamental aspirations of every individual.

Now the word Moksha literally, means deliverance, that is deliverance of the soul from bondage. Our great philosophers argue that, so long as the soul is imprisoned in the body, subject to the shackles of the human tendencies and inclinations and enmeshed in sordid matter, it will never be free from the taint of misery, pain and suffering of the three kinds, Adhi-bhautika, Adhi-atmika, and Adhi- daivika, bodily, mental and God-made, the tapa-traya . Moksha results from the extinction of false knowledge, which causes the extinction of lust and hate, which extinguish all karmas, which again results in the cessation of all birth, which again results in the annulment of sorrow.

When birth is at an end, sorrow ceases and Moksha is attained where the soul is free from the cycle of births and deaths. Hence according to our Hindu saints and sages, moksha is that perfect state of supreme bliss where there is the cessation of the effects of karma.