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On the one hand, the Sivananda Ashram is a physical place,
located somewhere with buildings, residents, and offices. On the other
hand, it is not a place at all. It is the spiritual expression of the
divine mission of its founder, Swami Sivananda. If a natural calamity
was to occur, and all the buildings were destroyed and all the residents
dispersed, there would still be a Sivananda Ashram. To the extent that
people devoted to carrying on his work share Swami Sivananda's vision,
to that same extent Sivananda Ashram would continue to exist.
So often people in the Ashram will remark how they still feel the spiritual
presence of Swami Sivananda and see his hand in the affairs of the Ashram.
They will say, "It is not I who works, but Gurudev who works through
me." The residents also feel that it is in this very place that they
can be led more firmly to their goal of God-realisation. In this place
of selfless service, contemplation and ego-annihilation, is an atmosphere
vibrant with the spiritual power that can carry the aspirant to that realisation.
Swami Chidanandaji once said in response to a request of an Ashram resident
to go elsewhere to do sadhana, "Yes, there may be many other places
more suited for good spiritual practice. But if it is God-realisation
you want, there is no better place than here."
The Sivananda Ashram is the headquarters and spiritual focal point of
a vast worldwide organisation called "The Divine Life Society."
The Society encompasses more than 300 branches around the world, as well
as individual devotees in India and abroad. At the centre of this vast
network of spiritual uplift throughout the world, in the form of the Divine
Life Society, stands the Sivananda Ashram as the guiding light. The Ashram
is dedicated to the service of all and is itself benefited by the generous
donations of the devotees who want to see that service continue. It is
in the Ashram that any person interested in the spiritual life, whether
a member of the DLS or not, can come and be nurtured by the spirit that
pervades this place. |
