SPACE OF BLISS
The Bidadi ashram
The hub of all Dhyanapeetam activities is the Bidadi ashram, located 35 km south-east of Bangalore city, which is the software capital of Bharat, and among Asia's fastest growing cities.
First impressions
On the busy Bangalore-Mysore highway, about 2 km past the town of Bidadi, a Dhyanapeetam signboard on the left points out the leafy path that winds its way to the ashram.
Nestling among low hills, spread over 16 acres, the ashram brings to life Swamiji's vision of traditional simplicity with modern amenities. A number of unassuming, functional structures dot the landscape. It is difficult to imagine that this serene commune is the headquarters from which Dhyanapeetam conducts its international operations that span three contintents.
From the fork in the road (with one path leading to the administrative and living quarters, and the other to the sacred banyan tree), the visitor can spy the rustic outline of the famous Laughing Temple, where THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM holds intimate interviews and takes classes for the ashramites. This area includes accommodation for ashramites and patients, a kitchen- cum-dining-hall, outdoor dining spaces, the ashram office, and Ananda Gandha, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's simple kuteer (dwelling).
A short walk down the path, past a bamboo grove and green fields, takes the visitor to the 300-year-old sacred banyan tree. The sacred banyan spreads its vast canopy over the small shrine dedicated to Lord Dakshinamurthy, who is known as the Adi Guru (the first-ever Guru). Revealed to THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM in a vision, and worshipped as the guiding spirit of the ashram, the sacred banyan encloses a space resonant with healing energy. Simply spending a few
The sacred banyan and Dakshinamurthy shrine
minutes under this tree can instantly soothe the nerves and revive the spirits.
En route to the sacred banyan is Ananda Sabha, the meditation hall used for public gatherings. Healers' meets and advanced-level meditation courses are held here, to let participants get a feel of ashram life. Close by is the Ananda Galleria, where ashram literature, books, audio & video and meditation accessories are available.
A day in ashram life
As on date, over fifty ashramites aged between eight and eighty live and learn in THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's presence at the ashram.
For the ashramites, the day starts before sunrise, with Guru Pooja (obeisance to the Guru) performed to Lord Dakshinamurthy under the sacred banyan.
This is followed by a meditation session, after which ashramites turn to their daily administrative tasks.
Daily healing at
Ananda Sabha
When THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM is at the ashram, he is available for healing and darshan for two hours every morning. Else, healing is offered by those ashramites who are initiated Ananda healers. The ailing and the needy from the villages and towns all around flock to the ashram daily for aid and comfort.
Simple sattvic meals (a vegetarian diet that supports the body in spiritual prcatices) are served thrice a day in the friendly ashram dining hall, where THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's talks and bhajans (devotional music) play all day. At dusk, a simple but enchanting aarati is performed to Lord Nataraja (The Dancing Shiva) at Ananda Sabha. This is followed by THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's taped discourse, a meditation session and the singing of keertans (hymns).
Sometimes, the day culminates in an hour's dancing to THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's favourite bhajans.
Dhyanapeetam: Today and Tomorrow
Dhyanapeetam's activities in Bharat include daily healing at the ashram, free healing camps, ASPs (weekend workshops on chakra healing through meditation), Dhyana Satsangs (mass-
An ASP participant receives Ananda Darshan
meditation programs for urban and rural communities), Gnana Daana (meditation camps for the youth, held in schools and colleges) and productivity & de-stress programs for corporates.
Dhyanapeetam's overseas centres are rapidly spreading the message of meditation and blissful living, with regular Life Bliss courses (a variant of ASP) conducted by acharyas (teachers) personally trained by THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM.
A mass meditation program in progress
Many exciting projects are on the anvil,
including a new-age gurukul (learning space) for youngsters, a new meditation hall overlooking the natural lotus pond, mobile medical assistance for the surrounding villages, and a full-fledged multi-specialty charitable hospital at Bidadi .