Sewa Ashram, community of the Poor, Delhi India

The Sewa-Ashram has been caring and loving the poor and destitute of Delhi for over 10 years. Founder Ton Baba.

At the Shivananda Ashram in Uttarkashi, India

Just North of Uttarkashi is the famous Anand Kutir, a Sivananda ashram of incredible beauty on the banks of the Ganga and Bhagirathi. The ashram grounds are lovingly tended gardens, while the building house devotees and dozens of young boys, a community hospital, and a gokulum. Brian Brunius

Solar Cookers in India | Global Ideas

Hundreds of children attend the schools of the Muni Seva Ashram in the Western Indian state of Gujarat everyday. Their school meals used to be prepared over wood fires. Now a new project harnesses the power of the sun for the school canteen.

Rajasthani Folk Songs 1

Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda,founder of Yoga in Daily Life system,listenig to authentic Rajasthani folk songs,performed by people from a small village in marwari language. OM Sri Vishwa Deep Gurukul Swami Maheshwarananda Ashram Jadan 7/11/2008 India … Rajasthan Folk Songs Marwari Ashram India Swamiji Maheshwarananda

Ganga Sagar Mela

Legend has it that, before joining the sea, the Ganga watered the mortal remains of King Sagar’s 60000 sons liberating their souls once and forever. It was standing on the Sagar Island that the mythical Kapil Muni condoned th sins of the sons of King Sagar who had dared to stop the horse blessed at Lord Indra’s Aswamedha Yagna and tied it to a post near his temple. It is this legend that attracts people to this little island in a remote southern corner of West Bengal. The Ganga Sagar mela (fair) is the largest annual assemblage of devotees in India. The greatness of the mela can be assessed from the fact that over a million pilgrims come from far-flung corners of India and beyond, speaking different languages and belonging to diverse castes and creeds, for a sacred dip at this holy confluence. For this, no invitation is given. No propaganda is carried out and overall no authority exists for carrying out the mela. It is indeed a tough journey. A few days in packed buses and trains bring the pilgrims to Calcutta. From there, again a long bus journey to ferry ghats or jetty in Sunderbans area, followed by crossing the tidal river stretching for miles across. The last leg involves either walking or traveling by a local bus upto 30 kilometres depending on the location of embarkation point. The journey can be tiring but religious fervour of the pilgrims overcomes all hardships. Kapil Muni ki jai, Kapil Muni ki jai, (Hail Kapil Muni), the din rises above the grinding motors of the launches ferrying the pilgrims across the Ganga and the countless buses plying between Calcutta and Namkhana. The problem of traveling doesn’t deter even the weak and vulnerable. Old people in their eighties, and village women carrying babies and little children in tow are a common sight. The never ending stream of pilgrims keeps pouring in throughout the day and night before the auspicious day and occupies any available space on the sandy beach. They move about the place in groups, many displaying saffron and red flags, identifying the religious Akhara (group) they belong to as well as acting as beacon to the members who stray out of the group. People walks to the sound of the bells, blowing conch shells and chanting prayers. Strains of devotional songs can be heard from far and near. And, the ceaseless din of loudspeakers. An array of shops, stacked with heaps of vermilion, rudraksha, colourful beads, conch shells line the pathways. Many a visitor stands wide-eyed before the shops selling everything from food stuff, household utensils to remote controlled toys. People crowd around the naga sadhus (naked ascetics) without whom the Ganga Sagar mela is incomplete. Sitting naked in little huts near the temple and enjoying a chillum of ganja, (cannabis) they are also the target of tourists’ camera. While devotees jostle in front of numerous temporary shrines of Hindu deities to pay homage, Kapil Muni’s temple remains the chief attraction. The temple of Kapil Muni, as we see it today, is by no means the spot where the sage meditated. It went under the sea millennium ago followed by the many others built in its place, which subsequently was also swallowed, by the advancing sea. The present one was built only a few decades ago, quite a bit away from the sea. The tall dome of the temple is visible from a distance. In the temple, three images engraved in stone are displayed, the one in the middle is that of Kapil Muni. The sage is seen in a jogasana; his eyes wide open, looking towards the sea with millions of devotees before him. The idols of Ganga and King Sagar flank Kapil Muni and the horse of the sacrificial yagna stands at a distance. The typical Ganga Sagar pilgrim is a country rustic, generally elderly, hardy, remarkably disciplined and fervent in his devotion. His dhoti seldom going below his knees, a cloth bound packet, containing everything needed for survival, on his head. And, of course, his women – heavily tattooed and clad in colourful saris. As the night, pregnant with the auspicious moment, descends, all wait for the precise hour to take the dip. The sandy track to the water’s edge is crowded with people who sit around fires before proceeding for the bath, chanting devotional songs and prayers. The seaside presents a spectacle in the darkness before dawn with the large bonfire lit by the bathers to keep off the cold. At midnight, the high tide drives the pilgrims back. The biting cold wind of mid – January from across the sea lashes the bare body. But there is a confidence on their faces and a kind of fire in their eyes. The confidence in God and the fire of earnest faith makes them brave the chill. The stars in the sky have quite a long time to fade when the moment of truth comes. As soon as the priest announces, the auspicious pre-dawn hour, the crowds surge forward to meet the tide with a loud chorus Kapil Muni ki jai and plunge into the sea. Suddenly the place is charged with the extraordinary power of the believers. After taking their holy dips, the shivering devotees trudge the one kilometre expanse leading to the brightly lit temple of Kapil Muni, where prayers were performed. Coconuts, flowers, vermilion, sweets, and money are offered to the image of the ancient sage. The bustle of activity continues for quite sometime in the morning as the pilgrims perform a series of rituals including the symbolic godan to Brahmins. A calf is symbolically handed over to the Brahmin priest by the devotee. Many perform the symbolic crossing of the river of blood, baitarani to attain moksha or transcendation. It is interesting to observe the people, clutching the tail of a cow and wading through a puddle a few paces. Many people shave their heads and perform the last rites of departed relatives. A number of marriages are solemnized on the beach during the day. Also, many local girls get married to the sea. This will ensure that theoretically they never become widows, even if their menfolk, braving the rough sea and tiger infested jungle for a living, die. It is no wonder that for many tourists from abroad, like though French couple I met, Sagar mela is something more than a mammoth religious congregation. They have visited the mela twice and found “something which has disappeared from France and Europe at least half a century ago”. Naturally this large an affair leads to some confusion. People get lost. The public address system works overtime as relatives try to trace those they have lost. But the majority of the pilgrims take it easy. After the rituals are complete, they dry their clothes and hair, cook their food on open fires, eat and rest. Happy, contented and smiling, having made the pilgrimage. The Ganga Sagar mela continues to throb with life, with the energy of millions of pilgrims. The pilgrimage may be extremely tough, but the pilgrims know that the visit will purify their souls. The visit fulfils their lifelong desire and often one can see tears of joy rolling down their cheeks. That is the magic of religion. A solar month is divided into 30 or 31 days and each is known as gate. A solar year has two halves of six months each known as ayana. The Northern declination of the sun when it appears to move between the constellations Capricorn and Gemini is called Uttarayan. This corresponds to the movement of the sun from the Tropic of Capricorn northwards towards the Tropic of Cancer. Uttarayan starts on the day of Makar Sankrant (14 Jan). The Southern declination of the sun when it appears to move between the constellations Cancer and Sagittarus is called Dakshinayan. This corresponds to the movement of the sun from the Tropic of Cancer southwards towards the Tropic of Capricorn. Dakshinayan starts on the day of Kark Sankrant (16 July).

Ganga Sings Mantras To The Mother In BABAji Ashram Haidakhan VishwaMAHAdham India

Always A treat when Ganga sits behind the harmonium and sings! This taken in the main temple one night in Haidakhan VishwaMAHAdham in the evening aarti in December. … Sanskrit Mantra Haidakhan Babaji Ashram India chant

Yoga Talks from Youth Meditation Retreat in Gurumaa Ashram 1/2

Gurumaa speaks with youngsters in Youth Meditation Retreat about yoga, yoga poses, benefits of yoga and right way of doing yoga. Visit www.gurumaa.com for more videos… … yoga gurumaa youth meditation retreat ashram india

Indian Children From Chilianolya Christmas Singing In Babaji Ashram Haidakhan India 2007

Indian Children from Chilianolya [The Anand Puri Babaji Ashram in Ranikhet] perform their Christmas program in Haidakhan singing a local Indian song on Christmas eve 24 December 2007. Each year the Birth of Christ is observed in Haidakhan for the many hundreds of guests that come to celebrate with us. … Haidakhan Christmas babaji ashram [...]

2008 Haidakhan Christmas Play Finale Babaji Ashram India

The traditional Hallelujah Finale of the Haidakhan Christmas Play from 2008.

Hanuman Jayanthi 2009

Yatra yatra raghunatha kirtanam Tatra tatra kritha masthakanjalim Bhaspavaari paripurna lochanam Maarutim namata raakshasanthakam Meaning : “ We bow to Maruti, Sri Hanuman, who stands with his palms folded above his forehead, with a torrent of tears flowing down his eyes wherever the Names of Lord Rama are sung “ . Sri Hanuman is worshipped all over India-either alone or together with Sri Rama. Pancha Mukha Anjaneyar at Gowrivakkam, Chennai Every temple of Sri Rama has the murti or idol of Sri Hanuman. Hanuman is the Avatara of Lord Shiva. He was born of the Wind-God and Anjani Devi. His other names are Pavanasuta, Marutsuta, Pavankumar, Bajrangabali and Mahavira . Hanuman Jayanthi, marks a symbolic acceptance of the human race’s peaceful co-existence with nature and the worship of an animal as a divine creature. It is celebrated during Chaitra (April) to commemorate the birth of Hanuman, the monkey god widely venerated throughout India. In Tamil Nadu, it is observed in the Tamil month Margazhi, which is one of the most auspicious months in Tamil In 2009, Hanuman Jayanthi, in Tamil Month Margazhi is on December 16. Hanuman or Anjaneya was born on Moola Nakshatra, on the new moon day (amavasya) in the month of Margazhi. Hanuman possessed devotion, knowledge, spirit of selfless service, power of celibacy, and desirelessness. He never boasted of his bravery and intelligence. The world has not yet seen and will not see in future also a mighty hero like Sri Hanuman. During his life he worked wonders and exhibited superhuman feats of strength and valour. He has left behind him a name which, as long as the world lasts, will continue wielding a great influence over the minds of millions of people. It is believed that he who meditates on him and repeats his name attains power, strength, glory, prosperity and success in life. He is worshipped in all parts of India, particularly in the state of Maharashtra. The Margazhi month also has another importance which is also marked as a “Classical kutcheri’s season”. It is well known in tamilnadu. All the sabhas would be full fledged with people who has interest in music. This would be held as a great event. Indians from abroad throng the sabhas especially during this season. There are also many famous temples for Hanuman . To name a few, 32 feet Anjaneyar at Nanganallur, Chennai 32-feet Anjaneyar temple at Nanganallur, Chennai Anjaneyar temple at Namakkal without roof. The temple had recently it’s kumbabishekam also. Panchamukha Anjaneyar temple at Panchavati on way to Pondy. Jai Ho Bajrangbali ki….