Sivagiri Ashram of North America
The Sivagiri Ashram of North America (SANA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization registered in the United States of America with tax-exempt status. We conduct various educational and cultural programs as well as charitable activities to help the needy.
The ashram aims to provide a serene and peaceful environment for the spiritual growth of aspiring individuals of all backgrounds. The facility is easily accessible from several major airports, Amtrak, and metro stations, as well as via interstate highways. The ashram building boasts 3240 square feet of finished living space on two levels, with an additional 760 square foot deck for an elevated outdoor experience. The ashram property encompasses over one acre of picturesque landscape with ample parking and privacy. It is situated in Charles County, Maryland, and is close to various major hotel chains, restaurants, stores, and hospitals.
- The Sivagiri Ashram of North America is a sanctuary for those seeking spiritual growth and self-discovery through the teachings of Sree Narayana Guru who emphasized the unity of the individual soul with the ultimate reality.
- Our future goal is to offer a wide range of spiritual and educational programs including yoga and meditation classes, lectures, workshops, and retreats.
- We offer the study of Sree Narayana Guru’s major literary works such as Darsanamala, Atmopadesasatakam, Advaita Dipika, Daiva Dasakam, Brahmavidya Panchakam, Vedanta Sutra, Nirvriti Panchakam, Sloka Trayi, and Homa Mantra.
- A library and study center will be part of the Ashram to help aspiring individuals who would want to know more about Guru and his teachings.
- Sivagiri Ashram of North America is envisioned as a satellite center to connect with a global audience.
Mission
Our mission is to create a space for individuals to discover their spiritual potential and seek inner peace through the teachings of Sree Narayana Guru. We aim to achieve this by offering a variety of educational activities, spiritual programs, and community events. By establishing a library and study center as part of the ashram facility, we aspire to support anyone who wishes to study and research Guru’s versatile persona, contributions, and impact. Our Ashram may guide and assist anyone who wishes to connect with the spiritual centers, philosophical institutions, and temples established by Guru or his disciples in southern India. These destinations include his birthplace Chempazhanthy on the outskirts of the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram as well as the Sivagiri Mutt where Guru left his mortal body or attained Mahasamadhi. Sivagiri Mutt is near the beautiful Varkala beach.
Overall, our mission is to propagate Guru’s philosophy as well as the ethical and spiritual values espoused by Guru especially in the west and also throughout the world. Since our ashram is ideally placed in the vicinity of Washington D.C., the apparent capital of the world, we wish to consider it as the epicentre of all our current and future endeavours.
We wish to promote peace, harmony, and fraternity among people beyond religious and ethnic barriers as envisioned by sage Sree Narayana Guru who lived a century ago in the southern corridor of India. As followers of the great sage, we aspire that his dream of a world devoid of dividing walls would be a reality one day.
Vision
Our vision is to develop the Sivagiri Ashram of North America to propagate Sree Narayana Guru’s teachings effectively and efficiently around the world. We envision a world free of war and hostilities, a world where everyone lives in peace as true brothers and sisters, and a world where everyone can live with dignity irrespective of religion, race, or ethnicity.
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