“Worship god not only in the temples and shrines, not only in places of  pilgrimage; but in everyone around you, in the poorest of the poor, in the lowliest of the low, in the downtrodden, illiterate masses, in the sick and the suffering.

See the lord in them and love them. Express this love in the form of service. Come, plunge into selfless service. Hasten to the aid of the hapless and the helpless and relieve their suffering. Greet the half-naked, poverty-stricken god-in-human-form with a smile, reverence and sympathy.

Clothe the naked. Feed the poor. Educate the Illiterate. Nurse the sick. Raise the downtrodden. Give of your best in their service. Selfless service can purify your heart and fill it with divine virtues. This alone will make each one of you a real Man, a Divine Personality.”

-Swami Sivananda

 
Thus, in these few simple words, Holy Master Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj summarised the essence of Karma Yoga.  Both he and his successor, Paramapujya Guru Maharaj Sri Swami Chidanandaji, were living embodiments of this noble philosophy. Both dedicated their entire lives, lovingly and devotedly, not just to the upliftment of spiritual aspirants, but to the service of all mankind.  Sri Swami Chidanandaji was the ideal disciple, never swerving from Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj’s instruction, never referring to himself as anything other than a servant at the feet of Holy Master, his Guru.

Guru is the fundamental prerequisite for attaining Supreme Bliss. He is the beacon light to all those sincere seekers treading the spiritual path. An ideal disciple finds no difference between God and Guru and follows the instructions of the Guru to the letter and spirit, and propagates the teachings of Guru to less evolved souls on the spiritual path.

Swami Chidananda Tapovanam Trust  is inspired by, and has been formed as a monument to, this exemplary Guru-Bhakti and selfless surrender at the feet of the Guru. It has been envisioned as an expression of Karma Yoga where, in a remote environment, service and spirituality come together under monastic supervision to combine modern infrastructure and technology; to offer the best of all worlds as an integrated whole, and thereby to educate and guide the next generation.  Real education and true success in today’s world are deepened when motivated by selflessness, kindness, understanding and love for fellow humankind.
 

We wish Swami Chidananda Tapovanam Trust to cater to future generations of seekers from all sects and all paths, without any distinction, merging as one family to take up the path supreme – the path universal, the path spiritual; all striving to attain the goal of human life, realisation and enlightenment. The main objective being to eventually form a solid value-based local institution that becomes the nucleus of a communal and harmonious social structure.
 

To achieve this, we wish to create a suitable spiritual environment where a sincere seeker is helped in the practice of his sadhana at the same time as needy and deserving students of the local area are offered educational and vocational training; the needs of the local community are met by offering them improved facilities so that they may progress and learn to function independently.

Swami Chidananda Tapovanam Trust also seeks to invoke the blessings of sacred river Mother Narmada, by offering shelter, food and aid to sadhus as they undertake the Parikrama of this holy river, on whose banks the Trust is located.  (Our section on “Sadhu Seva” offers more complete information on this point.)

Thus, we inaugurate this “SWAMI CHIDANANDA TAPOVANAM TRUST” project as our humble offering as  Guru-Dakhsina at the feet of our Sadguru Bhagavan Param Pujya Sri Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj, whose dedicated life of loving service is our inspiration.