Humanitarian Activities of Ashram
The first Ashram was established at Ahmedabad, in Gujrat, on the banks of the river Sabarmati, in 1972. This Ashram has many branches today & is the heart of various activities carried on the by the organization. As of today , there are more then 370 Ashrams all over India & more than 1000 meditation centers operating throughout the world. The Yoga-Vedanta Ashram in Matawan, NJ, USA is also growing fast.
There is a special Ashram for women in Ahmedabad. The women residing in this 'Mahila Ashram' devote their time to Sadhna (performing spiritual practices) & 'Seva' (doing service to Ashram) under the guidance of the honorable mother Laxmidevi. The women at Mahila Ashram prepare 'Sant Kripa Churna' (an Ayurvedic mixture for healthy mind & body) & other Ayurvedic medicines distributed by the Ashram.
The aim of Ashram & Yoga Vedanta Samitis is to show the path of real peace & happiness to common man. They are involved in various activities targeted to the spiritual, moral, educational & health related upliftment of the society. The organization is also involved in providing financial-aid to the poor & needy.
Some Pictures of the Humanitarian Activities of Ashram have been put together below:
Sant Shri Asaramji Gaushala: A Unique Cow Protection Project & Source of livelihood to 200 families.
Sant Shri Asaramji Ashram, Nevai houses over 4700 cows. Some years back there was a terrible drought in Rajasthan and these cows were being sent to slaughter houses.
Moved by the plight of the cows, Sant Shri Asaramji Bapu intervened and acquired all the above cows after compensating the farmers, the cows were acquired. But how to sustain them in a water scarce region? Where to mobilise funds for their fodder and sustenance? And the fact that these cows were being sent to slaughter houses was a pointer that these cows were not rich milk-yielding cows. So income from sale of milk produce would not suffice to sustain the cows.
So a distillation plant was set up here in Newai and now you have gau mutra being sold as gau jharan ark (filtered concentrate) at all ashrams. The devotees from the cities, where gau mutra is not available, get easy access to this mutra through bottled gau ark .The devotees enjoy good health through regular consumption of ark and from the sale proceeds of the ark, gau seva gets done. For those who can't stand the pungent odour of gau ark, for them the ashram has come out with gau jharan vatti- gau mutra in a tablet form.The cow dung too has immense purifying value. It is also a fuel . So you have cow dung being used at Newai ashram for manufacture of gau chandan dhoop battti. Pujya Bapuji mentions that he invariably uses gau chandan dhoop batti in his meditation room in preference to other dhoop vatti as it helps in cleansing the bad vibes .Another medicinal produce from cow is panch gavya- a mixture of cow milk, cow ghee, cow dung, cow urine, cow curd.
The cow dung at Newai ashram is also being used to manufacture khechua khaad(a special type of compost manure). These manure has found a huge demand in the tea gardens of assam.
Another spin off benefit of the Newai ashram has been that it has created lot of employment opportunity for the local villagers, who were without any livelihood in this arid region.Sant Shri Asaramji Ashram provides source of livelihood to more than 200 families of Newai and villages nearby.
H.H. Bapu says in His satsang, Gau maa is an abode of 33 crore gods.Rigveda (1-164-40) speaks for the worship of cow for good luck and fortune. Rigveda (10-87-16) call upon people to smolder the head of the person who kills the cow. Atharavveda (Kand 12/5) prescribes exemplary punishment for cow killing and talks about protection and samvardhan of cow and its progeny for agriculture.
Brahmvavart Purana explains in detail the importance of cow to our life and nutritive value of its milk and ghee and lays down the necessity of rearing a cow and says that one will be healthy if he does not eat cow meat.The importance of gauseva could be understood well if we look back to Indian scriptures and philosophy. Lord Krishna as the young child tells her mother Yashoda that he could not do gauseva in his previous births and missed this wonderful experience. He asserts that his present birth is to do gauseva with his own hands and he becomes Gopal. King Dalip offers himself to the lion in a forest to save his cow and Chayvan Rishi proclaims that the whole kingdom is not worth his value except the cow.
Vishnudharmottar Purana explains the capability of the cow to clean and protect the environment. Virtues of the cow are immense and all scriptures bring out this fact and compare cow as encompassing the whole universe. Much has been written in ayurveda about the medicinal properties of gau mutra.
Orissa Cyclone Relief: A flash-back
The ashram, under the supervision of Bapu, had carried out relief work in cyclone-hit Orissa in 1999. It had 80 relief camps in the areas where the impact of the cyclone was maximum. R K Jain, former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association who has launched the each-one-feed-one movement, spoke highly of that relief activity. "Bapuji's ashram saved several lives. The team reached the worst hit interiors and in many places it was the first to come to the rescue of the dying."
Pujya Sant Shri Asaramji Bapu
Tsunami Relief Efforts in India
The Tsunami tragedy has affected thousands in India and other parts of Asia. Through the inspiration provided by His Holiness Sant Sri Asararmji Bapu, the Ashram is engaged in relief work for the affected victims by sending volunteers to the affected areas with truck loads of clothes, food and medicines. While the current efforts are to provide immediate relief to the affected, the Ashram is also engaged in efforts which will provide long term settlement to the displaced people and give them long-term relief.
Ashram's relief work includes constructing new permanent shelters for the homeless, providing treatment through specialist doctors in mobile clinics run by the Ashram, distributing items of day to day necessity like food packets, food grains, clothing, blankets, tents, canvas, utensils, water, medicines, foot-wear in the areas affected by natural calamity, are all been executed proficiently and enthusiastically in the past.
A team of over 100 relief workers from Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad have already reached the affected areas along with 2 truck loads of rice and other food items to provide urgent relief in the heart-rending situation arising out of the Tsunami waves that struck South-India. Arrangements are also being made to start free food camps in Cuddalore, Nagapattnam and Nagercoil.
Ashram's delegation also attended the meeting on 29th Dec., in which the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Gujarat urged various social bodies to help the victims of the Tsunami disaster. As per the decision taken in the meeting, the following relief material has already been sent by the Ashram on an emergency basis through a special goods train that left Ahmedabad on 1st Jan 2005.
The Samitis across the country have joined hands to help in this relief effort. The administrators’ of the ashrams are in touch with the central and state govts. and are making arrangements for further relief efforts.
Asaram Bapu comes to the aid of farmers
NASHIK: Religious guru Asaram bapu has extended help of Rs 50 lakhs to farmers who were on the verge of committing suicide.Asarambapu, who is holding a Mahashivratri satsang in Nashik on the occasion of Mahashivratri, said: “Like everyone else, I was pained by the news of farmer suicides. It is not enough to simply feel bad for them. By extending a small help, we are only trying to lessen their worries.” He added that the money which is being put together from his ashram in Ahmedabad will be reached to the needy farmer families through the ashram’s voluntary committee.
Pointing a finger at financial institutions and money lenders, Asarambapu said they have become ruthless and commercial. “They do not think twice before entering a farmer’s house and taking away all his belongings. These are big people who have made huge amounts of money without showing any compassion or humanity.”
Asarambapu also stated that if need be more money will be donated. He informed that his ashram has taken up a programme to distribute caps to all. “Moving bare headed in the scorching heat is dangerous. We have taken up the task of making caps available to all on the streets for a nominal cost of Rs 5. If we give it freely, people will not value it,” he said.