Friday, September 28, 2018

Mayapur Brahmachari Ashram

“A brahmachari should be quite well behaved and gentle and should not eat or collect more than necessary. He must always be active and expert, fully believing in the instructions of the spiritual master and the sastra. Fully controlling his senses, he should associate only as much as necessary with women or those controlled by women.”
- Srimad Bhagavatam, 7.12.6, translation

In the Vedic scriptures, the life of a brahmachari begins from as young as 5 years of age and goes up until 25 years of age, after which the decision to continue with celibate life or to go into the next ashrama is made. In the brahmachari ashrama, the brahmacharis are properly trained in various areas of etiquette and practice celibacy. They live austerely and are fully engaged in various services and sastric studies under the guidance of the spiritual mater or mentor.


Living separately from the grihasta community, the Brahmachari Ashrama in the Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya campus is located near the Panca-tattva entrance of the temple. There are over 290 residential brahmacharis who are all engaged in service in and around Mayapur. They are engaged in a variety of services such as campus preaching and outreach, pujari service, sankirtana bus preaching, school preaching, bhakti-vriksha preaching, medical care, management and so on.

To join the Mayapur Brahmachari Ashrama, devotees are required to complete a six-month course taught by the New Devotee Department. This program teaches new bhaktas the philosophy and practice of Krishna consciousness through the books of Srila Prabhupada and by engaging them in many services throughout the day, such as tulasi-seva, cleaning the temple, setting up for the morning Srimad Bhagavatam classes and packing up afterwards, and cleaning the Mayapur campus.  Additionally, they attend a variety of classes on philosophy and Vaishnava etiquette.

Once the first course is completed, bhaktas aspiring to join the Brahmachari Ashrama take a six-month Vocational Training Course. This course includes learning the basics of singing bhajans and kirtan, as well as learning how to play mridanga, kartals and harmonium. They dive deeper into sastric studies, and learn how to cook and how to distribute books. This training program not only assists them in their day-to-day services and life in the ashrama, but is also beneficial for when and if they eventually leave the ashrama. Once the two courses are completed, the devotee can then join the Brahmachari Ashrama.

The wellbeing of each of the resident brahmacharis is looked after by the Mayapur Brahmachari Care System (MBCS), which serves as a counselling system for the resident brahmacharis. There are 16 brahmachari group leaders, called Sevaks, and they are each the group leader for 10-12 brahmacharis. Each group gathers once a week for studies and spiritual discussions. The Sevaks in turn meet every 2 weeks for an istagosti. In this way, the MBCS oversees the brahmacharis’ sadhana, studies, services, and physical and mental care.

 The senior brahmacharis live in the senior brahmachari ashrama, which facilitates their personal studies. The senior brahmacari ashrama also provides the space required to take personal care of the elderly brahmacharis. There are always 5-6 younger brahmacharis constantly ready to serve the senior brahmacharis with anything they may need. The younger brahmacharis take care of basic needs such as laundry, cleaning the rooms, bringing medicine and prasadam, and so on. By performing such menial services for the senior brahmacharis these young brahmacharis get immense benefit, as they are performing the highest service of all – Vaishnava seva. Taking care of the elder devotees in their ashrama is conducive not only for the training of the young brahmacharis but also, most importantly, for their Krishna consciousness. This service also gives them the opportunity to receive guidance and association from the senior brahmacharis, and thus this system has proven to be very successful.

Many of Mayapur’s brahmacharis appreciate the ashrama experience because it allows them to fully engage in devotional service in the holy dhama. Whether they stay in the Mayapur Brahmachari Ashrama for their entire lives or move on to another ashrama, the training and experience they gain in the Mayapur Brahmachari Ashrama are an invaluable asset in their spiritual journey.

 One resident brahmachari reflects that, “Although brahmachari devotees have to undergo different types of austerity, tolerance and risk, this ashrama is very simple with less material problems. It’s easy to get spiritual bliss and finally go back home back to Godhead in this lifetime. So if you want to be free from complicated life, and quickly make your life a success, please take a vow and join the Brahmachari Ashram.”

 
Bramacharis of the Mayapur’s Sankirtan Department
These are just a few of them from the team.
Its actually hard to get all Mayapur Bramacharis into one snap. You will have to stop the entire Mayapur services in order to do so! :D

“After completing one's education as a brahmachari in this way, one should give daksina, an offering of gratitude, to one's guru, and then one may leave for home and accept the next ashrama-the grihastha-ashrama-or else one may continue in the brahmacharya-ashrama without adulteration.”

- Srimad Bhagavatam, 7.12 Summary

Source:
This was posted by the Mayapur communication dept, on the Mayapur forum on 28 Sept 2018.
I reposted it on my blog to bring it out on a platform where everyone else can read this.

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Ayurveda Notes

Dr. V. Thrivikraman, who has treated different devotees and also HH Jayapataka Swami Gurumaharaj is sharing health tips with devotees of mayapur, which I thought of sharing with many other friends over here.


Below is his website:
http://swetaranya.com/


I will keep updating the document as and when he shares more and more information for everyone's benefit.
AYURVEDA NOTES




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My name is Dr.Thrivikraman. I completed the Ayurvedacharya course – B.A.M.S. – from Coimbatore Ayurveda College in 1990. Though the college was following CCIM syllabus, curriculum was a Gurukula type. All the faculties were staying within the campus and students got an opportunity to meet teachers even in late hours every day to clear their doubts or for any interactions.

In the campus the day starts at 4am and all students should be present in the class room for Swadhyaya (self-study) for one hour. Students then should go to learn Kalarippayattu (Kerala martial arts).

After bath and one hour prayer they have to attend Yoga classes strictly. Students were allowed to go out of the campus only on Sundays after morning prayer and should come back before the evening prayer. This type of living helped us to understand the importance and value of Bharateeya Sastras which in turn helped every student to understand Ayurveda deeply and to apply it properly.

After completing 7.5 years course, I went for training in manasika roga for one year under Dr. A.V. Balaraman who was one of the leading ayurvedic psychiatrist in Kerala. I got clinical experience for more than four years under the guidance of Padmasree. Dr. K. Rajagopalan, who is a modern medicine and ayurvedic scholar as well as a teacher and examiner for many colleges.

I worked for 10 years at Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala and six years at their outlet in Muscat. I resigned my job in 2011 to look after my parents and grandmother. Started my own home hospital Swetaranya Ayurvedasram after renovating our 150 year old ancestral house on 29th July 2011.

Hospital website: http://swetaranya.com/ 3


Swetaranya Ayurvedasram
I came to Mayapur twice to treat His Holiness Jayapataka Swamiji. He underwent Ayurveda therapy for one month there. I sent a therapist and a doctor and both stayed there for a month to treat him. I came there for a day first to examine him and then stayed for four days to start and monitor the therapy.

After his therapy Gurumaharaja himself sent many of his disciples here. Prabhu Achintya Chaitanya, Vidwan Gauranga Dasa Prabhu, Krishna Vahan prabhu, Krishna Naam das prabhu, etc., came here. Budhikrishna Das Prabhu and his wife were my patients in Muscat and they told me to check Gurumaharaj. Every year we have a few devotees here for treatment. Patita-pāvana Nitāi Gaura Dāsa.(Pravin Prabhu) was also here for treatment and I asked him last week about a platform to share the Ayurvedic way of living among ISKCON devotees.