AvadhootaDatta Peetham

Avadhoota Datta Peetham is an International Spiritual, Cultural and Social Welfare organization established by His Holiness Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji in 1966. Sri Swamiji's broad vision, and His deep compassion for mankind have inspired Avadhoota Datta Peetham to ceaselessly conduct a variety of activities for the enrichment of human life globally. The multi-dimensional projects revolve upon the recognition of the intrinsic worth of every single human life.

 

Sanatana Dharma roughly translates to "a righteous way of human living that has been in practice since time immemorial". It is this eternal principle that distinguishes between humans and other beings. It upholds the peaceful coexistence of all beings under the single roof called Earth. Despite the presence of diverse pantheons globally, the underlying principle of Dharma remains the same.

 

ESTABLISHMENT OF TEMPLES
Sri Swamiji, inspired by Lord Dattatreya’s teachings, has extensively toured India to promote Sanatana Dharma. Sri Swamiji established numerous Ashrams, known as Karya Siddhi Hanuman Temples or Gnana Bodha Sabhas, across various states in India and Datta Yoga Centers abroad. Each Ashram includes a temple dedicated to Lord Dattatreya. Spaces are created for Divya Naama Sankeertana (bhajans), prayers and meditation.

 

Over 80 branches have been consecrated across India which include 16 Ashrams for the 16 incarnations of Lord Dattatreya, Datta Kasi, Datta Rameshwaram, and 9 Kshetras dedicated to Navanathas. Specific Kshetras like Sripadavallabha Anagha Datta Kshetram in Pithapuram and Sri Narasimha Saraswati Guru Paduka Kshetram in Ganagapura have also been inaugurated. Sri Swamiji has undertaken 83 foreign trips to various countries. Established 15 centers abroad in countries such as the UK, USA, Malaysia, Europe, Trinidad, Canada, and Australia.

 

Despite practicing Hindu rituals, Sri Swamiji welcomes everyone, including agnostics, atheists, disbelievers, and people of any faith, emphasizing that His teachings and the Vedas have universal applicability and are open to all. The Ashram is inclusive, inviting people from all religious backgrounds. With a great compassionate heart, Sri Swamiji had constructed more than 10 temples for the Safai Karmachari community (Dalits) in Mysuru city.

 

PROTECTION OF COWS (Gau Samrakshana)
Sri Swamiji has as much care and concern for animals as for birds. With the intention to offer protection to tens of hundreds of birds, Sri Swamiji has instituted Shuka Vana in the premises of Mysuru Ashram. The Hindu scriptures emphatically declare that all Devatas reside in a cow and hence a cow is a very sacred animal. Therefore, as per Sanatana Dharma, a cow is not referred merely as a cow but reverentially called as "Gomata" (Mother Cow).

 

When in town, Sri Swamiji performs Gau Pooja  and feeds Gomata everyday at the time of Sri Chakra Pooja in the morning. In the same manner, Sri Swamiji has also constructed a Gau Shala, an expansive shed that houses more than 50 cows. Goshalas are maintained in other Ashram brances of Avadhoota Datta Peetham like Manginapudi, Bannur etc. Notably, Sri Swamiji also has constructed a Ashwa Shaala (stable for horses) in the Ashram premises.

 

 

 

 

 

SGS VEDA PATHASHALA
The Vedas are our priceless inheritance from the remote past and they need to be preserved and propagated. To encourage their study, Sri Swamiji has established a Veda Pathasala in Mysuru Ashram. Sri Swamiji is never tired of saying that the Vedas are a great treasury of knowledge, and that they are encyclopaedic in their scope.

Sri Swamiji does not advise us to give up our studies of the various branches of modern knowledge. He has visited Oxford and Cambridge in 1970s at the invitation of men of great learning. He wants the wisdom of the Vedas to be savoured. We should at the same time, says Swamiji, pursue the several branches of modern study, and through intense research, build them and make them efficient tools of human progress.

 

Sri Swamiji calls SANSKRIT not as a language, but a "Bhava" (feeling). With a view to encourage the learning of Sanskrit, Sri Swamiji has started school for Vedas and Sanskrit in the Ashram.

 

Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Veda Pathashala - SGS Veda Pathashala at Mysuru Ashram conducts classes in all four Vedas, and in Sanskrit, in the traditional Gurukula system. Around 120 students are currently pursuing Vedic education in the Pathashala. Veda exams are held annually for students across India. Veda Sadas and Gna. Na. Bha. Yoga (Gnana, Naada and Bhakti Yoga) conferences are convened every year to bring the lofty teachings of the Vedas to the common man. Avadhoota Datta Peetham also operates Veda Pathashalas in Pithapuram and Jayalakhmipuram (Bommeparti) villages in Andhra Pradesh.

 

SGS VEDA PATHASHALA, Mysuru

Traditional Education is imparted to students in the schools (SGS Veda Paathasala) for Veda, Sastra, Samskruta, Aagama in Mysuru Ashram and other branches. Priest Training Centre caters to needs of various sections of the society. In order to preserve and propagate the traditional knowledge in its pristine form, examinations are conducted in Vedas annually on a national scale. Seminars, work shops, discourses on various subjects such as philosophy, mythology, epics, art, music are regularly held in Mysuru and other branches regularly. The important highlight every year is the Veda Vidvat Pravardhaka Sabha conducted under the leadership of  Sri Swamiji by SGS Veda Pathashala and SGS Vedanidhi Academy.

 

Annual Veda Sabha, Mysuru Ashram