Thoughts during (and before) Samparka 2025, 16th November 2025
By Kris͟hṇānanda Maṅkīkar (1 Dec 2025)
॥ Oṁ Shrī Gurubhyo Namaḥ॥ Oṁ Shrī Bhavānīshaṅkarāya Namaḥ॥ Oṁ Shrī Mātre Namaḥ॥
With Sāshṭāṅga Praṇāma-s at the Lotus Feet of H.H. Shrīmat Sadyojāt Shaṅkarāshram Swāmījī, I am placing the following thoughts which came to my mind before and during the recent Samparka session, held on 16th November, 2025.
शिक्षाविस्तारसंकल्पैः शिष्यसंवर्धनैः शुभैः।
अज्ञानतमसः सूर्यः सन्निवासात् प्रबोधयन् ॥
तथा च,
स्वात्मारामः निहतविविधद्वैतमोहान्धकारः
लोकान्सर्वान्नयति सुकृतिः स्वीयपुण्यप्रभावात् ।
यो नारीणां सुकृतपरिणामान् विवर्धन् सुकार्यैः
सद्योजातः शङ्कराश्रमगुरुः पातु नः सर्वकालम् ॥
A free translation of the above two shloka-s
By the spread of education, by raising the standards of His Shis͟hya-s (in all fields), the One Who educates, and Who verily is the Sun eliminating the darkness of ignorance, by His mere Presence; and, He, Who is content within Himself, and having dissipated multitudes of darkness relating to dualism and delusion, leads all with His power of Puṇya. Who raises the standard of women by various schemes, such a One Our Swāmījī – H.H. Shrīmat Sadyojāt Shaṅkarāshram Sadguru may protect us at all times.
Having said this, I wish all the very best to The Chitrāpur Heritage Foundation (CHF) and Aruṇ Hebl̃e mām in particular, for reaching this milestone of 20 years of service to our Bhānap-s in North America and to Our Mat͟h, though being so far away from the Motherland and our Mat͟h. The steady progress CHF has made in taking in its fold more than 250 families and contributing substantially by way of Vantigā, sponsorships and donations is heartening to note.
The video showcased the spread of our bhajana-s and the cultural side displayed by the children. The Yuvā-s showed how they are getting attached to their roots with the samāja. All the credit goes to the participants, their parents and most of all to the teachers who diligently take time off for this noble cause.
It is creditable that all members of our samāja regularly hold sādhanā sessions as in Canaḍā, or the weekly sessions as held by Nandkishore Kalambī mām, which have graduated from a study of Shrīmad Bhagawadgitā (श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता) to more serious subjects like Upanis͟had-s. These have established a beautiful connect with the Mat͟h and with our revered Swāmījī.
One can feel the transformation which our Chitrāpur Sāraswat samāja has undergone in the last 29 years. Gone are the days when the laity used to get involved with our Mat͟h very superficially and ocassionally. Today almost every member of our samāja is involved in various Mat͟h related activites, in one form or the other. This would not have been possible without the Saṅkalpa of our Parama Guru Shrīmat Parijñānāshram Swāmījī III, the Blessings of our sacred Guruparamparā and the benign dṛs͟hṭi of our H.H. Swāmījī here.
Speaking of transformation, one can see it at three levels -
1. Individual Sādhaka-s
2. At the level of our Chitrāpur samāja as a whole, and,
3. Outside our Chitrāpur Sāraswat samāja
Individual Sādhaka-s : At the individual sādhaka level, it is gratifying to note the increasing number of sādhaka-s who today are adept in Gurupūjana, and to see that many have taken mantradīkshā and practise their Japa diligenly every single day, and, how even very young children recite stotra-s flawlesslyand effortlessly, even though many of them have their total academic education in English. We have seen families who conduct regular Navarātri celebration with fervour at their homes. Those who used to conduct the Navarātri utsava in their families, now conduct the same with full Devī pūjana and all allied stotra-s from our Mat͟h site recreating the serenity of our Mat͟h in their homes. Also, Dīpanamaskāra has become a regular evening upāsanā in many families.
At the Samāja level, we find so many groups voluntarily organizing satsaṅga-s. The transformation is not limited to religious activities alone but people actively participate in Saṁvit Sudhā, or in Gīrvāṇapratis͟ht͟hā and Gīrvāṇavaikharī whose Sanskrit classes are so well accepted that more and more non - āmchī-s are also enrolling., Our volunteers have developed excellent curricula for preparing our young ones through Prārthanā and Preraṇā classes and the Yuvā-s by involving them in various Mat͟h activities.
We also recall how today our laity eagerly awaits festivals like the annual Rathotsava, Viṭṭal S͟has͟ht͟hī, Vardhantyutsava, 15th June Janmadivasa celebrations of our Parama Guru at Kārlā, and the Mahāshivarātri Utsava-s. More and more sādhaka-s have started participating in the Mahāshivarātri Chāra-Yāma pūjana.
Who can forget the gradual but visible transformation of all our Mat͟h premises and temples? Every vāstu (वास्तु), has been renovated and remodelled where needed. The deities are adorned with new ornaments displaying their vaibhava (वैभव) and aishwarya (ऐश्वर्य). The offerings like पुष्परथ, by Bhavānīshaṅkar Kaṇḍlūr mām, show the devotion and love of our laity towards our Mat͟h.
Last year we witnessed the erection of four pillars at the portico of our Shrī Chitrāpur Mat͟h at Shirālī. So carefully planned, executed and offered by Durgesh Chandāvarkar mām, as a sevā to the Mat͟h. Two of the four pillars in the front have sculptures of two Rudra Gaṇa-s - Shrī Vīrabhadra and Shrī Kālabhairava, while the two at the rear have sculptures of Shiva’s dwārapāla-s - Shrī Parashupāṇi and Shrī Shūlapāṇi. These replaced the earlier ones, which had sculptures which did not represent our Shaiva Paramparā. The old ones have been given a place of honour in our Vastusaṅgrahālaya (वस्तुसङ्ग्रहालय). This shows the respect H.H. Swāmījī have for the earlier religious artefacts.
Ouside our samāja, we not only have our Sāraswat bāndhava-s from the North participating in our Mat͟h activities but in and around Chitrāpur, the transformation our Mat͟h has brought about by way of conducting schemes like Parimochana for the upliftment of women and the weaker sections and importantly the contribution of our Mat͟h in the field of education, is well known. A mention of the extent and expanse of various projects undertaken, need not be repeated; one can go on, but the facts are well known to all.
Having seen how the transformation has taken place at three levels so to say, let us dwell a little more on the same.
One of the most important aspects of this transformation is the concept of ‘Sevā Bhāva’ (सेवा भाव) which H.H. Swāmījī have impressed upon us as being a key factor in our sādhanā and our spiritual upliftment, with particular focus on Guru Shushrūs͟hā (गुरु शुश्रूषा), and Guru Upasatti (गुरु उपसत्ति). The wonderful way in which our Yuvā-varga conducted the recent Navarātri Utsava at Kārlā comes to the mind..The organization of the functions was perfect, with everything in great coordination going on like a clockwork. It was sevābhāva personified all through. No hassles, no confusion.
The transformation has many dimensions. Under the guidance of H.H. Swāmījī, we have schemes like the Samarth Bhānap Yojanā to help budding entrepreneurs. Our samāja has not only become a catalyst in social change but it has actively brought about change in society. See the work in the field of education .
Today 2597 students are studying in eight different institutions at six locations. Two of these are Pre-University (PU) level colleges:
1. Srīvalī High School, Shirali, - 373 students
2. Srīvalī Pre-University college Shirali,– 35 students
3. Guruprasad High School, Mallāpura, – 197 students
4. Kārlā Education Trust Karla Maharashtra, – 510 students, and,
5. SPEVC – Virār, Maharashtra, 236 students. (SPEVC stands for Swāmī Parijñānāshram Education and Vocational Center catering to the needs of Special Children)
Koṭekar Campus, Maṅgal̃ūru, – 1246 students – this houses the three institutions listed below:
6. Anandashram Kannada Medium High School
7. Parijnan Vidyalaya and
8. Parijnan PU College
One is just amazed at the strides taken in this field by our Mat͟h.
What better recognition can there be than the request by the local Grām Pañchāyat members at Kārlā to our H.H. Swāmījī for an English medium school, which today is housed in its own beautiful premises. Moreover, when the then management of Gaṇapathi High School, in Maṅgal̃ūru, from which many of our elders have graduated, were looking for the best hands in which they could leave this prestigious institution, they could not think of any other Organization than Shrī Chitrāpur Mat͟h. Today our Koṭekar complex is providing educational support. Our school at Shirālī has, from this academic year onwards, added PUC courses (there is also a PUC institution at Koṭekar) for the benefit of the local students. The achievements of the students in non-academic fields even at the State level are sure to make one feel proud. This really is the manifestation of सार्थक आनि सारस्वत परम्परा विद्या आनि कला।
With the Guidance of H.H. Swāmījī, our samāja has really become one large family, so to say. H.H. Swāmījī’s ability to attract and retain specialists adds tremendous value to all activities in our Mat͟h, inculcating and strengthening the concept of a change in the perception from “I want” to “I can give”.
We pray at the Lotus Feet of H.H. Swāmījī, for Their continued Guidance for not only our spiritual upliftment but for the all-round progress of our coming generations as well.
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