Sanatan Ashram Ponda and routine life

Life at Sanatan Ashram Ponda is now settling down to a routine. My day is managed and controlled by the sanstha. They have developed a routine and I follow it religiously. The day is divided into different activities called seva. Some part is devoted for spiritual enlightenment, some for chanting, a major part  personality defect removal process and the rest for contemplation.

Samashti Seva

I like to meet new people and can converse fluently with them. Sanatan Sanstha has identified this as my strength. I also like to travel to new places and am comfortable traveling in local buses and finding my way back. I am also able to convince people to join the sanstha and request for donations, sell our newsletters and other publications. In fact, I was collecting the highest amount of donations in my area and this was praised by the saints many times during their regular visits to Satara.

It is but natural that Sanatan Ashram Ponda gives this seva to me. I am first asked to tour all over Goa till they decide which area can accommodate me. I travel to their Panaji, Madgaon and Ponda area offices as well as the sub-offices under them. My rakshak has been given a different work (I think, they do not like our bond) and I do not have any regular coordinator. However, a sadhak (generally male) must accompany me during any visit outside the ashram. Generally, the localites pick and drop me. This is a logistical nightmare, as a person staying at Panaji has to travel 40 kilometres to pick me, we travel another 40-50 kilometres to reach Panaji and the same kilometres for the return journey. Besides wasting time and money, it stifles me as I am an independent woman and do not like to be dependent on others.

However, Sanatan Sanstha terms this as samashti seva for the sadhaks and does not allow me to venture out alone.

Danger venturing alone

I am told that there is danger in venturing alone. Evil forces are shadowing us and attack sadhaks travelling alone. Several have been attacked in the past and women sadhaks have been harassed. I have never faced such issues in the past nor have I heard of such things. But, the sanstha puts its foot down firmly and I have to follow their instructions.

Because of this inconvenience, I miss my lunch or dinner many times. By the time I return, lunch or dinner hours are over and I don’t get anything to eat. I have to go to sleep hungry. The ashram forbids personal food of any kind, nor am I allowed to eat outside. I am told that the enemies may try to poison me. As I am accompanied by sadhaks everywhere, I have to suffer this.

The samashti seva is praised profusely and in many satsangs and bhaitaks it is repeated that I am sacrificing even my food so that there is no disturbance in my seva.

The time spent in such sevas leaves me very little time to contact my family. I am unable to attend to their phone calls. In fact, I tell them or call them very late at night when I know that they must be sleeping. The fragile bond breaks further.

What does Sanatan Sanstha teach you about Spirituality

An institution like Sanatan Sanstha which is engaged in the propagation of Spirituality should focus all activities on its core objective. It should be spending maximum amount and efforts on this and should ensure that its sadhaks also should do the same.

This is not so. My experience at Sanatan Ashram Ponda shows that we hardly spent any time on spiritual practices. The definition of spiritual practice is open for debate, but I feel it can be defined as performance of actions and activities for the sole purpose of cultivating spiritual development. Sanatan or rather its affiliate organization Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, lists chanting as the simplest spiritual practise.

Which activities constitute as spiritual practices

Sanatan Sanstha states that chanting is the simplest form of spiritual practice in this Kalyuga. Which, in turn, means that people like me who have forsaken the materialistic world should be spending the maximum time in chanting. It is not so; I hardly spend a couple of hours on chanting.

Now comes the spin doctor, Dr Jayant Athavale to my rescue. He says that any activity done with bhav can become a spiritual practice. Even if I brush my teeth with bhav, it is counted as spiritual practice. Other activities start getting defined by the sanstha. I cannot define an activity on my own. The list grows bigger and bigger till I activities I undertake at the Sanatan Ashram Ponda become defined as spiritual activities. Hindus are very religious and understand that spirituality and religion are related to each other. Hence HJS and Sanatan also brings in religion into this by making us chant a Diety’s name.

The sanstha undertakes different sevas at Sanatan Ashram Ponda. As any of the seva is defined as a spiritual practice, it seems that whatever I do is in the service of God.

Confused.

So am I. But during my stay there I did not doubt their word. I had no freedom to doubt their words. My mind was under their control and I trusted them blindly.

Collective sevas

Sanatan Sanstha also differentiated between self-service and service towards society. These are referred to as Vyashti Seva and Samashti Seva. They educate us that Samashti seva gives better results than Vyashti seva. Of course, they also benefit the most through Samashti seva. Otherwise where will they find free sweepers, cleaners, drivers, cooks and many others to do miscellaneous manual work at Sanatan Ashram Ponda. Of course, it is the sadhaks who do all this, and when it gets associated with spirituality and bhav, you get life-time free servants. Just what is needed by Dr Jayant Athavale.

Not all sadhaks are allotted this work. Persons staying outside are not required to “work” at the ashram. They are free to spend their time as they want. We, the occupants, who have left our homes and broken our relationships are made to do hard labor. All in the name of spirituality. Funny, isn’t it?

But, how can we complain, we no longer have control over our mind, we can longer take decisions on our own.

And, is there someone who can help us?

Broken Dreams and Broken Relationships.

Sanatan Sanstha differentiates sevas

 Sanatan Sanstha defines Seva and Sadhana

I had always assumed that sadhana and seva are different until Sanatan Sanstha started differentiating between them. Sadhana was practice or learning about religion; it entailed learning about our holy scripts. Seva, on the other hand, was more about selfless service to the society. Sanatan says that this is incorrect. Seva and sadhana are one and the same thing.

Worshiping is not important, Seva is

According to the sanstha’s philosophy and our Guru, Dr Jayant Athavale’s methods, there is no need to worship, Pooja is not that important, seva is most important and we should spend maximum time in naamjap and seva. Pooja is said to be used by lazy people. We should do sadhana. Sadhana is divided into two types:

• Vyashti Sadhana: This sadhana is done with the objective of self. Personality defect removal is termed as Vyashti Sadhana. This type of sadhana is termed as inferior by the sanstha as it is led by selfish motives.
• Samashti Sadhana: This sadhana is the true sadhana and gives superior results. We must actively propagate Dharma by holding satsangs at our home, spreading the message of Sanatan Sanstha and distributing newsletters and periodicals. We should actively search for donation givers and induce them to give as much as possible.

A question that is natural to us is that why should Samashti sadhana be given more importance. There are no quotes from scriptures or holy books. This is true because Sanatan Sanstha says so, no questions asked.

Samashti Sadhana and Sanatan Sanstha

Samashti seva means propagating the message of Dr Jayant Athavale, plain and simple. It involves meeting people and converting them to Sanatan. It involves collecting donations. It involves selling the sanstha’s products. Now I realise why this is important to Sanatan, why it is given more importance. Holding rallies, selling periodicals or collecting donations does not lead to spiritual growth. All religions, including Sanatan Dharma, says that we should pray to the respective Gods to seek their blessings and get spiritual knowledge.

Hindu Dharma has four margs (paths) to attain Mooksha, they are

• Bhakti Marg: Through chanting the name of God, performing Pooja and other stipulated rituals with a clean body and mind.
• Jnana Marg: Through study of scriptures and vedas.
• Karma Marg: Performing one’s duties and responsibilities without any selfish motive.
• Dhyana Marg: Through trance like state, doing continuous meditation.

Sanatan Sanstha does not talk of any of these, they have a different method, they are diverting from Hinduism. Their brand of spiritualism is different; they have their own terminology. They stress that only samashti sadhana is needed. They are trying to establish their own brand of Sanatan Dharma; one defined by them and to be followed exclusively by their followers. No questions asked…

This becomes evident to outsiders and that is why they do not support the sanstha. They oppose the sanstha. Sanatan Sanstha also believes in blind faith and superstition. It tries to practice black magic. It tries to control the minds of its followers.

This is why others are unhappy with it.

But, I am on the path of Anand, Bliss as defined by Sanatan Sanstha. I have no control on myself; neither in mind or body or spirit.