Free Food Distribution to all:
Devotees began to visit Panchavati for a Spiritual Programme conducted daily. There was no food arrangement at Panchavati that time. In the month of June 2001 people suggested Swami to begin some food arrangement for the distant visitor’s. Swami took interest & told “Let us start the canteen but the food should be supplied freely”. But His devotees denied it telling that at least a minimum charge should be taken for every meal. Swami didn’t agree for this. Finally free food distribution began & it went on growing, even now the food is free in Panchavati. All the surrounding villagers & the distant devotees are helping to this canteen by sending provisions & money as donations as a mark of respect to the Lord.
Sri Govinda Theertha Swami Bhajan Mandir near Muddenahalli & Signatkadarenahalli:
This Bhajan Mandir began in the year 2005. A number of Devotees got high interest to begin the Bhajan programmes at this place and they kept a big photo of Sri Govinda Theertha Swami and hundreds of people will gather once in a month to conduct Bhajan. They have the Bhajan Programme through out the night on the occasion of Sankasta Hara Ganesh Chaturthi, later they built a sheet building around his photo having a capacity of 150 people. A number of singing batches will gather there to sing the devotional songs; the whole arrangements will be done by the volunteers & devotees of Swami.
About Panchavati – A spiritual and Service centre
Panchavati is a place of deep spirituality – noble services and – god’s gift of nature. The whole and soul founder of the Ashram is Sri Govinda Theertha Swami, who has nurtured this spiritual centre. An ideal service to the poor people is remarkably specialty of this centre. Daily Swami gives discourse on different spiritual scripts like Vedas, Upanishads, Brahma Sutras, Bhagavatha, Bhagavad-Gita, Bible, Quran, Zend-Avesta, Tirpitika etc to the general public in a saintly hut like sheet-building, which is called Bhajan Mandir, at 3 PM. He suggests remedies to all the hundreds who assemble there daily after His Spiritual discourse. This is followed by Daily Bhajan Programme namely “Sarva Dharma Bhajan Programme” for half an hour and it ends by 5PM. It’s known from the facts that He got this power by birth as well as by the deep meditation from His childhood onwards.
He was born in a poor family in a place called DAMBETAR of Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka, India. The Divine power of him was revealed in him for a long time throughout his study up to PhD and later too. There are people who have experienced spirituality thorough him. From his birth onwards He has closely associated with underprivileged. His concern for the needy people has made his mind to render service to the poor people. He thought that one can help the poor by entering into highly paid jobs but He rejected this path. He decided to go to the Spiritual Path by which one can do marvelous services by the divine Power. Hence, after receiving the PhD degree at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, He offered free teaching service at a school Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Institution, Muddenahalli, Karnataka, India. But the meditation was his deep motto. He was not satisfied with these services; hence, He got engaged in a very deep Meditation day and night in a place called Panchavati and also on a Hill called Dhyanagiri; these names were given after he explored them. The people saw the Divine power of Him and they poured in hundreds daily to Panchavati, some for hearing His Spiritual discourses, some for getting remedies for their difficulties, some for mental peace etc. Seva Dal wing (presently having more than 1000 volunteers), several Trusts, Bhajan committees, Balavikas, Yuvavikas, Vayovikas, etc were began under the guidance of Him. The Divine power of Him made everyone alert and active. A lot of service activities began, mainly for the needy. Some of them are listed below.
1.Annasantharpana - Free food Distribution:
It began about eight years back in a small tile building with thatched walls and bare land. A number of donors came forward to supply the needed things to this free food distribution. It is open for all, i.e. for the needy, visitors and general public. Many people render free services for cooking and all the kitchen facility starting from the manager till the house keeping offer free service in this canteen.
2.Free Education:
This scheme began in the year 2007. It is really a Divine thought of Sri Govinda Theertha Swami to help the poor students to come up in their education. The main theme of him was like this, if the poor students either financially or in their studies are brought up by giving basic education, they will support and bring up their families, thus eliminate the poverty. Many of the students in that area surrounding Nandi were all to discontinue their education after SSLC and PUC; this is because there was no proper college education facility except the Government First Grade College at Chickaballapur. Swami imbibed the thought that even in the Government College the education is not free, as the Academic fees, the examination fees etc comes out to more than Rupees One Thousand and the poor students were not in a status to pay even this amount. Hence, He got a fair thought to provide education to the students without any charges, and then only children from underprivileged family and such other helpless families may extend their education. The second thought for starting a free college, for the following two reasons,
1.If the students finish graduation, they will have good job opportunities and they would support their families financially.
2.The graduates can go for their higher studies like IAS, IPS, Post graduation etc where the students get scholarship and such financial aids fromthe Government and other agencies.
Today the graduation, post graduation and such other higher studies of English medium prepares a person to get job opportunities in the whole world. Hence, he started a college by renting a building near Panchavati.
What about the finance?
With the diving grace in Sri Govinda Theertha Swami to take such bold step in aiding the college, which began its operations. The Trusts and the donations helped him to certain extent and many of the people who supported him voluntarily and with his Grace the college has stepped into its fourth year now. The principal and some of the staff are offering free services and some of them are accepting a meager amount for their TA and DA. Definitely, the Divine power has made all the staff members to work hard co-operatively with whatever remuneration offered to them by the Divine Authority. No entrance examination for admission here because Swami says that nobody should be neglected. The admission is totally based on “First-come-First-Basis”. The Bangalore University has given license to admit a maximum of forty fresh students every year.
Panchavati Govinda Theertha Nursery and Primary School, Muddenahalli.
The news of the above college got extensive publicity for the unique reason that the college offer free education. Now the public put a pressure to run a nursery and primary school, which was ready for sale by its founder Sri Nanjundaiah, the former adviser to the World Bank. He had begun this school 13 years back in this remote area of Muddenahalli. Nanjundaiah sympathy made him to begin this school for girls, as there was no facility for girl’s education here but slowly co-education began here. He ran it for 13 years till last year, i.e. 2008. He was the chairman of it and due to his old age of him, i.e. 84 years; He felt his inability to take care of the school. He wanted to hand over the power to Sri Govinda Theertha Swami according to the will and wish of the local public but Swami denied for the short of finance. But His Inner Divine Being worked to accept this school to bring up the future generation of this school. The school property worth about Rupees Eighty Lakhs was offered to Swami for only Rupees Thirty Lakhs and that too a part of it being loan which is not yet settled. Only an agreement is there to the Swami’s Panchavati Trust and it is not yet registered. Swami has told that here also the education is free, not to accept a single paisa from the students. The Divinity only has to run the school. The C.B.S.E system of education should be given freely to the children here is the main motto of Swami. The admission is on “First-come-First-Basis” basis and there are no entrance examinations. The total strength now in this school is 235. The Divine power does marvelous work, some of the staff members offer free services here and the rest are satisfied with whatever remuneration is given. Divine Hands do the Divine works.
3. World Religion Unity Conference:
This is a world-wide Programme; it began in Panchavati about eight years back. The purpose of this conference is to bring unity among all religions of the world. Speakers from the Major Religions are invited to this conference. Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Parsim, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Jewism, Taoism, etc., are some of the major religions of the World. As far as possible the speakers from respective religions are requested to come and talk about the basic principles of each religion and their unity with other religions.
4.Celebration of festivals of all religions:
Generally, the public has designated Panchavati as the centre of all the Religions. This is because festivals of all religions are celebrated here. Sri Govinda Theertha Swami gives discourse explaining the Inner Significance of there festivals. Navarathri, Shivarathri, Christmas, Id-Milad, Zorashtra Jayanthi, Buddha Purnima, Mahaveer Jayanthi, Sri Shirdi Sai Birthday, Sri Sathya Sai Baba Birthday, Sri Ayyappa Swami Jayanthi, Sri Kaivara Narayana Thatha Aaradhana, Veera Bramhendra Aaradhana, Guru Nanak Jayanthi and many other sacred days of all the religions are celebrated at this place. But the total principle of Sri Govinda Theertha Swami is the Unity of All religions. He says that “We have to develop Devotion, Divine Knowledge and Detachment and as far as possible and this will definitely lead to World Peace and people will have good harmony and thus the world itself will become a Heaven”. The clashes among the Religions will vanish, regarding this He Himself has constructed the following song and He sings it in the public,
“Religions are different but the God is One
Names are different but the God is One
Glories are different but the God is One”
Then He says to follow the single God Power, Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omni-scent.
5. Free Medical Camp:
This service began about eight years back with a free dental camp, there onwards a number of free medical camps like eye camp, vetenary camp, general camp, etc., were being held in Panchavati. Normally one or two camps per year are held in Panchavati. In each camp about five to ten doctors from Bangalore, Chickaballapur etc give free service to the patience. The serious patients have been taken to the Hospitals for further treatments. Doctors help a lot in these camps. Food and other arrangements have been done by the devotees and Seva Dal people in Panchavati. A lot of medicines were donated by many medical stores and other well wishers. Even today, these medical camps are being conducted in Panchavati.
6.Meditation Camps and Conference:
Sri Govinda Theertha Swami gives meditation training directly to those who are interested. He conducts these camps in the month of May, in which students, officials and all come and participate. After getting trained, the trainees have to practice these meditations for a whole year and after one year the trainees come again in the month of May for further training. Similarly, He Himself gives training for three years. He teaches meditation like OHM Mediation, LIGHT Meditation, KUDALINI Meditation, SOUL Meditation, SOUND Meditation etc. Later, trainees can select any one of these meditation for their future. In each meditation, there are three parts.
1.Explanation
2 Practice and;
3.Tranquility
One can go to Samadhi after these three stages. They can go to Bhava Samadhi like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa or Maha Samadhi. These camps are totally free and moreover they are given free food and all the facilities
7.Meditation Conference:
Once in a year, a meditation conference of all the trained meditators as well as interested others is being held in Panchavati. Good Speakers well versed in Meditation are invited to give speech in this conference. The audience is allowed to get their doubts cleared by the speakers. It is a nice session to go in depth in meditation.
8.Seva Dal Conference:
Seva Dal is a wing of volunteers to render free service activities in the Panchavati activities. More than 1000 such Seva Dal members are serving in the scheme of activities of Panchavati. They have to wear the sacred badges and the scarf’s given by Sri Govinda Theertha Swami. They have to consider them as the Holy Symbol and increase their own Devotion, Duty and Discipline. These free services will eradicate the sin and gain the Grace of God. This leads Seva Dals to gain God like-personality. Swami always gives an example of Hanuman. He stress that Hanuman didn’t take a single paisa for jumping into Lanka searching Seetha and helping Rama to bring His wife from the wild cluster of horrible demons. Swami says “Due to sacrifice, Hanuman became God and today one can see a lot of temples of Hanuman everywhere. Seva Dal (volunteer) as well as others should follow Hanuman and become Immortal like Him. His free services made Him Chiranjeevi (Deathless) till the Total Dissolution of this present world.”
Such Seva Dal volunteers are there many in Panchavati. All functions and services of Panchavati are going on well by the help of these Seva Dals. Once in a year all these Seva Dal members are invited to Panchavati and a conference is held. All the plans for the whole year and future are planned in this conference. Once in a month Seva Dal training camp is held in different places to accept new Seva Dal members. In the conference speakers from other voluntary groups are made to inspire the Seva Dal Volunteers
9.Vetenary Services:
This free camp is held in Panchavati now and then. In this region there are Sheppard’s, Cowherds etc many houses have their livelihood by maintaining sheep, goats, cows, etc. To checkup the health of these animals there are minimum arrangements in this region. Hence now and then, free vetenary camps are held at Panchavati and hundreds of sheep’s, goats, cow, etc were treated to help the poor.
10.Balavikas Programme:
The children are ignorant regarding the Divine Knowledge, they don’t go in depth without proper guidance, and for that sake the elderly persons with high spiritual knowledge guide the youngsters regarding spiritual knowledge. Balavikas classes (the spiritual classes) were held on every Sunday morning. This began in Panchavati about eight years back and hundreds of children had joined this scheme. They are given spiritual guidance’s by spiritual teachers. Devotional songs, spiritual studies and such spiritual things were taught to them so that they learn the Truth, Righteousness, Peace, Divine Love, Non-Violence, Sacrifices, etc in these classes. Everything is free to the children.
11.Personality Development Course:
This course was held for college students and also for the public during the mid-term holidays. It is held for a week and the eminent speakers, who have mastery over these topics, explain about the personalities of Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and Sir M Visveshwarya etc.
12.Loka Shanthi Bhajan:
This is a Special Programme introduced by Sri Govinda Theertha Swami of Panchavati, about 21 selected Bhajan Singers go in a Bus/Tempo to place of different villages/towns and cities and keep a singing Programme there. It is for one or one and half hour. The surrounding people are invited to these Programmes by pamphlets. From hundred to thousand people assemble here. Such Bhajans are conducted in Sri Veeranjaneya Temple (Mahalakshmi Layout, Bangalore), Central Jail (Parapa Agrahara, Bangalore), Chickaballapur, Doddaballapur and many other places. The purpose of this Bhajan is to bring Mental Peace among the people, it is a free Bhajan Programme arranged by the devotees of Panchavati. These Bhajans are advertised by pamphlets, posters, banners etc. They are conducted once in a month at different places. Locals give a lot of support to these large scale Bhajans.
13.House Bhajans:
The Bhajan singers have got a Team who conduct Bhajan in houses, whoever invite. This is for developing devotion in the house, to get rid from devil powers as well as to uplift the house.
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14.Helping Bhajans:
This is a special scheme of Bhajans started by Panchavati Ashram. Panchavati selects poor houses and conducts Bhajans by sending all the necessary things like coconuts, rice, flowers, oil, prasadam, Agarbhathis etc. This type of Bhajan helps the poor to avoid the bad devil power, drinking habits, bad omen etc from the houses. The poor houses have to keep the house very clean and sacred on the Bhajan days, a lot of people co-operate in these Bhajans Programme.
15.Emergency Helping Scheme:
This is an emergency service scheme which provides help during the collapse of houses, accidents, damages etc. Ten or fifteen volunteers are working in this service. They are to be informed by the needy people and immediately the services are rendered.
16.Assistance during natural disaster:
For this service all the Seva Dal volunteers, Trustees, and Devotees join hand to help the needy persons. For instance, the recent flood affected areas like Kurnool, Mantralaya, Kopala, Gadag, Haveri, Belgaum, Bagalkot, etc., were considered by Panchavati and all possible helps have been sent to them through Government.
17.Tapovan (Forest for Penance):
There is a forest near Panchavati, where Sri Govinda Theertha Swami is staying day and night at present. This forest has got a big background story. Sri Govinda Theertha Swami got complete detachment from the worldly things in the year 1989. He was offering free teaching service during the last ten years before it in Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Institutions, Muddenahalli. He left the Institution on 24th April 1989 at about 6 AM and went barefooted to a Hill called Mucchala Gudda to which He Himself kept a name called Dhyanagiri. Mucchala means the name of a kind of fruit which was growing on this hill, Gudda means hillock and Dhyanagiri means “Meditation Hill”. He did not know the route to go to the top of the hillock, as He didn’t go to this hill earlier. But two foxes were moving in front of Him and they showed the way to this hill-top. He sat for meditation on this hill in the early morning and went on to meditate till the evening. The persons from the Institution went on searching Him the whole day, and finally, they got Him there in the evening, He was totally wet because there was a rainfall but He was unaware of it as He had gone to deep concentration. He didn’t return for twelve days even though the authorities of the Institution persuaded Him. Moreover, He was fasting throughout and He stayed there for Twelve days. So many people from the nearby villages began to visit Him; they did worships and sang devotional songs etc in front of Him. The persons from the Institution kept guard during the nights. After twelve days He Himself came back to the Institution and continued His free service of teaching. After a few months He again began to go to this Hillock for meditation. He mediated at different places on this hill. In the year 2000, He totally left the Institution and stayed on the hill itself day and night, the people began to feed Him there itself and He was eating a little of Raw food. The Trust as well as the devotees wanted to develop a Tapovan (Forest for Penance) for Sri Govinda Theertha Swami. The forest department of the nearby place Chickaballapur offered thousands of plants and the forest developed. Many of the devotees helped a lot to develop this Tapovan. It has already grown into certain extent.
18.Panchakalyani (Five Sacred Lakes):
There was no water source on this hill; Sri Govinda Theertha Swami had gone on 18th March 2000 to stay permanently on this hill for Penance and Meditation day and night. But the question of water was raised by the public, who assembled their in hundreds but Theertha had not even a trace of fear for staying in this forest. He showed a spot to the assembled people to dig and the public dug the land and one could see water just at a depth of 2 feet, the pond was prepared and the water was more than sufficient for Sri Govinda Theertha Swami. This water was carried in bottles, vessels, etc as a Holy water of Sacredness. After two years, Swami showed four places for water and the people dug and they got at a depth of four or five feet and they arranged the ponds as the Panchakalyani or Five Sacred Lakes. Swami told that the five lakes would be used for the sacred baths in future. In 2008, NSS students from Chickaballapur expanded these lakes to a bigger size. The water of these five lakes is now used for watering the plants of the Tapovan. Villagers from the surrounding area are not coming now for their wood products to the hill and so the Tapovan is growing fast day by day. Meanwhile, the penance and meditation of Sri Govinda Theertha Swami is continuing there.
19.Study Materials for the poor students:
Every year study materials like books, Pens, compass boxes, pencils, etc., are given to all the poor students of about 30 schools and high schools. At least 4000 students take benefit from these materials every year. This service has developed a close connection with teachers and students of the surrounding villages. Many of them attend many of the spiritual and service function of Panchavati. The teachers do special service of serving free food to thousands of people in Panchavati. Many of the teachers and students of these schools have joined the Seva Dal group of Panchavati.
SPIRITUALITY
There are much more aspects of Spirituality than the physical services in Panchavati. Actually this place has come up on the grounds of Spirituality. Sri Govinda Theertha Swami achieved highest education i.e. PhD degree. He could have done marvelous service with this background. But now He does thousand and Lakhs times more service being in Spiritual field. One can see hundreds of people daily waiting for His remedies for different types of problems like diseases, financial, mental, religious and spiritual. For every problem there is a remedy from His Spiritual Power. All along His life, He did meditation and Penance. Due to this continuous Spiritual practices, He has become a God like person, nobody know the depth of the Spiritual Power now, that is why many people call Him as “Swami”, “Godfather”, “God-Head”, “Incarnation”, “Bhagawan” and such other Divine name. He Himself says “Where Science ends, the Spirituality begins”. This Spirituality brings multi million power and one can do Divine Services directly or indirectly in any corner of the Universe by deep Spiritual practice. But this spiritual practice makes one Omni-present, Once-scent, and Omni-Potent. It leads to gain all pervading power and by this power one can do miraculous services anywhere in the Whole Universe.
Sri Govinda Theertha Swami looks like an ordinary man, with a simple long White Khadi dress but now and then one can experience His Super Power blossoming out. Many people have seen Him sitting at Trance whole day unaware of rain, sun and anything happening outside. The world is Zero for Him from morning to evening. He eats a little raw food everyday during the last 19 years. A few raw vegetable pieces and fruits are sufficient for Him to keep His body unmedicated during the last many years. It seems that He has never taken any check-up or medicine during the last 40 years. One of the doctors namely Dr. Krishnamurthy of Muddenahalli hospital announced one day as follows “Medical laws don’t apply to the body of Sri Govinda Theertha Swami. He should have died long back but the meditation and penance takes one to such extent of attaining the Spirit. Salt, Chilly etc are must for a body but Theertha is an exception. He is totally away from them during the last 30-40 years, nobody knows God’s wonder and such Soul is Sri Govinda Theertha Swami”
Moreover, during the last nine years that is from 2000 A.C He is totally exposed to the open atmosphere on the hill called Dhyanagiri near Panchavati. No roof or house or any protection on this hill for Him. He stays there in meditation under rain, winter cold and sustaining on raw food. Many people believe that God’s and Goddess’s are staying on this hill to protect Him. Swami says that Ghosts also help Him during the midnights. This is all a wonderful story, what to believe what not.
If Govinda Theertha sits for meditation with full interest He goes to Trance. This means He remains unaware of the world for a long time sometimes even the whole day. The rain, the sun, the cold etc never affect Him. Morning He sits for meditation and evening He gets up and if you ask Him what about His experiences, He says Zero. It looks to be right that God’s, Goddess’s and Ghosts are around Him to help. He Himself says about an experience that happened one night regarding the God Saturn. Once He had a cut on His finger with a blade while shaving, the fingers were swollen and because of it He could not disclose the button of His Shirt, He tried and failed. It was about 5 AM, immediately the Divine fingers came from behind and opened the buttons and after the bath the same fingers closed the buttons and there was Divine light all around the helping personality, who did a whispering “Shani”, means the God Saturn. Such miraculous help looks like that the God’s, Goddess’s and Ghosts are in connection with Govinda Theertha.
Many times He never bothers about the things happening in this world. Let us see an incident which has come into publicity. There was a small grass hut in Panchavati, in which all these activities were carried on. There was a Microphone Set with a transformer. One night the amplifiers were stolen from this place, while many devotees were sleeping around. Right, this matter was seriously discussed in the Trust meeting; the Directors of the Trust discussed it for half an hour and came to a conclusion to give a police report. Govinda Theertha was silently sitting without a word. Finally, they asked His opinion about their decision, i.e. to give a police report. He simply asked a question to them “You may give a police report or you may leave it to me and if you leave it to Me, I will be silent”. At the beginning, the Trust Directors were not ready to leave it to Theertha, anyhow finally left it to Theertha. After three months, one day the transformer came from a sound system shop to Panchavati, also the news came that both the thieves of the transformers have died. The news spread like anything and one can see that due to this fear there are no theft cases at all from Panchavati up to now. Even today, Panchavati or Dhyanagiri have got no compound wall, no fence and no theft cases or any such things. So many costly things are fallen open here without security. This is the wonder of the Divine Power.
Swami Govinda Theertha was in a cave on this Dhyanagiri hill for a continuous twelve days, among them for four days He was there in complete deep fasting and the rest of the days He was eating once in a day a few grams of “Shudha Satvik Food” i.e. a little boiled leafy vegetables and little rice without salt, chilly and spices. A small boy named Munikrishna was alone carrying this food to the cave of Theertha.
This is a brief sketch of Panchavati and Swami Govinda Theertha. At present He is totally staying at a place in a thick forest behind Dhyanagiri. He stays in a small shade of a big rock. One can see ant hills of there four feet height growing around. Devotees themselves carry raw food to Him, to His place. He comes down at about 3 PM to give a speech daily on Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Epics, Bible, Quran, etc. He says there should be Unity among All the Religions. He is firm that this only will bring the World Peace. After 5 O’clock He returns back to His forest place for meditation night and day.
This place should be a simple place for Spiritual practice and for free public services, mainly to the poor. This is the Will and Wish of Sri Govinda Theertha Swami.