Regular Activities
>Continuance of the tradition of teaching Vedanta -Facilities for study of Vedanta
Sri Sivasankara Dave had studied Vedanta in depth and having heard about Sadguru Gnanananda, came to him in 1964. A special recipient of the grace of Jagadguru Chandrasekharendra Saraswati of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetom, he was fully blessed by Sadguru Gnanananda and was initiated by Him into Sannyasa on Sankara Jayanti day with a deeksha name of Swami Vidyananda Giri. Later, he was chosen as the first Vedanta Acharya of the ashram.
Swami Vidyananda Giri was the founder President of Sri Gnanananda Niketan. After the constitution of the trust, he was staying in the cottage of Sri K. Sivavadivel Odayar and conducting classes for the Sannyasins, brahmacharis, other retired householders and spiritual seekers.
Swami Nityananda Giri is well versed in Vedanta, having received direct guidance from Sadguru Gnanananda and studied Vedanta under Swami Vidyananda Giri, He assisted his Acharya in bringing out the publications of Sannyasins of Thapovanam. He had the privilege of collecting and editing the teachings of Sadguru Gnanananda ("Gnana Inba Veli") under the direct guidance of the Sage Himself. He was initiated into Sannyasa by Swami Vidyananda Giri in 1975. He also helped Sri Ramanujachari and other devotees in bringing out Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's publication, "Sadguru Gnanananda" which spreads the timeless message of Vedanta. This book was released in a function at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Madras on 9th June 1979 by His Excellency, Sri Prabhudas B.Patwari, Governor of Tamil Nadu.
From 1992 to 2004, Swami Nityananda Giri was invited to deliver lectures on Vedanta, Yoga and the teachings of Sadguru Gnanananda in several countries of Europe, Canada and USA. He participated in various inter-religious seminars and conferences, where he spoke about the greatness and importance of teachings of Sadguru Gnanananda and other Indian sages. These tours resulted in many foregin students coming to Niketan for study of Vedanta. Swami Satyananda Saraswati and Ms. Sankari (Roser Dalmau) from Spain and Swami Govindananda Saraswati of Brindavan stayed continuously at Niketan for many years to study Vedanta directly under him.
Swami Chitswaroopananda Giri who was in poorvasrama, the Principal of Sanskrit college at Tripunatura, Kerala, was initiated into Sannyasa by Swami Nityananda Giri in 1993 and he was conducting Vedanta classes. He attained Mahasamdhi in 2003.
In keeping with the parampara of teaching of Vedanta, presently regular Vedanta classes are being conducted by Swamini Prabhavananda Saraswati, disciple of Swami
Visharadananda Saraswati who had traditional study of Vedanta in Kailash ashram, Rishikesh and was Initiated into Sannyas by Swami Dayananda Saraswati of Coimbatore. For those who are unable to be present in the ashram for study, the classes conducted are regularly made available through internet. Sadhakas from other parts of India and also abroad utilize this facility effectively.
Swami Amrteswarananda Saraswati who has been initiated into Sannyasa by Swami Omkarananda Saraswati of Theni, is pursuing his sadhana at Gnanananda Niketan under the guidance of Swami Nityananda Giri.
Swami Omkarananda Sarswati, head of Adiguru Sri Pragna Dakshinamoorthy Vidya Peetham at Swami Chidbhavananda Ashram, Theni, is now the President of Sri Gnanananda Niketan. He is an eminent exponent of Vedanta texts in Sanskrit like Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, etc.and also Tamil texts like Kaivalya Navaneetam. His lectures containing many quotations from Tirukkural and hymnal lore of Thevaram & Thiruvacakam are very popular.
Swami Sivaprakasananda Saraswati, a disciple of Swami Dayananda Saraswati, is a trustee of Sri Gnanananda Niketan. He is conducting classes in Bangalore. Students of Niketan who are residing in Bangalore attend his classes and also satsang at Niketan during their visits.
From 2007 onwards Sri Gnanananda Niketan has been included by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India in the list of recognized Institutions for grant of one year renewable visa to study Yoga, Vedic Culture etc., to students from abroad.
The continuance of the teaching tradition commenced by Sadguru Gnanananda has been well provided for, by his Grace.
Vedanta Class
Regular classes on Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads and other Vedantic texts are being conducted daily for the resident sadhakas at Sri Gnanananda Niketan for the last 30 years. Presently, Swamini Prabhavananda Saraswati with the guidance and blessings of Swami Nityananda Giri is conducting the regular classes
Visits of Groups for Vedanta Class
Groups of students from India, China, Spain, Germany, Switzerland and France visit Sri Gnanananda Niketan every year for satsang and spiritual retreat.
Every year a French group lead by Corinne Bayod and Ela Thole visits Sri Gnanananda Niketan for satsang and meditation. A group of Germans led by Christian Hackbarth Johnson and another German group of few dedicated sadhakas have been annual visitors to Sri Gnanananda Niketan for over two decades for satsang and vedanta classes. The topics covered during their visit ranges from "Introduction to Vedanta", "Manisha Panchakam", "Nirvana Satakam", to specific Upanishads. Classes are conducted in English by Swami Nityananda Giri and Swamini Prabhavananda Saraswati.
