Prashanthi Nilayam
Encyclopedia
Prasanthi Nilayam is the main ashram
of Sathya Sai Baba
. The "township of Prasanthi Nilayam is located in the village of Puttaparthi
, the hamlet where Sathya Sai Baba was born. This area is part of the Anantapur
district in the state of Andhra Pradesh
, in South India.".
"Prasanthi Nilayam" means literally "Abode of the Highest Peace". Sathya Sai Baba gave daily darshan
to his thousands of devotees in this ashram. Sathya Sai Baba was "usually present in Prasanthi Nilayam from early June to the middle of March."
s of people from all over India
, why only India, from all over the world, will come and wait there for Sai darshan!"
In 1944 a mandir was built to facilitate the growing number of Sai Baba devotees, it is now commonly referred to as the "old mandir".
Prasanti Nilayam was "inaugurated on November 23, 1950, the twenty-fourth birthday of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. It took about two years to build." "Sathya Sai Baba can be said to be the architect and engineer who directed the entire work for construction", says Narayana Kasturi
. Sathya Sai Baba "supervised the construction, acquiring of equipment, and watched over the devotees who, standing in long queues along the slope of the hill, passed from hand to hand metal, stones, bricks, water, mud, mortar, and everything needed for the structure that dominates the landscape today."
There are stories of the problems faced in trying to "transport huge heavy girders for the central prayer hall," as they had to come "from near Trichinopoly by train to Penukonda
... (and then had to be) brought over the District Board Road, sixteen miles long with a sandy stream at the seventh mile."
The mandir was painted blue, yellow, and pink "communicating the message of the harmony of spirit, intellect, and heart respectively; for blue stands for spirit, yellow for intellect, and pink for heart (love). The rich harmony of the three does result in santhi (peace) and Prasanthi (supreme peace); and that really is the message of the Prasanthi mandir."
"In October 1957 a hospital was inaugurated on the hill behind the Nilayam."
Poornachandra Auditorium was built in 1973, "it is the venue for conducting cultural programmes, conferences and yagnas during Dasara." It can seat around 15,000 people in the 60 x 40 metre area.
Sathya Sai Baba's "simple living quarters are upstairs above the stage."
The Sarva Dharma
Stupa, "a 50 ft high pillar celebrating the unity of all religions, was built in November 1975 to mark the advent of the Avatar
."
Sai Kulwant Hall is where daily darshan took place. "It is a spacious enclosure" with a seating capacity of about 20,000. Sai Kulwant Hall is located between Sathya Sai Baba's residence (Yajur Mandir) and the Prasanti Mandir. The "carved icons of Sri Rama
, Sita
, Lakshmana
and Hanuman
were blessed" by Sathya Sai Baba on 30 September 1999.
The Prasanti Nilayam ashram also hosts various mandirs; a Ganesha
Mandir, Subramanya
Mandir, Gayatri
Mandir, a meditation tree (planted by Sai Baba himself in 1950), two museums (The Eternal Heritage Museum and the Chaitanya Jyothi Museum) North and South Indian Canteens, a Western Canteen and the administration buildings for the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (Sri Sathya Sai University).
"There is a branch office of the State Bank of India
in Prasanthi Nilayam itself."
Devotees are asked to "dress in modest, clean and sober clothing at all times."
As far as socializing is concerned, "men and women are not expected to mix for the sake of passing time either outside or inside the rooms."
Other ashram rules include,
5:10 AM- Temple bell rings 5 times
5:20 AM- Temple bell rings once, followed by 21 Aumkars then Suprabhatham
5:40 AM- Veda chanting around the ashram, then Nagarsankirtan
8:00 AM- Veda chanting in Sai Kulwant Hall
9:00 AM- Bhajan
singing in Sai Kulwant Hall
9:40 AM- Mangala Arati in Sai Kulwant Hall
4:30 PM- Veda chanting in Sai Kulwant Hall
5:30 PM- Bhajan singing in Sai Kulwant Hall
All lights out by 9 P.M.
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
of Sathya Sai Baba
Sathya Sai Baba
Śri Sathya Sai Baba , born as Sathyanarayana Raju was an Indian guru, spiritual figure, mystic, philanthropist, and educator. He claimed to be the reincarnation of Sai Baba of Shirdi, a spiritual saint and miracle worker who died in 1918 and whose teachings were an eclectic blend of Hindu and...
. The "township of Prasanthi Nilayam is located in the village of Puttaparthi
Puttaparthi
Puttaparthi is a town situated in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It was also the residence of the notable spiritual teacher Sathya Sai Baba....
, the hamlet where Sathya Sai Baba was born. This area is part of the Anantapur
Anantapur district
Anantapur District , ) is one of the 23 districts in Andhra Pradesh, India. The district headquarters is Anantapur City. It is currently a part of the Red Corridor.- Geography :...
district in the state of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, in South India.".
"Prasanthi Nilayam" means literally "Abode of the Highest Peace". Sathya Sai Baba gave daily darshan
Darshan
or Darshan is a Sanskrit term meaning "sight" , vision, apparition, or glimpse. It is most commonly used for "visions of the divine" in Hindu worship, e.g. of a deity , or a very holy person or artifact...
to his thousands of devotees in this ashram. Sathya Sai Baba was "usually present in Prasanthi Nilayam from early June to the middle of March."
History
At the age of seventeen, Sathya Sai Baba told one devotee, "The Sai Pravesh (the advent of Sai) will transform that region into Prasanthi Pradesh (a region of highest peace). There will rise a bhavan (mansion)! LakhLakh
A lakh is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand . It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and is often used in Indian English.-Usage:...
s of people from all over India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, why only India, from all over the world, will come and wait there for Sai darshan!"
In 1944 a mandir was built to facilitate the growing number of Sai Baba devotees, it is now commonly referred to as the "old mandir".
Prasanti Nilayam was "inaugurated on November 23, 1950, the twenty-fourth birthday of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. It took about two years to build." "Sathya Sai Baba can be said to be the architect and engineer who directed the entire work for construction", says Narayana Kasturi
Narayana Kasturi
Narayana Kasturi was born Kasturi Ranganatha Sharma in North Travancore, which now forms part of the modern day Indian state of Kerala...
. Sathya Sai Baba "supervised the construction, acquiring of equipment, and watched over the devotees who, standing in long queues along the slope of the hill, passed from hand to hand metal, stones, bricks, water, mud, mortar, and everything needed for the structure that dominates the landscape today."
There are stories of the problems faced in trying to "transport huge heavy girders for the central prayer hall," as they had to come "from near Trichinopoly by train to Penukonda
Penukonda
Penukonda or Penu Konda is a small town in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is 70 km away from Anantapur town.-Geography:Penukonda is located at...
... (and then had to be) brought over the District Board Road, sixteen miles long with a sandy stream at the seventh mile."
The mandir was painted blue, yellow, and pink "communicating the message of the harmony of spirit, intellect, and heart respectively; for blue stands for spirit, yellow for intellect, and pink for heart (love). The rich harmony of the three does result in santhi (peace) and Prasanthi (supreme peace); and that really is the message of the Prasanthi mandir."
"In October 1957 a hospital was inaugurated on the hill behind the Nilayam."
Poornachandra Auditorium was built in 1973, "it is the venue for conducting cultural programmes, conferences and yagnas during Dasara." It can seat around 15,000 people in the 60 x 40 metre area.
Sathya Sai Baba's "simple living quarters are upstairs above the stage."
The Sarva Dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
Stupa, "a 50 ft high pillar celebrating the unity of all religions, was built in November 1975 to mark the advent of the Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
."
Sai Kulwant Hall is where daily darshan took place. "It is a spacious enclosure" with a seating capacity of about 20,000. Sai Kulwant Hall is located between Sathya Sai Baba's residence (Yajur Mandir) and the Prasanti Mandir. The "carved icons of Sri Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
, Sita
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...
, Lakshmana
Lakshmana
Lakshmana was the brother and close companion of Rama, and himself a hero in the famous epic Ramayana...
and Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
were blessed" by Sathya Sai Baba on 30 September 1999.
The Prasanti Nilayam ashram also hosts various mandirs; a Ganesha
Ganesha
Ganesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati , Vinayaka , and Pillaiyar , is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...
Mandir, Subramanya
Subramanya
Subramanya is a commonly used Indian name. It is also another name for the Hindu deity Murugan. Other common spellings are Subrahmanya, Subramania and Subramaniam. The name may refer to:People...
Mandir, Gayatri
Gayatri
Gayatri is the feminine form of , a Sanskrit word for a song or a hymn. Gayatri is a consort of Brahma and the goddess of learning. Brahma married her when there was a need for a companion during a yajna. Brahma had to start the yajna along with his wife...
Mandir, a meditation tree (planted by Sai Baba himself in 1950), two museums (The Eternal Heritage Museum and the Chaitanya Jyothi Museum) North and South Indian Canteens, a Western Canteen and the administration buildings for the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (Sri Sathya Sai University).
"There is a branch office of the State Bank of India
State Bank of India
The State Bank of India is the largest Indian banking and financial services company with its headquarters in Mumbai, India. It is state-owned. The bank traces its ancestry to British India, through the Imperial Bank of India, to the founding in 1806 of the Bank of Calcutta, making it the oldest...
in Prasanthi Nilayam itself."
Ashram policies
Certain guidelines and codes of conduct have been laid down for devotees while in the ashram.Devotees are asked to "dress in modest, clean and sober clothing at all times."
As far as socializing is concerned, "men and women are not expected to mix for the sake of passing time either outside or inside the rooms."
Other ashram rules include,
- maintaining silence
- restricting behavior that will cause a disturbance to others, i.e. not playing radios loudly, no loud singing of bhajans by groups or individuals, keeping children under control, etc.
- smoking, gambling, consumption of alcoholic beverages or non-vegetarian food (including eggs), and drugs are strictly forbidden in the ashram.
- devotees are asked not to "associate with strangers" and to "beware of cheats and persons collecting funds." The ashram explicitly warns people to be wary of "those who claim close association with Sai Baba or claim to have inner messages or special blessings of Sathya Sai Baba."
- additional guidelines for safety and cleanliness
Ashram schedule (as of May 3rd, 2011)
5:00 AM- Temple bell rings 9 times5:10 AM- Temple bell rings 5 times
5:20 AM- Temple bell rings once, followed by 21 Aumkars then Suprabhatham
5:40 AM- Veda chanting around the ashram, then Nagarsankirtan
8:00 AM- Veda chanting in Sai Kulwant Hall
9:00 AM- Bhajan
Bhajan
A Bhajan is any type of Indian devotional song. It has no fixed form: it may be as simple as a mantra or kirtan or as sophisticated as the dhrupad or kriti with music based on classical ragas and talas. It is normally lyrical, expressing love for the Divine...
singing in Sai Kulwant Hall
9:40 AM- Mangala Arati in Sai Kulwant Hall
4:30 PM- Veda chanting in Sai Kulwant Hall
5:30 PM- Bhajan singing in Sai Kulwant Hall
All lights out by 9 P.M.