Origin of Ashrams

Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati

In previous times, when there were less people enclosed in areas in the form of villages and
hamlets, there were certain people who were knowledgeable in that society. Where they lived
outside the society, other people of the community would go for advice, learning, knowing
something and for some solution to their questions.

A family affair

Where it took a mystical religious turn, those people became the pandits, the priests, who guided
society with their knowledge and understanding.

Where these people had no external, material, social bent of mind, they became the munis who
reflected on various thoughts, ideas and perspectives. They brought the first teaching to society.
People came for learning, and eventually, started to live with the munis for extended learning.
Then, children started to come for learning and to develop traits and skills; and these first
organically developed ashrams were known as gurukuls, the family of the teacher, the family of
the master.

Just as in a school, you see different classes, in the same manner in the gurukul, there would be
different classes where the vidya, the knowledge, could be imparted according to the receptivity
of the student. Gurukuls became the main education centres over a period of time.

They were like the first schools, the first colleges, where sixty-four different social and spiritual
disciplines and skills were taught. These subjects were managed and maintained by the people
who were known as the seers, the rishis, the knowledgeable, the intellectuals of society, the
sadhakas, practitioners, developers of the society. These gurukuls where the rishis lived were not
bachelor pads. They were households. The teacher, with the wife and their children were the
main group from whom the learning was derived. It was more like a family affair.

Ascetics
Out of this group, another group emerged who were the ascetics. They did not want to live in the
human community, and left the human community to follow their own spiritual aspirations.
These ascetics, tapasvis, were originally known as yatis. Possibly the word ‘yeti’ has come from
this word ‘yati’, a recluse who does not mingle with people and society. They lived in isolation
and were self-content and self-contained.

From these yatis who were the first level of tapasvis, evolved the other groups of renunciates and
ascetics in which sannyasins were a group. The sannyasins followed the path of asceticism in the
past and were well versed in the ancient scriptural lore. Therefore, they also became the holders
of knowledge, experimenters, exponents and practitioners of knowledge. The lifestyle of yatis
and sannyasins revolved around this understanding and living.

Later on, the ascetics became quite powerful due to their austere lifestyle, intense and keen
understanding and perception of nature and the cosmos. They were able to express many of the
abstract truths which were previously only in the realm of experience in the form of prose and
poetry, in the form of an idea, a thought and a philosophy. From there the darshanas evolved.
The various philosophies from Samkhya to Vedanta, pre-Shankaracharya, to Nyaya,
Vaisheshika, to the yogas, tantras, Upanishads and Vedas evolved from such keen insight into
nature. Many of these groups were rishis and many were ascetics, both.

Come to work

Ashrams were identified as those places where the ascetics, the renunciates lived. Gurukuls were
identified as those places where the educationists, the householders lived.

In an ashram where a renunciate was living, people started to come. If somebody practises
meditation, some practical organization has to be there for maintaining the place, cooking,
purchasing, cleaning. A single person cannot meditate eight hours, ten hours without any support
or help.

Where austere sadhanas used to be practised by the tapasvis for days and days, or weeks and
weeks, a group of people used to come together to help the ascetic. That became the aa-shram –
come to work.
The word ashram is something that developed over a period of time naturally as an indication
that the people who were helping the tapasvi, were going to an ashram. The tapasvi used to do
his tapas for years and years, and his helpers would collect wood, make the fire, cook, clean and
organize. In this manner, the ashram developed.

Living and learning

Later, two different groups of people started to come to the ashram: one group who simply came
to live and who were not interested in philosophy, theory or the discipline of the ashram; and the
other group who came for the teaching which was their focus, and they were not interested in
living.

At Ganga Darshan ashram, there are also two types of people. Everybody here is not a yoga
knower, practitioner, or a teacher, and they need not be. They have not come for yoga, they have
come for living, and that is perfectly accepted in the ashram.

Living in an ashram does not make anyone a yoga teacher. Not everybody knows yoga. Some
people dedicate themselves to yoga, learn, live, develop and propagate yoga. It is one small
group.

In the past, sannyasins have come to society and retreated back into isolation. They brought
something to society and then they went back to maintain and preserve their knowledge until the
next need came. This happens every time in the propagation and development of a vidya,
knowledge, and understanding. In Munger, Sri Swami Satyananda never spoke on Vedanta or on
any other philosophy or theory. He only spoke on yoga: the practical, the scientific, the physical,
the psychological, the psychic, the mystical, the spiritual. He spoke on every subject, but in a
practical, scientific and clear manner.

That was the mandate he received, and to fulfil that mandate, he established the Bihar School of
Yoga. The continuation of that mandate is: yoga as a vocation, as a profession, as a practice and
yoga as a sadhana, as a lifestyle and as a culture.
Ashrams are not gurukuls or static centres; they are evolving places following a sequence of
growth, development and evolution where the exposure to something can turn into a better
connection and a deeper experience.

—10 January 2016, Ganga Darshan, Munger1

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

An Ashram is a place for practicing Yoga, Meditation and other spiritual practices to evolve and
grow spiritually. Ashrams are typically set outside a village or town in a quiet and peaceful area.
They consist of only basic facilities with living quarters, dining hall, Yoga hall, library and
gardens. An Ashram is an oasis of serenity and calmness. There is no place or need for luxury in
an Ashram. The purpose is to go back to the basics and become independent from regular habits,
patterns and indulgences.
Traditionally an Ashram is the home of a spiritual master or teacher who lives there with his
family. People visit the Ashram to seek guidance and spiritual wisdom. Visitors that stay at an
Ashram become a part of the teacher’s family. They follow the daily routine of the Ashram and
help with chores while pursuing their spiritual goals.

Ashrams were originally founded as Indian hermitages or places of seclusion, and remain so
today. Ashrams still play a very important role in the traditional Indian culture. Up until about
100 years ago, Ashrams also served as the place to provide basic education for children. In recent
years, and especially over the past few decades, the concept of an Ashram has spread across the
world, and Ashrams have become more accessible to tourists and visitors from abroad.

Spirituality is an integrated part of the Indian culture, and so too are regular visits to temples and
Ashrams. In India it is an inherent belief and a deeply internalized concept that,

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

1
Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati, “Origin of Ashrams”, Yoga (Munger) 10 Jan. 2016, p. 20.
Spirituality is an essential part of the daily life in India. People in India grow up with the ideas of
self-awareness and self-development. The concepts of spiritual evolvement and enlightenment
are taught from an early age.

The concept of an Ashram is in fact quite special. It can be compared to a monastery, but the
comparison falls short as Ashrams are not only the residing place of monks, saints and spiritual
teachers, but are also open and accessible to anyone and everyone. People from all backgrounds,
ages and beliefs can visit and stay at an Ashram for any period of time. The teacher helps and
welcomes them regardless of their beliefs and faith.

Many people want to grow and live spiritually, but they do not want to become a monk and leave
everything and everyone in their lives. Ashrams provide a middleground, giving people the
opportunity to escape their daily routines and temporarily relinquish regular dependencies and
addictions. During this pause, balance can be brought back to one’s life and one can learn and
strive to maintain that balance upon return to daily ‘normal’ life.

The lifestyle at an Ashram is for the most part very different from the one you are used to back
home. You wake up early with the rising sun, practice breathing exercises, meditate, sing chants
to release emotions, eat simple food, practice Yoga Asanas to improve the condition of the body,
and discuss philosophies to open the mind. Throughout the day, you follow a strict routine in a
basic setting without any distractions. This simplicity helps us understand the importance of the
things in life we generally take for granted. It also helps us reflect on our mental conditioning,
our habits and our addictions, which we sometimes confuse for necessities.

Most suffering in the present Western and Westernized civilizations are connected to stress, an
imbalance between emotion and logic, and an overall lack of discipline.

Yoga Ashrams provide a safe space, free from distractions and routines of daily life, and the
chance to get rid of excess emotional and material baggage. Visitors come back to themselves
and reflect on the true purpose and meaning of their life.
One must be careful when choosing an Ashram. An authentic Ashram is non-sectarian in nature.
An Ashram does not teach or preach any particular religion, faith or guru. A true Ashram only
promotes a healthy lifestyle and self-awareness through self-discipline and reflection.

The Ashram experience can be intimidating, but ultimately, it will give you a clear sense of
priority and importance of things in your life. For those seeking peace, personal insight, and a
break from routine, finding an Ashram may be precisely what the doctor ordered.

What to Expect at an Ashram

YogiApproved.com Yogi Ram

An Ashram is also a religious hermitage where sages seek to live in peace and tranquility
amidst nature. Today, the term ashram is often used to refer to an intentional community formed
primarily for the spiritual uplift of its members, often headed by a religious leader, swami, and
guru.

Traditionally, ashrams were usually located far from human habitation, in forests or mountainous
regions, amidst natural surroundings conducive to spiritual instruction and meditation. Spiritual
and physical exercises, such as the various forms of Yoga, were regularly performed by the
residents of an ashram. Other sacrifices and penances, such as Yajnas were also performed.
Many Ashrams also served as Gurukuls or residential schools for children.

Ashrams have been a powerful symbol throughout Hindu history and theology. Most Hindu
kings until the medieval ages were known to have had a sage who would advise the royal family
in spiritual matters, or in times of crisis, who was called the Rajguru, which literally translates to
"royal teacher." A world-weary emperor going to this guru's ashram, and finding solace and
tranquility, is a recurring motif in many folktales and legends of ancient India.

However, the goal of a pilgrimage to the ashram was not always tranquility, but instruction in
some art, especially warfare. In the Hindu epic Ramayana, the protagonist princes of ancient
Ayodhya, Rama and Laxman, go to the Rishi Vishvamitra's ashram to protect his Yajnas from
being defiled by emissary-demons of Ravana. After they prove their mettle, the princes receive
martial instruction from the sage, especially in the use of enchanted weapons, called Divyastras
(Sanskrit Divya: Enchanted + Astra: Missile Weapon). In the Mahabharata, Lord Krishna, in his
youth, goes to the ashram of Sage Sandiipanii, to gain knowledge of both intellectual and
spiritual matters.

Sometimes, the word ashram is used as a synonym of matha, but mathas are generally more
hierarchical and rule-bound than ashrams, belonging to ancient orders of Hindu sadhus
(Renunciants who are still searching for realization, as opposed to Rishis who have found it.)

A number of Ashrams have been founded in India in the twentieth century, including, among
others, the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, which served as Mahatma Gandhi's headquarters
during the long struggle for India's independence. Aurobindo Ashram was founded in
Pondicherry by the Bengali revolutionary turned mystic Sri Aurobindo. Pujya Sant Sri Asaramji
Bapu's Ashram was established on the banks of the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad. There are
many other ashrams that still exist in India and abroad.