Become a Disciple of Swami Vishnudevananda Giri
On September 9, the Sharanagati Samskara ceremony of entering the Tradition will take place in India.
Sharanagati is the taking of spiritual Refuge. Samskara is a sacred ritual that establishes a new spiritual direction in life. During the ceremony, a person consciously accepts the Guru, Dharma, and Sangha as the pillars of their path and affirms their intention to follow the path of liberation.
The Guru says:
“Refuge means that we establish a spiritual connection with the Guru, Dharma, and Sangha.”
In our Tradition, Refuge is associated with the Three Jewels:
- Guru—the enlightened Master, the source of guidance, transmission, and blessing.
- Dharma—the Teaching and methods leading to Liberation.
- Sangha—the saints, deities, protectors of the tradition, as well as the people who follow this path together.
This time, the ceremony will take place in Kerala, India, near the mahasamadhi site of our Param-Guru—the great avadhuta Swami Brahmananda Sri Shiva Prabhakara Siddha Yogi.
This is the very place where Swami Brahmananda spent the final decades of his earthly life. According to the history of our Tradition, it was on Tiger Hill in Omallur that he completed his earthly journey in 1986, dissolving his body into the Clear Light. Today, a museum dedicated to him and the Avadhuta Siddha Ashram are located near the mahasamadhi site.
For us, this is a place of power, a place of our Parampara.
It is a place with which the Guru and the disciples of the Tradition have been connected for many years and to which pilgrimages are made specifically to come into contact with the blessing of the lineage. The southern line of our Parampara passes through Swami Brahmananda and onward through the great siddhas.
And it is especially symbolic to take Refuge here.
On September 9, there will be two ways to join the ceremony conducted by Swamini Advaitavadini Giri:
- in person in India—directly at the Guru’s seminar, at the Avadhuta Siddha Ashram
- online—for those who are currently unable to travel to India in person
If you have long felt a connection with the Master and the Tradition, a desire to follow the spiritual path, receive guidance in the practices, and deepen your state in the company of like-minded people, this event is definitely for you.
Registration and questions about preparation—Tejomayi
