Analysis of presence of several Deities in the meditation room of Sanatan’s ashram in Ramnathi (Goa)

The expansive perspective, filled with spiritual love, of Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale towards seekers

1.Sanatan’s ashram at Ramnathi in Goa is a model of the Hindu Nation

A decade before the construction of Sanatan’s ashram at Ramnathi in Goa in 1995, H.H. Bhaktaraj Maharaj, Guru of Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale, had given a blessing that, ‘This ashram will serve as a guiding light of the Hindu Dharma for the entire world’. Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale complied by establishing this ashram as a model of the Hindu nation. Many Saints and Deities have glorified Sanatan’s Ramnathi ashram as ‘a place of pilgrimage’. Considering every little thing here on a spiritual level, Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale has made this ashram an ideal. The meditation room in the ashram is one such example.

2. An ashram belonging to a sect has pictures or idols only its’ Deity of worship

There are many sects in Hindu Dharma. Each sect advocates worship of a particular Deity. In accordance with this, the temple of worship in the ashram or hermitage bears the pictures or idols of only this Deity. Every member of the sect performs the same spiritual practice as recommended by the sect.

3. With the expansive perspective that each seeker should benefit from the God Principle depending upon his temperament, the meditation room of the Ramnathi ashram has a number of Deities

Sanatan Sanstha is not a sect. It preaches science of spirituality as advocated by the Hindu Dharma. Hindu Dharma has advised worship of the Deities as per Their mission. The worshipper imbibes the required Principle through the medium of worship of that Deity. Several spiritual aspirants, well-wishers, readers of Sanatan Prabhat and seekers visit Sanatan’s ashram both, to view it and to perform spiritual practice. After seeing the meditation room of the ashram they wonder why it has pictures/idols of several Deities. The perspective of Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale in this context is extremely expansive and filled with spiritual love. He says that based on the basic principle of ‘Going from many to one’, seekers in the primary stage should worship only their Family Deity (one Deity). There are more than 250 seekers performing spiritual practice in the ashram. Based on the spiritual principle that ‘There are as many temperaments and corresponding paths of spiritual practice as there are people’, it is possible that many seekers performing spiritual practice in the ashram may have a different Deity of worship. Therefore, to enable them to imbibe Principle of their Deity of worship, photos / idols of many deities are placed in the meditation room of Sanatan’s ashram. This small point depicts the expansiveness of Paratpar Guru (Dr.) Athavale in thinking about the spiritual benefit of every seeker.’

-Miss Priyanka Lotlikar, Goa