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The Ramakrishna Mission opened its only Vedanta Center in the Australasian region with a well-attended grihapravesham, or housewarming, ceremony in this harbor city.
"This Vedanta Center would fulfill the long felt need of the local community and it is the only affiliated branch of Sri Ramakrishna Mission in the Australasian region," B. Ramakrishna, a senior mission official, told IANS.
"Earlier we had opened the ashram temporarily in another building in the same locality (Strathfield) but we had to shift to the present larger premises because of an increase in the number of devotees visiting the shrine," Ramakrishna said.
About 250 devotees were present Sunday to participate in the grihapravesham which was initiated by ganapati pujanam (salutations to the elephant-headed god Ganesha) early in the morning. A special puja (prayer) of Sri Ramakrishna followed the ceremony while the day's proceedings culminated in an elaborate Sri Rama Nama Sankirtan (recital of Hindu god Rama's name) in the evening.
The Ramakrishna Mission plans to add an assembly hall to the new ashram in Sydney's up-market inner-west suburb. The new ashram would also house quarters for two of the Vedanta Center monks.
While the presiding head of the
Vedanta Center, Swami Sridharananda, had joined the Ramakrishna Mission
shrine earlier this year, Swami Atmeshnanda has been transferred from Singapore
to assist him in the daily activities. The mission will continue to hold
Sridharananda's Sunday discourses at South Strathfield Bowling Club till
the Assembly Hall is built in Sydney's Vedanta Center.
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