Author: Paritosh Parasher, Sydney
Publication: India Abroad
Date: April 3, 2001
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.
