The first Ashram established by Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda- Sandeepany Sadhanalaya opened in the 1960s is like an oasis in the noisy chaos of Mumbai. Picturesque and serene, it offers Vedanta classes all year-round and houses the offices of the Central Chinmaya Mission Trust (the Apex body of the Mission) and Balvihar.
Sprinkled with “kutiyas” for visitors and resident Swamis, there’s Pujya Gurudev’s tidy and divine 3- room kutiya which vibrates with his dynamic yet peaceful presence even today. Everyone respects the sign outside the kutiya which reads- “Gurudev lives here. Please observe silence.”
The premises houses the first ever temple built by Gurudev- the magnificient Jagadeeshwara Temple known to locals as the “Shiv Mandir”.
It is also home to Chinmaya Pradeep- the very innovative and timeless, one-of-its-kind Vedantic Vision Parksts on it).
Visitors and students are accomodated in the large hostel buildings while classes are conducted in the Saraswati Nilayam lecture hall. Sattvic food is served for all at the huge Annakshetra.
A world of its own, the Sadhanalaya ground also boasts of a powerful statue of Pujya Gurudev. It is a given, that anyone who enters the grounds is bound to leave after having experienced inner transformation and silence.
If you are in Mumbai, do pay a visit for some wonderful insights and inner peace!