A rare opportunity to explore a deep dive into Vedanta at Ananda in the Himalayas
India’s award-winning Ananda in The Himalayas is long established as an epicentre of ancient wisdom, potent spiritual sustenance and holistic healing. Now, new for 2023, Ananda launches a series of 7-day Vedanta Masterclass Retreats, exploring the eternal wisdoms of these sacred spiritual teachings, and next running on 8-14 April and 6-12 May. Conducted by senior disciples of Swami A. Parthasarathy, founder of Vedanta Academy, the retreats offer daily classes – ‘yoga for the mind’ – which serve as complimentary add-ons and can be integrated into the schedule of any Ananda wellness programme.
Interactive educational talks have been a part of the Ananda experience for over two decades, but these retreats allow guests to delve deeper into the Vedanta philosophy and the highest truths of life through the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. Rooted in the Vedas and forming the foundation of Hinduism, explore timeless teachings which we rerecorded thousands of years ago by sages and saints in the Himalayas. Relevant to all countries, cultures, and faiths, whether you are new to the texts or have been studying them for years, they contain powerful revelations which have the power to transform and deepen your connection to the world within.
Led by eminent wisdom holders - Joseph Emmett, Siddharth Jain and Shyam Nataraj – the Vedanta Masterclass Retreats are designed for guests searching to balance profound inner peace with dynamic right action. For modern spiritual seekers they provide a roadmap for living a life of dynamic purpose, meaning, and fulfilment. Each seven-day series begins with the chanting of the verses, followed by explanations and examples of practical applications, all geared towards enhancing spiritual well-being and conscious awareness.
The name Vedanta is derived from two words, ‘veda’ – knowledge, and ‘anta’ –end, meaning the culmination of knowledge. The teachings are spurred byt he ultimate quest for self-realisation in which we come to understand the non-duality of our essence. No wonder Henry David Thoreau, the famed American writer, noted, “In the early morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seems puny and trivial
ABOUTTHE BHAGAVAD GITA
“The Bhagavad Gita is universal, like the laws of science. It helps in all areas of life, from the mundane pursuits of the world to spiritualEnlightenment.”
Swami A. Parthasarathy
The 701 verses of the Gita are the philosophical essence of the great Indian epic, Mahabharata. The story describes an ancient conflict between two royal families, the Kauravas, representing the lower nature of humanity and the Pandavas, symbolizing our higher selves.
Their rivalry ultimately culminated in a famous battle which represents the battle of good and bad within us. Great personalities from both families stand poised to fight. On seeing so many loved ones about to die, Arjuna the great warrior breaks down, the emotion overwhelms him, and he refuses to engage.Krishna, the sage delivers his famous sermon to Arjuna and The Bhagavad Gitabegins. Krishna emphatically describes the difference between the real and the unreal, the eternal and ephemeral, Spirit and matter.
