On July 11, 2017, in a special ceremony organized by Yogoda Satsanga Dhyana Kendra—Bengaluru, Swami Suddhananda consecrated the newly built extension to the existing Dhyana Mandir. The new structure now has two floors. The ground floor has a meditation hall that can accommodate around 250 devotees, and the first floor will be used for book sales, Children Satsanga, and a library. The terrace will be utilized for the group practice of the Energization Exercises. The new construction was much needed to accommodate the rapidly growing number of devotees at Bengaluru, and to provide space for additional activities.
The Hon’ble Justice of the Karnataka High Court, Sri Ashok B. Hinchigeri, was invited as the chief guest for this function. Speaking on the occasion, Swami Suddhananda emphasized the need for cultivating attunement with the Guru, and explained how the daily morning and evening meditations aid us in this process. The chief guest shared his story of how he found Guruji’s Autobiography of a Yogi and became a devotee. A local TV channel, “Samaya TV”, covered the event and also interviewed Swami Suddhananda. More than 250 devotees participated in the event.
New Book Releases
Two new translation of Gurudeva’s books were released in August. Swami Shraddhananda released Kannada translation of the book Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda in Hubli on August 4, 2017, during a public function. Swamiji also released a quality paperback edition of Gurudeva’s book Wine of the Mystic during Bengaluru monastic tour. The Telugu translation of the book The Science of Religion was released on August 30, 2017, by Brahmachari Kedarananda in Amalapuram.
