Establish in your hearts permanently only kindness and peace. Always help others with love; help them by your example.
— Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda
Dear Divine Atman,
Greetings for the new year. We hope and pray that it brings you renewed zeal and determination to achieve all your noble dreams and aspirations.
As we gradually reopened the ashrams and centres in March last year and started the in-person events, one of the things that gave us great joy was meeting and beholding the smiling faces of you all who were able to visit the ashrams once more after a long gap of two years. Listening to your tales of courage and faith during the challenging period of the pandemic, we realized that our spiritual bonds have not only remained undiminished but also grown stronger because together we faced the trying times, united in our love for and faith in God and the Gurus.
In the following pages, we share how Gurudeva’s blessed work continued to flourish during the past year — whether it be:
- the release of the YSS Lessons in Indian languages
- the large number of online/in-person programmes that we were able to offer
- in reaching out to the poor and needy
We have also successfully completed several projects:
- the upgradation of the facilities at our Jagannathpur Educational Campus in Ranchi,
- major renovations of our Sevashram charitable clinic and the Central Kitchen-cum-Dining facilities at Ranchi.
With great joy, we share with you news of our acquisition of property adjacent to YSS Dakshineswar ashram.
Please receive our heartfelt gratitude for the love, support, and prayers you extend to us in bringing our beloved Gurudeva’s life-transforming teachings to thirsty souls. In our daily meditations, we hold you in our prayers and in the united love for God and Gurudeva. May you feel more tangibly the love and blessings of the Great Ones in your life.
Upgradation of the Facilities
YSS Educational Institutions at Jagannathpur, Ranchi
Swami Chidanandaji, revered president and spiritual head of YSS/SRF, dedicated the new facilities at Yogoda Satsanga Educational Campus in Jagannathpur, Ranchi, on January 29, 2023. This state-of-the-art educational infrastructure is designed based on the ancient Gurukul principles espoused by Paramahansa Yoganandaji such as the idea of studying while being in close proximity to nature.
Four years ago, the Government of India commemorated the 125th birth anniversary of our Gurudeva, Paramahansa Yogananda, in recognition of his spiritual stature and his timeless contributions to spreading the science of Yoga all over the world. As one of the several initiatives that were sanctioned under this project, a sum of
₹ 8 crore was allocated for the construction of a new building complex for the Yogoda Satsanga School and a large multipurpose hall for use by both the college and the school located at the Yogoda Satsanga Educational Institutions (YSEI) Campus at Jagannathpur in Ranchi.
The school and college cater to the poor and needy sections of the population on the outskirts of Ranchi. Many tribal children also attend these charitable educational institutions. Apart from regular courses, students are given training in yoga, sports, drama, and other extracurricular activities. Many of the students are first-generation learners.
Since the existing school building, constructed almost 40 years ago, was semi-permanent and had outlived its life, work began with the grant given by the Government of India and from contributions made by generous devotees.
Construction works included:
- Construction of 10,000 square feet state-of-the-art Multi-Purpose Hall with a seating capacity of 900 on the first floor and five hall-cum-class rooms of 2,000 square feet each on the ground floor. The construction of this building costed ₹ 2 crore.
- An amount of ₹ 5 crore was spent for the construction of the new school complex, which comprised of the following:
- Administrative Block
- Computer and Science Laboratory buildings
- A new library building with contemporary facilities
- NCC and NSS buildings
- Toilets
- Four clusters of six classrooms each (a total of 24 classrooms) were built at an expense of ₹ 4 crore. These classrooms have a unique design that permits plenty of sunlight and ventilation allowing students to be close to nature. The construction of these clusters was made possible by generous donations we received in previous years for the school.
- Interiors and ancillary work such as furniture for class rooms and Multi-Purpose Hall, mid-day meal building, cycle shed for school children, stage and acoustics for the Multi-Purpose Hall, electrical panelling, LAN, internal roads, drainage systems, street lighting, and landscaping.
The total cost of the entire project is ₹ 22 crore. We received ₹ 8 crore as grant from the Government. Several devotees have come forward to support various aspects of this project by contributing ₹ 10 crore so far. We seek your help to raise the shortfall of ₹ 4 crore. Your generous contributions will be much appreciated.
The Central Kitchen at Ranchi
The renovation of the kitchen and dining hall at YSS Ranchi ashram was completed in November 2022. In addition to the larger dining area, the cooking facility has been upgraded with modern equipment to cook and serve meals in a more hygienic way. A walk-in refrigerator and a larger storage facility have also been added. This project was completed at a total cost of ₹1.5 crore and was inaugurated on December 8, 2022.
Bringing Gurudeva’s Life-Transforming Teachings to More Seekers
Release of YSS Lessons in Tamil and Telugu
On July 22, 2022, the Tamil translation of the new edition of the Yogoda Satsanga Lessons was released by Swami Suddhananda Giri at a special function in Chennai and the first copy of the Introductory Lesson was received by Padma Vibhushan Sri Rajinikanth, renowned actor, producer, philanthropist, and a YSS devotee. A few months later, on December 3, 2022, the Telugu translation of the YSS Lessons was released by YSS monastics at Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh. The Lessons are also being translated into other Indian languages — Hindi and Bengali.
Digital Support for Spiritual Needs
Updated SRF/YSS App
An updated version of the SRF/YSS app, serving as an expanded resource for your spiritual journey, was released recently. This app is for anyone who wants to learn more about meditation, the science of Kriya Yoga, and practical ways to live a spiritually balanced life. It offers guided meditations on various themes and of varying duration, access to live online meditation sessions, YSS/SRF news and information about upcoming events, weekly online inspirational talks, as well as access to YSS Lessons and supporting material for Lessons students on their mobile and on the computer.
YSS Website Translated Into Several Indian Languages
Over the last year, a team of devotees led by monastics have helped translate and publish the YSS website (local.yssofindia.org) in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu languages — enabling many more readers to digitally access Yoganandaji’s teachings and learn about the Kriya Yoga path.
Social Media
In September 2021, YSS launched its social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. These platforms provide an easy avenue for devotees, friends, and truth-seekers to connect with YSS teachings, news, and events. If you have not already done so, we invite you to join these channels (our handle is @yoganandayss).
With your generosity, we continue to support our spiritual family of YSS/SRF devotees in India and around the world with online offerings such as group meditations, inspirational talks, and discourses on the Bhagavad Gita.
Spirit of Service
YSS has been actively extending material, medical and financial support to various local communities across India affected by natural calamities, and by offering free medical services and scholarships to the needy and the underprivileged, as part of its mission to fulfil the aim of “serving mankind as one’s larger Self,” especially during the recent challenging times of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Donation of Ambulance to District Hospital, Almora
As part of our ongoing charitable activities in Dwarahat and surrounding villages, YSS donated a Basic Life Support ambulance to Almora District Hospital in Uttarakhand, which is well-equipped with contemporary medical equipment to provide help to patients during transit to the hospital.
Enhancing the Facilities at Sevashram — Charitable Medical Clinic — in Ranchi
To keep up with the growing needs of the charitable medical clinic — Sevashram at YSS Ranchi ashram, we completely renovated the old hospital building of this medical facility with the help of your generous donations. These included: complete renovation of the operation theatre; new equipment for cataract surgery; renovation of the roof of the building; electrical rewiring of the entire building; construction of a ramp for the physically challenged; and a new and larger reception area for the greater convenience of the patients.
Flood Relief Efforts in Assam and Odisha
Heavy rainfall in the pre-monsoon season caused havoc in villages in Assam, leading to the loss of food crops, ill health, and extensive damage to houses. YSS devotees in Guwahati spearheaded our relief efforts in supplying rations and essential items to affected families. Similarly, YSS devotees of Bhubaneswar and Puri Dhyana Kendras, with help from local school teachers and administration, carried out the distribution of 716 solar lamps to the flood-affected residents of Gopa and Nimapara blocks of Puri district, in the wake of the recent floods in Odisha.
We invite you to read the complete YSS Newsletter and Appeal — January 2023 to learn more about how your support of our Guru’s work is expanding access to his teachings and uplifting people across India.
