Ashram

Ashram of sage Kanva depicted on terracotta plaque, 2nd century BCE

An ashram (Sanskrit: आश्रम, āśrama) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Hinduism. Ashrams also exist among Christians in the indigenous Malankara churches (Orthodox, Catholic and Marthoma) of India in specific religious orders that combine elements of Hindu asceticism with Christianity.

Etymology

The Sanskrit noun āśrama- is a thematic nominal derivative from the root śram 'toil' (श्रम्, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱremh₂, compare śramaṇa श्रमण) with the prefix ā 'towards'. An ashram is a place where one strives towards a goal in a disciplined manner. Such a goal could be ascetic, spiritual, yogic or otherwise.

Overview

Sevagram Ashram in Sabramati, 1936

Traditionally, ashrams would be located far from human habitation in forests or mountainous, "refuges set off from worldly life." The residents of an ashram, often Brahmins, regularly performed spiritual and physical exercises of renunciation. Other sacrifices and penances, such as yajnas, were also performed. Many ashrams also served as gurukulas, residential schools for children under the guru-shishya tradition.

Sometimes, the goal of a pilgrimage to the ashram was not tranquility, but instruction in some art, especially warfare. In the Ramayana, the princes of ancient Ayodhya, Rama, and Lakshmana, go to Vishvamitra's ashram to protect his yajnas from being defiled by emissary-demons of Ravana. After they prove their mettle, the princes receive martial instruction from the sage, especially in the use of divine weapons. In the Mahabharata, the Kaurava and Pandava princes receive weapons instructions from Drona at his ashram.

Ion contemporary times, ashrams may admit other castes or be located in more populated areas.[citation needed]

Schools in Maharashtra

Boarding schools, especially in the tribal areas of Maharashtra and elsewhere in India, are called ashram shala or ashram schools. One such school is the Lok Biradari Prakalp Ashram Shala.

In the West

A number of ashrams have been established outside India. Typically, these ashrams are connected to Indian lineages, focus on imparting Yoga-related teachings, often in residential retreats, and are headed by spiritual teachers of Indian or Western background.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ashram". Cambridge English Dictionary. Retrieved 4 December 2019. a place where a group of Hindus live together away from the rest of society, or a place where Hindus can go in order to pray
  2. ↑ Swami Swahananda (1 January 1990). Monasteries in South Asia. Vedanta Press. pp. 92–. ISBN 978-0-87481-047-9.
  3. ↑ Mayeul de Dreuille (1999). "1 Hindu mansticism". From East to West: A History of Monasticism. Gracewing Publishing. pp. 3–27. ISBN 978-0-85244-464-1.
  4. ↑ Bethany Ashram https://www.bethanyashram.net/home.php. Retrieved 7 June 2026. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ↑ Manfred Mayrhofer (1992). Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen I. Band. Heidelberg: Winter. p. 664.
  6. ↑ George Weckman (2000). William M. Johnston (ed.). Encyclopedia of Monasticism: A–L. Routledge. p. 94. ISBN 978-1-57958-090-2.
  7. ↑ Davis, Richard H. (2024). Religions of early India: a cultural history. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 189. ISBN 9780691199269.
  8. ↑ Davis, Richard H. (2024). Religions of early India: a cultural history. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. pp. 189, 192. ISBN 9780691199269.
  9. ↑ Gopal, Madan (1990). K. S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 70.
  10. ↑ Hetal Vyas (31 January 2009). "Shocked HC files suo-motu PIL over ashram rape and deaths". PuneMirror. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  11. ↑ "Lok Biradari Prakalp". Lok Biradari Prakalp. 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  12. ↑ "200 hours Yoga teacher training course in Rishikesh India". yogadaindia.com. Retrieved 2018-04-23.