International Vedanta Society (IVS) celebrated the 82nd year of birth of its founder Sri Bhagavan

BY A STAFF REPORTER: International Vedanta Society (IVS) celebrated the 82nd year of birth of its founder Sri Bhagavan on the 3rd of January 2023, at Science City auditorium, Kolkata. 

IVS was formed on the 19th of November 1989 with the sole objective of spreading the life-giving message of Advaita Vedanta amongst the masses. It was the culmination of a dream long cherished by Bhagavan, who believed that the knowledge of the real nature of the Self and its application in everyday life would help humankind find ultimate fulfilment and happiness. Bhagavan has worked relentlessly for the last forty years, preaching Vedanta in the simplest terms and cultivating its essence in the hearts of those who have gathered around Him, including the youth. Based at its headquarters in Guwahati, IVS has multiple ashrams in different parts of India including Bongaigaon, Siliguri, Kolkata, Puri, Varanasi, and Patna. Internationally, IVS has spread to different countries including Spain, Indonesia, Croatia, Singapore, Senegal, Bangladesh, Canada, the UK, the USA, and the Netherlands. 

The 82nd birthday celebration of Bhagavan involved, among other things, the distribution of clothes to the downtrodden and the contribution of financial assistance for education to the needy by the members of IVS. The event at Science City was attended by delegates from different parts of the country and the world at large. The program commenced with the Guru Bandana and Vedic Stotram sung by the sannyasi (renunciate) disciples of Bhagavan. Thereafter, the members of the organisation delivered speeches on Bhagavan and on the essence of Vedanta and its significance, apart from performing devotional songs and dances. Various books written by the members of IVS were also launched in the course of this program, including the third part of the biography of Bhagavan, namely ‘The Greatest’, written by Swami Prajnananda, ’Jivananka’, a book of spiritual stories written by Swami Nirgunanda, and ‘Bhagavan Sanniddhye’ a book recounting the divine pastimes of Bhagavan by late Amulya Ratan Bairagi. 

Apart from this, the bi-annual magazine of IVS, ‘Shono Biswabasi’, as well as the translation work of the first part of ‘The Greatest’ to Basha, done by Meera Ma was also launched. The final part of the program included a short yet impactful slideshow presentation on Bhagavan’s life, which was followed by the divine speech of Bhagavan Himself. The occasion saw the active participation of hundreds of devotees of Bhagavan as well as a number of eminent personalities from various fields. 

In addition to the divine presence of Sri Bhagavan Himself, the program was graced by spiritual stalwarts such as Gopal Khetri ji, General Secretary of Bhaba Pagla ashram, Bandhu Gourab of the Jagat Bandhu ashram in Raghunathpur, and Swami Saradatmananda (Madhu Maharaj), Secretary of Alambazar Math, among many other monks and nuns belonging to different organisations across India.