Contributing to our work, will help us with the following: 1. Purchase and maintenance of audio-video equipment, online subscriptions and purchase of software, by which the teachings are made available to people across the world.
2. Travel, food and general supplies for free workshops and public events conducted to share the wisdom.
3. Basic living expenses of food, stay and travel for the teacher.
Since the bank account has replaced the receiving bowl for the monk, for bank transfers (both domestic and international), the details are:
Swamini Brahmaprajnananda Saraswati, Savings Ac no: 06681000006094 Bank Name: HDFC Bank Ltd Mumbai Swift code: HDFCINBB IFSC code: HDFC0000668.
Contribute via paypal to https://paypal.me/SwaminiB Please account for an additional PayPal fee charge of 2.5% of transaction value
Do consider a contribution of Rs 108/256/540/1008 per month which you can set up with your bank if you add the above name as a beneficiary.
You can also contribute in any of these ways:
1. Spread the word – Share this site with people you know and also on social media. Tag us on social media @discoveratma (on Instagram and Twitter)
2. Subscribe – In this online world long-lasting connection is wonderful. So if you don’t want to tax your memory for yet another task and you prefer an email pop into your inbox, when something new is happening, then it is easiest to subscribe to the
3. Enrol – You start to live the wisdom when you make a commitment and enrol into any of the courses.
4. Volunteer – Your time and skills may be very useful and valuable to organisational work and the website work of updating and maintenance. Kindly contact info@discoveratma.com if you wish to volunteer.
Thank you for your time, attention and contribution .
Guru dakshina – The Tradition of giving
The tradition of learning has been sustained by a wholehearted giving of knowledge. Unique to the tradition is a practice of offering some form of wealth to the guru called guru dakshina. In the earlier days, it would have been money, gold, cows, land or food-grains – anything the giver considered valuable which would sustain the work of the guru and the gurukulam (literally, the students forming the family of the guru or the teaching institution).
Many years ago, when I studied with my guru-s (in Mumbai) and in an intensive residential 3 year course in the gurukulam, there were no fees. Yes. No fees for the living arrangements, food, books, time given and the teaching, for three years! And, there were more than eighty of us in the course! And we were there for more than 3 years!
A teaching-learning relationship is different from any other relationship in that the student is not a consumer and is not getting educational services like in a school or college. Yet, the gurukulam, teaching institution and its running costs were sustained by the contributions we and many others made in terms of money, time and resources. We gave because we were helping to sustain something bigger and greater than us. We gave because we were blessed. We gave and we wanted to give more because of the joy in giving. We gave because we are a part of a glorious tradition that gives.
Continuing to serve the tradition, we teach without any charges for Vedanta classes or courses. As monks, we do not earn for a living nor do we teach Vedanta for a living. Our living revolves only around a single commitment of teaching and sharing what we have received from our guru-s. We give because we can give.
The only pre requisite to our giving is a desire for self knowledge and a willingness to learn and receive, on the part of the student.
