SAMBODH FOUNDATION India
INSPIRED & LED BY Swami Bodhananda

Bodhananda Kendram, the Ashram and office of Bodhananda Seva Society,in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum, the capital city of Kerala) is located on the banks of river Karamana, at a point where the river bends north to east, which is considered to be a rare auspicious symbol. Bodhananda Kendram, beside the river Kalady, frilled by coconut palms, and with a picturesque vanatage point., has a full fledged guest house, halls, and class rooms. Bodhananda Kendram in Trivandrum is the oldest Centre of Sambodh India, and was started by the disciples of Swami Bodhananda, with His blessings, in 1988.

The Bodhananda Seva Society was registered as a charitable organisation in 1990. The office and ashram of BSS called the Bodhananda Kendram, is situated on the banks of river Karamana, in the holy town of Kalady, in Thiruvananthapuram. Bodhananda Kendram is only 5 kilometres from the city centre, and offers a haven for the spiritual seeker, to spend quiet time in the midst of the quietly flowing river, and the picturesque skyline with tall coconut palms and lush green trees.

BSS is guided by the teachings of Swami Bodhananda. The programmes organised by Bodhananda Seva Society are inspired by the vision of our Guru based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, Vedanta and Indian philosophical traditions in the context of current challenges in societal living.

The Ashram activities started in the late eighties with regular classes and satsangs organised in Kalady, by a disciple of Swami Bodhananda, Ma Ananda Chinmayi, a reputed headmistress loved by the local community for her social commitments.

Subsequently, a three storied building was constructed in the Ashram premises, in Kalady, with a spacious auditorium in the ground floor and residential rooms in the second and third floors. The Ashram also has a conference hall with stateof-the-art amenities and a dining hall. On the eastern side of the ashram, facing the Karamana river stands a temple dedicated to the presiding deity Sidhi Vinayaka. The temple, and the building with all amenities, which exist today in Bodhananda Kendram, were all financed by a unique project, envisioned by Swami Bodhananda, called “Siddhi Vinayaka Dharma Kalasa” and implemented by his disciples over a period of fifteen years. This project, which continues, is founded on the philosophy of microcharity combined with the spiritual benefits of chanting Ganesa Gayatri mantra.

Another project envisioned by Swami Bodhananda which also led to the support for the infrastructural support for Bodhananda Kendram Ashram was "Sahasra Suvarna Pushpa Archana Yajna", inaugurated by the Union Minister, O. Rajagopal in March, 2004.

In the past twenty five years Bodhananda Seva Society has organised several social, spiritual, charity, management, and interfaith programmes. Every year, during the visit of Swami Bodhananda to Kerala, a series of lectures on Bhagavad Gita, Vedanta, Upanishads, Yogasutra etc. are organised under the banner “Rishi Vision”.

One of the landmark events organised by BSS was the Siva Sakti Archana in 1989 with over thousand five hundred participants taking part in a congregational ceremony of worshipping the divine Mother. The event was designed accordingly and based on a divine vision of Pujya Swamiji.

Another event to foster public awareness for environmental protection titled 'Dakshina Ganga Puja' was organised and the event included boat journeys, offering worship to Mother Dakshina Ganga (the Kalady river on the banks of which the Ashram is located) and planting trees.

The Installation of the idol of MahaGanesa (pratishta) and offering from thousand holy pots(Sahasra Kalasa Abhisekha) for the Siddhi Vinayaka Temple was held in December 2000. The temple apart from the Ganesa deity, also has a Shivalinga and a Tamra Kalpa Vriksha.

The landmark programmes of BSS include:

• Annual Gita Gnana Yagna, Bhagavatha Sathram, spiritual retreats and training programmes.
• Youth camps intended to provide exposure to young people on developments in science, technology, culture, literature and arts.
• Yoga training classes and camps.
• Gayatri Archana for children to be acquainted with cultural and spiritual orientation.
• Siva Shakti Archana, Ishta Siddhi Pooja, Ganesa Archana and Vriksha Gayatri Archana to gain inner peace and tranquility by invoking God’s blessings.
• Free medical camps based on Allopathy and Ayurveda systems for the poor and underprivileged.
• Food and living support provided to the economically weak families and educational assistance to the needy students, under the banner of the ‘Loka Seva Programme’.

BSS Administration President : Ma Ananda Chinmayi Working President : Prof. M.N.Sreedharan Nair Vice-President : Smt. D. Rugmini Amma Secretary : Smt. M.P. Kunhilakshmi Joint Secretaries : Sri. D. Balachandran Nair, Sri. S. Sivaji, and Smt. B. Lalitha Rajan Chief Treasurer : Sri. P.N. Subramanian Treasurer : Smt. G. Sarada Menon Administrator : Sri. A.K. Ajithkumar

The Bodhananda Seva Society celebrated its Silver Jubilee from 2015-2016. Various programmes as part of its year-long silver jubilee celebrations. The celebration was officially inaugurated on July 11, 2015. The next programme in the series was "Vishala Bodhasangamam", a public meeting, at the Karthika Tirunal theatre. Swami Chinmayananda Memorial Lecture" by Swami Bodhananda Sarasvati was held on 10th January 2016 at Bharateeya Vichara Kendram.

An evening lecture series on “seven spiritual laws” by Swami Bodhananda was held from December 30 to January 2, 2016, at the Bodhananda Kendram. This event was inaugurated by the Travancore Princess Ashvathy Tirunal. A seminar on management practices based on ancient and modern sciences was held at the Bodhananda Kendram on January 5, 2016, from 10 am to 5 pm.

Another event was the exhbition organised on the Space Programme of India, jointly with ISRO, for students . Along with this event a photo-exhibition was organised featuring the major programmes of Bodhananda Seva Society in the last 25 years. PN Subramanian was the Chief Organiser of the BSS Silver Jubilee celebration event.