Adwaithasramam
A Sanctuary of Devotion and Wisdom
When Shri Narayana Guru established Advaita Ashram, he had a specific purpose. The Guru decided that there was no need for any temple or deity as seen in other monasteries. When we look at the establishment of the spiritual institutions of the Guru, the Guru established a temple, a Math and an Ashram. The temple was for the devotees to worship, and the Math was for the brahmacharis and teachers to come together and study to attain spiritual knowledge. The Ashram was conceived by the Guru as a sanctuary for monks only. Advaita Ashram is the only Ashram in the concept of Ashram established by the Guru. The most important initiative that the Guru took here at Advaita Ashram was the All-Religious Conference in 1924. Even before that, Sree Narayana Guru had made a declaration in 1916 that we have abandoned caste and religious differences, a declaration that is famously known as the Gurus declaration of no caste. So, one of the aims of the Ashram is that it does not include any kind of sectarianism, but rather, it goes beyond all sectarianism, beyond caste and religion, embraces all human beings together, gives acceptance to those belonging to all religions, and includes all religious philosophies and the good things in other socio-political philosophies without excluding anyone. Sree Narayana Gurus Advaita philosophy is one that includes all. Even though the Advaita philosophy that the world is knowledge and this Brahman is the only truth is accepted, Sree Narayana Gurudev did not reject this universe and worldly life, but gave the Advaita philosophy that the Advaita truth is contained in all of it. Without rejecting this, everything that exists will be understood by the mind of philosophy and comprehension as one. The Guru said in the Atma Padasesha Shatakam. The Advaita of the Guru does not stand in a merely controversial field. It has its practicality. In that Advaita, the Guru found a very heartwarming path that harmonizes all the diversity and contradictions in the world. Then, there is no difference between the West and the East in the Guru. There is no difference between a Hindu, a Muslim, or a Christian. There is no difference between a Nair, a Namboothiri, an Ezhavan, a Parayan, or a Pulaya. There is no difference between Malayali and Tamil. There is no difference between Aryan and non-Aryan. Sree Narayana Gurudev presented an Advaita philosophy that harmonizes all of these in his harmonious vision. See the whole world as one. Sree Narayana Gurus Advaita philosophy is one that views society, the world, and the universe as one entity. The Gurus vision is one that sees everyone as equal without excluding anyone.
