Our Core Vision
Trees Bear Fruits For the Sake Of Others
Rivers Flow For the Sake Of Others
Cows Produce Milk for the Sake of Others
This Body is (only) for Doing Good For Others
– Pūjya Swami Shri Dayananda Saraswati
Pūjya Swamiji’s vision is to not only that the Vedas be learnt but also the practice of the tenets of śāstram. One of the essential tenets of śāstram is that Mānuṣya Yajña be practiced by every follower of Sanātana Dharma. To fulfill this tenet Pūjya Swamiji established the AIM FOR SEVA movement in India and this movement has grown in magnitude over the years assisting many poor and needy in rural India with the establishment of schools, providing food, education and skills. The movement also reaches out to improve the lives of remote tribal communities whilst all the while respecting their ancestral practices. Pūjya Swamiji’s philosophy is that Conversion is Violence. The hand that extends help should not use it as an opportunity to destroy the fabric of a culture by converting the vulnerable. The beauty of life exists because of diversity.
The Early Years of Founder Ācārya
The Shri Dayanandaa Saraswati Society in Ipoh owes its beginning to a sincere, dedicated, seeker of the truth: Mangayakarasee Karalapillai. She was born to a devout religious Jaffna Tamil family in Taiping. They were a prominent family in Taiping who were and whose descendents continue to be very involved in the religious life and temple festivals in Taiping.
Mangayakarasee shaped by her blessed background became very involved at an early age in the temples and its religious events. She was however destined for a more spiritual path. As fate would have it she volunteered to help prepare the stay and accommodation for a visiting Swamiji who was conducting Vedānta classes in Taiping, Swami Jitatmananda. From her first exposure to the words of śāstram she was spellbound and the thirst to know more continued to grow relentlessly.
On a trip to India meant to attend a relative’s wedding in 2002 she instead took a detour and went straight to the Dayananda Ashram in Rishikesh. She was met by Swami Sakshatkritananda Saraswati who made her stay at Rishikesh very pleasant. She came to know that there were Vedānta camps conducted by Pūjya Swamiji and expressed her desire to join one of the camps. Her passion and conviction that this is what she wanted to pursue earned her a place at the Dayananda Ashram in Rishikesh with the blessings of her family.
She became a disciple of Pūjya Swami Dayananda Saraswati and completed the famed 3 year course (2003-2006) in Vedānta created by Swami Dayananda Saraswati. She joined scores of students from all over the world who came to learn Vedānta from the visionary teacher. Sometime during the 3 year course she was bestowed the title Caitanya Vinayananda (a preliminary step before taking to Sannyāsam).
We in Perak consider ourselves blessed and fortunate for she chose to return to Taiping and Ipoh to teach Vedānta and Sanskṛt. The year was 2006 when she started her Vedānta and Sanskṛt classes in her ancestral home in Taiping which was named the Ārsha Vidyā Sthalam, Taiping on the 1st September. She also started to teach at the Ārsha Vidyā Nilayam, Ipoh on the 2nd September, a centre run by Swami Jitatmananda who is also a disciple of Swami Dayananda Saraswati. In 2007, she started to teach at the Divine Cottage Ipoh, Divine Life Society.
Read more In 2009 Pūjya Swami Dayananda Saraswati decided to pay a visit to Malaysia. Caitanya Vinayananda was instrumental in making all the arrangements for this great event to take place. To raise funds for his flight and other expenses she organized a vegetarian food fair in the grounds of her ancestral home now Ārsha Vidyā Sthalam. The fair was a great success and sufficient funds were raised to be able to welcome the revered teacher. As part of the celebrations of his visit Caitanya Vinayananda organized a 3 day workshop camp which was attended by 400 participants at the Golf Resort in Kamunting. Participants were blessed to hear his discourse on selected verses from the Mundokopaniṣad. The workshop in Taiping was a resounding success and Pūjya Swami was taken by the warm reception and to see so many committed students eager to listen and imbibe Śāstram. He later visited and blessed the Ārsha Vidyā Sthalam in Taiping with his presence. During that memorable visit in 2009 he took the opportunity to visit other centres in Kulim, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur and Mentakab run by his disciples. His visit laid the foundation footstep for in the years that followed many other disciples of Pūjya Swamiji continued to visit Caitanya Vinyananda at her ashrams and were always warmly received with much care and attention to their comfort. Her students as such have over the years benefited immensely from the extraordinary relationship she has maintained and fostered with disciples of Pūjya Swamiji. Her students have been blessed to hear discourses on various vedic texts from many Swamis and Swaminis residing and teaching in various cities throughout the length and breadth of India. The first visitors to be received following Pūjya Swami ‘s visit were Swami Sarvabhutananda Saraswati and Swami Suvijnananda . In 2010 Caitanya Vinayananda was ordained a sannyasi by Swami Dayananada Saraswati and bestowed the title Swamini Vinayananda Saraswati. The ancient ceremony steeped in significance was conducted over several days at the Dayananda Ashram in Rishikesh which is majestically seated on the banks of the flowing Mother Ganga River. Some of her students were fortunate to be there and witness this most profound of ceremonies.
Establishment of Shri Dayanandaa Saraswati Society Ipoh
Over the years the number of students in Ipoh grew and using the premises of others proved to be inconvenient as there were difficulties in scheduling classes due to the other centres’ own activities. It was time to find our own premises in Ipoh.
So in the year 2010 preparations were made by the students of Swamini Vinayananda to formally register her teaching establishment with the Registrar of Societies. A Pro-term committee was set up on the 16 th April 2010. It was unanimously felt at the meeting that the name of the centre should be called the Shri Dayanandaa Saraswati Society Ipoh as we all wished to express the respect we felt in our hearts and our deep reverence for Pujya Swami Dayananda. We are proud to say that we received Pujya Swami‘s blessings for the teaching centre Ipoh to bear his great name.
During the period when there was no centre in Ipoh, classes were conducted at No 1 Jalan Winter, Lim Gardens. The home of Swamini’s brother Dr Elliyathamby. The Society’s registered address at this time was also here.
The Society is deeply grateful to Dr Elliyathamby for his generous gesture in allowing his home at No 1 Jalan Winter to be used for classes in the interim period until the premises were found.
The generous gesture of Dr Elliyathamby, his brother Sree Pathmanathan and their families offered the society their property at No 33, Jalan Mohanlal, Lim Gardens, 30000 Ipoh to conduct Vedānta classes. We are deeply grateful for their support of this fledgling organization.
The Society received its approval of registration from the Registrar of Societies on the 23rd July 2010. On the 30th October 2010 at a grand ceremony at the Dewan Banquet, Komplex Kementerian Dalam Negeri the Society formally received its Certificate of Registration. The event was attended by the society’s first President Mr. C Arunasalam and Vice president Mr. Kanagarajah.
Read More The Sri Dayananda Society premises was opened on the 16 th March 2011. The opening of the ashram premises at No.33, Jalan Mohanlal, Lim Garden was auspiciously and grandly celebrated with a 48 day Maṇḍala Pūjā. The inaugural opening was auspiciously begun with a Rudra Homa conducted by 9 Brahmin priests well versed in the vedic ritual at 4.30 am on the 16th March 2011. The occasion was graced by Swami Satprakashananda from Kuala Lumpur and Swamini Shiva Priya from Mentakab as well as a host of distinguished guests and well wishers. During the following 47 days prayers were held every evening, and each night was illuminated with dance, music and talks. Among the notable artists who performed at the ashram was Guru Shankar Kandasamy a Bharatnatya dance exponent from the Temple of Fine Arts Kuala Lumpur, Guru Tusshar Bhatt a well known Kathak dancer from India, Sri Nanthakumar a famed Carnatic vocalist from India, Shri Shridar a great flutist from India, Dr Shiva Prasad a wonderful tabla artist from India, Smt Shobana a local vocalist and Smt Yamuna a well known Carnatic singer from Malaysia and many many more. Many other organizations sent representatives to give talks and so the evenings were filled with a wealth of interesting talks. There was representation from The Divine Life Society, The Hare Krishna Society, The Buddhist Society, The Bahai Society, an ayurveda organization, a Saiva Siddhantham organization, The Satya Sai Baba Society, talks on astrology, a talk on Islam and many more diverse groups. The Society is grateful to all the participating individuals and organizations for their contribution and the opportunity to listen to diverse views and to share their perspectives. The culmination of the 48 days of the maṇḍala pūjā was brought to a successful completion on the 2nd May 2011 and was celebrated with another great yajñam. With the establishment of the Society, Swamini Vinayananda continued her task of establishing a steady stream of classes in Bhagavad Gītā, Chanting, Sanskṛt and other texts for her students. The Society is also grateful to the many students, donors and well wishers who provided all the necessary facilities to the ashram for it to be a fully functioning centre for prayer and study.