A spiritual resurgence

A spiritual resurgence

August 2023

Charged with the mission of reviving and propagating the  great spiritual values of India, Adinarayan and his wife  Sm ti set up the Anaadi Foundation and ashram, near  Palani, Tamil Nadu. Pradeep Krishnan interviews this  dynamic duo.  

When a story begins with a young  professional couple renouncing  their lucrative careers in 2015 to  spread awareness of our country’s spiritual  wealth, you know that you are dealing  with an unusual duo. That would be an  understatement in the case of Adinarayanan  and Smrithi Adinarayanan, founders of the  Anaadi Foundation Ashram, located about  18 km away from the famous temple town of  Palani, Tamil Nadu.  

In the eight years of its existence, the Anaadi  Foundation and ashram has produced a  network of activities for children, youth, and  families, which are both online and in-person.  There are programmes on yoga, Itihasa-Purana,  and Vedanta, blended with unique insights  from modern science. Since its inception,  the foundation has been actively involved  in conducting classes for school children, as  well as pursuing research on Indian sciences,  astronomy, ayurveda, yoga, and ecology. 

Situated in the picturesque foothills between  two holy rocks, Periya and Chinna Iyvar Malai  (respectively, the big and small hills), the nine acre ashram is intended as a place for seekers  to practise sadhana, yoga, and ayurveda.  

After their marriage in 2004, Adinarayanan  and Smrithi worked in the software industry  for a couple of years, before functioning for  a decade as teachers in the Amrita Vishwa  Vidyapeetam (part of Mata Amritanandamayi’s  initiatives) in Coimbatore. Adinarayanan  is a native of Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, a  graduate in electrical engineering, with an  MS in computer science from the USA. It was  during this latter phase that he underwent  a deep spiritual experience (which he later  recognised as samadhi) and it ignited a strong  desire to return to India to dedicate himself to  spirituality and service to society.  

Occasionally, the couple still teach at various  premier educational institutions, including  IIT-Delhi. Adinarayanan is an adjunct professor  of practice at NRCVEE, IIT Delhi, And  Smrithi was formerly an EdTech and cognitive  science researcher teaching computer science  and engineering. Both are core group members  of the Value Education panel at NCERT MHRD and fellows of Europe Spirituality in  Economics and Society (SPES). The ashram  runs a residential gurukulam titled Dharma  School, for boys and girls in the age group of  8–11, with a curriculum designed to promote  the physical, mental, intellectual, and spiritual  development of students.  

Team Anaadi, grouped in the background of one of the Holy Rocks that ring the ashram. The day of our visit to the ashram coincided  with an exhibition on Indian knowledge  systems featuring 16 stalls, each devoted to  individual subjects such as mathematics,  astronomy, Vaastu, ecology, and agriculture.  The students, dressed in traditional attire,  explained the concept and achievements to  visitors, which included over 600 students from  various schools. 

Excerpts from a freewheeling conversation with  Adinarayanan in his modest kutir.  

Let us begin with your spiritual journey. As I grew up in a family that blended traditional  and modern thought processes and values, the  spiritual path was not alien to me. Our entire  family was deeply interested in the Hindu and  Indian way of life, and self-reliance was always  emphasised. My father introduced me to yogic  practices and they became a daily abhyasa since  childhood. After my marriage with Smrithi, we  became followers of Mahavatar Kriya Babaji,  who has inspired several traditions and schools  of thought.  

What was the turning point in your life? After completing my Master’s in the US, one  day, spontaneously, I had a deep relaxing  experience which I later identified as samadhi.  

I was at a juncture where student life was over,  and I had no specific plans. This experience led  me to delve deep into yoga and meditation, and  prompted me to return to India to dedicate my  life to making this inner experience available to  as many young people as possible. 

What made you leave the corporate world and  pursue a spiritual path? 

The corporate world is very rewarding in  many ways as it gives you global exposure and  enough means to have all the comforts. Given  our multidimensional interests, we felt that  academia would be better suited to us. After a  decade of working at the college in Coimbatore,  during which some of our students dedicated  their lives to the spiritual journey, we left  academia and started the Anaadi Foundation.  Our former students are currently at Anaadi  taking care of various youth-led initiatives.  

What are the activities of the Anaadi  Foundation?  

Anaadi Foundation is a creative expression of  the diverse interests of its members. Through  our various programmes, we share the depth of  Indian culture, sciences, and values with young  people. In 2018, we moved full-time into our  ashram, situated in a spiritually significant  region near Palani. The local legends say that  Iyvar Malai had been visited by the Pandavas  and has a Draupadi Amman temple and Jain  caves. It is visited by hundreds of people every  year. 

We have several programmes for all age groups:  English education for rural school children,  annual science fairs, technology certification  programmes for rural youth to enhance their  livelihood skills, and free ayurveda camps. The  Mouna Sadhana programme is a blend of asana,  pranayama, dharana, and dhyana for physical  stability. In addition to the Bhagavad Gita  sessions, we are also engaged in the scientific  exploration of interdisciplinary domains of  ayurveda, yoga, neuroscience, and artificial  intelligence. 

Our annual youth leadership retreat at  Rishikesh is quite popular among the youth.  We also have Mahabharata sessions, which  explore the various dimensions of governance,  education, Indian sciences, gender issues,  justice, and dharma narrated in the grand  Itihasa. Some of us also travel to various places  sharing insights from our shastras, blending  ancient and modern wisdom. Our monthly  magazine, Parnika, released every Pournami,  has subscribers from all over the globe. 

How does the Mahabharata programme  benefit corporates, families, and students? It is famously said that everything is found in the  Mahabharata. What is not found here, cannot  be found anywhere else. The Mahabharata  provides us with a powerful narrative exploring  the complexities of life and a framework of  dharma, among other concepts,  that helps resolve the apparent conflicts and  contradictions of modern-day existence. With  better understanding and insights, we would  become better equipped to face the challenges  of life and be successful. Our success will impact  the success of our immediate community,  nation, and the world at large. 

In our lives, we are constantly making  decisions, and these decisions involve not only  outer conflicts but strong inner conflicts too.  Listening to the story and philosophy of the  Mahabharata brings clarity to the mind, thereby  enabling people to make the right decisions. 

The Mahabharata is replete with anecdotes  and instances that emphasise the need and  means to make optimal decisions, keeping  in mind personal well-being and the larger  good of society. Young leaders have the energy  and power to execute things but need proper  guidance. The Mahabharata Leadership  programme is designed to enhance the action  orientation of participants. We now offer  Mahabharata programmes online after the  COVID lockdown.

According to you, what ought to be the aim  and purpose of human life? How can one  move towards that? 

In the Indian tradition, the purpose of human  life is guided by the purusharthas [objects of  human pursuit]: dharma, artha [prosperity,  economic values], kama [pleasure, love,  psychological values] and moksha [liberation,  spiritual values]. Focussing on pleasure and  material wealth looks exciting for some time,  but when one starts feeling empty, one must turn  to dharma and moksha. When all our actions are  guided by dharma, we feel more fulfilled, and  society prospers. At one level, moksha could  mean a complete dissolution of our identity,  but at a simpler level, moksha is freedom from  limited identity. We feel caged in this identity,  and when we break free, our identity expands  and there is a sense of fulfilment. That is the  purpose.  

What do you mean by the self-unfoldment of  individuals? How can this be achieved?  Many of us do not realise that the body is  covering the atman [soul] or enshrining the  atman. This inside-out perspective is key to  understanding the fundamental aspects of life.  We are so focussed on the body and mind that  we believe that we are the body and mind. When  we take up jnana [the path of knowledge] or  dhyana, these layers slowly fade away from our  mind, bringing in an awareness of the deeper  layers. This can be achieved through multiple  ways such as karma [service], bhakti [devotion],  jnana, and raja yoga. 

Please throw light on the Indian sciences  seminar organised for school and college  students, highlighting the achievements and  depth of Indic sciences.  

India has been a cradle not only of refined  civilisational best practices but also of  multitudinous scientific developments.  

Evidence and knowledge of voluminous  literature produced in Indian scientific  pursuits have been well established by serious  researchers. In contrast, there is ignorance  about the facts and feats that we have inherited.  Awakening Indians to Indian sciences is  important to build a better perspective about  this land and its people, to own up to what is  truly ours and align our actions in coherence  with the vision and momentum set forth by the  great jnanis [realised ones] of our civilisation.  Just as we protect, preserve, and celebrate  various temples, monuments, artefacts, and  places of historic eminence, so too, must we  preserve and protect intellectual breakthroughs  in our Indian traditions through awareness,  assimilation, and dissemination. 

The Sustainability Immersion programme  integrates various aspects of sustainability  including sustainable health, self-reliant  agriculture, natural buildings, alternative energy,  waste management, and chemical-free living.

Introducing Indian sciences to the youth and  children can help create a young generation  that has a better connect with our land, has  enhanced multiple intelligences, is value oriented, and is socially and environmentally  conscious.  

We have created online modules that schools  can use to teach the Indian sciences of  ayurveda, yoga, ganitha, and jyotisha [the last  two are astronomy related] as club activities.  Our current online summer camps for children  too focus on this. 

Critics are of the view that our scriptures are  outdated and primitive. How can the study of  the scriptures help modern man? 

In every culture and civilisation, the past  has always been important, and history has  played a major role in shaping the present  and the future. It is for no trivial reason that  we call our scriptures Santana Dharma. The  principles enshrined in them are eternal. Many  get lost in the specifics and hence find them  outdated. Take modern science, for example. To  understand modern man, we need to delve into  evolutionary biology, cosmology, genealogy,  and archaeology. Aren’t these, in a way, ‘digging  into the past?.’ Similarly, our Puranas had the  Pancha Lakshana [five characteristics] that  precisely talk about these aspects. The shastras  provide guidelines for human aspirations and  endeavour. With adaptable architecture, they  become relevant in every era. 

In the past, the people of Bharat revered and  worshipped the rivers, mountains, plants,  animals, and Bhumidevi as expressions of  the Mother Divine, and they consciously  maintained the balance of Life. However,  nowadays, even while we worship the rivers,  mountains, and trees, we indiscriminately act  against Mother Nature. Why this paradox?  What is the solution? 

This is something called ‘distancing.’ We  are typically distanced from the source and  destination. We do not know where things  come from and where they go. This is true  of our consumption as well as our spiritual  path. While we are totally dedicated to our  devatas [gods] and respect various life forms,  we are disconnected from the consequences of  our actions. There could be multiple reasons.  It could be happening because of modern  education or a disconnect with traditional  knowledge systems or because of the yuga [the  time we live in]. But a great transformation is  happening. People are recognising the impact  of human actions on the planet. They now  feel more connected to nature. There is a big  movement happening. For instance, so many  young people come to the Anaadi Foundation’s  Center for Research in Ecology and Sustainable  Technologies [anaadicrest.org], to learn and  experience a connect with Mother Nature. They  work on self-reliant and sustainable models  built with ecological principles coming from  the Indian tradition. They also learn about how  cows play a central role in Indic sustainability. 

How so? 

Since the Vedic period, cows have been central  to the life of Indians and there is a deep  spiritual connection between man and cows.  Going beyond milk or just utility, cows were  considered a measure of wealth and prosperity  of any kingdom and even determined the social  status of individuals. There are numerous  references in the Vedas, Puranas, and Itihasa  about the significance of cows.  

Though the 20th cattle count report shows an  increase in the cattle population in India by 14.51  crores, it indicates a decline in native breeds of  cows, urging the need for the preservation and  breeding of indigenous varieties. Farmers, by  and large, prefer high-yield milch cows to the  desi varieties. Scientific studies prove that cow  dung and cow urine from indigenous varieties  are superior to foreign breeds in terms of their  microbial diversity and contain higher amounts  of calcium, phosphorus, zinc, and copper than  the cross-bred ones.  

Today, land degradation and desertification,  fuelled by the use of chemical pesticides  and fertilisers, are posing a serious threat to  food security. The need to revive cow-based  

agriculture that can regenerate the soil on a  large scale is evident. 

Cows offer the possibility to achieve  environmental, social, and economic  sustainability in the rural Indian context by  drawing upon ancient references to the role of  cows in social and religious systems and relating  them to modern science and sustainability  frameworks. With the world moving away from  exploitative and linear systems to circular  and regenerative systems, India can recreate  and remodel self-reliant villages as thriving  ecosystems with the cow at its core. 

Please tell us about the unique Sustainability  Immersion programme offered by the Anaadi  Foundation.  

Given the economic, social, and environmental  crisis the world is facing today, creating  sustainable solutions has become imminent.  The more self-reliant we become, the more  we would be contributing to the sustenance  of the planetary resources. In tune with the  UN’s Sustainability Development Goals,  Anaadi’s Center for Research in Ecology  and Sustainable Technologies which offers  the Sustainability Immersion programme  integrates various aspects of sustainability  including sustainable health, self-reliant  agriculture, natural buildings, alternative  energy, waste management, and chemical-free  living. Through this programme, participants  get hands-on exposure, knowledge through  field visits, and expert interaction and the  opportunity to take up sustainability as a career  path. 

Your message to the readers? 

Self-reliance was at the core of Bharata since  time immemorial. We may have lost it briefly for  whatever reason. Now is the time to rediscover  this. This comes through exposure to various  dimensions of Bharatiya knowledge. Invest in  them, and a great future is waiting to unravel. In  fact, to enable this, we have launched a monthly  series called the Essence of Dharma, which is a  free 10-hour programme every month focussing  on Itihasa-Purana, Vedanta, and yoga. We  would like to spread the message of Sanatana  Dharma to as many people as possible in the  most simple and affordable manner. Please  visit www.anaadi.org/dharma

Pradeep Krishnan is a student of consciousness, based in Kerala. A seeker  by nature, he is deeply attracted to the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi  and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj