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Datta Yoga Center, Brampton, Canada

SGS

171-173 Advance Blvd, Unit # 41

Brampton, ON, Canada L6T 4H9

Tel: 905-790-3645

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Some say Sri Swamiji is an Avataar, Yogi, Man of Miracles, Healer, Doctor, etc. Each person has his own way of looking at Him. When one would see him, he would experience Swamiji by himself.As one of the rare living Avataras…

He is the Pontiff of Avadhoota Datta Peetham at Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Ashrama in Mysore, India. His Holiness Sri Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji one of the greatest spiritual leaders of the present day is an asset to India and the world at large. He was born fully realised in command of the eight Mahasiddhis and is a Guru in the Dattatreya Avadhoota lineage

His methods include: establishing Dharma and Bhakti by singing devotional Hymns, by reciting the names of the Lord Almighty and inculcating the masses by instilling into them love of God through chorus singing of Bhajans and listening to his Meditation-Music. Sri Swamiji is renowned for His Healing and Meditation music and He is considered a divine guide who cultivates the ancient Vedic traditions

The Actual Birth

Sri Swamiji was born at Mekedatu in southern India on May 26, 1942. A Muslim Saint (Fakir) had given a prediction to His parents that their child would have supreme power, wisdom and knowledge and was destined to uplift mankind.
The Actual Birth occurred on a rock in the Kaveri river. His mother ‘JayaLakshmi’ was in deep meditation and the child was born covered with holy ash. The child was named ‘Satyanarayana’. His mother, whom Swamiji calls His first Guru, initiated Him into spiritual life before her passing in 1951. Satyanarayana completed His education like other children, but found school had nothing to offer Him. He was endowed at birth with great knowledge and power. Even as a child, he organized satsangs and taught bhajans to His friends, and performed “siddhis” to entertain them, such as turning neem leaves sweet.

For some time He performed various mundane jobs to earn a living, such as school teacher and postal worker. All along, however, he had been serving his fellow humans, helping them with their problems. Through his miraculous powers He was able to understand their situations, knowing their past, present , and future and helped them to overcome difficulties.

Some of them became his first disciples who were soon to be followed by more. He sang bhajans and kirtans for them and started giving yoga classes in small village huts or on river banks, while he was wandering the countryside as a monk. He acquired a following which demanded all of His time an attention.

In 1966 He moved to the present site of the Mysore Ashram, which in the early days was only a straw hut in a field. It was there at Mysore that He became Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji at the age of 22 . Since then Sri Swamiji has been helping people in His unique way. People come to Him for help with their worldly affairs, or to become healed of physical afflictions, or for guidance in their spiritual practice. Many come to hear His beautiful and powerful songs, which draw the heart and mind to God or to celebrate the special Hindu holidays in the old vedic traditions.
Sri Swamiji honours all religions and teaches that it’s possible to reach God by many paths. “It is of primary importance to attune with God through prayer, worship and the chanting of God’s holy names”. “Then God Himself will give you good guidance” says Sri Swamiji.

The Ashram

The Ashram has grown over years to an impressive size and encompasses many aspects of the spiritual life. There one can study Yoga, the Vedas and Sanskrit. There is a Universal Prayer Hall where traditional Pujas and Homas (special Hindu worship services) are performed. As Sri Swamiji propagates the teaching of Dattatreya Avadhoota, a Datta Temple has been constructed. Dattatreya represents the eternal teacher, the Manifestation of the Triple Principle of Sat (Existence), Chit (Knowledge) and Ananda (Bliss).

At the Mysore ashram, Swamiji offers daily Sri Chakra Puja and Ganapathi Homa. Although this great yogi practices Hindu rituals, He embraces everyone – the agnostic, the atheist, the disbeliever, as well as those of any faith. All are welcome at the ashram. Sri Swamiji stresses that His teachings and the Vedas are really universal. The Ashrama is open to all people of all religions and on special Hindu holidays, like Shivaratri and Navaratri, thousands of devotees from all over the globe come to the Universal Prayer Hall.

Nada Mantapa

Nada Mantapa is a testimony to Poojya Sri Swamiji’s dedication, attachment and love for Music. The Nada Mantapa auditorium is in the shape of a palm tree leaf (frond).

Mantapa

The world’s first and only Sapta Swara Devata Mantapam: This Mantapa has deities of the GodHeads representing the seven musical notes. Sa-Agni,
Ri-Brahma, Ga-Saraswati, Ma-Parameshwara, Pa-Maha Vishnu, Da-Maha Ganapati and Ni-Surya Narayana.
Twenty-two gigantic Tamburas have been sculpted and positioned gracefully against the 22 pillars of the auditorium. These 22 Tamburas represent the 22 Shrutis mentioned in the Sangeeta Shastra.
The entrance of the auditorium has the sculpted deities of godheads connected with music – Chaitanya Maha Prabhu, Narada Muni, Garuda, Vishwaksena, Anjaneya, Tumburu, Hayagreeva, Nandi, Bhringi and Ganapati. The porch is colourfully decorated in Tamilnadu style.
The auditorium is equipped with state of the art sound (Bose Corporation of USA),lighting and theatrical systems.
The staggered seating system will hold more than 3500 people in this sacred auditorium, making it one of the largest performing theatres in India.The vast stage measures upto 2150 sq.ft. The seats are laid out in a radial pattern such that they fall within an angle of 140 degrees from the position of the performer.
The walls are decorated with huge portraits of eminent music composers of the past. A special lighting system will illuminate the portrait of the particular composer whenever his composition is sung or played. For example, when the composition, Samaja Varagamana – of Saint Tyagaraja is played or sung, the lights in front of the portrait of Tyagaraja will automatically light up

Datta Centres

Sri Swamiji has established more then 50 centers in India and abroad and has build 18 new Dattatreya temples in India. Recently, He has been asked by Indian religious leaders to take care of five other ancient Dattatreya temples. Regular worship, including homas, pujas, classes in Hatha and Kriya Yoga , Sanskrit and the Vedas.

Social Projects

In addition to intense spiritual activity, ashram life is also devoted to helping the poor. It is a tradition that all ashram visitors are fed free and food is distributed to the needy on a regular basis. Also, the Ashram runs two local schools, provides free medical services and conducts free eye camps.

About Us

The Datta Yoga Centre of Canada is a federally-registered charitable organization in existence since 1992. The Datta Yoga Centre of Canada is a Canadian branch of Dattapeetham, Mysore founded by Sri Ganapati Sachidananda Swamiji. Sri Swamiji teaches the ideals of universal love and brotherhood, promotes yoga, healing and meditation music and social services across the world. For more details of Sri Swamiji please visit dattapeetham.com.

Datta Yoga Centre of Canada currently serves the cultural and spiritual needs of various communities in Toronto, Canada. yoga classes, dance classes (Bharata Natyam) classes as well as other cultural and spiritual activities takes place at DYC Canada. Datta Yoga Centre also actively participates in social services, has helped the victims of natural calamities such as Katrina, Gujarat earthquake, etc.

Matrumandali wing of DYC Canada plays an active role in various community projects such as supporting soup-kitchen and under privileged families. To get involved in the activities of Datta Yoga Centre please connect with us via Face book or Contact page.

Dattatreya

Shri Dattatreya is a very ancient incarnation, highly venerated through the ages. Dattatreya – a Universal Guru manifested in the recess of time of ‘Kaliyug’, when humanity had gone far from its pristine state and steeped into threshold of a timewhen all kinds of vices had already taken root, and the pious souls made fervent appealed for the salvage of the mankind surging forward in manifold way. He had descended on this earth to establish ‘Satya’ (the Universal Truth), ‘Rta’ (the CosmicOrder), Dharma’, (the perennial principles), in all its entirety.

Seer Atri was one of such Seers who had ‘seen’ and experienced the Brahman, the eternal Wisdom. To him was born a son, the product of the Grace or the Divine Will, which was the manifestation of all three Primal Energies ofBrahma, Vishnu and Shiva. He was ordained with the three energies; He came to have the concentrated wisdom of the three God-heads or symbolically three heads. The three heads signified as Brahma:‘Tejas’ personified, Vishnu:‘Ojas’ personified, Shiva: ‘Tapas’ personified. Under these heads, illumination of knowledge, vigorosity of action and stringency of penance were represented as three aspects or state of being of the same.

Birth: Dattatreya had descended into the realm of world as progeny of Atri and Anusuya, a sage couple of the Vedic age.
Anusuya became very famous for her devotion to her husband. She was the embodiment of chastity. Such was her spiritual power that hard, uneven earth turned soft and smooth for her as she walked about. This pious woman induced jealousy and envy in others, however, and the three Gods decided to prove these doubting elements how wrong they were.

They transformed themselves into mendicants, approached the hermitage of sage Atri and begged for alms. At that time sage Atri was away at the river offering his daily oblations. Anusuya came out and offered food to them. They made a strange request; the food be prepared and served to them by Anusuya, in the nude. In the Indian tradition any ‘athithi’ (guest) cannot be turned away, as they are considered to be an aspect of God. Hence she was placed in a dilemma. She smiled to herself and reflected thus: ‘I am totally purified by the long association with the holy sage Atri. What harm can the god of lust ever do to me? So I do fear nothing. As they have sought food from my hands, I look upon them as my own children and not as strangers and grown up men!’ Her thoughts – the thoughts of a pious and chaste person – instantly became reality; the elderly guests became babies!

Sage Atri on his return to the hermitage saw his wife Anusuya fondling three babies. Anusuya said “These children are the gift of God to us who have been childless so far”. Sage Atri was overjoyed and named them Datta, which means ‘given’. At this the three Gods reverted to their real forms and disclosed the truth. They extolled the power of chastity and purity of Anusuya which vanquished the combined and colossal powers of all three of them. Sage Atri and Anusuya prayed that they should remain as their sons. They consented and the three Gods merged into one body.
This is how Shri Dattatreya incarnated and is known as Gurudeva Datta – the Guru of all Gurus.

Splendorous form of Datta Guru:

Shri Dattatreya or Datta Guru, an incarnation who came to light the lamp of wisdom among the people.
Shri Dattatreya is a splendorous form. His face radiates all wisdom and draws us away from the lures of the world.
Though He is the Supreme Lord of this universe, yet He is a total and supreme recluse. Though He moves from place to place, His favorite abode is the Holy Audambar tree (A type of fig type, Ficus glomerate). He has matted hair on His head. His body is ever smeared with holy ashes and He wears tiger-skin for His garment. A cow and four dogs are always with Him as His constant companions. He is an ‘Avadhoot’, ever anchored in Spirit, but always overflowing with compassion for all the beings and the entire creation. He is the embodiment of total Godhead. All the aspects of Godhead are fully manifest in Him. His faces and form are ever radiant with peace and divine charm.
• The Cow, which is always with Him, represents the Mother Earth and Dharma. She is the wish fulfilling cow ‘Kamadhenu’.
• The four dogs symbolise the four Vedas – the external repositories of Spiritual Wisdom.
• The trident indicates that He has transcended the three gunas, which constitute the illusory world:
Sattva-illumination, Rajas-activity and Tamas-inertia.
• The ‘Sudharshana chakra’ , disc indicates that He is beyond the cycles of time i.e. the past, present and future and
His holding of ‘chakra’ means He is the controller of time.
• The conch represents the eternal sound ‘AUM’ – which is the manifestation of the Spirit.
It is also the life principle in us and the cosmos.
• The ‘bhasma’ ashes indicated His ‘Vairaagya’ dispassion as well as His purity.
Ashes indicate the evanescent nature of all created nature of all created objects and the ultimate state of all matter.
• He always carries a begging bowl so as to teach us the lesson that we will have to share our wealth and food with others.
• The japa-mala, rosary He wears reminds us that our primary duty is chanting the sacred name of the Lord and meditating on the feet of the Lord, and our redemption depends on this discipline alone.

Shri Dattatreya, in order to bless His devotees and the righteous ones, wanders about in the guise of a random guest at the lunch hour. That’s why it is said that a random guest has to be treated as the very embodiment of Lord Dattaterya.

God’s creation was His Guru: He had twenty four Gurus.

Shri Dattatreya had twenty four teachers from nature “many are my preceptors,” he told King Yadu, “selected by my keen sense, from whom acquiring wisdom freely, I wander in the world…. The earth, air/breeze, sky, fire, the sun, pigeon, python, sea, moth, elephant, ant, fish, Pingala the courtesan, arrow-maker, infant/playful boy, the moon, honeybee, deer, bird of prey, maiden, serpent, spider, caterpillar and water are my twenty four preceptors.
His Teachings:

Guru Dattatreya gave Ashtanga Yoga (eight fold path of Yoga) to the world thousands of years ago.
Patanjali codified this knowledge in sootra forms. It comprises:

1. Yama – non-killing, truthfulness, non-stealing, continence, and non-receiving of any gifts. Moral discipline

2. Niyama – cleanliness, contentment, austerity, study and self-surrender to God. Moral discipline Yama and Niyama are moral training and form the basis of Yoga. As these two become established, the Yogi will begin to realize the fruits of his practice.

3. Asana – posture

4. Pranayama – ‘Prana’ is the life-force, ‘yama’ is control. ‘Pranayama’ consists of breath control exercises.

5. Pratyahara – withdrawal of senses from sense objects.

6. Dharana – concentration.

7. Dhyana – meditation.

8. Samadhi – the transcendental or super conscious state of being one with God:
Principle tenets of the Dattatreya tradition

The principle tenets of the Dattatreya tradition are:

1. Everyone should know oneself first and should know one’s own reality, which is but God.

2. One should realize the relationship between God, man and creation – the underlying kinship, unity and oneness of these three entities. Brahman is the immanent and all pervading reality in all matter – it is the origin, the support and sustenance of all.

3. To obtain this vision and discern this truth, one should conquer one’s ego through Yoga and renunciation.

4. Guru’s grace is indispensable. One has to surrender oneself totally and unreservedly at the feet of the Guru.
His grace awakens ‘Jnana’ (illumination) by which we can recognize the Reality of Brahman, which is the real self of all.

Apart from this the disciples should:

• Have purity of thought, word and deed.
• Do ‘Nama smaran’ – remembrance of the Lord’s name and meditation on it.
• Have compassion and love for all beings.
• Render selfless services at the feet of the Guru and surrender completely and unconditionally.

Sri Swamiji’s Music

Music to Heal

Sri Swamiji says, “Music is my religion, Music is my language, Music is my soul and Music is my expression”.
Music is a force that unites Humanity the world over. Music has for centuries been known to have a pleasing appeal to both humans and animals. The key constituents are Rhythm and Tone (Taala and Swara) in which actually inhere the potent effect producing substance of music, The Vibrations.

NADA VIBRATIONS, THEIR SIGNIFICANCE
Vibration is basically the activity of Consciousness and it is Consciousness; which is the cause of creation. Each vibration originating from its original source is the same; it differs only in its tone and rhythm due to greater or lesser degree of force behind it. On the plane of Nada (sound), vibration causes diversity of tone. The vibrations become audible when they are massed together. Nada gives to the Consciousness (Atma) an evidence of its existence, although it is part of Consciousness itself, which has turned into Nada. In other words, the Consciousness bears witness to its own voice. That is why it is said that Music is the expression of Soul.
There are two aspects of Vibrations, Fine and Gross, having varied degrees. Some are perceived by the soul, some by the mind and some by the eyes. What the soul perceives are the vibrations of the feelings; what the mind conceives are the vibrations of thoughts; what the eyes see are the vibrations appearing through the objects of the physical world.
The mysticism of music in the context of Meditation and Healing lies essentially in quality of sound vibrations emanating from the rhythm and tone of music. And if one knew what rhythm was needed for a particular individual in his trouble and despair, what tone was needed and to what pitch that person’s level of consciousness should be raised, one would then be able to heal himself with music.

“MUSICAL NOTES have their effects on our body as the tunes correspond to our Nerves”. The knowledge about this is called Raga Ragini Vidya or Siddhi Vidya. Musical Ragas (tunes) are said to help treatment of patients with afflictions of physical and mental nature, in certain conditions.

A Long Quest: The Swamiji’s quest began when he was a child of eight. On May 26, 1942, in the small hamlet of Mekedatu, Jayalakshmi and Narasimha Sastri were blessed with a baby boy. They named him Satyanarayana. His parents were engrossed in spiritual practices and Satyanarayana grew up in this atmosphere. Even as a young boy, he displayed a natural inclination to classical music and spirituality.

Nadopasana: Satyanarayana became Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji at the age of 22. His mantra was Nadopasana(Worship Of Music). Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji says,”I was eight years old when I first read in the Sastras about the healing effects of Music. I was, by the grace of God, also naturally gifted with this art. With no formal training, I could play various musical instruments like the sitar, veena, flute and so on. I thought my music would be put to good use if it could benefit mankind.. I conducted small experiments and they proved successful. This encouraged me to go deeper into the subject”.

Sri Swamiji says “The body has a number of Energy Centres called CHAKRAS and 72,000 Metaphysical Energy Channels called NADIS,14 of which are Nerve Centers. Each one of these vibrates at a particular frequency and has its own elemental basis such as Earth, Water, Fire, Air, etc. Each Raga produces sound vibrations appropriate to a specific element and therefore to a specific Chakra and a set of related body organs”.

Matrumandali

DYC Canada has a robust Matrumandali, actively engaged in public service bringing laurels to Sri Swamiji’s organization. Smt. Indra Maharaj is the coordinator of Matrumandali activities. Here is a summary of their activities since inception:

1st meeting

Sunday Sept.11/2011

Events 2011

We assisted in cleaning up of the Kiwanis Memorial Park in Brampton
Donation of new and used clothing, eyeglasses etc. to a Lions club
Sponsored a needy mother, father and their 2 children with gifts and grocery items for Christmas

Events 2012

Silent auction of a sari worn by mother Anagha during the Datta Jayanti festival
Classes for learning to chant the Lalita Sahasranama
Collected milk bags which was given to the Credit Valley Hospital to weave into sleeping mats for the people in Haiti
Donated magazines, books and pens to the Credit Valley Hospital
Organized a kids carnival in DYC
Sponsored a needy grandmother in Malawi, Africa with cash to help her to set up an agricultural business

Events 2013

Share Your Food – 29 devotees started this fast on Tuesday Feb.5th and has committed to doing it for 3 years
Sri Swamiji’s 71st birthday – made a donation of clothing, grocery items, children’s toys, baby food etc. to a women’s shelter

If you would like to join Matrumandali Canada or communicate with them, please contact them at matrumandalicanada@gmail.com.

Daily Programs

Sunday - 9:30 am Abhishekam & Satsang

Monday - 7:00 pm Shiva Puja

Tuesday - 7:00 pm Hanuman Puja

Wednesday - 7:30 pm Datta Kriya Yoga

Thursday - 7:30 pm Guru Puja

Friday - 7:00 pm Lalita Sahasranamam

Upcoming Events

POORNIMA SATYANARAYANA POOJA

18 Oct 13