HASTINAPUR - The City of Wisdom in Argentina
Hastinapur - The City of Wisdom in Argentina
Hastinapur has a
total area of twelve acres. Its population consists of a dozen Indian gods and
an equal number of Argentine human beings. Some of the Indian gods reside in
authentic temples filled with the scent of Indian agarbattis while others stay
outdoor enjoying the fragrance of the flowers from the garden.
Some are sitting
or standing on the pedestals and others hang on the sides of walls and pillars.
The gods who have their own temples include Ganesh, Krishna, Surya,
Narayana and Siva.
Since it is Hastinapur there is a temple for Pandavas too. Hastinapur
is clearly a place fit for the gods ...who should be pleased with the
cleanliness of the place, the serene surroundings and the green garden with
Rosewood trees. The only noise comes from the hundreds of birds nesting in the
trees. Then there is the soft music of the devotees who sing Bhajans. It is
indeed a divine place which inspires sacred thoughts and Holy Spirit.
Ganesh is standing
out in white against the greenery of the garden in the picture below.
The dozen Argentines
who live there look after the gods and the place. During weekend, the human
population increases to over one hundred. The Argentines do not go there seeking
favours as many Indians do in Tirupathi. They go there for wisdom. This is why
Hastinapur is called as the City of Wisdom (ciudad de la sabiduria). Saraswati,
the Goddess of Learning blesses the students through the sculptures all around
the compound. The Argentines learn philosophy, read in the library, practise
yoga and meditation and sing Bhajans.
On the other side of
the fence, there are cows grazing and occasionally staring at the Indian gods.
The cows are relaxed and free from fear because they know that they will not
become food at the dining table in Hastinapur, which is a vegetarian place. The
inmates cook vegetarian food and share it with the children from poor families
in the neighbourhood.
Hastinapur does not
have any godmen seeking fame and fortune and flaunting wealthy followers. It is
an institution to pursue pure wisdom, peace and divinity. Neither in the city
nor in the website names of those who run the place are given. The founders and
directors of the Hastinapura Foundation do not seek publicity. They are
humble but devoted people. They have their professions as company managers,
engineers or professors. They volunteer their time and talents for the
foundation.
Nor is Hastinapur the
work of some overenthusiastic drum-beating Hare Krishna types or faith-lead Sai Baba followers. Hastinapur respects all the religions and beliefs. Their ten temples include one for Buddha, one for Virgin Mary, one for the Greek god Demeter and
another one called as the the Temple of All Faiths. Their library has books of
all religions and schools of thought. Hastinapur seeks true wisdom, going
beyond the boundaries of established religions. The City of Wisdom is not the
ultimate destination. It does not prescribe wisdom doses. It simply helps
people to seek, find and pursue their own path to wisdom. They give classes in
yoga, meditation, philosophy, devotional singing and sacred drama. They
organise workshops, seminars and retreats. They also provide community service.
They celebrate festivals such as Ganesh Chathurthi and Baishaki. Their
next project is to broadcast through radio.
Hastinapur temples do
not have priests or other middlemen between the gods and worshippers. There is
no money collection, like in Tirupathi. Worshippers pray, recite mantras and
sing devotional songs individually or in groups.
Meditation Hall
Hastinapur has a post
graduate course in yoga which takes three years to complete. The classes are
held in the weekends only. There are 2500 students studying yoga and
philosophy in the Hastinapur centres. The students are being taught by 100
teachers on philosophy and 120 teachers on yoga.
Many Argentines go to
Hastinapur as a retreat from the hectic city of Buenos Aires which is just
fifty kilometres away. They practise meditation in the quiet natural
environment. They do yoga, read books from the library, discuss philosophy and
join the singing of bhajans. Hastinapur is an authentic Ashram.
Hastinapur Foundation
has published a number of books on Indian philosophy and translated Bhagavad Gita, Bhakti Sutras, Upanishads,Srimad Bhagavatam and Yoga Sutras. Their latest publication is Mahabharatha in Spanish. They have so far published three
volumes and plan to do a total of twelve volumes in the coming years. Each
volume is over 500 pages. The founder Alda Albrecht and other members of
the Foundation have also written a number of books.
Main Entrance To The
Hastinapur City
Hastinapura
Foundation was established by Ada Albrecht in 1981. She introduced Indian
philosophy and became a Guru for the Argentines seeking wisdom. She wrote a
number of books such as ¨The Saints and teachings of India¨ and ¨The teachings
of the monks from Himalayas¨.
Gustavo Canzobre was
one of her students, who is now the Director of the Hastinapur college of
professors. He was seventeen years old when he became interested in Indian
wisdom. During the Third Festival of India organised by the embassy in Buenos
Aires in November 2010, he gave a talk on the temple architecture of South
India. He has agreed to give a talk on Indian philosophy in the forthcoming
Fourth Festival of India in December 2011. He is a manager in a local company
for living and dedicates rest of his time to Hastinapura Foundation. He is
knowledgeable about Indian vedas and upanishads and is going to India on his
second visit in August this year.
Gustavo Canzobre in
the picture below:
The architectural and sculpting work of the Hastinapur complex has been done entirely by Argentines.
The architects and sculptors have studied Indian temples and have done their
work professionally and aesthetically. Even now they are constructing some more
buildings with Indian sculptures and statues.
Pillars of the
entrance to Ganesh temple below:
The pond in front of
the temple has fresh water and fish:
A small outdoor
Ganesh temple in the garden
Hastinapura
Foundation has sixteen centres in Buenos Aires and three more in the rest of
Argentina. They have also established centres in Uruguay, Bolivia and Colombia.
Information on the Foundation and its activities can be seen at their website.
Lord Siva is sitting
majestically in the large garden guarded by Ganesh on the four sides:
Latin Americans are,
of course, known for fun and fiesta. At the same time, there are thousands of
Latin Americans who take Mahabharatha and Meditation more seriously than many
Indians....
