Tag Archives: Bharat camps

Manthan, Manthan Camps, Manthan Centers

Manthan Centers

Our Manthan Centers, are also called Kutumbakam (originating from the phrase “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” , to denote a place where we all connect as a Kutumb, or family.

The Manthan centers cover many facets of a better world –local and sustainable production and living, wellbeing, traditional knowledge systems, ecology.

Currently, there are two Manthan Centers, which have the full range of our programs:

  • Manthan Gurukul in Aranyaani Forests, Sohagpur, MP
  • Sahjivan in Solan, Himachal Pradesh

The details of above centers can be seen on their links.

Apart from these, the following centers are there for Manthan meetings, Karm path, and Local production work , and are growing for full fledged programs:
– Dapoli , Konkan
– Kanpur, UP
– Chandigarh, Punjab
– Pauri, Uttarakhand

Centers have capacity to house 40 persons, and conduct meetings or camps, and for volunteers stay. And with mud and local resource made structures, we can easily increase the capacity.

The centers have the following programs or objectives:

1. Sustainable Production Activities from Local Flora
a. Making products from exotic flora
b. Herbal growing
c. Vaidya or traditional wellness
d. Forest growing
e. Eco friendly structures and their courses

2. Manthan Programs:
a. Manthans
b. Bharat camps, Enlighten camps
c. Gurukul Living : Simple gurukul living in forests with involvement in productive activities/ seasonal projects
d. Works affiliated to Karma path programs

Aranyaani Forests Manthan Gurukul

Manthan Gurukul is located in Aranyaani Forests, in Central India, near Bhopal.

Aranyaani Forests, based on most pristine Vedic philosophy as follows:

अरण्यान्यरण्यान्यसौ या परेव नश्यसि |
कथाग्रामं न पर्छसि न तवा भीरिव विन्दती.अ.अ.अन ||

वर्षारवाय वदते यदुपावति चिच्चिकः |
आघाटिभिरिवधावयन्नरण्यानिर्महीयते ||

उत गाव इवादन्त्युत वेश्मेव दर्श्यते |
उतो अरण्यानिःसायं शकटीरिव सर्जति ||

गामङगैष आ हवयति दार्वङगैषो अपावधीत |
वसन्नरण्यान्यां सायमक्रुक्षदिति मन्यते ||

न वा अरण्यानिर्हन्त्यन्यश्चेन नाभिगछति |
सवादोःफलस्य जग्ध्वाय यथाकामं नि पद्यते ||

आञ्जनगन्धिं सुरभिं बह्वन्नामक्र्षीवलाम |
पराहम्म्र्गाणां मातरमरण्यानिमशंसिषम ||

Meaning:
1. GODDESS of wild and forest who seemest to vanish from the sight. How is it that thou seekest not the village? Art thou not afraid?

2 What time the grasshopper replies and swells the shrill cicala’s voice, Seeming to sound with tinkling bells, the Lady of the Wood exults.

3 And, yonder, cattle seem to graze, what seems a dwelling-place appears: Or else at eve the Lady of the Forest seems to free the wains.

4 Here one is calling to his cow, another there hath felled a tree:
At eve the dweller in the wood fancies that somebody hath screamed.

5 The Goddess never slays, unless some murderous enemy approach. Man eats of savoury fruit and then takes, even as he wills, his rest.

6 Now have I praised the Forest Queen, sweet-scented, redolent of balm, The Mother of all sylvan things, who tills not but hath stores of food.

To that the pursuit in Aranyaani forests have remained true. The  shakti that has blessed the effort and transformed the place is only to be felt.

This has been the place of a fantastic journey of Sandeep- natural , karmic and spiritual. There are many books and articles, covering Aranyaani and Sandeep.

Manthan here has been a major guiding light and path to consciousness experience for a lot of folks.

We conduct Manthan Camps here in Aranyaani Forest from October to April. And monsoon Camps in August.

Sahjivan in Solan, Himachal Pradesh
(Manthan Center or Kutumbakam)

Nestled in Shivalik Ranges in lower Himalayan zone, Sahjivan is a beautiful, completely naturally made, Kutmbakam center. 

Gopal ji’s devotion to nature and reliance on consciousness, is seen at work in this place.  

Philosophy: Nature has abundance of resources for everyone’s need. Sustainability of civilizations and cultures depends on an economy supported by a thriving ecology. Everything on earth is an extension of the five elements of which the earth is composed of. By contaminating the Earth, humans are contaminating their own lives.

We conduct Manthan camps here in Solan, Himachal Pradesh, from May to July. Apart from this , the affiliated activities and stays go on all year. 

Manthan, Manthan Camps

Bharat – Discovering the Magic

The following three images have valuable information on Bharat.

Beyond the narratives of geography, history, modern economy, structures, events and rituals, and habits, lies the magic of Bharat, which also means India for many.

Bharat is a flowing stream of Consciousness, Nature, Culture, Civilization and Knowledge, intertwined in a manner that one cannot be understood without the other.

Countless small habits, rituals, beliefs have come into practice out of their deep meanings.

The practices like bathing in rivers on Kumbh, Bhikshavritti, revering rivers, cows, etc., have come from awakening that understood shiva-shakti.

In Bharat Camps, we elaborately discuss the Bharat and its meaning, with many facets in the figure here. To an uninitiated seeker, this is a view that has come from lifetime of journey of discovery, and which has wisdom passed on from the continuous stream of gurus and custodians through ages.

In Manthan Camps, we see Bharat through inner quest, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and consciousness at work.

Manthan, Manthan Camps, Manthan Projects

The Quest with Manthans

” I felt a gap that needs understanding and coverage, else a lot of folks you have interviewed in India would spend many years or even a lifetime in search for India within. And probably we need it faster for a better world.

The view how consciousness, philosophy, nature, culture are interwoven by a web of expressions, and why humans go beyond logic or intuitions while guiding themselves, is easy to understand but the existing prejudices, especially the ingrained dualism and material bias hinders that view. To add to it, we have lost a lot of material shaktipeeths to illusions and destruction, but the non material ones stand.

Often over years, as one searches, intuitively that view is being built in parts, but that one step to a different plane, to understand it holistically is still the quest. I found that it is so near and simple, yet gets obfuscated by the complexity of thoughts, and different institutions being the custodian of the complexity.  That is the gap.” 

Please see the following posts to understand our Quest with Manthan Camps, in different parts of India, with people from wide range of backgrounds.

Following are a few photos from our recent Manthan Camps.

Learn more about Manthan Camps here: https://manthangurukul.org/manthan-camps/

Manthan, Manthan Camps

Manthan Camps for Children

Children are most exposed to false narratives; illusions created by structured school information, and are lead into beliefs, choices that will affect them for very long.  At the same time, this also requires reducing their learning from other systems, nature, observations, and intuitive insights.

Hence, it is very important that they develop an eye that sees beyond the illusions, and are able to see where a point of view is coming from. And making them self aware of all the other learning systems.

Since, children learn most easily from nature and situations, the Manthan Camps for Children are planned accordingly,  and a easy mix of play, discussions and activities, with the objectives of first opening them up to Bharat, the nature and their own abilities, and then learning paths.