Programs and Events at the Seva Ashram
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Seva Ashram offers a variety of programs and events open to the public which provide abundant opportunities for both existing community members and first time visitors to participate in the practice of devotional service bhakti-yoga.Life at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Seva Ashram centers around the full scale daily temple program. Morning, noon and evening devotional programs include arati and kirtan worship accompanied by song and dance. In conjunction, classes are given in the morning and evening upon the revealed scriptures Srimad Bhagavad-Gita and Sri Chaitanya Charitamrta or the teachings of the Spiritual Guides of the Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Seva Ashram community, Srila Govinda Maharaj and Srila Sridhar Maharaj. During each program foodstuffs are offered to the Lord and sanctified. The Lord's spiritually purifying food remnants or prasadam are served following all the temple programs.
Throughout the week, theme-specific evening devotional programs provide the community with convenient times to gather together in the Ashram to participate in live kirtan, congregational devotional chanting, as well as build friendships and communal bonds which nourish and sustain one's growth in devotional life.
Throughout the year, special festivals drawing large-scale community attendance are held to celebrate the appearance and disappearance days of great saintly teachers and incarnations of the Lord Sri Krishna. Opportunities are always available to assist with festival organization, decoration, food preparation and clean-up.
Additional ways to engage oneself in the community include public outreach programs, as well as periodic job-specific work days, seasonal group projects, children's services and community fundraising efforts.