On the 131st birth anniversary of Jagadguru Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda, day-long celebrations were held at the Yogoda Satsanga Society of India’s (YSS) ashram in Ranchi. Yoganandaji’s Janmotsav celebrations began in the morning with a special commemorative group meditation and a talk on “Importance of the Guru as a Guide in Spiritual Life”  by Swami Pavitrananda, followed by joyous chanting of bhajans led by Brahmachari Shankarananda and Brahmachari Shambhavananda  while  Guru puja and yajna was being performed at the Shiv Mandir. The highlight of the day was a bhandara for devotees as well as people from the city of Ranchi and neighbouring villages. Around 9,000 people were served bhandara prasad this year. The celebrations concluded with a meditation in the evening.

The spiritual organization founded by Yoganandaji marks his Janmotsav every year with meditation, kirtans, and this bhandara. Like every year this year also locals and other visitors who got to know about it through word-of-mouth, participated in large numbers. From around 12 noon onwards, long queues started forming at the gate of the ashram leading to a huge maidan inside where scores of YSS devotees eagerly served prasad of khichdi, chutney and laddoo to the guests. This continued till around late afternoon, and around 9,000 persons were served Guru prasad through this bhandara.

On 3rd Jan, ashram conducted seva activities to honour the Guru by feeding the poor and needy inmates of leprosy colonies in Ranchi and on 8th Jan will distribute blankets in the same colonies.

YSS was founded by Yoganandaji in 1917, to make available, in India and neighbouring countries, the universal teachings of Kriya Yoga, a sacred spiritual science originating millennia ago in India.