Seetharama Vedic Patshala on TTK Road completes 25 years

Sri Seetharama Vedic Patshala in Alwarpet founded by late Nannilam Brahmashri Rajagopalan Ganapadigal (he passed away in Dec 2019) in 1996 is completing 25years this year.

This is a full-fledged gurukulam where young boys reside full time to study Krishna Yajur Veda over a decade long education. Over 50 students have graduated from the Gurukulam.

Talking to  Mylapore Times,  Nannilam Brahmashri R Srikrishna Ganapadigal said that they do not enroll more than 10 students at any point of time to ensure that there is  focus on each and every student. “These students are also initiated into ‘Lakshanam’ (Vedic grammar), Sanskrit, Sastra Grantas, Jothisham as well as Maths and English.”

An interesting feature of the Gurukulam is that everything is traditional here. “Water for bathing and drinking is taken from the well. The milk is got from the cows from the patshala’s go shala.”

Every month on a Sunday, vidwans visit the patshala to present Purana Pravachanam.

“All the students who study here full time are also initiated into Pravachanam presentation so they can go out and spread the dharmic messages to the world once they graduate from here.”

Currently, there are five full time and four part time students at the Gurukulam.

For a couple of hours every weekend, there are about 50 students who learn the Vedas while they continue their full time academics at school on weekdays.

During the lockdown period, Sri Krishna Ganapadigal has also launched classes for children to initiate them into slokams such as Vishnu Sahasranamam, Lalitha Sahasranamam and Shivananda Lahari.  In the afternoons, he takes classes for kids aged below 10 initiating them into short slokams such as Aditya Hrudayam.

Unlike other patshalas where a cook is hired, his mother and wife take care of the entire cooking requirements and needs through the year. The Gurukulam is run through financial support from  donors.

For the last 19years, the patshala has also been bringing out a monthly book ‘Vaideeka Sri’.

Seetharama Patshala functions from 488, TTK Road.  Sri Krishna Ganapadigal can be reached on 94452 05011