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Center has another new swami

A swami from San Diego succeeds a local swami, who transfers to New York.

By WAVENEY ANN MOORE, Times Staff Writer
Published December 26, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [John Pendygraft | Times] At the Vedanta Center of St. Petersburg this month, new spiritual leader Swami Ishtananda, right, meditates with Swami Yuktatmananda during services.

ST. PETERSBURG 

A few weeks ago, Vedanta devotees in St. Petersburg got stunning news.

First, Swami Adiswarananda, the beloved leader who had commuted from New York for more than 20 years to serve them and helped the congregation get their first resident swami in 2006, died suddenly in Manhattan.

Then came the announcement that their new leader was being transferred to take the place of the deceased swami at New York's Ramakrishna Vivekananda Center.

A few days ago, a new spiritual head, Swami Ishtananda, arrived from California to minister to the St. Petersburg congregation made up of a core group of about 20 American converts. Born in India, he has been in the United States since 2000 and worked at the Vedanta Society of Southern California, the largest center outside India.

In an e-mail, Ishtananda said he was assigned to the San Diego branch as its resident minister, though his responsibilities were broader. The center drew about 35 regular members to Sunday services, he said.

"I was instrumental in building up a congregation at San Diego where the regular members could come closer to each other feeling as if they belonged to one spiritual family. Another achievement during my stay there was the development of a temple choir that is very popular among all members now," he said.

Ishtananda also devoted time to interreligious activities.

"The Vedanta Society was one of the founding members of Inter Religious Council of San Diego and I represented the Hindu faith in that council," he said. At one time he served as its vice president.

Optimism at Vedanta Center

Ishtananda, 57, has high hopes for the St. Petersburg center, the only official Ramakrishna community in the Southern United States.

"The nearest center is situated at Washington, D.C. Naturally, we at South Florida have all avenues open to us for continuous growth and expansion. The teachings of Vedanta can improve human life in many ways everywhere. That is one of the brightest points in our favor," he said.

"Though we do not expect anything to happen overnight, we are very optimistic about the role this Vedanta Center is going to play in the lives of a large number of people in and around St. Petersburg, in particular, and Florida, in general."

Meanwhile, Swami Yuktatmananda, who became the center's first full time, resident spiritual leader, left for his new appointment in Manhattan last week.

He said he is not disappointed to be called away from St. Petersburg so soon and declined to discuss his accomplishments.

"We are monks and serve wherever our calling is," he said in an e-mail. "And for the same reason, I don't count anything as my accomplishment. It is God's work and I feel blessed that I was chosen as an instrument to serve the St. Petersburg center for a year and seven months."

Vedanta founded in 19th century

But he'll miss St. Petersburg and the center's devotees, Yuktatmananda said.

Longtime member Kathleen Scargill said the congregation is proud of Yuktatmananda's appointment.

"New York is one of the top centers in the United States. It's like going to Yankee Stadium to play. In St. Petersburg, he was kind of like a rookie in training. We got to introduce him to America. We feel like proud parents. We treasure him so," she said.

"And now we have met Swami Ishtananda and he is such a wonderful man and we are so honored and blessed to have him, because the main thing for us has always been the continuation of the center. We have a head swami and the center continues."

Vedanta, which was brought to the United States in 1893, was founded by Sri Ramakrishna in the 19th century. The local center in St. Petersburg's Old Southeast has been active since the 1950s.

The religion teaches that the goal of life is to manifest the divine and that an underlying harmony unites all religions. The faith evolved from the teachings of the Vedas, a collection of ancient Indian scriptures.

Waveney Ann Moore can be reached at wmoore@sptimes.com or 727 892-2283.

[Last modified December 25, 2007, 21:03:46]