SGS Benelux News

Sri Swamiji Inaugurates SGS Benelux Center in the Netherlands, Aug 26, 2026

Lees in het Nederlands

Sri Swamiji Inaugurates

SGS Benelux Center in the Netherlands

Jaya Guru Datta

Dear All,

As part of the Swarna Yatra celebrations, marking 50 years since Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji’s first visits to Europe and the Americas, Sri Swamiji visited the Netherlands on 26 August 2026 to inaugurate the new SGS Benelux Center at Helmstraat 9, 1975 DP IJmuiden.

The visit carried special significance. Fifty years ago, Sri Swamiji’s journeys to Europe began in Germany in 1976, followed by years of satsangs, courses, and programs across Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark, London, and beyond: a devotion that steadily grew into the community gathering in the Netherlands today. The inauguration of the Benelux Center marks a new chapter in that fifty-year journey, giving devotees in mainland Europe a permanent home for satsang.

For the occasion, Sri Swamiji announced he will send a Hanuman Murthi and Ram Parivar to be consecrated at the new center.

Sri Swamiji’s Message

Sri Swamiji spoke of Hanuman’s special place in this age: in Kaliyuga, he said, Hanuman is the one deity who protects this world and our families. Hanuman, he reminded devotees, is also Dattatreya, and also Shiva. Devotion to Hanuman has already taken root worldwide under his guidance: nearly 40 Hanuman temples have been consecrated across India, and an 85-foot Hanuman stands consecrated in Trinidad. He also visits Malaysia and Australia, he said, where there are many Hanuman devotees. For the new center, Sri Swamiji said, “I will make arrangements for Hanuman Toram also, like in North America.”

Note: Hanuman temples and centers established by Sri Swamiji now span the globe, including the popular Karya Siddhi Hanuman Temple in Frisco (Dallas), Texas, USA, and other temples across the USA, Canada, Trinidad, UK, Malaysia, and Australia. The Netherlands becomes the 8th country worldwide with a Hanuman Center, joining a global network of sacred spaces inspired by Sri Swamiji.

Sri Swamiji spoke, too, to the deeper purpose of these gatherings. Human life, he said, is a rare and precious opportunity, not to be spent entirely on the worries of money and work, but to be turned, even in part, toward spiritual growth. The Bhagavad Gita, he said, is not a scripture for one religion alone but a universal teaching for all of humanity, and the Netherlands now has two Bhagavad Gita teachers of its own to carry that teaching forward. He also spoke of playing the flute as a Pranayama and Atma Jnana practice, not merely a concert instrument, but a path of its own.

Sri Swamiji’s message to devotees was direct: protect the center. Do any seva you can. Come and chant. Organize a satsanga. Give good energy to this world through the Hanuman Chalisa, the Dattatreya Kavacha, bhajans, and mantra. Observe the traditional vratams and festivals as a family, including Satyanarayana Vratam and Anagha Vratam. It is a small center today, he said: we start with a small boat, and then we go on to a big ship. It is only God’s will that brought everyone together that day. He likened the new center itself to another daughter born into the family: one to be raised, nurtured, and protected. Protecting the dharma, he said, happens through protecting the center.

View Photos on instagram - Inauguration & Darshan event

Recent Highlights

Batch 11 Certificates: During the visit, participants from the previous Gītā Mahāyajña batch (Batch 11) received their certificates from Sri Swamiji.

Photos

Krishnashtami Celebration: The community also celebrated Krishnashtami with Sampoorna Bhagavad Gita chanting on 5 September 2026.

Photos and Video

A Call from SGS Benelux

Nothing here happens for us. It happens through us. Choose the part you want to carry.

Join us for satsang and festival celebrations. Weekend satsangs are currently held on alternating Saturdays and Sundays. Today we celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, with Devi Navaratri (Dussehra), Deepawali, Datta Jayanthi, Gita Jayanthi, and other festivals still to come this year.

Come and participate regularly.

Join Gītā Mahāyajña, Two teachers are now based in the Netherlands.

Register at www.sgsgita.eu to join the current 2026-27 batch (Batch #12).

Support the center, in the way that fits you, at donate.sgsbenelux.nl:

  • Donate: a one-time gift, a standing gift, or a five-year agreement with tax relief.
  • Bring: something from the needs list, delivered yourself or funded from afar.
  • Serve: an hour of seva at a satsang or help with the ongoing renovation projects, one-off or regular.

Monthly Maintenance: the recurring bills that keep the doors open at Helmstraat 9, energy, water, cleaning, insurance, and the small repairs. This is the running cost, not the building work. Donate directly

Stay Connected

Kind regards,

Rám Sukhai and Harrie Sandhovel
Board of St. SGS Benelux

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Stichting SGS Benelux

Eilandenweg 36, 2904 VJ, Capelle aan den IJssel

Over SGS Benelux
De Nederlandse belastingdienst heeft de Stichting SGS Benelux (KvK 41064217) gerangschikt als Algemeen Nut Beogende Instellingtigstelling (ANBI ) in de zin van art. 24 lid 4, successiewet 1956.

Giften kunnen worden gedoneerd via bankrekeningnummer NL35 INGB 0000 6305 69

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