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Mirtola, also known as ‘Uttar Vrindavan’, is a village 10 km. away from Almora, in Uttarakhand state in India, most known for an ashram by the same name, set up by Sri Yashoda Ma,〔(The Hindu, May 04, 2003 ) ''The Hindu'', May 4, 2003.〕 a housewife turned ascetic in the 1930,〔Guru by Your Bedside, ''S. D. Pandey, pp. 45''〕 along with her disciple Sri Krishna Prem (1898–1965),〔(Testament of faith ) ''The Hindu'', December 6, 2005.〕 a mystic of the 20th Century. The ashram was later run by his disciple, Sri Madhava Ashish (1920–1997),〔(Madhav Ashish Biography )〕 another Englishman, who also later settled in India. 'Uttar Vrindavan' or Mirtola, is en route to Pithoragarh from Almora, 3 km to the left of the main road after Panuanaula, 25 km. after Almora. The place is also known for a Radha-Krishna temple built in 1931 〔Letters from Mirtola, Sri Krishna Prem and Sri Madhav Ashish, pp.89〕 by 'Sri Yashoda Ma', the founder and the spiritual head of the Ashram.〔(Excursions from Almora )〕 ==History== Yashoda Ma (née Monika Devi) 〔(Women Saints in Gaudiya Vaishnavism )〕 was the wife of Dr. Gyanendra Nath Chakravarti, the first vice-chancellor of Lucknow University, who was a well-known theosophist.〔(Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Chennai India )〕 Meanwhile, Ronald Henry Nixon, a young English fighter pilot in the World War I, who later took a degree from Cambridge University, came to India in 1921, after he took up a job as a lecturer at the Department of English at the newly opened Lucknow University, it was here that became close to the Chakravartis.〔(Coming to the path - S.D. Pandey ) ''Indian Express'', July 13, 2000.〕〔(Yogi Sri Krishnaprem profile )〕 In 1927, when Monika Devi moved to the hills on doctors' advice, Ronald Nixon, followed his Guru, and together they stayed in Almora for a while. Later, in 1928, Monika Devi took the vows of sannyasa (renunciation), under the name 'Sri Yashoda Ma',〔Letters from Mirtola, Sri Krishna Prem and Sri Madhav Ashish, pp.88〕 and a shortly afterwards, Ronald Nixon under the name, 'Sri Krishna Prem'; he was later known as Gopal Da, at the Ashram, which they together established in 1930. Amongst its early inhabitants were Moti Rani (Yashoda Ma's youngest daughter) and Major Robert Dudley Alexander, who retired from his post of Principal, Lucknow Medical College prematurely, to be with Shri Krishna Prem. In October 1943, noted Indian saint Sri Anandamayi Ma, visited the Mirtola Ashram.〔(Anandamayi ma life history ) ''Sri Anandamoyi Ma'' Official website.〕 Sri Krishna Prem went on to take over the running of the Ashram, after Yashoda Ma’s death in 1944, Gopal Da himself passed over on November 14, 1965; before that he wrote books like, ''The Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita'' and ''The Yoga of the Katho-panishad'', amongst others and handed over the working of the Ashram to Sri Madhav Ashish in 1955.〔(Poet seers )〕 He has the distinction of being the first westerner, to be included in the Vaishnav form of Hinduism,〔(The First Western Vaishnava )〕 he also was fluent in Hindi and Bengali.〔(May 1938 visit by a Ramana Maharshi's disciple; THE MAHARSHI magazine, August 1995 )〕 Sri Krishna Prem (Gopal Da), was followed as a guru, by his disciple, 'Sri Madhav Ashish' (Ashish Da), previously 'Alexander Phipps', was an English aircraft engineer assembling Merlin engines, who came to India during the Second World War in 1942, and met Sri Krishna Prem at Mirtola in 1946, and soon became his disciple. In the following years, they together wrote many books including their two-part work on the Stanzas of Dzyan, contained in the Book of Dzyan, 'Man, the measure of all things: In the stanzas of Dzyan', and 'Man, Son of Man'. Mirtola Ashram became a pilgrimage for Indian theosophists and started working extensively with the local communities pioneering hill farming techniques which he encouraged them to adopt,〔(International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development Report )〕 a work for which Sri Madhava Ashish was awarded the Padma Shri in 1992 by the Indian government,〔(India International Centre, New Delhi )〕 he later died on April 13, 1997.〔(Obituary: Sri Madhav Ashish ) ''The Independent'', May 6, 1997.〕 Over the years, the Ashram evolved a unique philosophy based on Eastern mystical thought from the Bhakti traditions, ideas of Shri Nisargadatta and western philosophies like that of G. I. Gurdjieff, Theosophy of Madame Blavatsky, and Jungian dream work, among others. Thus a large number of Gurdjieffians visited the ashram, including Olga de Hartmann, Phillipe Lavastine, Lizelle Reymond, Laurence Rosenthal, James George, and Bernard Courtenay-Mayers; even Jeanne de Salzmann met Ashish Da in Delhi 1971.〔(Interview of Seymour B. Ginsburg ) Gurdjieff Internet Guide.〕 Amongst the noted disciples of the 'Mirtola Ashram' are, Seymour B. Ginsburg, the co-founder of the Gurdjieff Institute of Florida; Dr. Karan Singh,〔(December 8, 1958 - first trip ) ''Heir Apparent: An Autobiography'', by Singh Sadr-I-Riyasa Karan, Karan Singh. Oxford, 1985. ''page 41''.〕 former Indian Ambassador to the US and present Member of the Indian Parliament, the Rajya Sabha, and travel-writer Bill Aitken.〔(Footloose in the Himalaya )〕 Besides that, many followers of Gurdjieff teachings continued to visit the Ashram for several decades 〔''Gurdjieff Unveiled: An Overview and Introduction to Gurdjieff's Teaching'', by Seymour B. Ginsburg. Published by Lighthouse Editions Limited, 2005. ISBN 1-904998-01-1. ''Page 102''.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mirtola」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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