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Samashrayanam — Dasappa Deekshe

The formal initiation in which the acharya transmits grace, transcendental knowledge and the energy behind them to a disciple.

The acharya in saffron leaning across the fire to draw the urdhva pundra on the forehead of a disciple seated bare-shouldered in a yellow dhoti, the homa burning on the brick kunda between them

What this work involves

Deekshe is the moment a disciple is taken by an acharya. What passes between them is grace, transcendental knowledge, and the energy that carries both — given directly, by the acharya, to that person. At this kshetra it is given by Melukote Guruji, who holds the seat.

The marks it leaves

The rite is also known as samashrayanam, and its most visible sign is what it leaves on the body: the disciple's shoulders marked with Vishnu's own conch and discus — the sankha and the chakra — pressed in with mildly heated metal seals, the chakra on the right shoulder and the sankha on the left. The marking is lifelong rather than ceremonial: it signifies that the disciple's body and soul now belong to Sriman Narayana as His servant, and it stays on them afterwards as a standing reminder of that surrender and of the disciplined life it asks for.

One part of a larger rite

Tradition holds this marking — tapa — as the first of five acts a samashrayanam carries: tapa, the marking itself; pundra, sacred clay worn on the body; nama, a new name ending in "dasa"; mantra, private teaching handed down by the acharya; and ijya, instruction in the worship that follows for life. The marking is the part a visitor can see; the rest passes between Guruji and the disciple alone, and what it leaves behind is a relationship rather than a qualification — one the tradition holds does not lapse.

At a glance

Given by Melukote Guruji as acharya
Grace, transcendental knowledge and energy, transmitted directly
Received in person, one disciple at a time
Arranged with the office beforehand

Asking for deekshe

It is arranged rather than turned up for. Telephone the office to ask what is expected of you and when Guruji is receiving.

+91 94480 42853

In pictures

What it looks like

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Keep reading

Our other work

Vedic Education

A residential gurukulam where students study the Vedas, Agama, Jyothishya and Sanskrit.

Gurupeeta — the Pooja Mandira

The Gurupeeta's own shrine, where the Sri Varadaraja Swami that Sri Ramanuja worshipped in person receives his daily aradhana.

Annadana — Daily Free Meals

A hot, freshly cooked meal served every single day to pilgrims, students and villagers, with no questions asked.

Goshala — Care of the Cows

Twenty and more desi cows — Malenadu Gidda, Punganur and Hallikar — kept at the kshetra, cared for through old age, their milk offered in the temple's own worship.

Temple Pratishtha — Vastu and Consecration

Vastu guidance for a temple being built, and the pratishtha that puts it into worship — both to the Agama.

Workshop — Training Priests

A residential apprenticeship where priests learn to conduct poojas by standing at real ones, in the tradition kept here.

Jyothishya — Astrology

Jyothishya as this family has read it across generations, and a sitting any devotee can ask for.

Cultural Preservation

Festivals, poojas, classical dance and music, and guided heritage tours that keep Melukote's traditions in daily practice.

Environmental Care

Tree planting, upkeep of the groves and water bodies, and agri-tourism that brings visitors onto the land itself.

Would you like to help?

The gurukulam teaches free of cost and the kitchen serves whoever arrives — both carried entirely by what devotees give.

Give now by UPI or bank transfer, with an 80G certificate if you need one. Or write to the office to sponsor a particular day of annadana, offer time during a festival, or ask what is needed most — those take a date and a person rather than a payment.

Give to the kshetra Write to the office