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About Chinmaya Mission

How is Chinmaya Mission different from other religious organisations?

You have to experience the difference, that is all.

How do I become a member of Chinmaya Mission?

There is no formal membership of Chinmaya Mission. The moment you start participating in Chinmaya Mission activities you become a part of the larger Chinmaya family.

Which is the nearest center from my place?

To locate a center near your place, we have provided extensive search facility on this website. Please click here http://www.chinmayamission.com/centre-website.php.

What are the activities conducted at the center where I am located?

You can get to know the latest information about the activities conducted at your center by contacting the center (contact information is available on searching the required centre)

Are any fees to be paid for participating in Chinmaya Mission activities?

Most activities like Jnana Yagna, Balvihar classes, Study Groups etc are free of cost. However certain other activities like Residential Camps are conducted on a no-profit-no-loss basis and participants have to bear the cost. Similarly, online Vedanta classes have also to be paid for.

How does Chinmaya Mission manage its need for financial and other resources?

Chinmaya Mission activities are managed by funds donated by devotees and well wishers as well as those who have benefited from participating in its activities. Some persons volunteer part of their time to work for Chinmaya Mission. Some do it on part time basis while some even devote their lives to the activities of the mission.

Spiritual activities are for older people. Why should I get involved now?

Participating in Chinmaya Mission activities equips an individual in facing life in an effective way. Keeping this in mind, we have activities for all age groups. Chinmaya Mission believes in its members giving more than they receive from the society. This is achieved more effectively when one is young.

I have already taken Diksha from another organization. Will participating in your activities come in the way of that?

Chinmaya Mission activities do not interfere with any other spiritual activities that you may be following.

How can I keep myself up-to-date about the Chinmaya Mission activities?

There a number of Chinmaya Mission periodicals that will help you keep up-to-date. The lead periodical is Tapovan Prasad which is available globally. For subscription details please click here. In addition you can get information from our websites.

There seems to be a plethora of websites giving information on Chinmaya Mission. Which is the one I should rely upon?

The official website of Central Chinmaya Mission Trust is http://www.chinmayamission.com. Regional or Local units may often have their own local websites. These may be center/ city/ country/ region specific. You may sometimes find more detailed information in a local website. We would recommend visiting the CCMT website mentioned here as also the local one pertaining to your area to get more detailed information.

Reaching Main Ashrams


How to reach Tapovan Kutir at Uttarkashi?
From Delhi to Haridwar by train and from Haridwar to Uttarkashi (via Rishikesh) by taxi. Swami Shivanandaji Maharaj's Samadhi is in Rishikesh. Take a train to Haridwar and a taxi from Haridwar to Uttarkashi, (via Rishikesh if you wish to visit the Samadhi of Swami Shivanandaji Maharaj, the sanyaas diksha guru of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda). This is a beautiful six hours drive in total. One hour from Haridwar to Rishikesh and five hours from Rishikesh to Uttarkashi. If you go by train to Dehradun then the drive to Uttarkashi by taxi is five hours.
How to go to Sidhbari in Himachal Pradesh?
From Delhi one can go by train to Pathankot or to Chakki Bank .Then take a taxi from just outside the station and go straight to the Sidhbari Ashram. The scenic drive is very beautiful up the hills, amidst temple ruins which can be seen on the way. It takes two and a half hours by road. Half way point is Trilokpuri where there is a temple of Lord Shiva made from stalactites amidst roots of an ancient tree. There are some restaurants here and some tea stalls. The taxi can accommodate 4 persons and can be shared. One can go by Road from Delhi. It is approx 9 hours journey by car via Chandigarh (alternatively one can take a flight to Chandigarh and then a taxi). It is approximately 12 hours journey by bus from the Inter-State Bus Terminal in Old Delhi. This is an uncomfortable way of travelling though and can get unpredictably delayed.

BalVihars

Who can join a Balvihar?

Children in the age group of 5-13 years can participate in Balvihar activities.

Is it possible for me to be present during Balvihar activities?

Though the activities of Balvihar are targeted at children, in some cases balvihar sevak/ sevika will allow you to be present during the activities especially if the child is small and you live very far from the place where Balvihar activities take place. In fact, you can, with prior consent, can assist the sevak/ sevika in the conduct of Balvihar activities.

Is there a fee to attend these classes?

The only fee we expect from you is to ensure a regular attendance by your child as there is a carefully designed curriculum followed by the sevak/ sevika. You may have to spend some money on purchasing books and other support material that may be needed by your child.

Can I start Balvihar classes at my home?

You can do so in consultation with local mission center.

Who appoints the Sevika or Sevak?

Chinmaya Mission has a number of individuals who have been trained to conduct Balvihar classes. What is needed is a knack of interacting with youngsters and a keen desire to and patience to build the citizens of future.

Study Groups

Who can join a study group?

Anyone who has the intellectual acumen and aspiration and is interested in discovering their own true nature can join the study group.

What type of commitment I have to make?

You have to make a commitment to study the scriptures and participate regularly each week in the discussion group. Those who claim to have no time in their life for such activity will find in due course that they will have more time not only to their secular duties but also to do them well and manage their time much more efficiently after participating in study group.

Do I have to know Sanskrit?

No. If you know, it is of course a good thing since most scriptures are in that language.
But the group leader will explain some words in the Sanskrit language and these may be essential to remember. All chanting in the class will be done in Sanskrit only, since they are readings from the original text, which is written in Sanskrit.

Is there a fee to join the study group?

No. There is no fee to join the study group.

How can I join a study group?

Please contact your nearest Chinmaya Mission Center to get the details of Study Groups being conducted in your area. Having chosen an appropriate Study Group please contact its Sevak to find out the timings and frequency.

I have never studied Vedanta? Can I attend the study classes?

Yes, you can. Local Centers often offer a series of options to hear lectures or screenings organized by them and one may also take advantage of those classes. There also tapes made of the lectures given by Swamis in Chinmaya Mission and you can purchase them and listen and come up to speed in any of the scriptural texts.

Can I start a study Group at my own home?

You can do so in consultation with local mission center provided enough sadhakas are willing to participate.

Can our youngsters join the study group?

Typically they should be older than 16 years to benefit from this program.

Can I join when study group has already started studying and is several verses deep in the text?

You can. You will have to put a little extra effort to come up to speed with the rest of the members of the group.

Who appoints the Sevika or Sevak?

Chinmaya Mission has a number of individuals who have been trained to conduct study groups. Depending on many factors of convenience and availability one of these members will be requested to become the Sevika or Sevak of your group by the Chinmaya Mission Secretary of the Local Center.

Donations and Volunteering

I am desirous of donating. How can I do it?

There are various ways of donating for the activities of Chinmaya Mission. You can pay by Cash, by Cheque or through On-line Payments. For more details follow the donations link on this website. In India and certain other countries, you can also get a tax-rebate on the donations you make for Chinmaya Mission activities.

Can I donate for a specific project or activity?

Yes it is possible to do so. While making your donations, do specify clearly the activity for which you want to make your donation.

I want to work for Chinmaya Mission. How can I do it?

There are various ways of working towards the activities of Chinmaya Mission depending on how much of your time you can devote foe the mission activities. You can work part/ full time for mission activities. If you are young and not with too many liabilities, you may want to work as a Yuvaveer wherein Chinmaya Mission prepares you with certain skills for 4 months after which you will work for the mission for 20 months at one of its centers. Those who are committed to give their life for the mission activities and below the age of 30 years and unmarried can join the 3 year full time Vedanta course and subsequently work for mission as Brahmachari and then as acharya. Working as Yuvaveer.
There are also opportunities to work as volunteers for specific activities like camps or Jnana Yagna.

Gita

What is the Bhagavad Gita?

Mahabharata is one of the greatest Indian epics. It was written by sage Vyasa. It contains Bhagavad Gita, the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna, in the battlefield wherein Krishna helps to resolve Arjuna's mental conflicts and urges him to fight the war. This is narrated by Sanjaya to the blind king Dhritarashtra and begins with a question by Dhritarashtra seeking to know how Arjuna, who had laid down his arms, was convinced to fight.
The Gita is one of the clearest and most comprehensive summaries of the Perennial Philosophy ever to have been done. Hence its enduring value, not only for Indians, but for all mankind. The Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the most systematic spiritual statement of the Perennial Philosophy.

What is the greatness of the Gita?

Gita mahaatmya (Glory of Gita) is unlimited and beyond description. It contains the essence of all the four Vedas and yet its style is so simple that after a little study, anyone can easily follow the structure of the words. Yet it is so profound that even a lifelong study may not reveal the depth of meaning. As a reader grows in maturity, the same words reveal more and more facets of thought and hence the Gita remains eternally new.
The Bhagavad Gita has lessons for the young and old of any caste, creed and religion and teaches the technique of perfect living.

What is the relevance of Gita in our lives?

Arjuna's doubts are doubts that face every generation and so the lessons of the Gita are as applicable in this day and age as they were centuries ago. The Gita unfolds a way of life that helps us to be socially more productive and individually more balanced and tranquil and following which we can pursue life at peace with ourselves. It is a scriptural guide that can give direction to our lives irrespective of us whoever we are and whatever our problem is and transcends the man made, self imposed boundaries of caste, creed and religion.
Bal Gangadhar (Lokmanya) Tilak said ``The Gita was not preached either as a pastime for persons tired out after living a worldly life in the pursuit of selfish motives, nor as a preparatory lesson for living such worldly life, but in order to give philosophical advice as to how one should live one's worldly life with an eye to Release, moksha, and as to the true duty of human beings in worldly life. My last prayer to everyone, therefore, is that one should not fail to thoroughly understand this ancient science of the life of a householder, or of worldly life, as early as possible in one's life.''

How many chapters and shlokas does the Gita contain?

The Gita contains 18 chapters and 700 shlokas. Of the 700 shlokas, 1 (first) shloka is of Dhritaraashhtra, 40 are of Sanjaya, 84 of Arjuna and 575 of Shri Krishhna. These are classified as under:

Chapt.	Name	Translation	Shlokas
1	Arjuna vishhaada yogah	The hesitation and despondency of Arjuna	47
2	Saankhya yogah	Communion through Knowledge	72
3	Karma yogah	Communion through Action	43
4	Gnanakarma sanyaasa yogah	Renunciation of Action in Knowledge	42
5	Karma sanyaasa yogah	Communion through Renunciation	29
6	Dhyaana yogah	Communion through Meditation	47
7	Gnanavignana yogah	Communion through knowledge and Realization	30
8	Aksharabrahma yogah	The way to imperishable Brahman	28
9	Raajavidyaa raajaguhya yogah	The Sovereign science and Sovereign secret	34
10	Vibhooti yogah	Manifestations of Divine glories	42
11	Vishvaroopa darshana yogah	The Vision of the Cosmic form	55
12	Bhakti yogah	Communion through loving devotion	20
13	Kshetrakshetragna vibhaaga yogah	Differentiation of the knower from the known.	34
14	Gunatraya vibhaaga yogah	Division according to the three gunaas	27
15	Purushhottama yogah	Mystery of the All pervading person	20
16	Daivaasura sampadvibhaaga yogah	Distinction between divine and demoniac types	24
17	Shraddhaatraya vibhaaga yogah	The three divisions of faith	28
18	Moksha sanyaasa yogah	Liberation through Renunciation	78

Is the Gita an Upanishad?

The Gita is often referred to as an Upanishad, and according to some it contains the truth of all of them. The fundamental thoughts of the Upanishads, the conclusions and theories are expounded in the Gita. The Gita has been given the status of an Upanishad as enunciated in the following verse:
Sarvopanishado gaavo dogdhaa gopaalanandanah
Paartho vatsah sudheerbhoktaa dugdham geetaamritam mahatah
This means that all the Upanishads are the cows and Lord Krishna, the son of a cowherd, is the milker. Arjuna is the calf, all the pure minded people are the consumers and the ambrosial Gita is the delicious milk.

Where can I get good audio versions of the shlokas?

Possibly the best chanting of the Gita in tape form is that by Swami Brahmananda. There is very little music in it, and the pronunciation is very clear. Audio cassettes / CDs of this rendering are available at your local mission center.

Is there any special Gita day during the year?

Gita Jayanti is celebrated on maargashirsha shuddha ekaadashi. Perhaps, the Gita conversation, in whatever form, took place during this time of the year. It is an occasion to remember, religious or otherwise, the Gita as a Sanskrit text.

General

Who is a seeker of Truth (Mumuksha)?

Study on your own. You should fulfill certain attitudes and requisites to be a proper disciple, such as being open-minded, having a critical mind, patience and the willingness to do a lot of hard work.

Who is a Guru?

A guru is a teacher who has studied and attained a high level of spiritual development and God-realization. A guru is not going to take over your life and tell you what to do. Guru will, however, guide you in your spiritual quest to find God and to make the right decisions for yourself and your life. Guru will be your spiritual teacher. Once you find a guru, you must remain committed to their teachings if you want such guidance to work

Where do I find that Guru?

Pray to God. It's said that the right guru will find you when you are ready, so focus more on yourself than on finding your guru. It may seem counter-productive, but trust in the process. Improve your attitude. Don't concentrate specifically on finding a guru. Make sure you're not too impatient. Focus on readying yourself for your guru's teachings.

How will the Guru find me?

What questions should I not ask the Guru?

-To be answered shortly

What questions should I ask the Guru?

-To be answered shortly

The Spiritual Vision

Living Daily Life Tuned to the Higher: Tuning up the BMI

What is the right attitude with which to perform action in this world?

They say that it does not matter what we do, but the glory of the endeavor lies in how we do it. Work with an attitude of dedication unto Him. This will keep us focused. If it is just physical work, a method can be prescribed. If I am asked how to clean this hall, I would say use a broom or a vacuum cleaner or employ somebody. There are alternate methods which can be suggested because it is a physical thing. But dedication is an attitude; it comes by right understanding.
How can we gain this attitude? This is gained from the understanding that that source from which we derive all our powers, to That we must dedicate everything. From birth onwards we have been given faculties of sense organs, mind, intellect, and the body. Without these nobody would have even given us a job! We can see, hear, taste, smell, talk, think, feel, and act - from where did we get all these? Did any government or private company give them to us? Did we buy them in the supermarket? No, we were blessed with many of them since birth. Even a person that employs us expects our loyalty. The Lord, in his Infinite kindness has given us all, this body mind and all - isn't it our duty to dedicate them to Him alone?
We owe our very existence to God. This awareness, this knowledge is the only method by which we can remain focused. If we forget this, no other exercise we do can be of any use

How do we gain peace?

Finally, it is self knowledge that brings eternal and lasting peace. A man can gain this knowledge by his personal faith and devotion to the knowledge along with pursuing a life of self control along the path. For a seeker, even amid work and responsibilities, a high degree of peace can be gained by the path of Karma Yoga, where an individual performs his duty with nobility, detachment and a spirit of offering the fruits or results of his actions to God. One question that arises is what is it that disturbs our peace? It is our personal attachments because of which we live either in the dead moments of the past or the unborn moments of the future. In this process, we miss the present, the active dynamic present, which is the only chance given to us to create, to advance, to achieve, and to enjoy. Therein lies the secret to peace - dynamic living in the present moment free from thoughtless dissipation of energy.

What is the role of faith in my spiritual growth?

Shraddha (faith) is an essential requisite for anyone trying to master the truths of the scriptures. Pure consciousness, which is the core of Reality, cannot be defined or expressed in words; and therefore, this Supreme Goal of human evolution can only be indicated by the scriptures. The honest and sincere capacity to realize the words of the scriptures in all their suggestiveness is called Shraddha. Thus, Shraddha is not blind faith, as it is generally understood by those who have not carefully analyzed it. Rather, it is defined as a healthy attempt to gain a clear intellectual appreciation of the secret depths of the significance underlying the words of the scriptures and the teacher. By this alone does Reality become manifestly clear.

What could be the ladder of fall in spiritual life and how does one protect oneself from spiritual fall?

The soul's devolution results only when man yields to desire, anger, or greed. The constant flying of an individual's thoughts towards an object of gratification is called desire, and when these steady thoughts are deflected by some obstacle, the refracted thoughts are called anger. On the other hand, when a desire is increasingly satisfied and satiated, it results in what is called greed, diminishing our sense of satisfaction whereas the appetite for enjoyment and to hold on is sharpened more. If this logic of the interaction between desire, anger, and greed is accepted, then we understand why true spiritual progress requires us to forsake these three.

What are the sure signs of spiritual growth?

When a person finds in himself love towards God, it is understood that he is growing spiritually. Reverence and devotion are the silent acts of the mind that has fully opened up to appreciate the ideal that one has learnt to glorify. Just as a blue street light adds a blue tinge to the color of clothes of all those who pass under it, irrespective of the actual color of their various clothes, so too, in the blaze of Divine Awareness, even criminal thoughts arising in the mind would gradually gather the golden hues of godly perfection. The constant remembrance of the divine nature of the Self protects the human personality from the destructiveness of its inner negativities.

The Practice of Sadhana: Means to the Goal

What is the power of prayer?

Prayer is tuning our mind to a higher source of power, knowledge, and wisdom. On tuning up to this source, the energy, power, knowledge, and wisdom from there flows to us. For example when we connect an electrical appliance like a fan, heater, or bulb to an electrical connection, the electrical power makes the fan move, lights the bulb and heats the water. Depending on the instrument, the power is seen to manifest differently. A scientist tunes his mind to nature and nature reveals her secrets to him.

What is the difference between japa and meditation?

Japa prepares the mind for meditation. Meditation is abidance in the Self, which requires purity and concentration of mind. These can be gained through the practice of Puja and Japa.

Bhakti is considered as both means (sadhana) and goal (sadhya). Please elaborate

First of all, what is Bhakti? When three types of thoughts - love, respect, and faith combine, it results in Bhakti. When true, abiding, and unconditional Bhakti arise in a person, what happens? He/she attains true peace and happiness - the goal of life. Even in ordinary love, when we meet the person we love, we experience peace and happiness even though temporary. Then what to speak of supreme love for the supreme Lord! Man attains lasting peace and bliss. Hence Bhakti is the goal.
Now let us see how Bhakti can be the means. Pure love for the Lord can only arise in a pure mind. Presently our love for Lord is polluted with many attachments, likes and dislikes. Love is the best means to purify the mind.

How do I know whether I have true devotion for God?

The mental intellectual fabric of the best kind of devotee and the kind of relationship that he/she would have with the world has been painted by Lord Shri Krishna as he clearly describes that type of devotee that is the dearest to Him. The attitude of a true devotee in his interactions with other beings is such that he hates no creature, feels friendly and compassionate towards all, and himself remains free from attachment and egoism. Such devotion reflects in one in possession of an equanimous mind who is balanced in pleasure and pain, ever content, steady in meditation, and self controlled. This supreme devotee dedicates and centers both his mind and intellect upon the Lord alone. Further, the Lord paints three further qualities of such a supreme devotee. He is one by whom the world is not agitated (affected), and who cannot be agitated by the world, who is also free from the inward agitations of joy, envy, fear, and anxiety.

What is an easy way of concentration?

Ramdas found from his experience that there is no easier or better way of concentration than repeating the Lord's holy name. When the name is repeated, it absolves the mind of all its impurities and makes the mind still. In that still state God reveals himself and we become conscious of His existence within us.

What do I do if my mind is fickle and unsteady?

The wanderings of the mind may be due to many reasons ï¿½ memories of the past, presence of tempting objects, association of ideas, some attachment or aversion, or maybe even very spiritual aspiration of the seeker. Lord Krishna's instruction here is that "whatever be the reason because of which the restless and unsteady mind wanders away," the seeker is not to despair and should understand that it is the nature of the mind to wander and the nature of meditation is only a technique to stop this wandering. "Let him bring it back." The advice to the seeker is to bring back the mind that has rushed out into dissimilar channels of thinking.

What is the ultimate in mind control?

The individual's existence as a relative ego center can be ended, and the imperfect individual can realize himself to be the Infinite Godhead. This goal can be achieved in this very life, where he can live in the consciousness of God, evolving himself from the immaturities of his own deluded ego sense. Where the thought flow, which creates unequal and spasmodic mental fluctuations is arrested, there the mind ends. Where the mind ends (it being the equipment through which life expressed as an ego), there this sense of separate existence also ends. The ego, undressed of all its worldly sorrows, rediscovers itself to be nothing other than the Self itself.

Common Questions on Hindu Culture

What is the right understanding of the law of karma, and in what role does it play with respect to what is commonly understood as destiny and free will?

The law of karma is based on the theory of cause and effect, but has often been misunderstood as the fatalistic law of destiny. In fact, what we call destiny is the result of our own past actions! The law is indeed an omnipotent power that rules and directs all life everywhere at all time. Thought by thought new channels can be created. By self effort, everything is possible. Man can, with the right understanding, guide destiny. To illustrate through an example, life has two movements forward and lateral. The petrol can merely pull the car forward, but the lateral movements rest in the control of the driver. The forward dash is called destiny and the lateral movement is self effort. If the driver is drunk, the forward movement could lead to a tragic crash. But if he be very intelligent and careful at every yard, he can take the car to its destination safely. It is said that what you meet in life is "prarabhda" (destiny) and how you meet is "purshartha" (self effort).

What is the explanation behind the principle of reincarnation?

Reincarnation is not a belief, but an assumption put forward based on the law of cause and effect. How else would you explain the disparities in the world? Why is one man born a king and another a beggar? When the disparities do not rise from a visible cause, they must be the effect of some visible past causes. People do not come from nowhere and at their death do not become mere nonexistent nothingness. Origin, the most learned of the Christian fathers, has clearly declared: "Every man received a body for himself according to his deserts in former lives." Buddha constantly made references to his previous births. The learned son of Islam declared that "I died out of a stone and became a plant; I died out of a plant and became an animal; I died out of an animal and became man. Why then do I fear to die? When did I grow less by dying? I shall die out of man and become an angel!" Although you do not remember all the thoughts and experiences you had in the last birth, the subtle impressions they left are still with us. They provide the motivation or driving force for another birth.

God, World, and Me

Who really is God?

Hinduism does not declare God as seen from the eyes of one individual, but it declares Him as per the conclusions of generations of investigators. These investigators, our great sages, found that the subtlest of the subtle, the principle of truth, resides within us, a divine spark enveloped as it were by the grosser coatings of matter, the grossest being the physical body.
The sum total of all the intellects of all the individuals (jiva) that are living in the visible world (jagat) is the concept of God. Not our conception of God as Rama, Krishna, Siva, Christ, Mohammed etc., but the total concept, the God principle. The particular incarnations are only manifestations of the God principle. God is the total causal body of the universe.
Take the example of cotton, from which thread came and reshaped into cloth with all its patterns. The principle of truth is like cotton. From truth an immediate modification is the God principle (thread) called Ishwara, and the modification of the God principle is man (cloth). In Vedanta, the all pervading Supreme Reality does not actually undergo a change, as milk changes to curd. All plurality is only an appearance like a rope mistaken for a snake. Appearance is time bound, God principle is beyond time.
Be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.

Why did God create the Universe?

God is omnipotent. The perfection of God is unlike any finite perfection. It is perfection of the infinite and includes all finite possibilities. We may conceive of it as the infinite artist in the joy of his artistry, producing forever new forms. The infinite lover in the joy of his being who forever creates new objects out of love. The extollation of the infinite can really have no limits.

Why did God create the Universe?

God is truth. Then why does Vedanta say that the world is unreal. Will not the things made by Him be true?

Yes. But do we call the things made by God as "His?" No. We call them "our" things. When we bring in such things as "me" and "mine," "you" and "yours," then such a world is samsara - that which is fleeting and unreal. If we see the Lord as truth - and the entire world (and oneself) as His, then everything is real. In fact, if we see all as His or all as Him alone, then all is real. The unreal therefore is only our wrong notions, which have to be dispelled.

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