Chinmaya Yuva Kendra Mumbai organized a workshop titled ‘2 Steps Closer – Explore Your Inner Calling’ with Swami Swatmananda. The workshop took place on 4 September 2021, via Zoom, and was attended by over 40 youth between the ages of 17-28 years.

The session began with a short activity where participants had to describe themselves using a few cues. From thereon, Swami Swatmananda introduced and spoke about the concept of ‘Swadharma’ in detail. He described and explained five steps to discovering one’s Swadharma – namely understanding one’s temperament, exploring talents, discovering one’s passion, considering the practical needs and serving society. At each step, practical tips and real life examples were shared, as well as points and questions for participants to reflect upon.

Videos that were relevant to the point of discussion were also shared, such as a clip of Swami Chinmayananda speaking about the three gunas – sattva, rajas and tamas – which in different combinations affect one’s temperament. Throughout the workshop, Swami Swatmananda posed questions to the participants and actively interacted with them. The workshop concluded with a lively QnA session.

Don’t miss these takeaways from a series of four inspiring talks by Swami Tejomayananda on Chinmaya Channel, YouTube.

Takeaway 1

Our actions, reactions and responses depend upon our vision of life. To bring about a paradigm shift, to transform this vision, we need to know its foundation, criteria, vision. What is our value system? Transformation comes only when we change our whole vision of life! Vedanta says, “Look at your life as a whole; not fragmented, not in parts.” In the Bhagavad Gita, which is the essence of the Upanishads, the Lord changed Arjuna’s faulty thinking and without any external change, transformed his vision.

Takeaway 2

Vision influences every aspect of life and is of three types – sattvika, rajasika, tamasika. A sattvika vision expresses as boundless joy in the experience of Oneness, as love for all beings, ever readiness to serve. A rajasika vision sees differences between cultures, countries, religions. The notions – I, my, you, yours, right, wrong, good, bad, like, dislike, superiority, inferiority – create barriers and loot away our peace of mind. Foolish and illogical, a tamasika vision gets unreasonably attached, taking a part to be the whole.

Takeaway 3

The vision dictates understanding or buddhi. It is the faculty of knowing, understanding, discretion, separation, analysis. We use this faculty, to decide what to do and what not to; to know our duties and responsibilities; to differentiate between bondage and liberation and to become fearless. Sattvika buddhi knows the mind alone causes bondage and also liberates. Rajasika buddhi, bound by personal preferences, leads to vagueness, doubt, confusion and problems. Tamasika buddhi manages to understand just the opposite of everything.

Takeaway 4

To achieve any goal we require fortitude, patience and the ability to hold on or to sustain. How we use this ability – dhriti – and to what purpose, in which field, determines whether it is sattvika, rajasika or tamasika. Each one knowingly or unknowingly works for happiness; they pursue goals according to their vision. The tamasika consider unreal happiness, as happiness. The rajasika think, what they enjoy is happiness. Only the sattvika know what real happiness is! Happiness puts an end to sorrow without dependence on anything!

A spectacular event filled with divine music, festive dances, insightful presentations and Swami Abhedananda’s soul-stirring talks on Krishna Leela. The result? Everyone was immersed in spiritual ecstasy!

The event was inaugurated with blessings and benediction of Swami Tejomayananda, Swami Swaroopananda. Musical and dance performances by eminent artists soaked everybody in Krishna Rasa. Swami Abhedananda’s talks and live QnA session took the devotees deeper into the leelas of Shri Krishna. Short and engaging documentaries on all five Centres of Chinmaya Mission South Africa were shown. Continuous Vishnu Sahasranama Archana was performed by Swami Abhedananda and the Brahmacharins; this culminated as a total of 100,000 sacred names chanted of Lord Vishnu. At midnight, Swami Abhedananda called out to the Lord intensely and invited Him wholeheartedly into the bosom of each devotee. Everyone was drenched in Shri Krishna’s love through this online 10-hour celebration.

Nanda ghar ananda bhayo, Jai Kanhaiya laal ki!

With the inspiration, blessings and guidance of Swami Durgeshananda, Chinmaya Mission Gurugram organized a week-long yajna – ‘Jagat Guru Bhagavan Shri Krishan Katha’ from 23 August 2021 to 29 August 2021. The yajna concluded on the auspicious day of Shri Krishna Janmashtami – on 30 August 2021 – with splendid performances by Bala Vihar children, chanting by Chinmaya Yuva Kendra members and Pooja by Swami Durgeshananda.

Everyday, devotees from world-over got the opportunity to listen to the discourses of various Swamins of different Chinmaya Mission Centres. The discourses were live streamed on the YouTube channel of Chinmaya Mission Gurugram. The speakers included Swami Prakarshananda from Delhi, Swami Chidrupananda from Noida, Swami Advaitananda from Nashik, Swamini Nishkalananda from Kalyan, Swami Mitrananda from Chennai, and Swami Abhedananda from South Africa. Some talks were in Hindi and some in English.

The yajna had a two-fold impact – firstly, it provided a great opportunity for devotees to revel in Bhakti Rasa and secondly, to understand the teachings from Shri Krishna’s life and progress on one’s spiritual journey. The organizers conducted the yajna in a very good spirit of oneness.

From Guru Poornima (24 July 2021) to Swami Chinmayananda’s 18th Aradhana Day (3 August 2021), every evening YouTube Chinmaya Channel viewers had a heart-to-heart date with memories of the Master. An initiative of Chinmaya Mission Delhi, conceptualised by Swami Prakarshananda, ‘Heart to Heart – Inspiring Conversations with Devotees’, touched the hearts that viewed them.

‘Heart to Heart’ was flagged off to a glorious start with Swami Tejomayananda’s blessings. He offered his reverential salutations and briefly shared what Swami Chinmayananda meant to him.

Next Swami Swaroopananda walked down memory lane with Swami Prakarshananda who, as the anchor of the show, kept up a steady flow of questions. Swami Swaroopananda described Swami Chinmayananda as a Yuga Purusha and Bharata Gaurava; one of those rare, few Masters that can foresee the future and are endowed with the missionary zeal to spread the spiritual knowledge of the Indian scriptures to all quarters – far and wide.

From the next day, Swami Prakarshananda interviewed other devotees and dedicated sevaks from Delhi. In sequence – Prarthana Saran, Anil Sachdev, Durga Singh, A.T. Reghunath, Jujhar Singh, Ravi Chaudhry, Sharda Chawla, Indu Shrikent, Som Oberoi, Anjali Singh and Swamini Gurupriyananda. Each of them shared their experiences and the impact that their Gurudev had in shaping their lives.

Behind the success of any event is a team that works selflessly to make it all come together and a team leader that carries the complete vision. Swami Prakarshananda played his part to perfection, uncovering great depths of wisdom in the interviews. Jujhar Singh’s professional skills as a TV anchor helped greatly in producing an aesthetically designed backdrop and light effects.

Each conversation had its own special flavour. The impact of Swami Chinmayananda’s touch for each devotee left a distinctive impression on both the speaker and the listener, resulting in a very memorable series of dialogues.

Chinmaya Yuva Kendra (CHYK) Navi Mumbai organized a one-hour session for the youth titled Vedic Vision – Ancient Wisdom for the Modern World, on 29 August 2021. Swami Mitrananda from Chinmaya Mission Chennai addressed over 120+ youth on Zoom. The session was also streamed live on Chyk Navi Mumbai’s YouTube page. Swami Mitrananda, with his ability to deliver complex concepts crisply, spoke of the vision of Vedanta for every individual (Dharma-Artha-Kaama-Moksha) as well as for the entire universe (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam). Despite the topic being vast, he conveyed the points masterfully. The talk was followed by a short QnA session where the participants asked a lot of interesting and inquisitive questions about Vedic culture. One such question was:

“What is the test for interpretations or commentaries on scriptures to verify that it is consistent with the original texts, considering that newer generations haven’t read original texts?”

Swami Mitrananda’s answer: “Just like ‘Science’ is not a single text authored by one writer but a collectively accepted compilation of works by many scientists, Vedas too are a compilation of the works of many Rishis and are a collectively accepted thought process. One must research, read commentaries by personalities of different eras and draw a conclusion of their own through comparative study.”

The event also included the unveiling of the cover of a new book. CHYK members of Navi Mumbai, under the guidance of Swami Swatmananda and Brahmachari Anand Chaitanya have been working on a storybook, based on Sthithaprajna Lakshana from Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita, titled “Dear Sarathi”. It will be used as one of the reference guides for the various competitions to be held in the Chinmaya Geeta Fest 2021 in Mumbai.

The session concluded with a vote of thanks by Shri Amol Khair, President of Chinmaya Prerana, followed by the national anthem.

All participants were gifted a digital booklet via email containing the learnings from the talk and the QnA session.

Chinmaya Yuva Kendra Ponda had a wonderful, inspiring talk and QnA with Swami Anukoolananda (of Chinmaya International Residential School, Coimbatore) on the topic – ‘Break the Shell, Spread your Wings and Fly High’. 43 youth from all over Goa and other parts of the country attended the session.

Here are a few takeaway points:

1. ‘Break the Shell’ means to
– come out of your comfort zone and explore life.
– Come out of your external and internal constraints.

2. When the shell breaks from within, adventure is born.

3. We are not born with self-confidence; we need to develop it through self-evaluation.

4. To build knowledge we need to understand ourselves; only then will we come to know what we want to do in our lives.

5. To build knowledge we need to
– Explore: discover various fields, observe things
– Enhance: gain knowledge about the particular field in which you are interested
– Engage: develop skills in that field
– Enjoy: get immersed and absorbed by your work in that field

6. Building fearlessness:
– Don’t do things that create guilt/regret
– Be yourself; don’t compromise
– Never fear hard work
– Learn to bear pain

7. Building generosity:
– Seek to help others
– Learn to give
– Develop humility and gratitude
– Richness does not depend on how much money we have; it depends on our thinking.

8. Building enthusiasm:
– Keep your goals high
– Meet and be with people who keep you enthusiastic
– Gain knowledge that keeps you inspired

Chinmaya Mission Visakhapatnam organized Ati Rudra Maha Abhishekam on Sunday 5 September 2021, which was Shraavana Maasa Shivaratri, from 8 AM to 8 PM. This Abhishekam involves chanting of Ekadasha Maha Rudras 11 times (11×11=121) and performing abhishekam to Rudra Bhagavan. 11 couples participated in performing the Abhishekam with many other devotees also present. Elaborate arrangements were made, keeping in view the present Covid guidelines. All the devotees who were present were distributed prasadam and fruits. The programme was a grand success.

Janamashtami is the fun festival that is looked forward to with great eagerness and anticipation. This time it was more special because in the days preceding the birth of Lord Krishna, each one in the family had the opportunity to bond with Him. A series of video talks, It’s All About ME: Krishna!, conceptualized for different age groups, had something to interest every member in the family – children, youth and all devotees.

For the Children

To catch the imagination of the kids, it was story time; stories of Krishna to keep them enthralled. Swamini Aaradhanananda, Brahmachari Param Chaitanya and Swami Raghuveerananda, in their sessions, brought alive the mischief one associates with the Lord. Engaging, as they did, the imagination of the little ones, their stories would surely have left a deep impact on the fertile minds of their audience.

For the Youth

The youth are at a stage when they require guidance, mentoring and role models to emulate. For them it was Swami Nirbhayananda, Brahmachari Vighnesh Chaitanya and Swami Shrikarananda, who calibrated their talks to ignite in them the values that Shri Krishna lived by – His leadership qualities, His compassion, His abidance in Dharma. Delving into the wisdom of the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita in particular, they left the young adults with much to mull over.

For All Devotees

The bar was raised for the spiritual seekers in the family. Swami Turiyananda, Brahmachari Samaatma Chaitanya and Brahmacharini Ananya Chaitanya, in an effort to clarify doubts and turn the mind’s attention to more subtle subjects, focused on some key philosophical points raised by Shri Krishna through life, specially in His famous dialogue with Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Jnana was interwoven through the story, making it easier for listeners to retain the essence.

The series was a great success in cementing a bond with Shri Krishna, leaving each one enriched, with much to think about and be grateful for.

To honour the memory of Pujya Swami Chinmayananda and as a tribute to the spiritual legacy he has bequeathed to mankind, the Parliament of the World’s Religions has confirmed to Chinmaya Mission West that they have scheduled to stream “On A Quest: Biopic on the Life of Swami Chinmayananda”, during their Virtual session in October 2021. This is a matter of great pride for the entire global Chinmaya Mission family.
Details:
Sunday 17 October 2021

1:00 PM to 3:00 PM (Central US Time)
11:30 PM on 17 October to 1:30 AM on 18 October (IST)

More details will be shared in due course.