The two-year Vedanta course at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya in Mumbai demands
rigorous personal discipline, deep devotion and intense scriptural study
Chinmaya Mission’s training program is
no ordinary course of study. It is a 24/7
commitment of body, mind and soul to an
immersive spiritual adventure. A recent
graduate, Vivek, recounts his
extraordinary experience.
Challenges and Fulfillment
When I lived in a university residence, I often
heard students complain about how difficult
it is to live in close quarters with others.
I also heard some of my married friends
whine endlessly about living with their
spouse. Both these situations are trying, but
there is always a chance to escape—which
is what we always do. We try to run away
from our mind via entertainment, relationships,
even work.
Living in Sandeepany was a thousand
times more challenging. All that I had ever
depended on was taken away: cell phone,
television, restaurants, friends—I was only
left with my mind. I was forced to live with
the minimum; and if I could not handle this,
I suffered. There was no escape from this
suffering but to face it and transcend it.
Classmate Vimal had a similar experience:
“Only after studying at Sandeepany
did I realize that happiness is independent
of outer circumstances; that it resides in
my own heart. One is forced to spend time
in solitude, in ruminating, in silent searching,
in discovering, in fighting the uprising of
negative tendencies within.” For some, the
experience was too much. Of the 60 of us
who began, ten left before completion for a
variety of reasons, including being dismissed