Swami Chinmayananda

[Enrique Vasquez]

Chinmayanandawas originally a journalist and participated in the Indian independence movement. Under the tutelage of Swami Sivananda and later Tapovan Maharaj, he began studying Vedanta and took the vow of sannyasa. He gave his first jāna yaja, or lecture series about Hindu spirituality, in 1951, starting the work of the Mission. Today, Chinmaya Mission encompasses more than 300 centres in India and internationally and conducts educational, spiritual, and charitable activities.[3]

Chinmayananda authored 95 publications, including commentaries on the major Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita. He was a visiting professor of Indian philosophy at several American and Asian universities, and he conducted university lecture tours in many countries.

In 1944, almost two years after the British had issued his arrest warrant, believing his case was long forgotten, Balan arrived in Punjab and associated himself with several freedom groups. He advised students on distributing leaflets and organising public strikes but was arrested and imprisoned.[7] He spent several months in unhygienic conditions in prison and caught typhus. This caused him to be among those who were carried out into the night and tossed beside a road on the outskirts of the city, where he was found by a passing Indian Christian. Reminded of her son serving in the army, she took him to her home and called for a doctor, who insisted that he be taken to a hospital.

It was while working as a journalist that he travelled to Sivananda's ashram in Rishikesh for this purpose of writing an expos of the sadhus. He later said, "I went not to gain knowledge, but to find out how the swamis were keeping up the bluff among the masses."[10]In the summer of 1947, Balan arrived in Rishikesh, by the banks of the Ganges and made the one-mile hike to the Divine Life Society, the ashram of Swami Sivananda. The sages opened his eyes. Balan extended his stay from a week to a month, then more and more. At the age of 31, he went from being a sceptic to an enthusiast, finally becoming a renunciate monk. He began reading more about Hindu scriptures and reviewing spiritual books. Sivananda recognised Balan's latent talents and entrusted him to organise a Gita Committee.[11] Having returned to the Divine Life Society ashram, on 25 February 1949, the holy day of Mahashivratri, Balan was initiated into sannyasa (Hindu vow of renunciation) by Sivananda, who gave him the name Swami Chinmayananda, or "bliss of pure Consciousness."[7]

With Sivananda's blessing, Chinmayananda sought out one of the greatest Vedantic masters of his time, Tapovan Maharaj of Uttarkashi, and devoted the next few years of his life to an intensive study of Vedanta under his tutelage.[7] As his disciple, from 1949, Chinmayananda led an extremely austere lifestyle and underwent a rigorous study of the scriptures.

The Madras group insisted that the best way to "pass it on" was through the support of a forum. They wrote back pointing out that the word "Chinmaya" did not have to indicate Chinmayananda's name, since, in Sanskrit, the word itself means "pure Knowledge," which they were seeking. He conceded. On 8 August 1953, the Chinmaya Mission was formed.

In 1963, Swami Chinmayananda wrote an article airing the idea of calling for a World Hindu Council, inviting delegates from throughout the world to discuss the difficulties and needs concerning the "survival and development of Hindu culture."[17] This attracted the attention of RSS pracharak S. S. Apte, who was airing similar ideas at that time.

Apte and Chinmayananda jointly organised such a conference at the Sandeepany ashram in August 1964, which resulted in the founding of the Vishva Hindu Parishad. Swami Chinmayananda was elected as president and Apte as general secretary of the new organisation.[4]

In 1992, Chinmayananda attended the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's 5th European Hindu Conference in Frankfurt, Germany, where the ongoing Ayodhya dispute was a major topic of discussion. During the conference, he stated that the 14 pillars of the Babri Masjid that were identifiable as Hindu temple pillars should be turned over to the Hindus.[24] The mosque was illegally destroyed by VHP activists later that year in an escalation of the Ayodhya dispute.

At the time of his death, Chinmayananda was to have been a featured speaker at the World Vision 2000 Global Conference in Washington, D.C., from August 6 through 8, staged by the VHP to mark the centenary of Swami Vivekananda's 1893 address to the Parliament of World Religions.[27][28] On August 8, five days after Chinmayananda died, conference delegates observed a moment of silence in tribute to him.[27]

At the time of his death, Chinmayananda was to have spoke at the VHP's World Vision 2000 Global Conference in Washington, D.C., and led the Hindu delegation for the 1993 Parliament of World's Religions, both events which took place later that August.[30][27]

Forty years after his first jāna yaja, on 24 December 1991, in the Leela Kempinski Hotel, in Bombay, Chinmayananda's devotees gathered in Mumbai to offer him an amount of gold equal to his body weight, presented to him on a tula (ceremonial balance scale) in an age-old ritual called suvarņa tulābhāram. The funds generated were used to support the myriad service projects and programs of Chinmaya Mission.[31]

From its beginnings in 1965 at a nursery school inaugurated by Chinmayananda in Kollengode, Kerala (India), today there are over 76 Chinmaya Vidyalayas (schools), seven Chinmaya colleges, and the Chinmaya International Residential School in India, and the first Chinmaya Vidyalaya outside India's borders, in Trinidad, West Indies.[34]

The BMI (Body Mind Intellect) Chart is a teaching tool innovated by Chinmayananda that became one of his hallmarks. It categorises the totality of human experience, according to the science of Vedanta, by drawing on 11 characters of the English and Devanagari alphabets.[37]

In 2014, On a Quest, an English-language biopic featuring the life and works of Chinmayananda, was released.[42] In June 2022, the movie was released to the public on YouTube in English, Hindi and Sanskrit languages.[43] In August 2022, the movie was released in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam languages.[44][45][46]

Swami Sivananda, founder of the Divine Life Society and the diksha guru of Swami Chinmayananda, was born on September 8th, 1887 as Kuppuswami in Pattamadai, in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, india.

He was an intelligent and mischievous boy who showed signs of renunciation and love for his fellow beings since his early childhood. After completing his medical studies in Tanjore, Swamiji started his practice in Tiruchi. In 1913 he left India to go to Malaysia where he was highly acclaimed as a kind and sympathetic doctor with a charming and majestic personality, who was always ready to serve those in need.

The dormant spirituality in Swamiji was ignited by a gift; a book by Sri Swami Satchidananda entitled Jiva Brahma Aikyam. He began to study the works of Swami Rama Tirtha, Swami Vivekananda, Sankara, Imitation of Christ, the Bible, and literature of the Theosophical Society. After much intense reflection, he left his lucrative practice, returned to India in 1924, where he was initiated into sannyasa by Swami Visvananda and given the name Swami Sivananda Saraswati.

Swamiji was born in 1886, in the village of Mudappalur in Palghat district to Balamba and Achutan Nair. His parents named him Subramanyan, but they lovingly called him Chippu Kutty. After the untimely death of his father, Swamiji left his home at the age of 28 to heed the call of the divine, eventually taking up residence in a one-room thatched hut in Uttarkashi, which came to be known as Tapovan Kutir. It was here that Gurudev sat at the feet of the great master for a total of seven years absorbing Vedantic knowledge.

Swami Sivananda then sent him to Uttarkashi to study under Swami Tapovan Maharaj. He devoted next few years of his life to an intensive study of Vedanta under his tutelage.In 1951, brimming with Vedantic knowledge and with the blessings of his guru, he decided to bring the teachings of Vedanta to the masses.

Gurudev is credited with the renaissance of spiritual and cultural values in India and with awakening the rest of the world to the ageless wisdom of Advaita Vedanta as expounded by Adi Shankaracharya. His legacy remains in the form of books, audio and video tapes, schools, and social service projects, Vedanta teachers whom he taught and inspired, and Chinmaya Mission centers around the world serving the spiritual and cultural needs of local communities. He has authored more than 250 books and written commentaries on various scriptural texts.

The spiritual call came to him in 1970 when he heard a Gita discourse given by Swami Chinmayananda. He was inspired to join the Vedanta Course at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya in Mumbai. Upon completion of the course in 1975, he was initiated as Brahmachari Vivek Chaitanya. Later, Swami Chinmayananda initiated him into sannyasa, bestowing upon him the name, Swami Tejomayananda.

Formerly the Regional Head of Chinmaya Mission Australia, United Kingdom, Middle East, Africa and Far East, and presently Chairman of the Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth Trust (University for Sanskrit and Indic Traditions) and Director of the Chinmaya International Residential School in Coimbatore, South India, Swami Swaroopananda has now been bestowed by Swami Tejomayananda the privilege to also serve as the Head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide.

Swamiji has authored several commentaries on such important spiritual classics as Ik Onkar, Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra and Sankat Mochan, besides numerous books on contemporary lifestyle subjects such as Simplicity and Meditation, Storm to Perform, Avatar, Managing the Manager and Journey into Health.

There are many saints and sages in the history of India. There are also many gurus. Butvisionaries are only a few. Sri Swami Chinmayananda was not only the sage of modern times,not only a guru but also a great visionary, whose work touched not only India but thewhole world. From time to time, the world witnesses birth of a Yuga Purusha who comes forthe purpose of leading the suffering humanity to the path of Dharma. And we are theblessed ones who have had the great fortune of being under the direct guidance of thisGuru Sri Chinmayananda, a great Gnani who carved for us the ideal model of Karma Yogisweetened with endless Bhakti. Those who met him will never forget the glow of Chinmaya(Pure consciousness) that He carried around everywhere at all times.

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