Pictures & things

Hari OM!
I uploaded the pictures in picasa, and provided you with slideshows of each date.  Since there are several pictures and slideshow needs loading, it might take a while to load them all.  Here is the link to each date - so you can see them one-at-a-time.

Click on the slideshow and it will open up the picasa page.  You can download/print them as you like.  Have fun!
October 19
October 20
October 21
October 22
October 23
October 24
October 25
October 26
October 27
October 28
October 29
October 30
October 31
November 1
November 2
November 3
November 4
November 5
November 6
November 7
November 8
November 9


Love
Subha

November 9th, Day 22nd of the Yatra

We took off after an early breakfast to Chinmaya Mission Kolhapur.  Bus trip was full of jokes and laughter.  The weather was perfect and we passed lush fields of sugarcane as we sped along the top class highway. As we approached Kolhapur, Chinmaya Ganadhish was visible from miles away, smiling at us and welcoming us to Chinmaya Sandeepany. 

Chnmaya Ganadhish is an 85 ft tall Ganesha idol made of  concrete which can be seen from the Pune-Bangalore highway, located about 13 km away from Kolhapur, in Chinmaya Sandeepany ashram.  We received a warm welcome by Swami Puruthottamananda, Swami Atmadevananda, and the Brahmacharis.  Mother nature also welcomed Pujya Guruji with her light drizzle.

The whole structure consists of a 61 ft Ganapati seated on a 24 ft tall Meditation hall. The circular structure has a diameter of about 60 ft and weighs about 800 tonnes. 24 pillars support the Ganesha idol. Fifty skilled workers, specially called up from Shimoga, Karnataka, toiled for about a year to complete the structure.
It was inaugurated in November 2001 by Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda. Chinmaya Seva Trust, Maharashtra, accomplished this under the able guidance of Pujya Swami Purushottamananda, regional head for Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa (West Zone).

Chinmaya Ganadhish has become a holy place of pilgrimage. Thousands of people visit this place especially on Sankashti Chaturthi. Every morning worship to the Lord is offered with Vedic chanting. In the evening Aarathi is performed.

In addition there is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Pujya Swami Chinamayananda suggested the name ‘ Kailasnath’ for the temple, since Kolhapur is famous as Dakshin Kashi (Kashi of the South). The deity is in the form of a Shiva Linga made of black stone and adorned with Sphatika Linga given by Pujya Gurudev.  Swami Purushottamanandaji told us the story of that Spatika linga, how it was gifted to Swamiji by Gurudev.
In a letter of blessings, on the occasion of the consecration of the temple Pujya Gurudev had written to Swami Purushottamananda, “Go Ahead! You will find me just besides the Shiv Linga.”

Swami Atmadevananda talked about the history of the Ashram and current activities.  Brahmachari Atri Chaitanya gave us a tour of the facility and we had a sumptuous lunch and snacks from there before we took off from there.

There was the small model of Chinmaya Ganadhish idol made by Purushottam Kale sitting behind the Swamijis during satsang, it looked divinely beautiful.  Purushottam Kale is the artist whose company “New Ganesh Arts”, makes beautiful idols including the Ram Parivar which adorns in Guruji’s Kutia in Vibhooti.  I felt like I hit the jackpot when Guruji presented that idol to Kishore and me at the end of the satsang.

In the bus back, Guruji was in our bus and while I was showing him the video clip, my laptop decided to shutdown because the battery was totally drained.  Everyone around wanted to watch that video clip and we sat in that same formation and started talking, it turned out to be the best Satsang for all of us.  Guruji advised us all to follow “Conscious Living” and “Right Thinking”.  He wanted us all to work towards 2015-2016 as our goal when we will celebrate Gurudev’s birth centenary.
We arrived back in Kolwan, got busy packing for return home in the morning. This dream-like yatra is coming to an end.

I will update with some more pictures and information once I get back home and get to edit them.  It will take a while since I am still in transit for the next week.  So stay tuned.
I enjoyed blogging, and hope you enjoyed reading too…  There were many moments and experiences that words and pictures cannot do justice to. I wish all of you will get many chances to enjoy the grace that we Yatris were fortunate enough to revel in.
I will read all your comments once I have stable connectivity.  Thank you all…..
Love,
Subha

November 8th 2009 Day 21 of the Yatra

We had an early start at the Chinmaya Maruti Mandir where the Prabhavali installation (aura behind the idol of Lord Hanuman) was done.

The Prabhavali signifies the divine halo and is a beautiful ornament to the Rakshak Maruti, which is the Prathista at Chinmaya Marruti. The installation ceremony with Vedic Chants was graced by Vayu Bhagwan who caressed the entire event with a strong breeze throughout.

After breakfast we headed back to the Mandir. Guruji then lead us in chanting the Haniman Chalisa in different ragas interspersed with stories on Hanuman in between. Each story lead into the next of the seven recitations of the Hanuman Chalisa.  All through the Lord Pavan was howling around us, definitely pleased to see His son adorning the Prabhavali.

The Hanuman chalisa lead us directly into the Maha aarathi and Paduka pooja.  Guruji said the Sankalpa for the Padukapooja, was thanking Gurudev for the successful completion of the Chinmaya Dham Yatra. When we started the Yatra we had invoked His blessings for a safe and successful Yatra and now it was time to thank Him.

The lunch and rest passed quietly when people started making plans about day after tomorrow about return trips.

Evening Satsang with Guruji was about Sant Kabir Das and his compositions.  Guruji sang the composition and expounded them.  “Go back to your abode, where no distinction of any type exist” and “see God in everyone, beggar and the rich man”.

Paduka pooja was followed by a heavenly Harmonium recital by Smt. Seema Shirodhkar, where Sri Vishwanath Shirodhkar accompanied her on the Tabla.

After dinner, Guruji received us in his Kutia for informal Satsang and the Yatris offered their Gurudakshina.  We had fun taking turns on photo ops with Gurujii. This dream-like Chinmaya Dham Yatra is coming to an end.  Tomorrow we conclude by going to Kolhapur to visit Chinmaya Ganadhish.

November 7th 2009 Day 20 of the Yatra

Sunrise in Vibhooti is quite a sight, really. As the sun rises between two hills, the amber glow caresssses Maruti bathing him in an effulgent glow.  I can’t explain it any more, you will just have to come and see!!

After breakfast and a quick break, we came together for a conducted tour of Vibhooti.  Ther is an industry size kitchen with all latest top-notch facilities was very impressive.  Steam cooking using solar power not only makes is eco-friendly, but also health-friendly as well

Air conditioned auditorium “Sudhama” which seats 1008 people and many more smaller conference rooms in the conference center are equipped with top of the line a/v facilities.

The Pranava Ganesh Mandir at the top of the property is under construction, coming together in the next few years. The views from the there are quite wonderful. Swami Mitrananda lead his team of Yuva Veers last year on a hike up the tall hills behind, planting an Indian flag, watched by the curious villagers.
Chinmaya Vibhooti is Chinmaya Mission’s vision and resource centre. It spans 70 acres of serene, picturesque landscape surrounded by the Sahyadri mountains. It is situated in Kolwan Village, between Mumbai and Pune.

Chinmaya Vibhooti is a tribute to Pujya Gurudev from his disciples and devotees. It aims at keeping his teachings and vision vibrant throughout the world by empowering and training Mission workers.
Facilities at Chinmaya Vibhooti include:
-Temples to Hanumanji and Pranava Ganesha

-Chinmaya Jeevan Darshan — An exhibit depicting Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda’s life, work, and teachings through various art mediums, including interactive technology
-Sudharma Hall – a vast 1008-seat auditorium

-Chinmaya Amphitheatre – open-air auditorium with a seating capacity of 2,000, overlooking Ananda Sarovara, or the Lake of Bliss
-Chinmaya Swagatam – administrative complex and reception area
-Chinmaya Naada Bindu School of Indian Music and Dance
-Residential complex finally for up to 2000 people
-Camp sites

After the tour, we had a satsang with Guruji where he answered our questions.  He outlined his plans for Chinmaya Viibhooti, and summarized it as “Vision, Inspiration and Performance”.
In the afternoon, we went to see Chinmaya Jeevan Darshan.  It is a must see – and it is really hard for anyone to do justice to CJD through pictures, video or writings, it is to be experienced.  It left me speechless!
We moved on to Paduka Pooja and Violin recital by Kala Ramnath followed right after.  Tabla was by Vishwanath Shirodhkar.  Air conditioning did not work in the Sudhama hall, and Guruji noted during his speech that we sat in the “conditioned air” hall instead of “air conditioned” hall for the recital.
Posting this again from the moving bus, so pardon the dust!!!

November 6th, 2009 - Day 19 of the yatra

 Sandeepany classes start at 5:30 with meditation.  A few of us made it to the meditation while others caught up with sleep.  All of us attended the 7:15AM class on Taitteriya Upanishad by Swami Advaitanandaji.  He left us with something to ponder – Satyam Vada can be summarized as follows –“THINK before you speak”.  T-H-I-N-K – which means speak : Truth, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary and Kind.

After breakfast, we got a conducted tour by Mahesh Rao, brother of our own Chittaranjanji.  Starting with Vivekalaya and Vairagyalaya, the male student’s residence, where Gurudev first stayed and personally supervised the initial construction, we got to walk around and see the staff quarters, student quarters, offices, publications division and book stall before we were lead to Pujya Gurudev’s Kutia.  His Kutia is kept immaculately, and the attached satsang hall was beautifully decorated.  Sharadaji sang a bhajan which took us into a meditative mood.

All of us then poured into the bookstore.  It is bigger than it used to be, once this was reconstructed after the 50th anniversary celebrations, the book sales went from 65K to 6 lakhs annually.  It was hard to pull us away from the bookstore.

Pujya Guruji’s Satsang followed at 11 where he went over the history of Tara Cultural Trust, Central Chinmaya Mission Trust and Sandeepany.  He gave us a quick statistics on the number of students who apply, join, finish and practice under Chinmaya Mission on a given Vedanta Course.  It was quite an eye opener for us. He mentioned how the Brahmachari course is supported by donors like us and indeed one donor had sponsored two separate courses in their entirety.

Paduka Pooja followed lead by the resident Purohit at Sandeepany, who is a graduate of the first Purohit course held at Chockahalli. After this we had lunch where we enjoyed live bhajans by Brahmacharis!!!  What a wonderful treat and great atmosphere!

After lunch we quickly packed our belongings and got into two buses to head to Pune.  On our way, we stopped at the brand new Chinmaya Mission facility at Navi Mumbai, named as Chinmaya Prerana, just inaugurated this past Vijaya Dashami.  Since our bus driver missed the exit, we missed the show for Chinmaya Prerana, and ended up stopping there for a very quick snack break instead.

Back in the bus for Pune, and we stopped again at the Ganesha Temple, where Gurudev gave his first talk.  This is of prime historic importance to Chinmaya families.  This is located in an older part of Pune city and we were ably escorted there by the CHYKs from Chinmaya Mission, Pune who made sure that all our needs were taken care of during our visit. We got to enjoy beautiful bhajans by Kalyani there, did temple darshan and we were back in the bus heading to Kolwan.

We reached Kolwan by 8:45, where we were welcomed warmly by the Vibhooti sevaks and staff.  They efficiently showed us our rooms for a quick wash and after dinner, Guruji gave us the plans for tomorrow.

November 5th 2009

The day started off at CIF with the pandemonium of packing and getting ready to leave.  In Guruji’s Kutia, there were a few children who had come from Chinmaya Vidyalaya Kottayam, and one of the children was fortunate to sing a beautiful kirtan in front of Pujya Guruji.

We had a group photo op with the CIF staff and sevaks in front of Adi Shankaraacharya’s Illom. Soon after, we headed to the airport to catch our 12:55 flight to Mumbai.

We managed a detour to stop at my home in Tripunithura, which is 30 minutes away from CIF.  My nine year-old son, Kapil, who was staying with his grandmother (my mother) at my Tripunithara house at the time, was very happy to see Guruji, and showed him all around the house.  We departed from my home after breakfast, and continued our journey to the airport to join the rest of the yatris. After reaching the airport, we found out that the flight was delayed, so while we munched on our lunch in the airport, Pyareji was kind enough to entertain us with his humor, interspersed with Mithai from various sources.

We received a warm welcome at the Mumbai Ashram, from the student Brahmacharis and Acharyas. We were then lead to our rooms in Chinmaya Vihar.  I heard Guruji giving instructions while we were on the bus to turn on the geysers in each room so that we don’t have to wait to shower.  Perfect “Guruji touch”!

Established in 1963, Sandeepany Sadhanalaya in Powai, Mumbai was the first institute of Vedanta formed by Swami Chinmayananda. It commenced with Swami Chinmayananda himself as the Acharya (teacher).

The two-year residential Vedanta course in English now commences and concludes at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya on the auspicious day of Ganesha Chaturthi. A year after its conclusion, another course begins. The 13th batch of spiritual students completed their course in September 2007 & the 14th batch is in progress now.

Pujya Gurudev named Chinmaya Mission’s Vedanta institutes for spiritual studies as Sandeepany. He said, “Sandeepany symbolizes the perfect kindling and the kindling of perfection in the hearts of men.”

In ancient times, the great sage Maharshi Sandeepany headed a Gurukula where spiritual knowledge, scriptural teachings, martial arts and all aspects of learning were imparted to resident disciples. Gurukulas were much more than today’s boarding school and the students stayed under the tutelage, protection and nurturing of their guru for approximately ten years. Students and their guru resided together as a family. Maharshi Sandeepany’s most famed disciple was none other than Lord Krishna.

Swami Chinmayananda thus chose Sandeepany as Chinmaya Mission’s first Vedantic learning and spiritual training academy. This title later came to be used generically for all of the Mission’s Vedantic institutes, which came up in various parts of India, offering two-year residential training in regional languages.

We had our snacks and ready for the 6:30 Aarathi.  The Jagadeeshwara temple is in the top of the mound, and is beautiful.  The chants and aarathi invokes devotion in anyone who happen to stand nearby, quite a harmonious display of lights, chants and sounds!

The aarathi was followed by Guruji’s satsang.  He talked about Ramayana, Aaranya Kanda which was the topic of discussion for the Sandeepany students.  Guruji talked about Aranya Kanda as explained in different Ramayanas.  He also outlined our program for tomorrow.  He suggested that we sit in the Upanishad class of Swami Advaitanandaji in the morning, followed by a conducted tour of the facility.

A day filled with travel is coming to an end.

Wednesday, November 4 – Day 17 of the Yatra

The day started with Satsang with Swami Advayanandaji, the resident Acharya at CIF.  He gave us an overview of the multitude of programs and activities CIF offers.

CIF’s academic programs and projects include:
 - Advanced pure research at the doctoral and post-doctoral level – One of the projects nearing completion is the critical edition of the Brahma Sutras with Sankara Bhashya with English translation and notes
- Development of Sukti-sudha, a compilation of proverbs from Sanskrit literature and Vada-kosha, a compendium of Indian philosophical tenets, are some of the other ongoing areas of research.
- Compilation and popularization Sansk-net, a national network data base of Sanskrit classics is another area of work.
- Applied research in the form of Sanskrit and Vedanta home study courses through mail and the Internet offers an opportunity for individuals to easily initiate studies in Sanskrit and Vedanta.
- Exploring and facilitating the collection, preservation, digitalization and publication of rare palm-leaf and other manuscripts
- Anusaraka or Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a next level English to Hindi translation software which allows for recognition of the right context of speech along with appropriate suggestions taking into account usage scenarios
- Mastering Matrimony – The Chinmaya Art of Home Life - a manual for guidance to householders and marriage counseling based on the Indian scriptures.

We got a conducted tour of the library and were lead to the manuscript room.  It was fascinating to see the manuscripts from centuries back lining up the shelves and learning about the process of preserving and archiving them made us feel socially conscious.

Next, we were captivated by Brahmachari Gagan Chaitanya, with his versatile skills, and using these many talents, he elucidated the past and future of the easy Sanskrit online course.

Manisha Makecha (Yuva Veer) and Shivani then explained the new CIF website and Anusaarika project.  (Please visit their revamped website www.chinfo.org for more information about CIF.)
The chuttuvilakku and Paduka pooja set against a drizzly evening rounded out the evening.

Guruji’s satsang followed, where he talked about the similarities in the lives of Adi Shankaracharya and Gurudev.