Tuesday, November 3 – Day 16 of the Yatra

Ved-Putras and Acharyas bade us a fond good-bye after breakfast and we took off to the Siruvani CORD facility.

We met Dr. Meera Krishnan, who is the CORD coordinator there and her staff.  We were impressed by their efficiency and what they have accomplished in a short time through medical facility, self-help-groups and empowerment programs.

They were quite adept in making handicraft items and pain balms.  One successful ongoing project consists of teaching the residents to make paper bags out of used newspaper (among other products) to sell in the local stores, which helps reduce the use of and associated pollution issues of plastic bags. Dr. Krishnan, a gynecologist by training, has trained a team of dedicated health care workers who have been conducting screening exams coupled with education in hygiene and sanitation. CORD has helped the people it serves to construct toilets with their own involvement leading to improved habits and a fundamental change in their lives.

Next stop: CIF.

Established in 1989, Chinmaya International Foundation (CIF), is a research centre for advanced study in Sanskrit and Indology. It is a cross-cultural forum for the exchange of knowledge. Swami Chinmayananda visualized CIF as a bridge between the East and the West, past and present, science and spirituality, and the pundit and the public.

CIF is located at the birthplace of Adi Sankaracharya at Veliyanad in Kerala, which is about 30 km from the city of Ernakulam. Originally known as the Melpazhur Mana, and named by Pujya Gurudev as Adi Sankara Nilayam, this is the home of Aryamba, the holy mother of Sri Sankara.

We were given a conducted tour by Mr. K.K. Rajan.  The emotions we experienced while standing in the birth room of Bhagawan Adi Shankaracharya with Pujya Guruji is very hard to explain.

In the evening, there was “Chuttuvilakku” and “Melam”.   The “Chuttuvilakku” is the special pooja where the small lamps around the temple are individually lit by devotees in the name of the sponsor of the pooja.  The first lamp was lit by Guruji.  The temple and its premises glowed beautifully with from all the lamps lit.  The “Melam”, with its intoxicating tune, soon overcame all the participants, and they all began dancing along to the beat.

After the special pooja was finished at the temple, we participated in the Gurudev Paduka Pooja and dinner.  Guruji introduced the patrons and Acharyas of CIF.

Pujya Guruji narrated the little-known story of Father Anthony Ilanjimittam (Isha Bodhananda). Once, when he met Pujya Gurudev, Gurudev had suggested that he do something for CIF. The Father then forgot all about it and was not aware that Gurudev had attained Mahasamadhi.  One day, well after Gurudev’s passing, he was reminded of this during his meditation and he came to meet Guruji. He described that he felt that a Mahatma had made a suggestion to him and he had not carried it out. He then made Rs. 10 lakhs donation and later gave even more.  One of the residential blocks at CIF is named in Fr. IIlajimittam’s honor. It was quite inspiring to hear about Isha Bodhananda’s story.

November 2nd 2009

We woke up to the chants of Ved-Putras and watched a beautiful pooja.  Walking around the calm Ashram, Goshala and temple itself put us into a meditative mood.

The Chinmaya International Residential School (CIRS) adjoins the Chinmaya Gardens Ashram. CIRS, a shining example of modern education, is right besides the ashram. It is a distinctive residential school with grades 5-12, providing students from India and abroad an academic and spiritual education program par excellence.

The Yartis were invited to a tour of the entire school, starting with an introduction by the resident Acharya, Swami Swaroopananda.

We were guided through the sylvan campus with its state of the art facilities for the 500 students who come from all over the world to study here. It was Gurudev’s vision that children growing up in different parts of the world be given an opportunity to live and learn in an environment, where both the inner and outer development occur in harmony helping the next generation imbibe the eternal values which make them caring, productive individuals.

Set against the backdrop of the Siruvani Forest reserve, some of the highlights of the facility are laser lab, modern computers, top class athletic facilities, solar powered systems, full medical facility, etc. The library has more than 14,000 volumes and has facilities for all of the research which the students are encouraged to pursue in their areas of interest.

He expressed his desire to have more Chinmaya Mission families send their children to the school for their education. In the afternoon, we enjoyed watching the students participating in the mandatory athletic activities. In the late afternoon, we were invited by Swami Swaroopananda to his Kutia.

He shared his love for nature by showing us the beautiful garden that he is nurturing. From the rooftop of his Kutia, we had an amazing view of the surrounding mountains.  Describing Gurudev’s grace and how the ashrams were located in places of great spiritual importance, he mentioned that as he was having Satsang with some of the local people when they described to him that nearby was Agasthya Gufa, where Agasthya Rishi meditated.

We chanted the Hanuman Chalisa at the beautiful Hanumaji’s pratima in the Kutia followed by a Satsang, about Guru Nanakji’s birth anniversary and his teachings.

We were also invited to attend the CIRS daily Arti, we sat there mesmerized listening to their beautiful bhajans.

It was drizzling lightly when we went to dinner hosted by CIRS, walk back to the Ashram was soothing and refreshing.  The next morning we would be off to Chinmaya International Foundation.

Sunday, November 1 – Day 14 of the Yatra

We set off from Chennai to Coimbatore via Jet Airways, It was short uneventful flight, almost completely filled with the Yatris.
We were welcomed at Coimbatore airport by Swami Swaroopananda, Swamini Vimalananda and Brahmachari Ajit Chaitanya. After about an hour’s bus ride the Ved-Putras (students of the Purohit course) and the other Brahmacharis welcomed Guruji, Swami Mitranandaji and the Yatris at the scenic Chiinmaya Gardens, the ashram at Siruvani.
Chinmaya Gardens is 26 km away from Coimbatore, nestled in the foothills of the Siruvani range of the Western Ghats. The ashram and CIR school are spread over 100 acres of lush, green land. Chinmaya Gardens is a temple of spiritual wisdom, giving solace to the body, mind and soul.
Regular camps, yajnas and classes are conducted at the ashram with the help and guidance of Swamini Vimalananda and other acharyas.
The Dhyana Nilayam (Satsang Hall) is an exquisitely designed meditation hall for over 100 people with audio and conference facilities. It also houses the library with an exclusive collection of books on Vedanta and Indian culture.
The ashram is also a Pitamaha Sadan (Senior Citizen Home). It gives senior citizens a peaceful environment for reflection and meditation.
The ashram has also set up the Chinmaya Vaidik Vidyapeetha to conduct the Purohita Course where priests are trained to perform rituals with understanding.
The ashram has its own goshala, paddy fields, coconut groves, orchards, vegetable gardens and crops, and thus is totally self sufficient.
At 5:00 pm we had Satsang with Swamini Vimalananda who is the head of the CCMT educational cell as well as the Chinmaya Vision Program, the apex body which oversees and guides the numerous Vidyalyas distributed throughout India and the West Indies presented the history of the educational movement. A wonderful presentation on the “Chinmaya Vision Program” followed. This is the bedrock which nurtures the growth of the student and the teacher in complete Holistic manner. Swaminiji reiterated that this is not a superficial cosmetic makeover but rather a core change developing strong values and understanding Indian Culture while obtaining a top class education.
At 6:15 pm, we had an Aarathi and Puja at the Ganesh Mandir, led by Brahmachari Samvit Chaitanya, Acharya of the Purohit course leading the Ved_putras. The evening air was filled with the divine mantras for the Lord. Following this we met at the Satsang Hall, where Guruji started off the Satsang by describing the difference between Aarti (Sanskrit) and Aarati. The former means distress and the latter removes distress.
Swamini Vimalalnada then described the history of the mission activities in Coimbatore and its environs. Gurudev first conducted a yagna 1954 and numerous times there after including during his 60th birthday. She narrated the story of how Swami Sahajananda did a Padayatra collecting only one rupee from each individual to help buy the beautiful Ashram at Chinmaya Gardens.
Pujya Guruji released Swami Brahmananda's Gita Chapter 10 chanting learning aid (booklet and audio aid) which will be the chapter for Gita chanting competition for 2010.

Saturday, October 31 – Day 13 of the Yatra

We went to the Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Taylors road where Pujya Guruji inaugurated the new air conditioned auditorium, Kalaalayam.
Guruji introduced the patrons and they gave us a brief history and activities of the Vidyalayas of Chennai. The first school in Chennai started with 20 students without a Pucca building and now there are four Vidyalayas in Chennai which are rated among the best Schools in the city. It is no wonder that it is a stronghold of Balavihar and Chinmaya Yuva Kendra groups.
Chennai has a very important place in the annals of the history of Chinmaya Mission as it is the birthplace of Chinmaya Mission. It is here that Chinmaya Mission had its inception as the Mission was formed by a few devotees on August 8, 1953. During our visit, it was an honor meeting Mrs Leela Nambiar, one of the pillars of Chinmaya Mission Chennai. Even at the age of 90 she continues to serve CM.
After a traditional lunch served on banana leaves, we headed back to the hotel for a short rest. At 4:30 in the afternoon we were off to Chinmaya Heritage center for a gathering, tour and stage show called “Death”.
The Chinmaya Heritage Center is situated in the heart of the city on Harrington Road has served Chennai in various aspects for many years.
Chinmaya Tapovan auditorium is built on the second floor without any pillars, an architectural marvel that is sought after as a venue for the premium programs in the city. There is a well-furnished library, conference room and a well-stocked book stall.
It also houses the editorial offices of Tapovan Prasad, Chinmaya Mission’s international monthly magazine, and Chinmaya Udghosh, the magazine of Chinmaya Yuva Kendra (CHYK).
The CHYKs here have staged plays like Kamba Ramayanam, LOC, 2047, Bharatiyar, Surya 108 and Death which have been performed all over the country and abroad.
After a brief presentation of all activities, we got a tour of their large facility, and it was very fascinating to see the “art of displaying the books” in the bookstore.
“Death” was an intense, marvelous show. I should mention that Swami Mitranandaji, the guiding hands of this show, was travelling with us for the whole yatra, but even without him, the performers didn’t miss a beat and show was absolutely stunning. We got chuckles when we saw our own faces on display in the list of Lord Death.
Death himself (the CHYK who played the Lord of Death) came and served me rice during the dinner!
Small group of our yatris had branched off from Tirupathy to go to Chinmaya Vijaya, an orphanage under CORD initiated by Drs. Sumathy and Apparao Mukkamala, Flint MI. That group described their trip as being very uplifting having observed 4 and 5 year olds who were previously street children, now smiling, reciting chapter 9 of Bhagavat Gita without flaw.
We all went back to our rooms; we are off to Coimbatore tomorrow.

October 30 Tirupathy to Chennai Via Tamaraipakkam

We were off for the darshan of the Lord of Tirupathi at 2AM. It was an auspicious day, after Vaikunta Ekadashi and we considered ourselves very fortunate to have the Lord’s darshan in the presence of our Guru.
Beautiful winding roads lead us to the abode of Venkatachalapathy and our Darshan was done in no time. After the Darshan, we were lead to a room where a special prayer was conducted for us and a shawl was presented to Pujya Guruji on behalf of the Pujaris there. While we were walking out, temple’s yearly procession was on its way, we got to see the Utsava moorthy at His resplendence.
Considered the richest and most sacred temple in the world, Tirupati temple is located 67 km away from Chittoor in southern Andhra Pradesh. Also known as Tirupati Balaji Temple, it is a major pilgrimage center of south India.
The temple is located on a hill at Tirumala. It is a conglomeration of seven hills known as Seshachalam or Venkatachalam. The temple boasts of a vibrant and colorful culture and a grand past. It is an important pilgrimage center, where devotees stand for long hours waiting to get a glance of the presiding deity.
The ancient Tirupati temple follows the Dravidian style of architecture. The gopuram of this temple is its highlight. The Vimana or Cupola, named the “the Ananda Nilayam” is placed over the sanctum sanctorum. It is completely gold plated.
A day at Tirupati Tirumala temple begins with Suprabhatam (awakening the Lord) at 3 am. The day ends with the Ekanta Seva (putting the Lord to sleep) at 1 am. Prayers are offered daily, weekly and periodically in the form of Sevas and Utsavams to the Lord. Devotees who want to pay homage to the Lord can donate a small amount and have the Sevas or Utsavams done in their name.
After breakfast at Bliss, we went to Chinmaya Srinivas, the new Tirupathy Chinmaya center. There is a beautiful Chinmaya Venugopal murthi at that temple. Phaneendra Sai Garu who is instrumental for the Ashram and its activities, talked briefly about the history and events.
Guruji commended about the wonderful Satsang hall, connected with the temple, which had come since his last visit. They also have plans to build an Ashram on the land nearby.
Guruji explained that Krishna means the one who attracts. In life, what attract are beauty, sweetness and happiness, this is represented by the word “Madhu” in Sanskrit. What gives beauty, sweetness, happiness is called Madhura. “Madhuradhipathi” is the lord of sweetness, beauty, happiness and that is who is presiding diety as Chinmaya Venugopal. We should all strive to gain these qualities in our lives.
After this short visit, we were back in Hotel Bliss for lunch. Thanking our hosts, we were off to Tamaraipakkam. The last hour, we were escorted by Yuva Kendra members on their motor bikes with orange flags who lead the way to ashram. We received a warm welcome at the center.
About 40 km from Chennai is Sarveshwara Nagar in Tamaraipakkam. This ashram was set up as a Pitamaha Sadan — a place where people over the age of 60 can stay permanently. The purpose is to provide a quiet, serene environment conducive to reflection and meditation. A Tamil Sandeepany was formed here and two batches of students were trained under the guidance of Swami Shreedharananda.
The Geeta satsang hall on the ground floor of Sarveshwara Dhyana Nilayam (the temple) is a well-ventilated circular prayer hall.
The ashram also has a Goshala (cowshed), paddy fields and beautifully forested areas.
We got tours of CORD activities by Mr. Kannan, a very dedicated Sevak, after which we visited Shiva temple which is shaped like a Shivalinga. History, activities and plans were presented to us by the center administrators. A Hari Har school which is in operation at the center for the disadvantaged is being expanded thanks to generous support from the family of one our fellow Yatris and will go up to Standard 8 from 2010. In the end, Guruji introduced us to Brahmachari Sadashiva Chaitanya who has been instrumental in interfacing with the local people in Tamaraipakkam.
We reached Hotel Breeze for the stay while Guruji and a few of the delegates went on to the Chennai Ashram. A long, eventful day was coming to an end.

Thursday, October 29 – Day 11 of the Yatra

We reached Chokahalli Ashram, about 40 miles from Bangalore in the morning before breakfast. We had a short satsang with Brahmachari Shaunak Chaitanya where he discussed the history and activities of the Ashram.
The children from Chinmaya Vidyalaya were there, and it was fun watching their participation with loud “Jai” and “Hari OMs”. The school is English medium after 5th grade. There were also the students of the priest training school who captivated us with their Vedic chants.
As the name of the place itself suggests, one experiences the exquisite beauty of Mother Nature here. The literal meaning of ‘Chokka’ is that which is beautiful, neat and tidy. The quiet and serene surroundings of Chokkahalli, 7 km from Kolar, appealed to Swami Brahmananda, who chose this location for Sandeepany Karnataka in 1984. In 1993, during Pujya Gurudev’s visit to Bangalore for a Geeta Jnana Yajna, Sri Shadakshari undertook the responsibility of building a big temple for Sri Omkareshwara.
The Kumbhabhishekam took place in November 1994. A Rudra Homa was performed according to tradition, followed by a Sahasra Kumbhabhishekam with nearly 3500 people participating.
The temple has an engraving of Lord Shiva in Kailash. An idol of Lord Ganapati occupies the position below Sri Omkareshwara. Two bulls stand guard at the entrance of the temple. The crown of the temple is adorned with the carvings of Sri Dakshinamurthy, Lord Ganesha and Lord Kartikeya. On top of the temple is a huge Shiva Linga.
Pujya Swami Tejomayananda consecrated Chinmaya Ganapati in February 1998. A Sahasra Kalashabhisheka was organized on a specially erected ramp, and Chinmaya Ganapati took a grand, holy bath, enough to drench his gigantic form.
Chinmaya Ganapati has its own charm, since the colossal form of the Lord, measuring nearly 45 feet from the ground, captivates every heart that visits the place.
After a splendid breakfast, we took off for Thirupathi. We received a warm welcome at Hotel Bliss, owned by Mr. Rajashekhar, who has been long associated with Chinmaya Mission and was a CHYK along with Swami Mitrananda. As soon as we had quick lunch and freshen up, we were off to Chinmayaranyam.
The Chinmayaranyam ashram at Ellayapalle in Andhra Pradesh, upon its inception, was proclaimed by Swami Chinmayananda as a new kind of ashram, where the poor and needy would be served with love and affection. True to its motto, “Receive the light of knowledge. Bring out the heat of action,” Chinmayaranyam has done tremendous work for the upliftment of the rural poor in that region.
The project was spearheaded by Swamini Saradapriyananda (who attained mahasamadhi on April 17 2000), one of Swami Chinmayananda’s foremost direct disciples. As the driving force behind Chinmayaranyam and its activities, she conquered one and all with her selfless, tireless service and unconditional love.
Amma, as she was lovingly called, had received a piece of barren land in a burial ground donated by the villagers for establishing an ashram in a remote village in the drought prone Cuddapah district of Andhra Pradesh. Gurudev’s first visit to this place on 8th February 1982 was to conduct the Bhoomi puja.
The village had two wells, of which one was dry and the second was down to its last few drops of water. Against this background Swamiji was visualizing a forest around the ashram, which to many appeared to be a dream. Pointing out with his walking stick to two banyan trees, standing on either side of the land, Swamiji said, “Dig along the line that connects the two trees. Water is sure to come.” Water gushed forth from the well when it was dug.
Chinmayaranyam has now been transformed into a beautiful, green ashram. In recognition of this work the government granted the ashram a hillock adjoining it for development and reforestation which is being carried out successfully.
We visited the Hari Har school, which serves the economically disadvantaged children from the nearby villages where there were over 500 children. During our visit there, Guruji performed a Bhoomi Poooja for expansion of the school. There is also an associated orphanage which houses 45 children.
Our Yatris, inspired by the wonderful work and beautiful children, immediately donated Rs 30,000 collectively for the ashram and orphanage.
We were enthralled in the evening we were treated to a play by Brahmacharis and children about Swami Tapovanji’s life. It was amazing to see the children’s performance. They depicted Chippukutti’s birth to His Samadhi with beautiful background multimedia presentations. Mitranandaji was so moved by this and he invited them to Chennai for a encore performance.
We had dinner at the Ashram and returned to Hotel Bliss for a quick nap, as the next day, we had to take off at 2:00 am for Venkitachelapathy Darshan.

October 28 Bangalore

We set out after breakfast for the SriPaadaKshetra center situated at JP Nagar.  We got a warm welcome, at the beautiful new facility inaugurated in 2005 by Pujya Guruji.
Mr. Ravi, Secretary of Bangalore CM described that Bangalore was the place Pujya Gurudev gave the third Yagna in 1956, and is of prime importance.  Under Guruji’s grace and Swami Brahmananda’s (affectingly known as Brahmaji) leadership, the activities in Karnataka has grown tremendously.
The current SriPaadaKshetra auditorium can seat 700+ people.  Raviji described the moving story of Mr. Soni, a Chinmaya Mission devotee, who served and lived like a saint and upon his passing, gave all his belongings to Chinmaya Mission. Brahmaji named the Acharya’s kutia at this center in Mr. Soni’s name.
We then proceeded to the Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Koramangala where the children received us with a marching band.  Mr. Bhatt, head of regional schools, gave a presentation on Chinmaya Vidyalaya and Chinmaya Vision program.  It warmed our hearts seeing the bright faces of the tiny tots greeting Pujya Guruji with “Hari Om Swamiji” in a chorus when Guruji passed by their class.
Next we stopped at Deenabandu Devastanam, Indira Nagar where Vedputras (the students of Purohit course) received Guruji with chants.  The temple here was inaugurated in 1979 and the presiding deity is “savior of the Sadhus”.  Brahmaji gave a short lecture and he emphasized that we are the lamps that Gurudev lit, no matter where we are in the world and that we are one family.

We had a sumptuous lunch followed by a visit to the Chinmaya Mission Hospital (CMH).  Lt. Col.(retd.) Dr. Chandra Shekhar, the chief medical director of Chinmaya Mission Hospital, gave a detailed presentation on the vision and approach of CMH.  In 1969, Drs.  Purushottaman, a physician couple, were inspired by Gurudev and started the CMH as an outpatient dispensary with two beds.  It has now grown into 250 beds multi specialty hospital with state of the art care.
Key feature of this hospital is that 45% of care if given almost free of charge. The costs associated with care of the patients are often 40 to 50 % cheaper than other similar facilities. We were then split into groups for a tour of the facility.   They showed us different departments where we met with wonderful group of committed medical staff for whom, even though they had more lucrative options, they chose the path of this noble service.
We returned to the hotel and had a evening Satsang with Guruji where he beautifully explained the peripheral and deeper meaning bhajan “Gayiye jagavandana” – first song of Vinaya Patrika by Sant Tulasidas.
The night’s dinner was hosted by Mr. Shadaskari managing director of Ramanashree group.  Mr. Narasimhulu Chetty, long time Chinmaya Mission trustee said that the focal point is that we are all one family as he gave us all gifts. A busy day that allowed us to touch Gurudev’s vision and how far it has reached was coming to an end.