Author Archives: Web Master

How can we liberate ourselves from our sorrows?

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Sometimes in life, despite all our sincere efforts, we experience great sorrow. These sorrows come in many forms – personal conflicts, financial instability, disease or loss of a loved one. Many have tried to find a recourse for their dilemma, but have come up empty-handed; these answers are not easily found. So what is the path to liberation from such difficult situations? The answers are in our scriptures and in the nature of Lord Hanuman, who is a shining example for overcoming obstacles. Exploring the eight verses of Sankat Mochan, penned by Sant Tulsidas, brings wisdom to help overcome the challenges that life presents.

In times of despair and to face the woes of life, we need an anchor, something or someone to hold on to. At such times, even friends or family may not be able to help us due to their own limitations. Connecting with a power larger than ourselves, helps transcend self-limiting thoughts and tap into the potential within. There is no better deity to surrender our woes to than Lord Hanuman. He can both remove obstacles and bring us happiness and peace.

What causes us sorrow?

Let us understand how sorrow comes. Sorrow is a part of life. Man, steeped in ignorance and delusions, gets attached to the materialistic pleasures of life, which foster feelings of inadequacy when those are denied to him. As a result, doubt and ego become the core of deep-rooted distress. So how can we eradicate these negative experiences from life? Begin by understanding that, like everything in the world, joy and sorrow are temporary.

Is ignorance really bliss?

Among the various reasons behind sorrow, the most dominant is ignorance. Even though the famous adage says ‘Ignorance is bliss’, we know that ignorance, the cause of great pain and misery, doesn’t give us bliss. It gives us blisters! The antidote to ignorance is knowledge. We require the light of knowledge to break free from the clutches of ignorance and the consequent sorrow. Only when this knowledge is gained from a guru, can we know the truth of life and be released from the otherwise unbreakable cycle of sorrow.

Our sages removed ignorance by invoking the light of knowledge. The first verse of Sankat Mochan indicates how Lord Hanuman tried to experience the state of supreme fulfillment and bliss. He strove to remove ignorance by devouring the Sun, the source of all knowledge, the supreme reality.

Karma and suffering

Another cause of sorrow is karma. Resulting from actions of the past, we often have to face suffering, which gives rise to despair; the feeling that we are unlucky or that we are unqualified for happiness. We cannot escape karma, we carry it with us. However, the company of saints and sages weakens its hold. Karma, our perennial companion, is forced to park itself outside the place of satsang. It is in satsang that we can find our happiness and break free from sorrow. During satsang, in the company of the wise, we are at peace and our problems of home and office are forgotten.

Identifying with the physical self

Yet another cause of sorrow is our body identification and its accompanying materialism. Clinging to the anga or bodily form is guaranteed to bring anguish upon ourselves. This does not mean we abandon the body and do not take care of it. We need to understand its limitations and avoid excessive attachment. To attain peace and forsake our worldly sorrows, it is advisable to reduce the focus on sensorial experiences. Follow Lord Hanuman’s example. He fearlessly crossed the ocean and reached Lanka, by remaining totally indifferent to any physical comforts, and also without entertaining any fears. He remembered the Lord with total faith in his goal, determined to overcome all impediments, and so achieved the impossible.

Materialism and misery

Our attachment to objects ensures that we make despair and despondency, our permanent guest. We know how Sita Maa’s longing for the golden deer eventually brought her misery. This incident is a lesson for us to eschew materialistic attachment. Objects, though alluring and fascinating, have the ability to drown us in sorrow and unhappiness when we are unable to attain them. Detachment to objects is the only way to escape the sorrow that stems from our attachment to them.

Lord Hanuman, our saviour

Our bhakti to Lord Hanuman will help us as we falter and fail in life. He can save us when ego poisons us with doubt and maya blinds us with greed. By prayer alone can we conquer this ego and set off on a path towards unadulterated happiness. A true devotee of the Lord is one who sees the universe as His form and constantly serves everyone as service to Him.

Our only hope in this sorrow filled world is devotion to the Lord, which gives us the ability to see the silver lining. The reasons for sorrow are many but so are the remedies. Let us invoke Lord Hanuman’s grace – grow closer to the Lord, increase our devotion and thus remove ignorance, and the sorrows and suffering caused by karmas.

Swami Swaroopananda
Global Head, Chinmaya Mission

Vaikunta Ekadashi Celebrations at Hosur

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Shri Vaikunta Ekadashi was celebrated at Chinmaya Upasana, Chinmaya Mission Hosur, on 13 January 2022. Like every year, a special Abhisheka was done to the presiding deity, Shri Omkara Mahavishnu, at 5 AM IST followed by special Alankara and Puja.

At 7.30 AM, a specially decorated “Urchava Murthy on Palakku” was taken around Chinmaya Upasana with Vedic chanting. After that, devotees who had gathered at the Centre made special offerings and did Archana to the Lord.

At 9 AM “Shri Vishnu Sahasranama” chanting began. Devotees chanted Shri in five batches and each batch chanted for two hours. Along with them, members and volunteers also joined. Shri Vishnu Sahasranama was chanted a total of 277 times during the day!

At 7.30 PM, a special “Sayana Seva” was offered to Bhagavan Shri Omkara Mahavishnu. Selected kirtans of revered saints were sung for 20 minutes followed by absolute silence and a single lamp lit for Bhagavan alone. All were soaked in the divine and blissful experience.

Prasad was served throughout the day. Due to the Covid situation, no advertisements were made regarding the celebrations. Still, a floating crowd of 800 devotees could have darshan of the Lord throughout the blessed day.

Shri Hanuman Chalisa Maha Parayana Homa at Hosur

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On the auspicious occasion of Shri Hanuman Jayanti on 1 January 2022, a Samashti Shri Hanuman Chalisa Maha Parayana Homa was organized by Chinmaya Mission Hosur, under the guidance of Swami Shashvatananda. The divine celebration was held with great enthusiasm and devoted participation from all members as well as the public.

Since Shri Hanuman Jayanti came with the beginning of the year 2022, sevaks felt that the prayer should be “the new year should bring more good health and get rid of all negativities”. It was also decided to do the prayer collectively by involving the public.

The owner of nearby land Shri Thiagarajan and Smt. Vasanthi Thiagarajan came forward to support by providing the venue. This was much appreciated. Arrangements were made with temporary roofing and sufficient gap for each Homakunda.

Feedback from the public was good and 81 families registered with 45 families finally having participated. Each family was given a Homakunda and all necessary materials. Shri Krishna Sharma from Chinmaya Mission Salem conducted the Homa. Brahmachari Saravanan also graced the occasion.

The Homa started at 8.30 AM IST. Shri Hanuman Chalisa was chanted continuously 27 times. For every two shlokas, offerings were made in the Homa. Participants devotedly chanted and made offerings in the Homa. Along with them, members and other volunteers also chanted.

After Purnahuti, the Kalashas kept in the Homa were brought inside Chinmaya Upasana. All those who participated were requested to assemble inside the Centre. Then, a special abhisheka was offered to Shri Hanuman with “Abhisheka Dravyams” and “Kalasha Teertham”. During the time of Alankaram, members rendered a few Bhajans and Swami Shashvatananda had a satsang on Shodasha Upachara Puja, quoting from “Shri Kambha Ramayanam”.

To conclude, Maha Arati was done and Prasadam given to all. Everybody felt happy and thanked Chinmaya Mission Hosur for organizing such a beautiful celebration. The entire programme was planned with Covid-appropriate behaviour and was concluded satisfactorily. Swami Shashvatananda and members thanked all those who contributed to this memorable event.

Feedback from a Global Youth Camp Attendee

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‘In Line With The Higher Power’, the online global Chinmaya Yuva Kendra camp in December 2021, could not have been a more eye-opening weekend. In just two days, Swami Swaroopananda (Global Head, Chinmaya Mission) taught over 100 attendees from around the world how to achieve dynamism. Through regular reprogramming and rewiring of our equipment, we can continually progress in life and come in line with the Higher Power.

I particularly loved the analogy whereby we were compared to a computer. When buying a computer, most of us go by the looks and feel of the device. Yes, they have a purpose too, but rarely do we take its primary function into consideration. No matter how brilliant the hardware and craftsmanship of the hardware, if the software for this hardware does not exist, what use does the computer have at all? When we peel the layers of the device, we see it going from its outermost casing to its innermost software. Our brain is our software. The electricity, which provides the computer with power, is synonymous to the ever-existing Consciousness within us. How we reprogramme our equipment is our sadhana (spiritual practice). I thought this concept was so beautiful; simple yet so profound. The tools to act lie within us, and we must take it upon ourselves to build a strong exterior so that we can achieve greatness in all our goals, and tune ourselves to be more in line with the Higher Power.

The wonderful presence of Swami Anukoolananda and Swamini Supriyananda made camp all the more exciting and spectacular with their carefully crafted exercises and activities that kept us aligned and focused throughout. Not to mention they were super fun!

All in all, the camp was an astounding end to the year and even though I was attending through Zoom in my own house – it felt no different than earlier in-person camps because of the radiating energy of all the global participants in one setting. I just cannot wait for the 2022 instalment!

Shreya Nair
Chinmaya Yuva Kendra, Singapore

Smt Tara Sarup – Shraddhanjali

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Smt. Tara Sarup, first heard Swami Chinmayananda speak sometime in the late 1950s at Mumbai. She wasted no time in offering a 7-acre piece of land in Powai, Mumbai to Chinmaya Mission, and the first Sandeepany Sadhanalaya took birth in 1963, to be followed by the Jagadeeshwara temple, annually visited by lakhs of devotees. Tara Cultural Trust (TCT), the body that guides the administration of the Powai Ashram, is named after her. She took a keen interest in the running of the Trust, serving as its Managing Trustee since 1963.

Tara Amma, as she was affectionately known, reached the lotus feet of Swami Chinmayananda in Mumbai on 3 January 2022, at the venerable age of 101.

Chinmaya Mission pays heartfelt obeisance to Smt. Tara Sarup and offers humble gratitude to her invaluable and relentless seva, offered through the decades of her association.

A Psychological Webinar Inspired By ‘The Holy Geeta’

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On the occasion of Bhagavad Gita Jayanti 2021, Atha Centre for Psychotherapy organized a special webinar on “Discover 7 Potent, Psychological Mantras from the Bhagavad Gita”

The unique webinar was conducted by Asira Chirmuley, director of Atha and a sevika of Chinmaya Mission, and Lakshmi Sivaraman, an intern at Atha and student of M.Sc Applied Psychology at Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth.

It was a heartfelt tribute to Shri Krishna, Bhagavad Gita as the essence of Eastern psychological wisdom and to the commentary by Swami Chinmayananda, titled ‘The Holy Geeta’.

The session started off with an explanation about Gita Jayanti, why it is celebrated and what makes the Bhagavad Gita such a special scripture for seekers and therapists alike. Asira and Lakshmi shared that they held ‘The Holy Geeta’ commentary as their sole inspiration for this webinar.

Through the webinar they successfully blended Asira’s psychotherapeutic expertise and wisdom with Lakshmi’s budding enthusiasm and experiential perspective of Indic spiritual wisdom, thereby giving the audience the following 7 powerful Mantras for holistic well-being:

1) Introspection
2) Sadhana
3) Integrity
4) Equanimity
5) Acceptance
6) Satsang
7) Connect with the Divine!

The positive feedback from the viewers indicated that the webinar was a huge success. The takeaways from the session and link to download the free ebook of ‘The Holy Geeta’ were emailed to over 1000 people by Atha Centre for Psychotherapy.

The Bhagavad Gita is a scientific guidebook for mental well-being. This webinar was a significant step in making the Indian psychological community give it a good thought which will lead to greater discoveries in the future.

Global Head, Swami Swaroopananda, Visits Australia

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In January and February 2022, Swami Swaroopananda (Global Head, Chinmaya Mission) is visiting Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in Australia. Click here to view his itinerary.

Spread the word to family and friends in Australia and look out for announcements on social media about online streaming for certain events.

What Does It Mean to Be The Best?

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Born into different circumstances, we share a constant throughout existence – the goal to live a worthy life. There are some who constantly seek inspiration to achieve this goal, and some who possess everything they need to be excellent. However, despite all this, some feel a sense of insecurity about their path to excellence. They are overwhelmed by all the uncertainties that surround them, on a daily basis. Since we are all not alike, sudden adversities and bleak situations beget different responses amongst us. It is natural to feel a sense of anxiety, and lack of clarity when faced with making life-altering decisions. Is it possible to overcome these tough battles of the mind?

We get many chances in life to refresh our knowledge, and strive to become better versions of ourselves. When we find an opportunity to ponder over this ability, we can reflect upon our past achievements or failures with dispassion. The hidden lessons to be learnt from prior experiences guide us towards this goal of excellence.

Is being the best about being excellent?
An analysis about the collective lives of human beings, brings the realization that each and every one wants to be good. By this, I mean that we all want to appear ‘good’ in society. Even Kamsa and Ravana who represent evil in our scriptures, wanted to be seen and perceived as good people with virtues. Not just wanting to be good, most of us want to be seen as the best. However, is being the best akin to being excellent? The answer to this is that being the best is inevitably in comparison with something else. It is imperative to understand that to be the best is not always possible. However, to do our best is definitely possible. Being excellent, on the other hand, is giving our best to a given task, to the best of our knowledge and ability, to bask in the glow of fulfillment afterwards.

What is excellence and can it be exceeded?
Excellence is a quality of being outstanding, of being exemplary. This aspiration, when combined with equal efforts, leads to greatness. Since humans are mired in society’s expectation of perfection, sometimes the desire for excellence may be suppressed or even given up due to feelings of inadequacy, jealousy and a weakened emotional state. Let me share the story of Arjuna. His practice, determination and undying love for his skill made him the best archer. Arjuna achieved excellence multiple times. But what happened to him right in the middle of the battlefield, when he needed to put that excellence to test, and exceed it? He experienced mental conflict, despondency and the unwillingness to attack and kill his elders and teachers. Even though one part of his life was resolved and had attained fulfillment, his emotions around relationships remain unresolved. To overcome this strife, he needed to exceed his own excellence.

Combating fear and failures
Arjuna’s pathos on the battlefield of Kurukshetra has remained a significant moment for centuries thereafter. It was here that Lord Krishna imparted the knowledge of Bhagavad Gita, also known as ‘The Song of the Divine’. Krishna’s lessons from the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita helped Arjuna to drive away his feeling of despair and transcend his state of depression; the negativities which had prevented him following his Dharma. Krishna reminds Arjuna – when you get what you want, there is a sense of happiness, yet when you are able to express your potential to the best of your capacity, there is an inner sense of peace and satisfaction that supersedes the happiness of attaining the object of your desire. This state of infinitude is devoid of distress, comparisons and dissatisfaction. It is here that we can find contentment and peace.

The ultimate lesson of excellence
In this karmic world, our ultimate focus is to live life to the fullest, to achieve the greatness we aspire for. We live from goal to goal, feeling happy when we get what we want. However, our joy is dependent on that which leads to temporary contentment. This requires a delicate balancing of many aspects of life and can hence be daunting for many. Very often, one failure drowns us in misery, ruining our chances for success. Self-introspection provides us the clarity to recognize our potential, so it can be channelized into actions where we can actualize our potential every time. The continuous pursuit for excellence ensures that we continue to grow mentally and spiritually. The decision to invest our best efforts in meaningful actions is the path to transformation. Exceed your excellence, be your own competition, and be the best for yourself.

The Magic of Willpower: How to Change the Course of Your Life

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Human beings are the most advanced of all the species on earth. Possessing an intellect, we have the ability to ponder over, communicate, and comprehend issues. We also have the prowess to tackle the circumstances life throws at us. We can let harsh times overwhelm us or take what comes our way with a pinch of salt. Accepting it all, we can steer through life with our knowledge and experience. At such moments, we tend to question the true existence of destiny and ask, “Are we bound by a pre-existing template of fate that we can reshape at will?”

When confronted with life’s striking lessons, our complex minds help question the challenges ahead. In such moments, we explore the freedom to alter the outcome of our present experience, and develop the muscle to alter what doesn’t benefit us. So what must we take into account before delivering an action that is potent enough to bring a change that works to our benefit? Here are three ways to change the course of our lives for the better:

The Power of Choice

As human beings, we possess the liberty to choose between things that best align with our personal or professional goals. Therefore, our intellect is perceived as a boon, unlike animals, who thrive on instinct and cannot lead lives based on the possibility of informed choices. Once their basic needs are met, they continue to live a satisfied life. But as humans, we are able to doubt and hence, challenge the status quo in order to apply the intelligence bestowed upon us. We also exercise our power of choice to make decisions on a daily basis. To fulfill our perceived needs, we combine intellect with effort in the right direction, to pave the way for creating success and satisfaction. To achieve such levels of excellence requires a good measure of daily and consistent motivational planning.

Where There is a Will, There is a Way

Planning and preparation take us a certain distance towards our goals. But what happens when we encounter change? In the event of a sudden change, we require more than our usual reserve of habitual strength. This is where willpower plays an important role. In life’s journey, if ‘intellect’ is the rudder of the aircraft, then ‘willpower’ is the engine that helps our dreams to accelerate, gain momentum and gear for a powerful takeoff. Therefore, willpower is imperative in the play of destiny. A strong willpower is enough to move mountains. Then no goal is too big or intimidating to achieve. But when we fail to act upon it, we tend to live unremarkable lives.

Awareness is the Key to Succeeding at Life

Even when backed by the right knowledge and willpower, success and peace of mind are not always a guaranteed result of the effort applied. For a positive outcome, it is imperative to be aware of our thoughts and actions. While oscillating between change and our resistance to it, we need to remain a witness to our thoughts too. It is only when we are fully alert, available and attentive in the present moment that our willpower can truly help us push past upheavals. When we perceive the subtle, underlying phenomena that impacts our world, we develop an acute awareness that cuts through the fog of doubt like a blade, delivering the clarity to proceed. Our goals become clearer, the journey to reach the desired destination smoother, and all this is achieved with a minimum loss of time and energy.

Although misfortunes are a part and parcel of life, inner attentiveness neutralizes the results of undesirable actions from the past. The path of understanding life’s journey opens up when the feeling of entanglement with the effects of past actions disappears with time. Come what may, the spirit to keep going continues, when one is aligned with the objective, while possessing the strength and willpower to remain untouched by challenging moments. Indeed, the stimulation of one’s intellect, willpower and spiritual awareness opens up to a wider field of love.

Swami Swaroopananda
Global Head, Chinmaya Mission

1600-Strong Kannada Youth Seminar for Deepavali

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A wonderful initiative by All India Chinmaya Yuva Kendra to bring meaningful awareness of various festivals kickstarted with the youth from across the country organizing several online seminars to share views on one of the most popular festivals – Deepavali. In Karnataka, an online programme in Kannada was organized on Sunday 31 October 2021 where Swami Gahanananda explained the significance of various customs associated with the festival, sharing their background as well as scientific, logical reasons behind each aspect. More than 1600 youth participated in the interactive session.

Philosophy and religion go hand in hand. Rituals without understanding become mechanical, yielding no positive result, while lofty thoughts without selfless action remain a mere dream. Right understanding is an empowering force!

Deepavali literally means a row of lamps and the lamp represents knowledge. Be it an object as small as a lamp or anything else, everything is visible through the mind and intellect, powered by God. As we light a lamp, we need to remember the importance of understanding this universal presence. The various festivals like Dhantreyas, Naraka Chadurdashi, Bali Padyami and Bhai Dooj are symbolic and indicate the significance of Nature for survival, disciplined living, shedding of negative emotions, and Dharmic lifestyle, besides harbouring harmonious relations in the family and society at large.