CBCC Launch at CM St Augustine May 8, 2015

When I first walked in to the Chinmaya Birth Centenary Celebration on the afternoon of Saturday, May 9, the beauty of the newly erected altar to Gurudev brought me to a full stop – I had to pause to take in the awe and gratitude that rushed into my heart. The multipurpose room of the Jacksonville Hindu Society of NE Florida had been transformed by an amazing group of Chinmaya devotees into an ancient temple filled with echoes of devotion, prayers of yearning, answers of hope and the Presence of our.

To my right was the bountiful bookstore set up by volunteers, offering just a few of the over 90 titles that Swami Chinmayananda wrote in his lifetime. Pujya Gurudev offered the truths of God to all people with books for every age and of every size, from children’s books to teenage guides to deepest philosophy, from the simplest, shortest books on Vedanta you’ll ever find to lengthy in-depth explorations of reality itself.

To my left was a corridor of 20 life-sized panels depicting the life and legacy of Swami Chinmayananda, which everyone was able to read as they lined up for Prasad and full dinner following the program. Nearly 200 people, many of them new to Chinmaya Mission, attended the program and were given free booklets about Gurudev and the Souvenir that was published for the occasion.

During the program, Swamini Radhikananda told of Gurudev’s calling to bring the fulfillment of the scriptures and the experience of God to all people. After he had studied for many years with his guru, Swami Tapovanam, in the Himalayas, he was sitting in meditation next to the river Ganges, and the holy river spoke to him and told him he must take this sacred knowledge to share with humanity. Gurudev knew that he could not keep the fulfillment he had received from God to himself, but that it could only truly be fulfilled by sharing it with others. Thus began his lifelong mission to demystify the mystical Oneness with God that is every human’s natural birthright.

The celebration was lovingly prepared and presented by Vilasiniji and Swamini Radhikanandaji, with the help of Pandit Sri Kadambi Srinathji who performed the Paduka Puja and Rajopachara Puja. All three of them spoke lovingly of Gurudev impact on them. The opening puja honored Gurudev and created a sacred space of bhakti.
Later, about 15 children comprising the most precious children’s choir I’ve ever heard sang a song composed by a long-time devotee, Sheela Kirpalani, “O Swami Chinmayananda, You give your love to everyone…” and broke everyone’s hearts wide open. A teenage Bharat Natyam dancer, Rhea Bansal, presented a beautiful dance to
a song about Supreme Brahman’s infinite presence within and without us.

Gurudev’s beautiful devotees, Swamini Radhikanandaji and Vilasiniji, shared with us about his life and passion for bringing the most happiness to the most people for the most amount of
time. We heard how Gurudev was the first Indian Swami to teach the ancient Vedic Scriptures in English, a revolutionary act that changed not only India, but the world.How else could the wisdom of the East ever have found its way to the West?Vilasiniji told how Gurudev’s passion for teaching was with him in every moment and he always wanted to help every person, no matter how brief the encounter. Gurudev told a story about walking along the road and coming across a man waiting at a bus stop. Theman yelled out, “Swamiji, what is Vedanta?” As the bus pulled up and the man was getting on, Gurudev yelled out “Detachment, Attachment!” as the secret to happiness.
Even if he only had a few seconds, he wanted to give something of great value to this man – as we detach from our worldly desires, we attach to the Divine and find bliss.

As a special treat, Vilasiniji presented a 15-minute video of Gurudev’s life and we saw the trailer for the upcoming biographical movie, On a Quest. Through the video clips and the heartfelt stories told by his devotees, we all got a sense of who this joy-filled,
brilliant, humble and loving saint was and is.

The pujas and devotional chanting throughout the program created a space for deep meditation and communion with Gurudev, whose Presence filled the room with such tenderness and love that no heart could remain untouched. I sat in deep gratitude as I received healing and reconnection, feeling transported to the Himalayas. The beautiful
voices of Shweta Kamat and Kavita Sutaria rendered Sanskrit verses to the Guru in soulful melodies that penetrated our hearts. I felt my soul coming together into the wholeness of the present moment, I felt Gurudev holding me and coalescing within me,bringing me into a deeper understanding of the Sadguru that is speaking to me in every
moment, bringing together all of my experiences of this lifetime and of past lifetimes. As my soul was uplifted and deepened by his presence in the ceremony, I could feel an eternity of loving God and yearning to know the truth of the Self. And I could feel
Gurudev’s deep joy at the continuation of his life’s work of bringing fulfillment and happiness to so many.