Chinmaya Yuva Kendra (CHYK) Navi Mumbai organized a one-hour session for the youth titled Vedic Vision – Ancient Wisdom for the Modern World, on 29 August 2021. Swami Mitrananda from Chinmaya Mission Chennai addressed over 120+ youth on Zoom. The session was also streamed live on Chyk Navi Mumbai’s YouTube page. Swami Mitrananda, with his ability to deliver complex concepts crisply, spoke of the vision of Vedanta for every individual (Dharma-Artha-Kaama-Moksha) as well as for the entire universe (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam). Despite the topic being vast, he conveyed the points masterfully. The talk was followed by a short QnA session where the participants asked a lot of interesting and inquisitive questions about Vedic culture. One such question was:
“What is the test for interpretations or commentaries on scriptures to verify that it is consistent with the original texts, considering that newer generations haven’t read original texts?”
Swami Mitrananda’s answer: “Just like ‘Science’ is not a single text authored by one writer but a collectively accepted compilation of works by many scientists, Vedas too are a compilation of the works of many Rishis and are a collectively accepted thought process. One must research, read commentaries by personalities of different eras and draw a conclusion of their own through comparative study.”
The event also included the unveiling of the cover of a new book. CHYK members of Navi Mumbai, under the guidance of Swami Swatmananda and Brahmachari Anand Chaitanya have been working on a storybook, based on Sthithaprajna Lakshana from Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita, titled “Dear Sarathi”. It will be used as one of the reference guides for the various competitions to be held in the Chinmaya Geeta Fest 2021 in Mumbai.
The session concluded with a vote of thanks by Shri Amol Khair, President of Chinmaya Prerana, followed by the national anthem.
All participants were gifted a digital booklet via email containing the learnings from the talk and the QnA session.
