e d u cati o n How Trains Leaders The two-year course at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya in demands rigorous personal discipline, deep devotion and intense scriptural study

Chinmaya Mission’s training program is practice. Here the (teachers) of no ordinary course of study. It is a 24/7 Chinmaya Mission are trained in a two-year commitment of body, mind and to an program which begins and ends on Ganesha immersive spiritual adventure. A recent Chathurti. A year later, a new course begins. graduate, Vivek, recounts his I was honored to join the 13th course, which extraordinary experience. commenced in 2005. I was born and raised in Niagara Falls, By Acharya Vivek, Canada, to devotees of Swami Tejomayanan- Chinmaya Mission da, the current head of Chinmaya Mission. I Niagara, Canada pursued all that any young Canadian would: ome great men try to improve the higher education, travelling, fancy posses- world by changing the outer settings sions. Like everyone else, I followed these of economic and societal conditions. pursuits for the sake of happiness. And like S A few greater men try to change the everyone else, happiness eluded me—time processes and the vision of the masses. The and time again. This was an intensely tiring very greatest achieve a complete and last- period of my life. ing transformation, one individual at a time. Relief came from a most unexpected That was Swami Chinmayananda’s vision source. I had learned that Swami Tejoma- when he created Sandeepany Sadhanalaya yananda himself was going to be the Resi- in 1963. Sandeepany was the name of Lord dent Acharya, head teacher, for the upcom- Krishna’s , and sadhanalaya means, ing Vedanta Course. Wondering how the “place of ”—disciplined spiritual head of Chinmaya Mission could take so

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much time away from the 300 centers and 300 acharyas around the world who con- stantly seek his presence, I asked myself: Will studying Vedanta from a swami in an ashram teach me to be content? Is this what I am looking for? The answer came to me: I Householders and older participants Following the sages’ path: (top) will never know unless I try. were called “guest students” and techni- Performing Ganga arati at ’s Har I was one applicant among 700. Of these, cally distinguished from the brahmacha- Ki Pauri ghat, part of the student’s tour of 160 were interviewed, and 70 were selected. rins (unmarried seekers). In practice, how- the sacred places of North ; (left above) In August of 2005, sixty of us arrived at the ever, everyone taking the course was called Swami Chinmayananda with his then Mumbai ashram. We were a perfect sam- “brahmacharin,” i.e., one pursing . youthful successor, Swami Tejo­mayananda; pling of the global diaspora: seven countries, The guest students were housed in Chin- (right above) Vedanta course students study five decades of birth dates—ages 21 to 65— maya Vihar and treated more leniently. For outside Saraswati Nilayam for an upcoming and, yes, two genders, all unmarried. We example, their rooms had attached baths class at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Mumbai. were dispatched to our assigned buildings: and air conditioning, and they could leave unmarried men in Vivekalaya and unmar- the ashram more freely for errands and such. ried women in Yashodalaya. On the other hand, during the course they the course were much like mine. Cauvery were not called as often to speak in front Bhalla of Mumbai said, “It is our common Graduation day: Course graduates of classes or the public. Being householders, experience to get an object only to figure out for 2007 at Chinmaya Mission, Mum- they, of course, did not have the option of that’s not what we truly wanted. It is also bai. Author Acharya Vivek is just behind taking Brahmachari , the formal ini- common to come across people who know and to the right of orange-robed Swami tiation into the path of renunciation, upon exactly what they don’t want, yet are unable Nikhilananda. (top) Pujya Guruji Swami completion of the program. to point out what it is they do want. So, life , head, Chinmaya Mis- My classmates’ reasons for enrolling in goes on, endlessly chasing one object after sion Worldwide. january/february/march, 2010 hinduism today 63 all photos: chinmaya mission Scenes from the course: (above left) Mohan in at Sandeepany The Day Begins during the course, it was taught in English. Sadhanalaya; (above right) Mumbai skyline Our first day of classes was September 7, and Having casually grown up within Chin- from the ashram; (below) Acharya Raghu’s I was rattled. Never had I witnessed such op- maya Mission, I arrogantly thought I knew head shaving pressive heat and rain as Mumbai had to of- what Vedanta is and who a guru was. In fer during this monsoon season. Never had retrospect, I knew nothing. I joined San­dee­ I lived in a place where everyone seemed pany to study spirituality. Yet, at the time I to know what they were doing, except me. had no idea what was special about Vedanta Sudha, I found out, was equally lost, sighing, versus what I learned in high school or uni- “I did not know what I had signed up for.” versity. Soon, though, I came to understand We gathered in our freshly donned white that every class I had ever taken, at any level outfits for the inauguration ceremony. Swa- of schooling, was objective science—a study mi Purushottamananda, Swami Brahman- of the outside world. What I was now study- anda and the senior acharyas welcomed and ing in the ashram was subjective science—a blessed the class. Swami Purushottamanan- study of myself. I was humbled by the real- da declared, “It is time to forget about your ization that I knew so much about the world dress and your address.” and so little about my body, mind and soul. Ring, ring, ring, went the 4am bell—for Cauvery expresses a similar experience: 750 consecutive mornings. Although I had “Imagine walking into a city of mirrors—a no problem with this discipline, some of us city where every inch, the roads we walk on, found it a hardship even after two years! Our the walls that surround us, is covered with first class of the day was Vedic chanting at mirror glass. Every step in that city would be 5:30 with Samvid Chaitanya. Born in , an effortless discovery of a new facet of one- Samvidji spent many years as a wander- self. Some facets would reveal beauty, and another yet feeling no satisfaction. This has ing monk in the Himalayas, and eventually some facets ugliness. Sandeepany Sadhana- been the problem of humanity since time found himself at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya. laya is such a city of mirrors.” immemorial.” We were fortunate that Swami Tejoma- Sudha Shastry of Sydney, , shared yananda selected this young, experienced Delving into Vedanta Scriptures a similar idea: “I desperately needed a brahmachari to live with us and guide us Every morning at 7am and every afternoon change. I needed more meaning to my life. through our challenges. “A scholar and at 4pm, guided by Swami Tejomayananda, I decided to give Sandeepany Sadhanalaya a teacher par excellence,” said Shivani Khora- we would plunge into the mystical language try. I had nothing to lose. If it did not work na of Delhi, “Samvidji kept us engaged with of our scriptures—breaking up our habits out, I could always go back to my job.” his innovative teaching style and approach- of limited thinking in the process. Men- Atharvana Chaitanya, who had come able nature.” tally and intellectually raised to heights I from , India, offered his initial Lacking any previous voice training, I had never imagined, I was ready to listen to impression of Sandeepany: “This holy insti- found the chanting with its high him all day, every day. Swamiji personally tute of Vedantic studies offers just the right pitch and low pitch quite a struggle. Vedic taught eighty percent of our Vedanta classes environment for any seeker of knowledge chanting was a sadhana I had never been over the next two years, an extraordinary to blossom into a perfect being. Everyone exposed to in the West! Eventually I came to commitment. is given enough ‘space,’ within a non-judg- love it as a fine art. The first text we studied was Adi Shanka- mental atmosphere, to be able to drop all in- The chanting set the mood for the next racharya’s Tattva Bodha. Our journey con- hibitions and be what one is.” class: Vedanta philosophy. Like all classes tinued with Swami’s Pancha-

64 hinduism today january/february/march, 2010 dashi, Ramana Maharishi’s Saddarshanam, Mandukya Upanishad with ’s Karika, and dozens more. Finally, we took up Adi Shankaracharya’s Jivanmuktananda Lahari—the experience of an enlightened personality. Through Swamiji’s devotion to India’s great saints, I was able to catch a glimpse of their greatness. This was especially true for

Veda Rishi and his Shrimad Bhagavad all photos: chinmaya mission Gita. With tears in his eyes, Swamiji would bring tears to my eyes as he lovingly taught Celebrating their roots: (top to what Lord Krishna taught Prince Arjuna in bottom) Swami Sunderananda, a direct the Gita. I am filled with reverence know- disciple of Swami Tapovanam (guru ing the scripture dates back over 5,000 years, of Swami Chinmayananda) shares his yet its message of serving and surrendering insights with the classmates during their is as relevant today as ever. pilgrimage to the Tapovanam’s humble When I was a youth, Swami Tejomaya­ Himalayan hut in Uttarkashi; creating nanda would stay at our home whenever a flowerrangoli decoration for Swami he visited Niagara Falls. Devotees from all Tejomayananda’s arrival; collecting around used to flock by the hundreds to freezing water from Gangotri, the glacial be in his presence. To me, the whole scene source of the sacred Ganga River seemed boring. He was just another swami, only with a cool title—head of Chinmaya Mission. Only after I actually listened to him explain the subtlest of texts, like the Upani- shads and Brahma did I come to ap- preciate his brilliance. “There are only a few acharyas in the whole world who can teach what he can the way he can. Perhaps this is the reason why Swamiji was honored as ‘Hindu of the Year’ in 2005 by Hinduism Today,” remarked Prabhat Chaitanya, a student from Toronto, Canada.

Sanskrit, Language of the After an hour’s discourse and breakfast, San- skrit class commenced at 9:30am. When I had first mentioned to Swamiji that I was interested in joining the Vedanta Course, he laughed, and told me to learn as much

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Mumbai google earth all photos: chinmaya mission

Sanskrit as possible before coming to San­ From Mumbai to the Himalayas: (left to right) Google Earth’s view of Mumbai center; dee­pany. Determined, I started setting class with Swamiji at Tapovan Kutia; worship at the Ganga Mandir in Uttarkashi aside an hour a day to learn this language of the Gods. Within a month I had to give up as I struggled to even write the script. A example, Swamini Vimalananda, who looks Classmate Vimal Singh of Durban, South teacher would be necessary for me to ever after the education facet of Chinmaya Mis- Africa, said for us all, “Living and studying learn Sanskrit. But here, thanks to Samvidji, sion, gave us an overview of the Mission’s with the master, studying the ancient lan- I not only learned the alphabet, but how to various schools and their curriculums. An- guage of Sanskrit, the camaraderie of fellow read shlokas, write exams and interpret our other class was on Vanaprastha Samsthan, seekers, the incessant company of saints and scriptures. Shivani said of Samvidji, “Not Chinmaya Mission’s retirement communi- swamis, the celebration of a kaleidoscope of only did he get us to learn Sanskrit, he also ties. There were no classes in management of festivals, the joy of singing the Lord’s name, instilled a deep love for the language.” Chinmaya Mission branches, or in personal the glory of silence, the dynamism of puja, Knowing Sanskrit was a great aid in chant- counseling of devotees. We were expected to drama, dance and music—this was all a ful- ing the Lord’s names—which was our next pick up these skills from observation of the fillment of some long-standing urge.” session. I had never been a ritual-oriented guru and senior acharyas. As a personal de- After the evening class, we took dinner person. Rituals seemed irrational, insubstan- votional practice, we were taught the Paduka and retired for the night, only to wake again tial. Hence, when informed we were to chant Puja, the daily ritual worship of the guru’s at 4am—a schedule we maintained nearly Vishnu­sa­hasranama at noon every day, I had sandals. This is a common form of worship every day for the two-plus years. The excep- the same initial reaction as towards Sanskrit among all devotees of Chinmaya Mission, tions came for truly exceptional events—the study—an inefficient use of time. But this one which we would later be expected to celebration of unforgettable festivals and seemingly mindless chanting eventually teach. pilgrimage to sacred places. became quite meaningful. Swamiji took the Our scriptures teach us that Mahasiva­ time to explain what each of Lord Vishnu’s Evening Satsanga ratri is one of the most sattvic festivals and 1,000 names signifies and how by remem- After lunch, rest and our 4pm Vedanta class so one of the most important for a seeker. bering His divine qualities, one could nur- it was time for arati and evening satsanga at Words cannot describe what I experienced ture the same within oneself. 6:25pm. All day my head was stretched to seeing and serving the 100,000 devotees its limit. Tired, I welcomed this class which paying homage at the Mandir. The line Practical Classes focused on the heart. Filled with devotional formed at 3am and did not clear until 3am We had periodic “organizational classes” in singing and the clapping hands of the pub- the following day. I will forever cherish the which we learned how to conduct the Bala lic and brahmacharins, every evening was delight I saw in the eyes of believers as they Vihar children’s classes and camps, how to restful and memorable. The highlight of our prostrated before Lord Siva. facilitate a study group and how the Chin- satsangas was Swamiji’s line-by-line expla- maya Vidyalayas are run—all grassroots ac- nation of Sant Tulsidasji’s entire Sri Ram- Our Days of Pilgrimage tivities of the Mission. These classes were acharitramanasa—the first time he has ever After a year of study at Sandeepany, we set not on Vedanta, but on how to spread it. For done this in a Vedanta Course! out on pilgrimage to Uttarkashi, to visit Ta-

66 hinduism today january/february/march, 2010 povan Kutia. This was the ashram home of Challenges and Fulfillment were the same. What had changed was my Swami Chinmayananda’s guru, Swami Ta- When I lived in a university residence, I of- vision of life and its purpose. Enlighten- povan Maharaj. Our goal was to honor and ten heard students complain about how dif- ment was no longer a foreign concept to me; pay respects to the guru parampara (lineage). ficult it is to live in close quarters with oth- it had become the entire focus of my life. I No one was allowed to leave Sandeepany ers. I also heard some of my married friends grew closer to those who recognized and un- during the course without permission, and whine endlessly about living with their derstood this change in me, and more distant few wanted to. But now, everyone looked spouse. Both these situations are trying, but from those who did not. forward to this pilgrimage. there is always a chance to escape—which Now seeing the mundane world as just I was ecstatic about the adventure. En is what we always do. We try to run away another form of , interacting with it route we visited many holy places and from our mind via entertainment, relation- became simply one form of sadhana. My stayed at several monasteries. Eventually ships, even work. first assignment was serving at Chinmaya we reached Tapovan Kuti, and this became Living in Sandeepany was a thousand Dhara, Chinmaya Mission’s center at Ni- home for a month. Our studies never ceased; times more challenging. All that I had ever agara Falls, Canada, which was wonderful. It only the context changed—heat to cold, depended on was taken away: cell phone, took around eighteen months for me to earn plains to mountains. While in Uttarkashi, television, restaurants, friends—I was only the community’s respect as a teacher. I was we had a chance to have darshan at glorious left with my mind. I was forced to live with thankful for this period because it forced me temples like Kashi Vishwanath and Ganga the minimum; and if I could not handle this, to prove my commitment and conviction to Mata. Our month passed in a moment. I suffered. There was no escape from this spreading spiritual knowledge. I had visited Tapovan Kutia with two suffering but to face it and transcend it. Sandeepany Sadhanalaya calls out to those friends in 2000. At that time it was just a Classmate Vimal had a similar experi- spirits who are ready to question the feeble cool place in the Himalayas. The experience ence: “Only after studying at Sandeepany sense of contentment that the objects, be- at Tapovan Kutia during the Vedanta Course did I realize that happiness is independent ings and circumstances of the world have to was completely different. Swami Tapovanam of outer circumstances; that it resides in offer. Those who heed this call are those who was a great ascetic who believed in deep my own heart. One is forced to spend time are ready to do what it takes to discover that sadhana, and at Uttarkashi we were natural- in solitude, in ruminating, in silent search- contentment comes from within. They de- ly inspired to engage in deep sadhana. Many ing, in discovering, in fighting the uprising of part from Sandeepany blessed by their guru took up disciplines, such as maintaining si- negative tendencies within.” For some, the with the strength to carry themselves and lence or fasting. The atmosphere was power- experience was too much. Of the 60 of us others through the challenges of living. ∏π ful and purifying. who began, ten left before completion for a On our way home, we paid our respects at variety of reasons, including being dismissed. Chinmaya Mission, www.chinmayamission. the ashrams of other of Hinduism, in- com (the international website) and www. cluding in Haridwar, Swa- Returning to the World chinmayamission.org (for Chinmaya West), mi Sivananda in Rishikesh and Swami Na- Returning to Canada, I quickly realized that is currently conducting its 14th Vedanta rayana in Delhi. Truly, the religious wealth nothing had changed. The people were the Course. Applications for the 15th course are of Bharat is immeasurable. same, the places were the same, the things due in January, 2011.

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