For Pujya Gurudev, the 108th Jnana Yajna was no different nor more significant than the first in which He had roared the message of the Upanishads. From where He functioned, the unconditional giving of Knowledge alone mattered. Commencing the yajna, He stated firmly:

“For the revival of the grand old spiritual harmony of the land, a bold enquiry into the past and into our scriptures – in a spirit of research and scholarship, and not in blind faith is very essential.” He referred to the “wide gorge” between generations. While the older generations lived by the injunctions of the prophets and sages, the new generations often did not feel there was anything worthwhile in the ancient scriptures. However, Pujya Gurudev was optimistic about the awakening among the educated youth who were re-examining Vedanta. With conviction, He invited the youth in the audience to continue their analysis, asserting, “No other scripture in the world can face the ruthless attack of logic and reasoning as was available in the Vedantic Scriptures. Their logic is so tight and complete that many of our misconceptions will be removed once we begin to go through them.”

“Our prejudices and misconceptions about our scriptures have made everyone of us a spiritual zero; and the community comprising such individuals cannot be anything better than that. It is therefore essential that individuals should better themselves. The message of the Rshis is – world perfection through individual perfection.”

The young and the old of Ranchi assembled in large numbers to listen, reflect, and absorb. During that 16-day yajna, Pujya Gurudev recreated the introspective atmosphere of Kenopanishad during His morning discourses at the School Hall of the Dhurwa Colony. The evenings devoted to Bhakti Yoga (chapter 12) made the audience rise in love for the Divine.

The 108th Jnana Yajna of Pujya Gurudev was just the beginning. Those formative years of Chinmaya Mission sowed the seeds of everything divine in millions of lives who began their quest and saadhana. In the years that followed, through all His 532 Jnana Yajnas, He infused the yearning – His lofty love made every seeker strive to be a Mumukshu, desiring Liberation. He guided all toward Viveka – the relentless enquiry into the real, Vairaagya – the joy of dispassion, and the sixfold wealth, Shat Sampatti, of spiritual values and discipline. Through every yajna, He lit the path of self-unfoldment through Shravana and Manana to gain the bliss of Nididhyaasana.

Flowing down from Uttarkashi with grace and pure Knowledge, Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda initiated a pilgrimage that started with those momentous first 108 yajnas and still continues…

A Meditation Minute:

कृतज्ञता या च हृदि स्थिता मे वक्तुं न शक्या खलु यत्नतोऽपि ।

गुरो प्रसीद कृपया विधेहि त्वत्पादभक्तिं परमानुरक्तिम् ॥११॥

kṛtajñatā yā ca hṛdi sthitā me vaktuṃ na śakyā khalu yatnato’pi ।

guro prasīda kṛpayā vidhehi tvatpādabhaktiṃ paramānuraktim ॥11॥

11. The gratitude in my heart can never be expressed fully in spite of my best efforts. O Teacher ! Be gracious and bless me with devotion, of the nature of Supreme love to your feet. 

Let us seek the Grace and blessings of Pujya Gurudev, as we walk the Chinmaya path to live devoted to what He taught tirelessly. Words dissolve into silence as we try to express our endless gratitude and reverent love for the Yuga-purusha, our beloved Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda.  At His Feet, we offer our all. Hari Om!

The welcome address echoed the thoughts of those who heeded the call for spiritual revival; mere material progress forsaking a heritage that held the secret to lasting happiness could only be a shortsighted rush. By 1962, the “Chinmaya Era” had begun. Pujya Gurudev’s travels and talks across many forums were increasing rapidly as evident from His  dizzying itinerary. The people of Vellore acknowledged and appreciated Pujya Gurudev’s march forward; in a spiritual vein with a military touch, they declared, “We do require a guide to lead us along the true path of advancement towards the goal of true knowledge and happiness. Your grand idea of establishing a University for the training of dedicated men to the service of the country, to which you have set your hand, is a glorious enterprise; and, the Lord is surely behind it.”

In that 107th Jnana Yajna, Pujya Gurudev established the importance of Self-Knowledge through His discourses on Atma Bodha. He also evoked the purifying power of devotion voicing and explaining the divine verses of chapter 12 – Bhakti Yoga. 

By the 107th Jnana Yajna, Pujya Gurudev had gradually and gracefully inculcated all the nine modes of devotion in His Jnana Yajnas and in the spiritual psyche of Chinmaya Mission. It began with Vedantic Shravanam that awakened the quest in thousands and more across the land. The Akhanda Kirtanam in the yajnas and Smaranam in the expanding Chinmaya Study Groups strengthened the path.Carrying out the mission as worship of His Guru, Pujya Gurudev modeled Pada Sevanam, the spirit of seva. Archanam, the exquisite beauty of worship, melted hearts during the Laksharchanas where He made people recall the joy of Bhakti. The many Guru Dakshina ceremonies with salutations to the Guru Parampara unveiled Vandanam with the heartfelt joy of gratitude. The way Pujya Gurudev called Himself the chief sevak, like the greatest devotee, Sri Hanuman, made seekers understand the importance of Daasyam, the uplifting attitude of servitude. In His Gita Jnana Yajnas, Pujya Gurudev personified Sakhyam, the only lasting friendship with Bhagavan. Finally, dexterously weaving into every mode of devotion, the understanding of the Highest, Pujya Gurudev invoked the joy of Atma Nivedanam, the complete surrender of the finite to the Infinite. Bhakti and Jnana embedded in selfless karma became the divine edict of Chinmaya Mission.

A Meditation Minute:

अनेकजन्मार्जितपुण्यप्राप्तः मया गुरुर्नो जगति प्रसिद्धः । 

यस्य प्रसादेन मनः प्रशान्तं बभूव मे तं शिरसा नमामि ॥१०॥ 

anekajanmārjitapuṇyaprāptaḥ mayā gururno jagati prasiddhaḥ । 

yasya prasādena manaḥ praśāntaṃ babhūva me taṃ śirasā namāmi ॥10॥ 

10. I found the world-famous Guru due to merits acquired in my previous countless lives (births / life times). I bow down to him by whose grace my mind has attained peace.

We are deeply grateful for the Grace that descended on us in the form of Pujya Gurudev. Seekers and devotees still search their hearts wondering if they have ever deserved the immeasurable blessing of Pujya Gurudev’s Presence in their lives. His Causeless Compassion wherever He went, transforming lives, remains crystallized in Chinmaya Mission.

It was a stark and austere Jnana Yajna without any of the accompanying features from start to finish – like a dignitary speaker during inauguration, the Om flag-hoisting ceremony, or even the Gangajal-sprinkling and the concluding Guru Dakshina event. The deeply interested audience were led into deep study in both sessions of each day. 

The melodious yet scathing verses of Bhaja Govindam, which is also called Moha Mudgara – the hammer which destroys delusions – compelled all to reexamine the worldly preoccupations that veil the divinity within. Pujya Gurudev minced no words when He taught these verses which are in “a crack-whip style and effect” just like He described in His introduction. His evening discourses on the Taittiriya Upanishad impressed on the contemplative audience the profound importance of mindful, dharmic living as a preparatory step for the Knowledge of the Infinite Brahman. He sparked the sense of wonder when He elucidated the Upanishadic verses on the limitless joy of Brahman and the order of creation in the world. And, when Pujya Gurudev dramatized the intense seeking of Bhrgu, the disciple, under the guidance of His Guru (and father), Varuna, for the Immortal Happiness or Brahman, the seekers understood how to undertake the process of deep enquiry both within and without.

A supreme blessing that the Delhi disciples and devotees experienced was the opportunity to offer a Paada Puja to Pujya Gurudev on Guru Purnima Day, July 17, 1962. It was a divine coincidence that they had performed the Paada Puja to the Lotus Feet of the greatly adored Pujya Gurudev in the previous year too. The uplifting Paada Puja brought to mind the last verse (v.31) of Bhaja Govindam which portrays the glorious result of loving surrender: “O Devotee of the Lotus Feet of the Teacher, May you become liberated soon from the samsaara through the discipline of the sense organs and the mind. You will come to experience (behold) the Lord that dwells in your own heart.” (Seek Govinda, Seek Govinda)…

A Meditation Minute:

निर्गुणे निश्चला निष्ठा सगुणे सरसा रतिः । सङ्गमो मधुरश्चायं देशिके नो महात्मनि ॥९॥

nirguṇe niścalā niṣṭhā saguṇe sarasā ratiḥ । saṅgamo madhuraścāyaṃ deśike no mahātmani ॥9॥

9. In our Mahātmā teacher, there is a sweet confluence of firm abidance in nirguṇa (the attribute-less) and joyous revelling in saguṇa (with attributes).

We worship, with devotion and love, our Pujya Gurudev who indicated the Absolute in His every teaching while instilling a deep love for all deities extolled in our Puranas. His Jnana Yajnas were a sacred convergence – dedicated Karma was elevated by unwavering Bhakti to reach the peak of Knowledge. Form or Formless, Manifest or Unmanifest, Pujya Gurudev’s Vision was undivided and Whole.

The 105th Jnana Yajna was a veritable treat with two brilliant expositions of Vedantic philosophy – Bhagavad Gita’s crowning Chapter 3, and Atmabodh, an introductory text of Vedanta – ‘a poetic garland’ of thoughtful similes, penned by Sri Adi Shankaracharya. 

Pujya Gurudev highlighted the great contribution of the incomparable Veda Vyasa who revived the vanishing treasures of the Vedas at a crucial time and presented the Truth in various formats from the compiled Vedas to Puranas and also the itihasa of the voluminous Mahabharata. He spoke about the immortal role of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita which shines in Vyasa’s Mahabharata:

“In the Gita, we find how the great ideas and ideals discussed in the Upanishads can be practically applied in daily life. This textbook interprets the idealism of the Upanishads as a practical philosophy. It clearly shows the way to clear the jungle of our existence for the garden of peace and tranquility to be built up. It stands between the idealism of the Upanishads, discovered by the scientists of life, the Rishis, and our everyday life in the marketplace, factories and offices where we are forced to grapple with problems. 

Gita seems to be an ‘Exchange House’ wherein we find Krishna, the great teacher, bridging, in a beautiful way, the two extremes and giving out to us the technique of the correct way of contacting the world.”

Pujya Gurudev urged the audience to imbibe and implement the techniques advised in the Gita. He also reinforced, through the verses of Atmabodh, the glory of Knowledge concluding, “Whether the sea is stormy or calm, the Sun always shines on it. Similarly the Pure Atman, the Truth which is behind time, space and causality, which is All-pervading, which has no duality, which is the Pure Consciousness in all awareness, which is the substratum on which all this pluralistic things play about, that is the One Consciousness which illumines the entire creation. Without It, nothing will exist anywhere. Know that to be your own Self.”

A Meditation Minute:

ये गुणाः सर्वशास्त्रेषु वर्ण्यन्ते ब्रह्मज्ञानिनाम् । तैरयं सर्वदा पूर्णो राजते सर्वयोगिनाम् ॥८॥

ye guṇāḥ sarvaśāstreṣu varṇyante brahmajñāninām । tairayaṃ sarvadā pūrṇo rājate   sarvayoginām ॥8॥         

8. fully endowed with the virtues of knowers of Brahman as described in all scriptures, he ever shines among all yogis.  

We stand illumined by the virtuous brilliance of our Pujya Gurudev  who was a Srotriya – well-versed in all scriptures, and Brahmanishta – ever established in the Absolute Truth. In every yajna, He appealed to the people to live by what the scriptures taught, to convert learned values into lived virtues. That was the bedrock He envisioned for Chinmaya Mission.

Aravamudam, a school-going youngster, had been attracted to the huge pandal the previous year thinking a drama was being staged. Learning that a Swami was going to speak, his friends and he were about to leave when Pujya Gurudev’s reverberating “Om” arrested his attention. He addressed Pujya Gurudev: “Respected Swamiji, your language is so simple that even students like me were able to follow you. Our understanding was made easier by your examples, jokes, and what you amusingly called your Kathakali. It is probably much easier to teach history, geography, and mathematics. To teach this science which includes the inner makeup of human beings and how to change their approach by changing their outlook, is rather difficult unless the teacher himself had perfected, by Sadhana of several years. Swamiji practices sincerely what He preaches. So, Respected Swamiji,  your guidance is very essential for us in this age. You are the person who should shape our future.” It was the voice of the future that gratefully recognized the scriptural wealth that Pujya Gurudev strived to give them. 

Following that, Sri. Ramnath Iyer, recalled how Pujya Gurudev had endowed Chittoor with a new vision. And, Shri Sudhakar, the district Forest Officer, acknowledged how Pujya Gurudev’s yajna had given him a goal and noble path in life.

With great affection, Pujya Gurudev began His 104th Jnana Yajna: “Our Rshis the great seekers, and Acharyas, the master technicians of life, analyzed life and probed into actions which are nothing but manifestations of life. In order to discipline life, one should strive to discipline action. Thereby a harmony is created and thus harmonious living is the great goal of life.” 

Introducing the texts to be studied for that purpose at Chittoor, He added, “The third chapter of Gita and Ishavasya Upanishad are chosen because these two texts teach us, or rather guide us in situations that we are facing today. Our doubts, fears are all quelled by taking a wholesome attitude and working unceasingly throughout our lifetime without fear of prejudices.”

Pujya Gurudev’s 104th yajna, culminating in a special yatra to Tiruvannamalai, edified the path of glorious action dedicated to the Omnipresent Divinity.

A Meditation Minute:

यथा वृद्धिं प्राप्नुवन्ति तथा यत्नं करोति सः । सर्वदा सर्वभावेन सद्गुरुर्नो यतीश्वरः ॥७॥

yathā vṛddhiṃ prāpnuvanti tathā yatnaṃ karoti saḥ । sarvadā sarvabhāvena sadgururno yatīśvaraḥ ॥7॥          

7. As these will grow, so does our Sadguru – the Lord of ascetics – put for effort consistently and whole-heartedly.

We salute most respectfully, our Pujya Gurudev, whose life was an unbroken penance. Carrying the teachings of His Guru, Swami Tapovanam, Pujya Gurudev Himself was a moving forest of Tapas, redefining the realm of actions as selfless yajnas. That was His vision for Chinmaya Mission – for actions, noble and uplifting, to finally be sublimated in Pure Knowledge.

Showing no signs of His travel fatigue and an aching back, Pujya Gurudev marched into the already-bustling yajnashala at precisely 6:30 pm on the evening of April 23, 1962. The Purna Kumbha reception amid the Vedic chants before the Om flag hoisting by Sri. S. M. Ramakrishna Rao, the president of the yajna committee, was apt and auspicious. Two proud rows of Balavihar children, chanting the Mahamantra and beautifying Pujya Gurudev’s path to stage with flowers, presented an endearing scene. And, Pujya Gurudev inaugurated the Jnana yajna with His three sonorous utterances of “Om” and a gripping introduction of the climactic chapter 17 of the Gita. He also gave the context of the Taittiriya Upanishad that would be the subject of His morning sessions.

Through Detachment (Tyaga) to “Renunciation” reiterated Pujya Gurudev as He explained Chapter 17: “Sanyasa means sacrifice, and to live in a spirit of sacrifice after renouncing completely one’s ego and its desires is true Sanyasa, wherein an individual comes to live in constant awareness of his fuller and ampler Divinity. Sanyasa is not running away from life or coloring the cloth. Hinduism considers him to be a Sanyasin who has learnt the art of living his life in constant inspiration which is gained through an intelligent renunciation of his ego-centric misconception.”

The audience multiplied as predicted, braving the rains, to sit at the Master’s Feet breathing in His dynamism and mesmerized by the way He summarized the entire Gita through His impassioned explanation, verse by verse. They were moved when He battled his own fever-ridden body to return to the stage after minimal rest for a day. He even accompanied them on a day’s yatra to the holy temple of Subramanya on May 15th.

Pujya Gurudev set aside time during the yajna to showcase the children of the many Bala Vihars in Bengaluru. The children came onstage to enchant all with their sweet and clear chanting of the Gita, Vishnu Sahasranama, and other stotras. Their stories and bhajans filled the audience with joy and devotion. Pujya Gurudev encouraged the budding talents with prizes and the invaluable, fatherly love of a Guru.

A Meditation Minute:

बालकेषु च संस्कारो विचारो युवकेषु च । धर्मनिष्ठा देशभक्तिः लोकसेवा तथैव च ॥६॥

bālakeṣu ca saṃskāro vicāro yuvakeṣu ca । dharmaniṣṭhā deśabhaktiḥ lokasevā tathaiva ca ॥6॥           

6. Noble saṃskāra among children and right thinking among youth and so also firm abidance in one’s duties, patriotism and service of people. 

We surrender with adoration and reverence to our Pujya Gurudev who brightened the hearts of millions of children with His immeasurable love. His unbridled joy and laughter with the most innocent young, His straightforward nobility that captured the attention of the youth, and His resolute seva to Bhaarata and the people worldwide is the happiest legacy of Chinmaya Mission.

In that first momentous decade of Chinmaya Mission, the way that Pujya Gurudev traversed the length and breadth of the country and stirred up a distinct, disciplined movement of spiritual reawakening is stunning in retrospect. He moved swiftly and purposefully. After the Jnana Yajna in the glamorous capital city of Delhi, He flew to Mumbai to supervise the work in Sandeepany Sadhanalaya. Then He flew to Cochin, stopped at Ernakulam  to visit and cheer Kochu Narayani Amma, His mother, before hastening to Thiruvananthapuram to reach Nagercoil by car. The miles and destinations seemed to have no impact on Pujya Gurudev, still a thing of utmost wonder for His devotees.

Nagercoil bowed and remained spellbound as Pujya Gurudev systematically introduced seekers to the fundamentals of Vedanta and guided them to epitome – the second chapter that gives a superb synthesis of all the paths, Jnana, Karma, and Bhakti to suit the temperaments of all seekers. The audience were also captivated by the beautiful blend of poetry and plain practicality in His discourses. The way He took the Highest ideals and exhaustively explained how to incorporate them in everyday life was the biggest reason for His yajnashalas to overflow with the intrigued, the interested, or the ignorant.

When Pujya Gurudev walked among the crowds on the last day of the yajna sprinkling the sacred waters of the Ganga, the awed Nagercoil audience glimpsed that He was a realized Master who showed how the Sthithaprajna lakshana, the marks of a Perfected Being, can be achieved while walking among crowds and still transcend everything. Like so many thousands, they considered that yajna an unforgettable part of their lives. They offered with great love and gratitude a small donation to support Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, moved by how Pujya Gurudev blessed them not just with the greatest wisdom of the Gita but also the yajna prasad booklets that became most precious keepsakes in their spiritual journeys.

A Meditation Minute:

ज्ञानयज्ञप्रचारं च ब्रह्मचारिप्रशिक्षणम् । श्रुतिस्मृतिपुराणादिव्याख्याग्रन्थप्रकाशनम् ॥५॥

jñānayajñapracāraṃ ca brahmacāripraśikṣaṇam । śrutismṛtipurāṇādivyākhyāgranthaprakāśanam ॥5॥

5. Propagation of the jñāna-yajñas, training of the brahmacāris, publication of the commentaries on Upaniṣads, (Bhagavad) Gītā, Purāṇa and other books.

We prostrate in all humility before the dynamic Pujya Gurudev who carried the torch of Knowledge Absolute, yajna after yajna from December 1951 to July 1993. His incredible foresight in creating the Chinmaya Guru Parampara through hundreds of brahmacharins, and His prolific commentaries on the Prasthana Trayi forever keep Him close and central in our spiritual pursuits.

The Chief Justice of India, Sri B.P. Sinha, presiding over the inaugural ceremony of the yajna expressed the collective gratitude of Delhi for Pujya Gurudev’s monumental efforts and said: “The Gita, apart from a being a religious scripture of the Hindus, embodies the philosophy of universal truth that a thing well-done is its own reward, and the ordinary human being can do no better than discharge their own assigned duties to the best of their abilities.” He pointed out to the message of Gita echoed in Longfellow’s poetic lines:

 “…Act, Act in the Living Present!

Heart within, and God o’er Head!”

Pujya Gurudev had chosen to teach chapter 18, the summative finale of Srimad Bhagavad Gita,  during His evening discourses from 6:15 pm to 7:45 pm. For more intensive study in the mornings from March 12th, from 8 am to 9:15 am, He decided to enlighten the serious seekers on the sublimity of Sri Vidyaranya’s Panchadasi chapter 10, the Natakadipa Prakarana. 

A special souvenir was released to mark the occasion and donate the funds raised from the advertisements to the Tara Cultural Trust overseeing the upcoming Sandeepany Sadhanalaya. In that souvenir, a chief patron of the 101st yajna, Sri. Rajendra Prasad, the President of India wrote: “I send my good wishes to Sri Chinmaya Gita Jnana Yajna with whose activities I am somewhat familiar. I wish success to this organization which aims at making people conscious of spiritual, moral, and religious values in life.”

Pujya Gurudev, with His scintillating exposition on Moksha Sannyasa Yoga of chapter 18, made clear the difference between sannyasa and tyaga. Echoing the Upadesha (advice) that Bhagavan Krishna gave to Arjuna, the surrendered seeker, He emphasized how to divinize various aspects such as Shraddha (faith), dana (charity), dhriti (fortitude) and more while clarifying about the aspects and type of duties to never forsake. He also exhaustively described the play of the gunas in life, holding a mirror to our delusions in life. 

Pujya Gurudev carried seekers of all backgrounds and nationalities in Delhi to the heights of Vedanta, both through the Gita and Panchadasi guiding all to “know” Who is the Supreme Illuminator and what to do with whatever is given in life. The audience were left recalling again and again the indescribable glory of His words and Presence throughout the 101st Jnana Yajna.

A Meditation Minute:

स्वयं कुर्वन् कारयंश्च कर्माणि विविधानि यः । असक्तः सर्वकार्येषु वर्तते सर्वदा  च सः ॥४॥

svayaṃ kurvan kārayaṃśca karmāṇi vividhāni yaḥ । asaktaḥ sarvakāryeṣu vartate sarvadā  ca  saḥ ॥4॥       

4. Himself doing and inspiring others to do various projects, he ever remains unattached in all of them. 

We are deeply inspired by Pujya Gurudev’s supreme efficiency and dispassionate, detached excellence in His every action. A fascinating, inspiring conductor of the symphony of increasing activities and spreading centers of Chinmaya Mission, He truly personifies the beauty of doing without desire, independent of results, ever established in the Highest. 

“A lot of talk has been heard about the 100th yajna. It is a sheer accident that this is the 100th session of the talking of Swamiji. The 100th yagna is great only when it is connected with desire prompted motives for gaining heaven etc. But when it is done as a nishkama karma and when it is only a jnana yajna, the 100th yajna is  neither less nor more significant than the first yagna.” Pujya Gurudev’s opening discourse on the inaugural day of the Centenary Jnana Yajna at Chennai was powerfully indicative of how outward achievements did not sway Him. 

Diving into the heart of that jnana yajna, He prefaced: “We will not be discussing what the world outside is. We will not be discussing the world of objects – body, mind, or intellect. We shall be discussing of That because of which the eyes are able to see, but the eyes themselves cannot see, of That because of which the ears hear; that Spiritual entity, the final Truth  alone, will be the theme of discussion here for this one month during this hundredth yajna.”

As He prepared the audience for deep thinking, Pujya Gurudev, with deft and eloquent brevity, sketched the outline of the first third of the Gita: “In the first chapter we see the hysterical Arjuna. The second chapter, the contents of the entire Geeta. The 3rd chapter gave us the Path of Action. The 4th and 5th explained as to how from, the path of action we are to slowly withdraw and meditate upon the Highest, The 6th explained to us  the technique of meditation. In logical development, He had explained to Arjuna in 7th, 8th and 9th what exactly is the highest Ideal upon which he must meditate and reach. The destination or the  goal has been discussed and described very clearly and scientifically. This is the theme we will be taking here.”

The mornings of that enriching month of Yajna was devoted to Pujya Gurudev’s analysis of Shree Vidyaranya Panchadashi Chapter 14, the Vidyananda Prakarana. Open only to serious sadhaka members, that chapter which detailed the bliss of a realized Brahmavid quoting almost all major Upanishads, revealed Pujya Gurudev’s Vedantic depths.

The spiritually eminent Centenary Jnana Yajna was a grateful offering born of deep surrender to a beloved Guru, organized by an inspired all-women yajna committee.

A Meditation Minute:

निष्क्रिया करुणा क्वापि सफला न भविष्यति । इति मत्वा सर्वदैव कर्मणि वर्तते यतिः ॥३॥

niṣkriyā karuṇā kvāpi saphalā na bhaviṣyati । iti matvā sarvadaiva karmaṇi vartate yatiḥ ॥3॥

3. Knowing fully well that nowhere does passive compassion serve any purpose, he always remains engaged in Karma. 

 We prostrate at the Lotus Feet of Pujya Gurudev, awed by how He embodied the path of active spiritual evolution, ‘working’ even though He was beyond the field of actions. His clarion call to aggressive goodness, untiring seva, and selfless unfoldment continues resounding and redirecting seekers everywhere.

Addressing Pujya Gurudev with great regard, Sri Eka Anjenyulu eulogized: “Your appreciation of religion as a scientific arrangement of higher thoughts of the soul and of life, has reawakened and rekindled the hope of humanity in the pursuit of Truth and Knowledge. Our ancient religion, though embedded in the heart of every living soul, has however lost its significance and effectiveness through the artificial superimposition of superstition, and its meaning is lost in the desert sands of blind and crazy belief. Your mission has unshackled religion from the yoke of orthodoxy. You are the seer and sage, the preceptor and preacher, the philosopher and prophet, and your mission to impart wisdom to mankind is the noblest service. You nobly emulate the divine path shown by the great Shankara, who preached the message of God through the length and breadth of Bharat.”

Inaugurating the Yagna, Dr. Narayana gave an introductory outline of the importance of Srimad Bhagavad Gita and its structure. He stated, “If one explores the Gita well, there is no need to study any other scripture. It is, therefore, superfluous to stress the greatness of the Gita. It consists of 18 chapters, with a total of 700 verses. It was expounded by Krishna to Arjuna. Starting with the despondency of Arjuna, the Gita concludes with the chapter, Moksha Sanyasa Yoga, Absolute Emancipation.” He pointed out how Bhagavan Krishna, through the verses of Chapter 12 – Bhakti Yoga, declared that the path of faith and devotion is the best way to reach Him.

“The quest of human intellect would find its satiation only on the lap of God, and religion is the way that takes you to that consummation,” asserted Pujya Gurudev as His 99th yajna unfolded. His morning classes on Kenopanishad were held in the Hindu College premises. Every successive day, the audience grew not just in numbers but in their Bhakti and Jnana, more faithful and full of reverent wonder about both Pujya Gurudev and the Gita.

A Meditation Minute:

संस्कृतेर्वीक्ष्य हानिं च भारतस्य च दुःस्थितिम् । द्रवितं हृस्य वदयं यन्देऽहं तं महामुनिम् ॥२॥

saṃskṛtervīkṣya hāniṃ ca bhāratasya ca duḥsthitim । dravitaṃ hṛdayaṃ yasya vande’haṃ taṃ mahāmunim ॥2॥    

2. I salute that great sage who’s heart melts seeing the decline in the culture and India’s sad condition.

We gratefully revere Pujya Gurudev’s kindhearted and lifelong seva to Sanatana Dharma. His selfless, multifaceted approach at a crucial juncture to revive the cultural and spiritual heritage of India soon expanded to empower both Indians and all aspirants worldwide.