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Yagna Prasad - Discourses in Print
The fire of spiritual thirst had been kindled by that incomparable 100-day Upanishad Jnana Yajna, and Gurudev was astute about keeping the flames growing. He ensured that every discourse starting from His introductory talks on Hinduism in several public venues before the first yajna were carefully recorded on paper. Gurudev personally reviewed the shorthand notes, and the edited discourses were printed within 24 hours as booklets titled "Yagna Prasad.” With great humility, Gurudev sent the first copy of the Yagna Prasad to his Guru, Swami Tapovan Maharaj, in Uttarkashi, with the message, "Thy Knowledge Broadcasted through Thy own Voice-box.”
The First Jnana Yajna
With four annas (currency unit formerly used in British India) in his pocket, Swami Chinmayananda alighted at the railway station of Pune (then known as Poona) on 23 December 1951 and began his first discourse that very evening. In those days, yajna meant the long traditional havans, the elaborate fire rituals. Taking cue from the Bhagavad Gita, he brought alive the jnana yajna (a series of Spiritual Discourses), where the fire of spiritual knowledge is kindled and the primal ignorance is burnt forever. The 100-day Upanishad Jnana Yajna that followed was a saga par excellence.
The Gangotri Plan - Knowledge from the peaks to the plains
An afternoon midsummer dream, born on the banks of the roaring Ganga at Gangotri, grew into an irresistible calling. The rushing waters of the mighty river sparked in the young Swami Chinmayananda, a divine vision to bring the ancient wisdom of Vedanta from the Himalayas down to the common people. Gaining permission from his Guru, Swami Tapovan Maharaj, He set out on an All-India Tour from May to October of 1951. When He returned to Uttarkashi, Swami Chinmayananda carefully envisioned the Gangotri Plan, initiating a spiritual revolution through self-unfoldment and selfless service.