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Nationwide Gita Chanting
Bhagavad Gita was Gurudev’s life-breath. Coinciding with His 500th Gita Jnana Yajna, the “Chant Gita, Land Washington” competition was launched in India. Children enrolled enthusiastically in the competition that aimed to make the immortal Gita imprinted in young minds. Out of the 10,000 resounding young voices, two winners were selected - Jyothi N. Iyer from Nagpur and R.Sudha from Delhi. They were rewarded with a ten-day trip to visit the Chinmaya Mission centres in the United States.
A Scriptural Research Bridge - CIF
The Chinmaya Internal Foundation (CIF), registered at Cochin (now Kochi) in Kerala on 25 April 1989, was envisioned by Gurudev as a “temple of study and research, a center of Hindu culture, and a life-giving bridge between science and spirituality.” Housed in the sacred maternal home of Shri Adi Sankaracharya, the spiritual stalwart and founder of Advaita philosophy, it started and stands as a world-renowned research wing of Chinmaya Mission dedicated to ancient and modern Indian knowledge traditions.
Serving to Educate: Harihar Schools
In the remote, backward Mukkavaripalli, Andhra Pradesh on 23 March 23 1986, Swamini Saradapriyananda inaugurated the first Harihar School. “In order to serve the poorest of the poor in the villages, we have now started, under the Mission, the first of a series of' Harihar Schools. The Hari Har Vocational Schools conceive as their major purpose, the obligation to offer the villagers academic and vocational education and to train them for self-employment.” So wrote Gurudev in the April 1986 issue of Tapovan Prasad.
Rural Upliftment, Chinmaya Style
With Vedanta as the guiding principle and selfless seva (service) as the driving motto, the Chinmaya Organization for Rural Development (CORD) took its first steps as the Chinmaya Rural Primary Health Care and Training Centre (CRPHC&TC) on 10 April 1985. Inaugurating it, Gurudev Chinmayananda expressed His purpose behind CORD thus: “The people of the Himalayas, especially women, have selflessly served the wandering sadhus. This will be our repayment of rna (debt) to them. I want to serve them.”
Paving the Way for a New Era
On 21 October 1983, Gurudev offered a rare and precious gift through a special Diksha ceremony, initiating Br. Vivek Chaitanya as Swami Tejomayananda, who would later serve as Pujya Guruji and head the Mission from 1993–2016. On the very next day, Gurudev sanctified the Vanvaasi Shri Ram-Sita Mandir at Sidhbari with a momentous Kumbhabhishekam, blessing generations to come.
Sidhbari’s Vayuputra Hanuman
The 22-foot Hanuman idol at the Sidhbari Ashram was consecrated by Gurudev to protect the place from strong winds. Crafted from a simple sketch drawn by Gurudev, Standing on a 6-foot pedestal, the majestic idol was envisioned to bring a sense of divine magic, and sacred wonder to the entire area. The idol was unveiled on 9 October 1982, in the evening following the aarti.
Barren Land to Spiritual Abundance
On 8 February 8 1982, after performing Bhumi Puja to sanctify the 24-acre land of the remote, dry, and poor Ellayapalli village in the Kadapa District of Andhra Pradesh, Gurudev signaled its transformation into a spiritual haven. The Chinmayaranyam ashram became the site for a Telugu Sandeepany with its first Vedanta Course ably led by Swamini Saradapriyananda, one of the foremost disciples of Gurudev. At Chinmayaranyam, spiritual learning blossomed, fragrant with great seva (service) and uplifting worship.
Scriptures at Sidhbari
Sandeepany Himalayas (HIM) in the serene, sacred Sidhbari, commenced its first two-year Vedanta Course in Hindi after a memorable inaugural ceremony on 25-26 April 1981. Located between Dharamsala and the Yol Cantonment in the lush Kangra Valley, crowned by the snowcapped Dhauladhar mountains, Sidhbari presented an ideal and serene setting for Gurudev’s vision to take shape. The landmark Hindi Vedanta course was taught by Brahmachari Vivek Chaitanya, who later became Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda.
A Miraculous Bypass Surgery
During His tour in the United States in 1980, it was discovered that Gurudev had more than 80% blockage of His four main arteries. He was immediately flown to St. Luke’s Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, Houston, where the renowned Dr. Denton Cooley and his team successfully operated on Gurudev, reviving and strengthening his heart for the sacred work ahead. The doctors wondered how He had carried on so long with such cardiac damage.
Kindling Vedanta in the West
On 7 November 1979, Chinmaya Mission West (CMW) inaugurated its first Vedanta Course outside India (1979–81), with about forty-two students, at Krishnalaya Ashram in Piercy, California - the first property acquired by CMW. Gurudev fondly called it the “Sandeepany of the West.” Set amidst the serene beauty of Northern California, between the coastal mountains and towering redwoods with the Eel River flowing nearby, the ashram has since blossomed into a spiritual sanctuary.