Jnana Yajna 31
Year & Dates:
July 07, 1957 to August 07, 1957
Yajna Topic:
Kathopanishad
Place:
Chennai, India.
A busy road in the middle of a business district in Chennai paused to ponder when Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda brought the heartwarming Kathopanishad to town. Chennai’s fifth Jnana Yajna, the boon of Kathopanishad materialized in a large pandal (tent) erected right on Mount Road (now Anna Salai). The thousands who were thirsting to hear the commanding voice of Pujya Gurudev again were delighted. With the Om flag flying high, Pujya Gurudev signaled study time: “The Upanishads are original sources of the knowledge of life given to us by the immortal seers and sages. Kathopanishad is the most sublime of them all for it contains in itself the poetic fervor and philosophic alertness of our forefathers.”
Tasting Sannyas after Study
From July 7th, the involved audience hung onto every word of Pujya Gurudev’s -they waited with Nachiketa, rejected distractions offered by the world, and wanted only That Knowledge that outlasted death.
One notable experience that Pujya Gurudev had incorporated from the earliest yajnas was what He called “returnable sannyas.” He took four hundred eager seekers of Chennai on an unforgettable journey of a ‘one-day-sannyas’ starting at 5 pm the evening of August 3, 1957. Fervent chanting, bhajans, a joyous dip in the sacred Kollidam river, and the blissful Darshan of Lord Shiva as Nataraja and Lord Vishnu as Govindaraj at Chidambaram – divinity pervaded every minute. Pujya Gurudev then took them to Ramalinga Jothi, a great Tamil saint’s samadhi sthal which had a Tamil inscription of “Be ever hungry, ever in solitude, and ever vigilant.” To elevate Bhakti and Jnana through silent Japa Yoga, Pujya Gurudev guided them to the meditative Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry before returning to Chennai. A whirlwind visit in temporary orange was the briefest glimpse through which Pujya Gurudev indicated what Nachiketa gained forever in Kathopanishad.
Photo Gallery
Gurudev paying his homage at Sri Aurobindo Sthal!
Without spiritual stamina, no one can stand up to the threats and onslaughts of circumstances in life.
Catching a saint in a fit of laughter is like witnessing the universe playfully wink at itself!
As we stand in the water, our prayers ripple out like gentle waves, reaching the shores of heaven with each heartfelt invocation!
“Think,” Says Pujya Gurudev
This question whether there is experience after death or not is not one which belongs to the Realm of the Mind and the Intellect. These instruments of feeling and knowing do, at their best, give us only some vague directions pointing towards a World of Knowledge that actually lies spread out beyond their own frontiers. In order to travel towards that Land of Pune Knowledge the ordinary mortal, however intellectual and sensitive he may be, has not the necessary vehicle. It is only the great Masters of renunciation and wisdom who have specially developed their intuitive faculty that can at will take one into these Realms Beyond.
From Kathopanishad Yajna Prasad
Say No to Yourself!
Contemplate on the fundamental choice between the path of righteousness (Shreya) and the path of immediate pleasure (Preya), and learn how refusing to compromise on higher values leads to lasting fulfillment and spiritual growth.