Jnana Yajna 62

Year & Dates:

October 25, 1959 to November 13, 1959

Yajna Topic:

Shrimad Bhagavad Gita- Chapters 2

Place:

Madurai, India.

As the flight landed in Madurai on October 25, 1959, the clouds saturated with joy on Pujya Gurudev’s arrival began to pour. It was as though they washed the path that led to the magnificent Meenakshi Sundareshwara temple.So, when Pujya Gurudev stepped out at the entrance of the shrine, the earth was clean and fragrant, and the sky had become quiet in  expectation of the 62nd Jnana Yajna. After a traditional welcome and a wonderful darshan of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareshwara, the yajna began in the brightly-lit, festooned pandal outside the Natesha Ayyar Reading Room, Chinnachockikulam.  At the inaugural ceremony, Sri. Alagusundaram Chettiar, president of the yajna committee, praised Pujya Gurudev with these words: “Your frequent journeys through every nook and corner of our Bharata Varsha are a vivid reminder to us of the legendary digvijayas (victorious march in all four directions)…our sages and saints are said to have performed in the course of their lives.”

Jnana Ganga- His Sacred Digvijaya

To establish another spiritual victory in the hearts of an adoring audience, Pujya Gurudev prefaced: “We can compare the Gita to a popular science magazine. The scientific truth remaining the same, its treatment is simpler in the magazine than in the great textbooks. Similarly, Vyasa had edited the Upanishads and given their essence as a popular treatment in the Gita.” The sheer eloquence of His exposition on the second chapter of the Gita in the evenings at the pandal captivated the minds of the seekers who listened unmindful of the evening showers. His morning classes of Kenopanishad in the Kalyana-mandapam within the Meenakshi temple also drew a large, dedicated crowd. Madurai was carried to dizzy heights of spirituality with the sthitaprajna lakshana of Gita chapter 2 and the brilliant analysis of Kenopanishad. The bliss of the yajna continued through the yatra to Tiruchendur on November 7th and 8th and culminated in the Avabhrta snaana at sea and a most thrilling darshan of Lord Muruga during the famous skanda Shashthee festival.

A singular, brilliant landmark was quietly achieved on the Dipavali Day of October 31, 1959 in Madurai. Pujya Gurudev had completed dictating His Gita discourses to present to the world, His greatest commentary on the Holy Gita. What was so amazing about that accomplishment, especially since the project took 4 years and 2 months – 1520 days ? May the numbers show the saga of Jnana Yajnas and His Likhita Ganga: 

  • Total Manuscript  – 2085 foolscap (8 x13 inches) pages double-spaced
  • Dictations began in 1955, published in segments in Tyagi from September 1955
  • Pujya Gurudev traveled 5,000 miles by car, 10,000 miles by train, 20,000 miles by air in those four years.
  • 62 Jnana Yajnas across India which gave rise to 500 branches of Chinmaya Mission, each having four to five Chinmaya Study Groups and the new wings of Bala Vihars and emerging Devi groups
  • Organizational work and Beginning the journals – Tyagi & Usha
  • Initiating work on Sandeepany Sadhanalaya in Powai, Mumbai, selecting that venue after plans in four different locations did not materialize

Undaunted and untiring, Pujya Gurudev had gifted us the 4,60,000 word commentary on Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, all the while roaring the scriptural message everywhere.

“Think,” Says Pujya Gurudev 

In the tradition of religious devotion, it is very truly said and firmly believed all over the world, that the Lord, in His high seat, keeps mum and almost deaf so long as we are arguing and asserting our maturity as intellectual beings. But when we come down to live and act as an emotional being, when tears of desperation trickle down the cheeks of a true soul, even unasked, the Lord of Compassion rushes forward to reach the lost soul and guide him out of his inward darkness to the resplendent Light of Wisdom. A soul identifying with the intellect can seek and discover itself; but when it is identifying with the mind, it needs help and guidance.

When the Lord’s grace comes, as it comes here in the Geeta, it first reaches man with a stern vehemence, almost shattering in its impact. The fiery touch of the Lord’s grace when it descends upon his devotees, is invariably felt by the seeker more as an avalanche than as the refreshing shower of Divine Mercy. The Spiritual Grace must necessarily re-orientate the heart and burn away its negativities, before the spirit can radiate its sway upon matter.

From Tyagi Magazine

Anxiety over Future?

In this insightful discussion, Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda delves into the importance of centering on the present moment and investing our energies fully in our current pursuits. Explore methods to transcend apprehensions about the future and prevent the scattering of mental strength by remaining anchored in the present task. Uncover the profound impact of aligning actions with genuineness and integrity, liberated from fixation on outcomes or the temptation of idleness.