- Be part of India's history in the coming days! Although virtually, and in the comfort of our own homes, we can still take part in various activities held in whichever part of the world! India's Chinmaya Mission, in cooperation with its international branches, is celebrating the 105th birthday ("jayanti") of Swami Chinmayananda by launching a video series from May 8 to 25, 2021 through the Chinmaya Channel on Youtube (click here)! This will be done daily at 9:45pm-10:30pm Philippine time (7:15pm-8pm Indian time). Swami Chinmayananda, via newly-restored videos from the archives, will be discussing the 7th chapter of the Bhagavad Geeta. Most importantly, the online release of these videos will be inaugurated by the current prime minister of India, P.M. Narendra Modi.
- The Bhagavad Gita (sometimes spelled as "Bhagavad Geeta") is one of the holy books of Hinduism, and mainly shows discussions between the warrior prince Arjuna, and the god Krishna, initially disguised as a charioteer. The Gita, as it is fondly called, is part of the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata is one of the two main epics of India, the other being the Ramayana. The 7th chapter of the Bhagavad Geeta in particular discusses the nature of god and how one can know god to supplement one's faith. For those who might not be Hindu but consider themselves spiritual or enthusiasts of spirituality, learning from other scriptures can be a good exercise to see what other bodies of thought say about something as profound as the divine.
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| The Bhagavad Gita. |
- So what about Swami Chinmayananda? Why celebrate him? Born as Balakrishna Menon on May 8, 1916 and passed away as Swami Chinmayananda on August 3, 1993, he was a journalist turned spiritual leader who was responsible in reviving world-wide interest among Hindus to study Hindu scriptures deeper. In the case of overseas Hindu Indians, the Chinmaya Mission that Swami Chinmayananda established was able to not only bring them closer to their religion, but also their culture, and other members of their local Indian community. Although the movement is generally Hindu, activities of the Chinmaya Mission are open to open-minded people (pun intended heehee), who may not necessarily identify as Hindus.
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| Swami Chinmayananda. |
- In our current pandemic-stricken world, you might be one of the people who think they need a dose of spirituality to provide some peace and calmness to the senses. If this is the case, and if you are curious to know what Swami Chinmayananda himself says about knowing god through the Bhagavad Gita, do consider being part of this historical virtual event!
