Nancy Freeman Patchen - Journey of a Master: Swami Chinmayananda

Can I do it?

Can I face the educated class of India and bring to their faithless hearts at least a ray of understanding of what our wondrous culture stands for? Sitting on the banks of the roaring Ganga, I shivered as I pondered the thought. None could argue against the Eternal Truth that man is in essence God. But could I explain it to others? Sitting, watching the Mother Ganga in her incessant hurry, I seemed to hear the words interlaced in her roar, Son, dont you see me; born here in the Himalayas, I rush down to the plains, taking with me both life and nourishment to all in my path. Fulfillment of any possession is in sharing it with others. I felt encouraged, I felt reinforced. The urge became irresistible!

Thus was born the idea that was to take Swami Chinmayananda throughout India and to parts of the world never touched by the sacred waters of the Ganga to share the secrets of life that he had learned in the valleys of the Himalayan peaks. The Vedanta philosophy that he would teach was studied exclusively by scholars of religion in Indian universities and by swamis in their huts and ashrams . But did this ancient knowledge have any significance for the average man struggling with his mundane problems in his daily life? This is the question that Swami Chinmayananda was to address in his lifes mission.

In the forty years of his carrying out that inspiration, Swami Chinmayananda met and overcome many obstacles in his journey. As surely as the Ganga leaps high as she meets boulders in her course and lays out a new pathway when she encounters obstructions in her one-pointed concentration to bring her fresh waters to the Bay of Bengal, the Swami has opened new pathways in spite of ominous odds. The Swami never seemed to need rest as he meets his 365 day-a-year, sixteen-hour daily schedule, which includes two or three public classes and lectures. His constant outpouring of love and humor, criticism and encouragement, insight and enthusiasmwith equal attention to both the spiritual and material needs of the studentshas resulted in the changed lives of thousands of people.

His life represents a model of one who pursues a goal with concentrated dedication; thereby demonstrating in his own life the secrets of success that he shares with others. By the end of his life, with the assistance of many inspired workers, he had built a foundation and structure for a spiritual renaissance in India.

He completed over 400 ten-day lecture series on the Hindu Vedantic texts. Over two hundred Chinmaya Mission centers coordinate hundreds of study groups to keep the ideas planted in the lecture series fertile and growing. Six centers for intensive study of the scriptures now exist; one offers classes in English and the remainder in the native Indian languages of Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telegu. The Chinmaya Yuva Kendra groups for college students provide a forum for comprehensive understanding of the scriptures with avenues of service and creative activities to channel the energy of the students into noble goals. Over half a million children belong to the Bala Vihar groups, which were organized to give the youngsters a knowledge and appreciation of their cultural and religious heritage.

Through his influence, attention has also been given to the material aspect of life: nursery schools, elementary schools and colleges have been founded to educate the young people of India with the necessary skills for their material success. Many service organizations have been initiated, including retirement homes for the elderly, hospitals, diagnostic centers, training courses for nurses, free food centers and slum renovation programs. These projectsinspired, established and run by individuals from the communityfurnish a field of service for those dedicated to the ideals of the Eternal Truth [ Sanathana Dharma ] expounded by Swami Chinmayananda.