Hari
OM
Story-day is for cultural exploration, puraanas and
parables and finding out about leading lights in spiritual philosophy.
June 30th
is birthday of Guru-ji… here is his story… (taken from CM main web pages).
Swami Tejomayananda is the Head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide, a position
accorded to
him in 1993 after Swami Chinmayananda attained Mahasamadhi. If Swami
Chinmayananda served the cause of Vedanta with his service, knowledge and
pioneering qualities, Swami Tejomayananda – fondly addressed as Guruji –
completed that with his natural attitude of devotion. This is richly and
abundantly evident in his talks, his singing, and his demeanour.
But the
gentleness of devotion arrived riding on the back of an intense education in
physics, going up to a Master’s degree. Born, Sudhakar Kaitwade to a
Maharashtrian family in Madhya Pradesh, this physicist had a close encounter
that changed the velocity, direction and path of his life.
A month – just
a month – before he donned the academic mortarboard and gown of post-graduation
in Physics to pursue a career in teaching, life made a small change. Teach he
would, but from the Vyasapeetham, it suggested. For just 30 days before he
received his postgraduate degree, he was to espy a banner announcing Swami
Chinmayananda’s talks on chapter three of the Bhagavad-gita.
Chapter three
that expounds the obligation to performance of duty was the prod that Swami
Tejomayananda would use later to guide everyone to examine their duties and
dedicate themselves to a disciplined way. And it was this chapter three that
the teacher in Swami Tejomayananda heard and was prompted to hear more. A few
more talks later, Sudhakar recalled his calling and sought his mother’s
permission to join the Chinmaya Mission's residential Vedanta course at
Sandeepany Sadhanalaya in Mumbai.
The road had
been found, the feet had been placed, the Guru had cast his benign look upon
him... the anointment awaited him...
Course
completed and Sudhakar adopted the monastic order at the holy hands of Swami
Chinmayananda, in 1975. Teaching was now formally his vocation, avowed by the
Guru himself, who blessed him with the identity Brahmachari Vivek Chaitanya.
There was no stopping him. The road ahead was his to walk on, to teach, to
guide and to extol. As Acharya, Vivek Chaitanya served at the Chinmaya
Mission Centres in Bhopal, Kanpur, and Sidhbari. Not too soon after this, he
was assigned to conduct the first residential Vedanta course in Hindi at
'Sandeepany Himalayas' in Sidhbari.
Eight years
later, in October 1983, on the auspicious day of 21 October when the moon was
full and bright in complete glory, Swami Chinmayananda initiated Vivek
Chaitanya into sannyaasa, bestowing upon him the name, Swami Tejomayananda.
Naturally. The brightness of the full moon glowed around him, but also shone
his gentle manner, his amiable, loving nature, his calmness of spirit and his
ever smiling face that beamed a hi-powered smile which touched every heart for
miles...assuring the people the continuity of the Guru’s love wherever he went.
Great qualities for a teacher, for, if a teacher is not approachable, knowledge
does not even transmit!
Such a teacher
he was that naturally his proficiency in teaching had to lead to more teaching.
He was then appointed as Acharya of the Sandeepany Sadhanalaya ashram in
Mumbai, where he taught two consecutive residential Vedanta courses in English.
Not just his proficiency in English, Hindi, Marathi and Sanskrit, it was also
his agility with phrases, with idioms, and his, by now, renowned sense of
humour that has kept student communities and audiences alert, attentive and
completely mesmerised by his talks and lectures.
Swami
Tejomayananda drew students to himself as a magnet does iron filings. A good
teacher, he possessed the rare quality of right expression. And this led to his
next posting to Chinmaya Mission's U.S. Centre in San Jose, California.
Some events
happen to enable other events, or as in this case, are part of a continuum.
Swami Chinmayananda attained Mahasamadhi in 1993, in San Diego, California. One
can say the baton had passed - unknown to anyone. For, shortly after that,
Swami Tejomayananda was appointed Head of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide.
Two decades
have gone by, and one can see how seamless the transition has been. Swami
Chinmayananda’s vision, mission and drive have been as if passed on with the
mantle and every dream is fulfilled with the same organisational zeal. The
number Chinmaya Mission centres have substantially increased. In fact, they
have almost doubled. New projects have been envisioned, enabled and executed
effortlessly. Notable amongst these are:
•
Chinmaya International Residential School in Coimbatore,
• Chinmaya Centre of World Understanding in New
Delhi,
•
Chinmaya International Foundation near Cochin,
• Chinmaya Heritage Centre in Chennai,
• Expansion of the Chinmaya Mission Hospital in
Bengaluru and
•
Chinmaya Vibhooti Vision Centre near Pune
•
Upanishad Ganga tele-serial
•
Planning for Swami Chinmayananda's Birth Centenary Celebrations in
2015-2016
None of these
are mean in stretch or vision, each take the Chinmaya banner wider and further,
yet with the thrust on broadening and advancing the vision of Vedanta. Add to
these the courses Swami Tejomayananda has added to the study and spread of
Vedanta through postal and online lessons in:
•
Sanskrit
• Bhagavad-gita
•
Vedic Maths
In overseeing
the Mission's global activities and projects, Swami Tejomayananda's tours
around the world are extensive and continuous. Throughout his travels, he
conducts Jnana Yajnas (3-7 day Vedanta lecture series) in different cities and
various countries every week.
That he has
been able to win the love, devotion and dedication of the ever-growing Mission
following is ascribed primarily to his continued love and devotion to his Guru,
to Vedanta and to the Mission, and his loving manner, his phenomenal ability to
continue relationships, his intellectual clarity, joyful wit, and open
availability. That he has been able to carry the old and the young with him on
the wings of Vedanta is ascribed to his devotional heart, his perfect ability
to relate to all ages, all situations, all cultures and the consistency of the
messages he sends through his talks and teachings.
Add to this,
his remarkable foresight in endorsing and promoting technology to foster the
Mission’s growth and progress, has earned him inter-generational appeal and
endeared him to millions across the globe.
