35 participants along with several volunteers embarked on this journey divine with a two part quiz on 1st and 2nd August. "A Sage is Born" is a book which details the lives of 3 great masters Sri Chattambi Swamigal ji, Sri Swami Sivananda ji and Sri Tapovan ji Maharaj and their influence in moulding an agnostic youth into the dynamic giant Sri Swami Chinmayananda ji. Part 1 was a questionnaire and the top ten finalists underwent a gruelling part 2 session on Zoom complete with questions, an Audio-visual round and a rapid fire.
An excerpt from the book for all sincere seekers,
"Get into the boat divine and end thy struggles in the mid ocean against the tumultuous unending storms. Once in the boat, Chinmaya is thy devoted helmsman to nurse you back to health and vigour. This Sadhu shall see you HOME. This is
a solemn promise." - Swami Chinmayananda
The book is available on Amazon, Google Play. It's a truly inspiring read and do leave your reviews on Amazon if you like it!
On 2nd August, in the morning the air was electrified with the combined hearts of 830+ participants with their family members chanting "Om Namah Shivaya" as a part of the programme - "Beads to Peace". Poojya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda ji completed a purascharan of 6 lakh Japa at Badrinath, in 56 days from 20th June to 14th August 1948. This inspired the Chinmaya Mission family along with children, youth, adults and seniors to do 6 malas each as a group and we exceeded 6 lakh samuhik japa. The benefits of the japa were directed towards individual peace and world peace.
Many felt peaceful and were inspired to carry out Japa regularly. Some even felt that we have a long way to go in slowing down our mind and developing concentration.
We thank each and every one who came together in an inspired spirit of sadhana and togetherness to do the Samuhik Japa. This link has the chanting of "Om Namah Shivaya" Mantra for 1 mala of 108 times. This can be used for sadhana.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDpR44-jFC4
The whole programme of Beads to peace can be seen at - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exDE7-7pXxU
On 2nd August evening, after the riveting finals of the Sage's saga quiz, the 150 participants now participated in a very interesting game called Locked Down escape . The participants were given a scenario where they were trapped inside a room and had to figure out a way to escape it within a stipulated time. They were then put into actual breakout rooms using Zoom and each room has a facilitator called 'M'. It was heartening to see participants of all ages try their best to strategize and solve a series of puzzles, quizzes, etc. to figure their way out of the rooms. The entire game as designed on the basis of Vedantic concepts of Karma, Bhakti and Gyan Yogas. The activities were also designed to reflect different sadhanas that one engages in and the whole room escape was symbolic of the Jiva trying to escape the bondage of samsara. After the time limit ended, Shri Aravind had a de-briefing where the Vedantic correlations of the game were explained. The game was well appreciated by all the participants for its engaging, entertaining and yet inspirational nature.
This was followed by beautiful chanting of the 108 names of Pujya Gurudev by the members of the Devi Group. The entire chanting video was given a background of Gurudev's samadhi and the chants were directed towards the Pratima of Gurudev. It filled all the participants with devotional fervour. The sessions concluded with a guided meditation session in the voice of Pujya Gurudev Himself. Gurudev gave a brief explanation of the various practices that one engages in during meditation and then also guided the participants with step-by-step instructions. Listening to these instructions in the majestic voice of Gurudev was a surreal experience for all present. Thus, the game-ification ended into the meditation and an inspiring sadhana filled session concluded.
The evening programme - "Game-ification to Meditation" can be seen at - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiS0aoKkBWg
The whole programme was co-ordinated and conducted beautifully by the Study Group Members of Smt. Shruti Somani (Sevika), the CHYKs and Chinmaya Mission Members.
May Thy grace and blessings flow through us to the world around us
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