Swami Chinmayananda

Swami Chinmayananda`s life is an eye-opener. His real name in the samsaric world was Balakrishnan Menon, born in a wealthy family in Kerala.

The young boy was full of utopian dreams and wanted to change the world. He was a student of law and literature, and was even involved in the Independence movement of India which brought freedom to India in 1947.

He experienced all sorts of traumas and hardships during this period of the freedom struggle in which he fully participated. Being a vulnerable lad and seeing so many deaths around him in the prison Balakrishnan Menon found himself in precarious situations of poor health.

However, in a particular circumstance Balakrishnan was found by a stranger who brought him back to health, and he continued writing under the penname of “Mochi”. He was driven to find solutions for the horrible poverty he saw around him. He was also pushed by the National Herald (a national newspaper) to expose the hypocrisy of people who paraded as so-called Swamis. While trying to find the truth of the swamis in the Himalayan region he realized that there were a multitude of hidden spiritual treasures in India of which he knew little.

In the Himalayas, he met Swami Sivananda and studied under the tutelage of Swami Tapovanam. The latter breaks down Menon`s egoistic personality completely and changes the Rebel into a Seeker. Swami Chinmayananda spent all his life spreading the message of Vedanta and exposing the true treasures of India’s glory which very few people know.

He trained many pupils and tried in a hundred ways to transform the potential of Indian Youth. Spiritual transformation, he found, was not an easy matter, and he spent 42 years of his life trying to make people understand the word of God and the Light consciousness of which we are a part.

In his 42 years of relentless service, Swami Chinmayananda left an indelible mark in the hearts and minds of people, and his footprints can be traced in multifarious service projects. To continue His Vision, his devotees formed the Chinmaya Mission, a global organization which facilitates the inner transformation of individuals through knowledge of Vedanta, spiritual practices and service to society, operating in over 300 centers and 90 schools worldwide. Swami Chinmayananda is one of the most powerful orators promoting Truth who ever lived. His inquisitive mind took him on a quest that transformed him from Balakrishnan Menon into the mighty Swami Chinmayananda – a quest that inspires us all to reach the pinnacle of our true selves.

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‘On a Quest’

In the context of the birth centenary celebrations of Swami Chinmayananda being officially launched on 8 May 2015, a series of activities are being held in India and across the world over the next 12 months.

Chinmaya Mission Mauritius is delighted to announce the screening of ‘On a Quest’, a movie produced in 2014 by Chinmaya Creations as a wonderful tribute to the life and vision of Swami Chinmayananda.

The biopic traces the life story of a contemptuous atheist, a fiery revolutionary, skeptical academician, interrogative journalist, a spiritual seeker with an ardent Quest for the Truth, a visionary Master reaching out to the world in a way it understands best – the story of an ordinary man and his many facets – a transformation that is too spectacular to be true, the story of Swami Chinmayananda.

The first screening scheduled for May 8th is fully booked. A second show is being organised on Saturday 23 May at 1 pm at Mcine, Trianon Shopping Park. Donor’s pass are available by contacting Shri Kamalesh on 5774-4084 or by visiting Chinmaya Mission Mauritius Ashram at Charles Jolivet St 71507, Beau-Bassin, Tel 464 2561.

* Published in print edition on 8 May  2015