Chinmayam

Life of Vision by Pujya Guruji – Part 4 - Death! How to look at one's mortality! Life of Vision is a compilation of Sanskrit verses that mark important occasions in our lives. These have been composed by Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda ji. The book is available in Chinmaya publications and a must to own. Below are notes taken from talks by Guruji on these very pertinent topics on how to lead one’s life. The songs from the book and their literal meanings have not been included in the notes below. Death is inevitable.  What a crowded planet this would be if there was no death.  Particularly if retired people on pension lived forever how can the nation manage? How can there be succession and progress if there was no retirement despite ageing? If something is born, it has to go also.  Remembering imminent death,  enables us to place things in the right perspective. Realizing the  impermanence  of things starting from one’s own body, one gives up attachmen...

Life of Vision by Pujya Guruji – Part 3 (Day 4) Life of Vision is a compilation of Sanskrit verses that mark important occasions in our lives. These have been composed by Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda ji. The book is available in Chinmaya publications and a must to own. Below are notes taken from talks by Guruji on these very pertinent topics on how to lead one’s life. The songs from the book and their literal meanings have not been included in the notes below. Life is not just full of happy moments. There is another side to life. Vedanta teaches us how to look at life wholly and not in parts. In Gita CH 11, first Arjuna was happy to see only divine forms of Lord and later on was agitated and scared to see the fiery forms. Shoka sAntvanA – Condolences “May the jiva reach noble destination by God’s grace. May God bless the departed with Sad gati/ shubha gati and his relatives with patience, peace and strength to bear the sorrow of separation.” Stating we are with them even at this ti...

Life of Vision is a compilation of Sanskrit verses that mark important occasions in our lives. These have been composed by Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda ji. The book is available in Chinmaya publications and a must to own. Below are notes taken from talks by Guruji on these very pertinent topics on how to lead one’s life. The songs from the book and their literal meanings have not been included in the notes below. Prarthana Gitam Teach child to pray and not beggary. Prayer shows our state of mind . We should ask Lord to guide us in life. Prayer is Tuning our mind to the source of all Knowledge and virtues within. 2G (God and Guru) alone can guide . It is most important who our guide is. All follow their own mind alone. Hence it is imperative we purify our mind. Whom do you consider your guide, your leader? Vishnu Sahasranama says Lord is neta. He is our sole provider . Lord is so compassionate He has given air, water and all our needs free. Unnecessary things such as diamond and gol...

Life of Vision by Pujya Guruji - Part 1 (Day 1) Life of Vision is a compilation of Sanskrit verses that mark important occasions in our lives. These have been composed by Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda ji. The book is available in Chinmaya publications and a must to own. Below are notes taken from talks by Guruji on these very pertinent topics on how to lead one’s life. The songs from the book and their literal meanings have not been included in the notes below. Introduction Freedom is wonderful only when we exercise right discrimination else too many choices can cause too many confusions. Vedanta says look at life as a whole and live a whole life . Some people say sport is life or music is life. I say life is a sport, music. Application of vision of life gives a life of vision. We get cold feet, heavy stomach and hot headed. But we need warm feet, light stomach and cool head. We enquire others, ‘how are you?’ It is meant to be enquired within to oneself. Am I fine? Where do I stand?...

Pujya Guruji and Swami Swaroopananda ji Excerpts from talks on Bhagavad Gita CH15 by Pujya Guruji - Day 7 (Verses 19 – 20) Uttama purusha, who is above kshara and akshara is Lord, Purushottama and He is Urdvam mulam of kshara and akshara purusha. Kshara is ephemeral, perishable and akshara (the imperishable jiva) is also only relative. Like temporary and permanent jobs are both only relative where the company itself is going bankrupt. As the Lord enters the 3 worlds sustaining and nourishing all, so too in microcosm, He, as Consciousness pervading the 3 states of waking, dream and deep sleep enlivens the bodies. BrahmEti BhagavAniti ParamatmEti kathyatE| To be above something means to be untouched by the below . Paramatma is truly above, transcendental and at the same time immanent, being the nourishing substratum of all. yE chaiva sAttvika bhAvAha rAjsAstAmasAscha yE mattah ye vEtti tAn viddhi na tvaham tEshu tE mayi||  shows His Immanent and transcendental nature Verse 19 Yah – w...

Pujya Gurudev and Pujya Guruji Excerpts from talks on Bhagavad Gita CH15 by Pujya Guruji - Day 6 (Verses 14 – 18) Coming further closer Bhagavan points out that becoming digestive fire he works 24/7 in all beings not just humans. One definition of God says He is the doer of those things for which we can't take credit . We can't take credit for anything anyway. We buy veggies, cut them, cook, eat and until that we can say we are busy and after that we don’t bother but the kind Lord takes over the rest, the most difficult part of making bones, muscles, blood, etc. PradhAna dharma of prAna is hunger and thirst , that of sharira is asti, jAyate, etc to be born, grow, decay, die etc., and that of mind is volition. Hence we say pranaya svaha, apanaya svaha, etc mantras and first feed the pranas within us before we partake. Some have efficient digestive fire and some dull. All kinds of food Italian, Mexican, Chinese, South Indian, North Indian fall under 4 categories. Bhaksham – that...

Pujya Guruji and Pujya Gurudev Day 5 (Verses 9 – 13) Q : Jiva takes away all 5 senses along with mind and goes to another body but what if it goes to a unicellular body? Ans : The senses remain dormant. As in a child, certain faculties are unmanifest till the equipment becomes fit. When upadhi is fit, the faculties becomes manifest. Logical proof for rebirth : If rebirth is not accepted the following logical fallacies will be there. Akrita abhyaagama – There will be effects from no cause . Jivas are seen to experience this body and so many things in this life for which there must have been a cause in the past. Krita vipra nasha – There will causes without effects . We are seen to do so many karma in this life and not all results are immediately experienced by us within this life. So where will these effects go? The very fact that today is implies yesterday was and tomorrow will be . For whom is rebirth? Body will perish. Suddha Chaitanya is immutable and imperishable. Hence, the subtl...

Pujya Gurudev & Guruji In the first 2 verses, Krishna describes Life in samsara through a metaphor . Jivas because of vasanas get deeply rooted and by karmas go up and down the branches, various worlds. In verses 3 & 4, Krishna urges us - With Vivek and Vairagaya cut down the tree of samsara . These are like the two wings of a seeker to soar high in meditation on Truth and reach the destination, our own true Self. Verse 5 enumerates qualifications of a seeker needed to attain the goal. Verse 6 talks about the goal, destination. One with purity of mind and clarity of thought reach avyaya Padam. What is it? Where the luminaries, Sun, Moon and Fire cannot illumine and reaching which there is no returning to samsara. Pure Consciousness is my true nature, urdvam mulam. Shuddha Chaitanya is reflected in mind empowering/activating it, which in turn is reflected in body enlivening it. Reflected Consciousness (& of course Pure Consciousness) plus the mind plus the body is what I ca...

HH Swami Tejomayananda The world is only as important as you think it is. Bondages and attachment are inside me not outside. Stages of vairagaya Non dependence on external things – realize that one can live without these things also Realise the problems sense objects create Being without both likes and dislikes for sense objects I want nothing more from them. Grown out of desires At first though forcefully done then once we start enjoying the taste of fruits of dispassion, we find the inner drive. First detach from lower, stand apart and then start enquiring what the absolute is. Padam walking we reach destinations, posts. OM is the destination. Our home is our Self and to reach there is just by knowing. Once It is known, no more return to samsar. Aadyam Purusham - Primordial Being – Poorayathi iti – that which fills everything – cause pervades effect – Our Awareness fills everything we perceive/experience. Do I experience anything without me, anything other than me? Prapadye - This de...

H H Swami Tejomayananda World we live in and our life is samsara. Point to reflect: I and this world arise and settle together. What is the cause of this samsar? That which is part of effect cannot be its cause. Hence atoms, elements, etc can only be called immediate causes but not the ultimate cause. If we trace back the cause of even a piece of cloth, we go to seed, earth, water, space and finally existence alone. If names and forms disappear, Existence alone will remain. Therefore, if an effect exists, cause must precede and only existence can be the ultimate cause. Hence Sat is root, moolam and as in a family tree this root is above and beyond all. Krishna paints a metaphor to explain samsar that we experience. Samsara is like a banyan tree (Ashvatha vriksha) whose roots are above and branches are spread out below. Root – Here it refers to the cause. Existence (Sat) alone is the ultimate cause of everything that exists. Samsar exists in time and space limits. Sat, the cause precede...

H H Swami Tejomayananda There is something in this world that can take any  amount of burden and that is a statement which can take any depth in meaning. The question we must ask ourselves, Do I learn something from Gita and change... Even 1 stmt can transform you. Knowing about a thing or person and knowing that thing or person is different. Only that person can know God to whom God reveals Himself. We should become Partha and not anartha. Somebody speaking ill of another itself means they accept the greatness of the person. Gita has been given By Lord to his vibhutis. Teacher, taught and writer are divine Idea of separatism always causes problem Shaastra is that which instructs and thereby protects us from falling down. The million dollar question is... Do you have any vision of what life is? Vision of wisdom gives fulfillment  otherwise there can be many achievements but no fulfillment. Jnanam is wisdom and buddhi is the application of wisdom in our life. Arjuna was confuse...