Homage Paid to Gurudev’s Life and Legacy

 On Sunday August 3, the community marked Pujya Gududev Swami Chinmayananda’s Aradhana, the day he shed his mortal frame and merged with the Infinite. His vision, unconditional love and wisdom continues to guide and shape numerous followers worldwide. His foresight and vision to disseminate the timeless knowledge and wisdom of Vedanta through the Bala Vihar program continues to bring the new generation to this path.

The well-attended ceremony began with a Paduka puja in the altar room at Rameshwaram. All attendees joined in chanting the 108 names of Gurudev and the Guru stotram at the conclusion of the puja.

Swami Ishwarananda then addressed the gathering. He reminisced about the last days of Gurudev in 1993. Even when he was in the ICU in San Diego, he signalled by touch to Swami Shantanu and Swami Tejomayananda that the scheduled Vedanta camp in Los Angeles should continue as planned, irrespective of his health situation. Gurudev’s final message was that the work of the Mission should always go on, and in fact he passed the day after the camp concluded.

Swamji then chanted a composition in Sanskrit by Swami Tejomayananda on the life of Gurudev, explaining the meaning verse by verse. The composition traced Gurudev’s spiritual awakening from the time of initiation into the path of knowledge by Chutambi Swami. After completing his law and English degree from the University of Lucknow, the youthful Balakrishna started his career in journalism. He participated in the struggle for India’s independence and was even jailed for his activism.

After that phase of his career, Balakrishna took sanyas under the guidance of Swami Shivananda and was given the name Chinmayananda. He studied further under the tutelage of Swami Tapovanam in Uttarkashi, in the foothills of the Himalayas. Inspired by the Ganga river, which provides life-giving water to countless people until reaching the ocean, Gurudev realized his life’s mission was to serve the people and established Chinmaya Mission in 1951. 

The Mission now has numerous centers and schools in many parts of the world, and the service arm helps more than 1000 rural communities in India and has started medical services with a 250-bed hospital. Gurudev’s brilliant commentaries on the Gita and his vast body of erudite writings continue to teach and illuminate followers worldwide. Swamiji explained that the 3 tenets of Gurudev’s message - knowledge, devotion and service - are the bedrock upon which the Mission continues its work.

Swamiji informed the attendees of the Hanuman Chalisa Havan to be held in May 2026 in Southern California, to mark the 75th year of the founding of Chinmaya Mission. Samashti (Gita Chanting) is also planned at many centers, with a target participation of up to 100,000 people - perhaps setting a Guinness World Record!

The event concluded with arati and prasad distribution.