Modi Recalls Chinmayananda’s Guidance At Chinmaya Mission’s 75th Anniversary
NEW DELHI- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Oct. 23 inaugurated the Chinmaya Amrit Mahotsav Global Sammelan in New Delhi and interacted with a holographic avatar of spiritual leader Swami Chinmayananda, recalling his meeting with the guru in 1993.
During the interaction, Modi sought Swami Chinmayananda’s blessings for his future endeavours.
“It was my great fortune that I met you, and today I want you to bless me for the work I wish to do,” the Prime Minister said.
The holographic avatar expressed happiness at seeing Modi become Prime Minister and conveyed his support, saying, “India is with you, Narendra.”
Addressing the gathering, Modi described the occasion as a unique spiritual experience and thanked the saints for their blessings.
“It is another kind of spiritual experience. This is a blessing from our saints for me. The Chinmaya Mission is not merely an institution; it represents ‘Chinmaya Vichar’,” he said.
Modi said the word ‘Chinmaya’ symbolised immortality and that the use of technology had made the occasion particularly meaningful. Seeing the spiritual leader’s hologram reminded him of their meeting 33 years ago.
“Seeing the divine presence of Chinmaya Ji through his hologram, I felt as if I had travelled back 33 years,” he said.
Recalling his first meeting with Swami Chinmayananda in February or March 1993, Modi said he had approached the spiritual leader to invite him to the centenary celebrations of the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago.
“He accepted my request and went there to make people aware of the World Parliament of Religions. However, destiny had other plans. Just a few weeks before the programme, he left us on August 3,” Modi said.
Modi recalled attending the event in Chicago on September 11, 1993, and feeling the spiritual leader’s absence.
The Prime Minister also recalled a serious discussion during his last meeting with Swami Chinmayananda, saying the central theme was building youth power to create a strong and capable India.
“A few years after meeting him, the people blessed me with the opportunity to serve as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Since then, for the past 25 years, I have continuously served the country as head of government to the best of my ability. Gurudev’s blessings have been with me throughout this journey,” Modi said.
The three-day global conference, being held from October 23 to 25, is expected to bring together more than 9,000 participants from India and abroad. It marks the culmination of year-long celebrations commemorating 75 years of the Chinmaya Mission, founded by Swami Chinmayananda in 1951 to make the teachings of Vedanta and the Bhagavad Gita accessible to all.
Over the decades, the Mission has expanded its work in spiritual education, cultural preservation, youth empowerment and community service.
The celebrations began last year with Modi releasing a Tamil versification of the Bhagavad Gita, produced by the Chinmaya Mission with music composed by Ilaiyaraaja, at Gangaikonda Cholapuram in Tamil Nadu.
Other inmitiatives during the year included mass havans at multiple locations, the consecration of the Maa Soundarya Chinmayi Temple in Tripura and the Chinmaya Gita Samarpanam, in which more than one lakh people worldwide chanted the 15th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita together online.
The Mission also launched Gita Panchamrit, focusing on five selected verses from the Bhagavad Gita. To spread the Gita’s teachings across India, 15 young members of the Chinmaya Yuva Kendra undertook the Chinmaya Amrit Yatra, travelling more than 40,000 km across the country. (IANS)
