Swami Chinmayananda

Chinmaya mission logohttps://chinmayaniagara.org/“To give the maximum happiness to the maximum amount of people for the maximum time”-Swami Chinmayananda. This is the motto that Swami Chinmayananda lived by. He was born in India to Kuttan and Parakutti Menon. He went to college to get a degree in literature and to become a lawyer, but after graduation used those skills to help gain Indian independence. Later he “was finally arrested […] [and] he began to think more deeply about the meaning of human existence”(“Swami Chinmayananda” Encyclopedia). Afterwards he took Sanyas (giving up of the body and desires) and became Swami Chinmayananda. A hero like him must have selflessness to give for others without ever wanting to receive and the ideology to improve society not for a few but for many. Swami Chinmayananda exemplifies the traits of hero through his unwavering selflessness and his constant work to improve society he taught us how to live and used his talents not for selfish gains but to equip us with the right knowledge and inspiration to help the world.

lecture on Inner Peacehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y74PRtZQ_mcSwami Chinmayananda showed how being selfless can benefit you through the effects in the world even if it doesn't happen right away. Even though he had a safe career in literature Chinmayananda fought:  “But the growth of serious Indian resistance to British rule in the early 1940s changed the direction of his life. He became involved in the struggle for Indian independence, giving speeches, distributing literature, and organizing labor unions” (Swami Chinmayananda Encyclopedia). He chose to risk his life not for gratification but for the good of others. But even though he was part of a war he did not try to overpower others but  to incorporate his skills into the mix and rally the oppressed against the British. This selflessness to use your skills, not for the easy path to help yourself but for the harder path to better the lives of others, is demonstrated during his later life. After his mission was founded he was in India spreading lessons to better ourselves: “lecturing throughout India, Chinmayananda's mission grew until he was able to found two institutions, the Sandeepany Sadhanalaya (Academy of Knowledge) in Bombay, and the Tapovan Kuti, a center for meditation and spiritual training in the Himalayas. The mission also supported such activities as hospitals and nursery schools” (Chinmayananda). Chinmayananda started lectures after Indian independence. He taught people how to properly live and to respect other. This bettered the community and allowed for diverse opinions to cooperate and create better systems for everyone. In both examples we see how Swami Chinmayananda put forth others before himself.

Amar Chitra Katha magazinehttps://eshop.chinmayamission.com/index.php/amar-chitra-katha-swami-chinmayananda.htmlhttps://eshop.chinmayamission.com/index.php/amar-chitra-katha-swami-chinmayananda.htmlChinmayananda through his teaching provided the information and work to better society for those around him. Swami Chinmayananda after the fight for independence, he taught us how to become better people and strove to spreading a better society: “Bringing him back to the teachings of the Upanishads could only be by rephrasing the lessons in English - the language of intellectual India. That was how Swami Chinmayananda took to teaching Vedanta in English, a big surprise in that era” (Sadhanalaya ). He had journeyed and seen so much, and the first thing he did was found missions to help and support others when just as easily he could've gone into law and made money he used those skills towards other. He later dedicated his life towards the mission he founded to spread happiness to others and teaching how to sustain it: “Chinmayananda's teaching mission began with his first public lecture, held in Poona, in 1951. Writing commentaries on the scriptures, and lecturing throughout India” (Chinmayananda). Chinmayananda started lectures after Indian independence. He taught people how to properly live and to respect others. This bettered the community and allowed for diverse opinions to cooperate and create better systems for everyone.

Chinmayananda inspired us to go beyond ourselves and think about others as selfless people, and through his teachings he worked towards improvement in each individual to improve society. He fought for independence without violence and later journeyed throughout India to find the best way of helping others and finally started his mission that is still around today.

At his lectures, Swami Chinmayananda asked that listeners bring copies of the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads and be ready to join him in chanting their texts. He spoke in English, often in short parables designed to illustrate points  of Vedantic philosophy, punctuated with humorous remarks in the local language. Swami Chinmayananda wrote some 82 books about various aspects of Hinduism. Like other Indian sages, he sponsored the construction of charitable institutions such as orphanages and hospitals as his organization grew. ("Swami Chinmayananda." Encyclopedia)

Chinmayananda inspired us and gave us the push we needed to grow as well as developing plans of action so that all people could have the same luxuries we do. He has gathered millions of people for that cause and made them all more productive and happier members of society. And so his life's goal even after his death is being fulfilled, to give The maximum happiness, to the maximum people, for the maximum amount of time.

Works Cited

"Chinmayananda, Swami." Religious Leaders of America, Gale, 1999. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1627500243/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=1f5851ae. Accessed 5 Dec. 2018.

Sadhanalaya, Sandeepany. Who we are. www.chinmayamission.com/who-we-are/swami-chinmayananda/#top., Chinmaya mission Worldwide, Chinmaya mission trust, mumbai,

Swami Chinmayananda." Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2003. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/H1000151837/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=4683ddf4. Accessed 5 Dec. 2018.

"Swami Chinmayananda." Encyclopedia of World Biography, vol. 30, Gale, 2010. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1631009490/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=f43c2f9d. Accessed 5 Dec. 2018.