23 rd Chinmaya Aradhana Mahasamadhi Camp (MSC) at Dallas, USA (July 30 th to Aug. 03 rd 2016) Click here for MSC 2016 photos. Chinmaya Mission Dallas/Fort Worth hosted the 23 rd Chinmaya Aradhana Mahasamadhi Camp (MSC) at the Hyatt Regency hotel in DFW from July 30 th to Aug. 03 rd 2016. It was like a family reunion with approximately 1200 Chinmaya family members from across the globe who attended the amazingly memorable event. Every aspect of this event was an aradhana (worship) to Param Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda and it reminded us of His life and our Guru Parampara (lineage). Appropriately the camp theme was ‘Vande Guru Paraparam’. The homecoming ambiance for the Chinmaya families was adorned beautifully by the décor team. The decoration backdrop of Guru Paramparam over the main stage - from Lord Shiva as Dakshinamoorti to Veda Vyasa to Adi Shankara to Swami Sivananda to Tapovan Maharaj and finally to our Param Pujya Gurudev. Additionally, the giant “elephant” art work at the Enterprise Ballroom foyer were as though constant reminders and pointers to the Supreme. Grace. That was indeed what everyone experienced and precisely what Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda expounded upon as he inaugurated the Mahasamadhi Camp. Grace, he explained makes difficult things easy, and transforms the seemingly impossible into possible. He introduced Chinmaya Mangalam to everyone and shared his vision about it. This property has been acquired by Chinmaya Mission West and just like Chinmaya Vibhooti in Kolwan India, Chinmaya Mangalam is currently kept busy with Swami Sarveshanandaji led activities. Pujya Guruji hopes to hold the Vedanta course here in a couple years. During the camp, everyone had an opportunity to visit this place and see how the entire North America was engaged in it. Approximately 300 adults visited the site. Inaugural Ceremonies Grace works when we work. Hence this was the motto adapted during the centennial year – Unto Him Our Best. We have been celebrating Pujya Gurudev’s birth centenary year since May 2015. While every center has celebrated the centennial year in different ways, the Chinmaya Jyoti Yatra has been one of the many milestones seen during this year. The Chinmaya Jyoti Yatra recognizes, honors, and celebrates the greatness of Pujya Gurudev’s life in a fifteen-month-long event, starting on Gurudev’s 99 th birthday on May 8 th 2015 and culminating on Pujya Gurudev’s Mahasamadhi day on August 3 rd , 2016. During this time of his
ClickhereforMSC2016photos.Chinmaya Mission Dallas/FortWorthhostedthe23rdChinmayaAradhana Mahasamadhi Camp(MSC) at the Hyatt Regencyhotel in DFW from July 30th toAug. 03rd 2016. It was like afamily reunion withapproximately 1200 Chinmayafamilymembersfromacrosstheglobe who attended theamazingly memorable event.Every aspect of this event wasanaradhana(worship)toParam
PujyaGurudevSwamiChinmayanandaanditremindedusofHislifeandourGuruParampara(lineage). Appropriately the camp theme was ‘Vande Guru Paraparam’. The homecomingambiancefortheChinmayafamilieswasadornedbeautifullybythedécorteam.ThedecorationbackdropofGuruParamparamoverthemainstage-fromLordShivaasDakshinamoortitoVedaVyasatoAdiShankaratoSwamiSivanandatoTapovanMaharajandfinallytoourParamPujyaGurudev.Additionally,thegiant“elephant”artworkattheEnterpriseBallroomfoyerwereasthoughconstantremindersandpointerstotheSupreme.Grace. That was indeed what everyone experienced and precisely what Pujya Guruji SwamiTejomayananda expounded upon as he inaugurated the Mahasamadhi Camp. Grace, heexplainedmakesdifficultthingseasy,andtransformstheseeminglyimpossibleintopossible.HeintroducedChinmayaMangalamtoeveryoneandsharedhisvisionaboutit.Thispropertyhasbeen acquired by ChinmayaMissionWest and just like Chinmaya Vibhooti in Kolwan India,ChinmayaMangalam is currently kept busywith Swami Sarveshanandaji led activities. PujyaGurujihopestoholdtheVedantacoursehereinacoupleyears.Duringthecamp,everyonehadan opportunity to visit this place and see how the entire North America was engaged in it.Approximately300adultsvisitedthesite.InauguralCeremoniesGraceworkswhenwework.Hencethiswasthemottoadaptedduringthecentennialyear–UntoHimOurBest.WehavebeencelebratingPujyaGurudev’sbirthcentenaryyearsinceMay2015.Whileeverycenterhascelebratedthecentennialyearindifferentways,theChinmayaJyotiYatrahasbeenoneofthemanymilestonesseenduringthisyear.TheChinmayaJyotiYatrarecognizes,honors,andcelebratesthegreatnessofPujyaGurudev’slife in a fifteen-month-long event, starting on Gurudev’s 99th birthday onMay 8th 2015 andculminatingonPujyaGurudev’sMahasamadhidayonAugust3rd,2016.Duringthistimeofhis
centennialbirthcelebrations,theJyotiYatraexpressedourgratitudeforParamPujyaGurudev’sblessings,guidance,andimmortalvisionofenlightenmentfortheworld.JyotiYatrahadbeenplannedandexecutedbytheCHYKWestmembers,undertheguidanceoftheChinmayaMissionWest,eachlocalChinmayaMissionCenter,andChinmayaMissionWestAcharyas.TheChinmayaJyotitraveledthrough53centersin28statesover454daysfromMay8,2015toAugust3rd2016.During the camp, four Chinmaya Jyotis that had travelled extensively all overNorthAmericaculminated atDallas on the inaugural dayof theChinmayaMahasamadhi camp. Thesewerereceivedwithgreatpompandshow.TheMSC2016inaugurationceremoniesbeganwithPujyaGurujigracingtheChinmayaJeevanDarshan(CJD)exhibitandlightingthefirstChinmayaJyotiatParamPujyaGurudev'saltar.Pujya Guruji was then offered a speciallymadeorangefeta(turban)bytheCJDteam.Swami Swaroopananda-ji personally placedthat feta on Pujya Guruji's head, who thenpicked up Param Pujya Gurudev's padukasfrom the CJD altar. Other Swamis andSwaminispickeduptheotherjyotisandPujyaGurudev'spicturesfromCJDandthusbegantheChinmayaJyotiYatrafromCJDaltartothealtarinthemainhall.Theprocessionbegan ingrandstylewiththeblowingoftheconchandtheChendamelam,apercussion ensemble that is played for all festivals and rituals in Kerala. This was followedby Velakali, Poikaal kuthirai aattam, Karagam, KavadiAttam, Kolattam, Vanchi paattu (boatsong),Sambalpuri,mohiniyattaminpraiseofGurudev,lezhimanddindiprocessionandasimpledanceDolayam.The four Jyotis will be kept at ChinmayaMission in San Diego, Chinmaya Saaket, ChinmayaChitrakootandChinmayaMangalaminTexas.DiscoursesforAdultsVandeGuruParamparam, thecentral theme,remindedusofourrichculturalheritage.PujyaGuruji Swami Tejomayananda spoke on Shri Dakshinamoorti Stotram. He explained that thishymninpraiseofLordShivaextolledHisgloriousexpressioninthecreation.Lord,asourfirstguru, dispels our ignorance by shedding upon us the light of knowledge. When the veil ofignoranceisremoved,webecomeawareofoursplendidmagnificenceinfinitenaturewhichisnoneotherthantheSupremeLordHimself.
Swami Swaroopanandaji’s insightful talks on Mahamrutyunjaya Mantra reinforced theintrospective Self reflection and helped us understand our inherent swaroop (nature). Theinspiredfearlessseekerswereshownthemeansofhowtoconquerourdeathphobiaandabidein Trayambakamthe Supreme Lord Shiva Himself. Yajamahey (adoration) of the sugandhim(fragrant)nourisherwhohelpsusgrowandreleasesusfromallsortsofbondagesandleadsusonthepathofliberationtotastetheelixirofimmortality.Swami Shantananda expounded upon Bhagwad Gita Chapter 12 and discussed the path ofdevotion.Manydoubtssuchaswhichpathofworshipwasbetter-thatofthesaguna(attributes)ornirguna(attributeless);attributesofagreatdevoteethataredeartoLordShriKrishna;andhow to sincerely strive to build up the bhakti bhav (devotion) were clarified through thesediscourses. In addition, Swami ShantanandaheldaQ&A sessionononeeveningafterdinnerwhichwaswellreceived.Camp organizers introduced, at a short notice, an additional Q&A session by SwamiIshwaranandawhichwasalsowellreceived.All participants had plenty of activities to choose from throughout the day that began withmeditationandyogafollowedbyPujyaGuruji’stalks.DifferentgroupssuchasBalavihar,CHYKs(youth),Setukaris(youngadults)andAdults,thendispersedfortheirage-specificactivities.TheCHYKgroup’sassistanceplayedahugefactorinensuringtheseamlessflowofevents–whetheritwastoassistwithBalaviharkids’recreationalactivitiesortomanagelogisticsfor1200peoplethroughouttheday.ChinmayaSetukarisParamPujyaGurudevSwamiChinmayanandaenvisionedChinmayaSetukaris(bridgebuilders)tobealinkbetweentheYuvaKendraandthebroadermission.HisvisionforSetukariscombinedcontinued spiritual learning with service to society. During the 2016 Mahasamadhi Camp,Chinmaya Setukaris enjoyed a number of lectures,workshops and other activities thatwereconsistentwithGurudev'svision.LedbyAcharyaVilasini,theSetukarigroupcoveredthetext"ArtofContemplation"bySwamiChinmayananda,abookonmeditativetechniques.ThistextwaschosentohelpSetukariscalmand focus themind in order tomeet the growing number of responsibilities they facewithequipoise.Further,theSetukarigroupenjoyedaninteractive"SocialMedia/SocialPressureandSadhana"workshoptounderstandhowtoemployVedantaalongwithmeditationtomeettheirresponsibilitiesandchallengesdynamically.
Perhaps the biggest highlight for theSetukari group, was the opportunitythey had to interact with SwamiSwaroopananda in an intimate Q&Asession. Swami Swaroopanandatouched on themes relevant toSetukaris including the importanceofcompassion,strength,andservice.Healsotalkedaboutthegrowingneedsof
the mission and encouraged Setukari's to take on more leadership roles within themission.Finally,Setukari'stouredChinmayaMangalamtogetherandhadaglimpseofthelong-termvisionfortheprojectwhichwillserveSetukari'sandtheirfamilieswellintothefuture.
ChinmayaYuva Kendra (CHYK) Along with thisculturalprogram, theCHYKsalsoentertained theattendeeswithan impromptucomedyshowthathad everyone splitting in laughter. The audiencecouldn’tstop laughingandwerewellentertainedfor the entire one hour program. The CHYKspresentedtheirversionoftheLifeofI(whereI=atypical IndianBalaviharchildgrowingup inUSA);how to qualify to become a member of theprestigious Yuva Rhythm group; and the variousprospectiveinterviewsconductedforchoosingthesuccessorforPujyaGurujiSwamiTejomayananda..
BalaviharProgramAround260kidsfromgradesK–12attendedMSCBalaviharprogram.ChildrenlearnedthateachGurutaughtussomepowerfultechniquestobesuccessfulinthepathofrealization.Forexample,Shri Dakshinamoorthy, taught us the power of silence; Maharshi Veda Vyasa, the power ofopenness;ShriShankaracharya,thepowerofKnowledgeandnon-violence;SwamiTapovanam,thepowerofself-disciplinethroughtapas (austerity);SwamiSivananda,thepowerofservice;andPujyaGuruvdev,blesseduswiththisgreatvision,theChinmayamovementandtheBalaviharprogram,aplatformforself-realization.ChildrenparticipatedinChinmayaAaradhanadayandenjoyedtheir“TexasSatvvicHowdyday”.TheyworeCowboyhatsdecoratedwithChinmayaOmandworetheChinmayaOMT–shirtthattheypainted.Inadditiontoactivitiessuchascoloring,wordpuzzles,games,discussionandbhajansandsongs, thecampthemesongwasapopularteacher appreciation song " You HaveMade a Difference" by Brian Asselin and Eric Disero.BalaviharchildrenenjoyedaspecialsatsangwithSwamiSwaroopanandaandthechildrensang
the camp theme song for him astheir humble Gurudakshina to the great ChinmayaGuruparampara.SwamiSwaroopanandasharedwiththemthestorythatParamPujyaGurudevtold himwhen Swamiji hadmet him as a child. Through that story Swamiji conveyed a verypowerfulmessage-Crackyourshell,Spreadyourwings,FlyandFlyHigh.Changethe“Impossible”to“I’mpossible.”
ChinmayaJeevanDarshan(CJD)providedpricelessglimpsesintoParamPujyaGurudev’slife.Themesmerizingdisplayofvarious artifacts enabled us to experience His divinepresence. Visitors were exposed to Pujya Gurudev’steachings, life, vision and work. Special Q&A sessions forBalviharchildrenviainteractive"TheMasterAnswers"kioskwasanotherhighlight.BalaviharchildrenwereengrossedinQ&A with Pujya Gurudev and they thoroughly enjoyedwatching Gurudev answer their selected questions on
diversetopics.ThisexhibitshowcasedauniquecrystalaltarandParamPujyaGurudev'spersonalitemsalongwithbeautifulGuruParamparawallandbannerspayingtributetothevastspiritualandsocialworkofChinmayaMission.NexttoGurudev'spersonalitems,twohugephotowallsdepictingParamPujyaGurudev'slifeandworkalongwithauniquelarge7feetx7feetGuruParamparaWallweresomeofthemajorattractionsallcampattendees.NumerousartworksallcreatedbyBalvihar students from different centers in North Americawas another attraction attendeesenjoyed.ManymemberattendeesandSwamiji/AcharyasattendingthecamphaverequestedthespecialcollagesCJDteamhadcreatedfortheexhibit.TheCJDteamwillsharethecollageswithCCMTforthearchivalpurposes.ChinmayaSwaranjali(CMDFW)SwaratoIshwara(frommelodytoAlmighty)“MayourswarasadhanaleadustoIshwaraandmayHisnatureofSatyamShivamSundarampervadeourlife”-SwamiTejomayanandaThiswasthemusicteam’svisionforthecamp.Overseventyparticipants-children,CHYKsandadults – offerednAdopAsanA prior to each discourse at the camp. The songswere carefullychosen to show variety in style, language, and composer. Aligned with the birth centenarycelebrations,theteamalsocollectedGurubhajansandpreparedspecialcompositionsforGuruPadukaPuja,someofthesesettotunebytheteachersthemselves.Thesebhajanssetthemoodandcreatedapeacefuldivineatmosphereprecedingeachdiscourse.ThededicatedAudio-Visualteam helped ensure the right sound quality and balance between the singers and the
instruments.WeconsiderthisopportunitytobeagreatblessingforHisgracetoflowthroughusin the form of music to the world around. The soulful music by CMDFW Swaranjaliteachers/studentsandvisitingCMguestswasdefinitelyoneofthehighlightsofthecamp. AnothermajorattractionofthecampwastheChinmayaAradhana,whenPujyaGuruji ledall1200 of the Chinmaya family members through soul-stirring bhajans on PujyaGurudev andGurumahima.ChinmayaVaani,ourbookstoreservedtheneedsoftheattendees.Manyrecentpublicationsthat were released were available for the people to purchase. Amongst them was thecommemorativecentennialcoinsetreleasedbytheGovernmentofIndia,LifeofI,JourneyintoHealth,theMahaMrutyunjaya(CD),PrahladUpanishad(DVD),andCintan.Interestingly,sarees,kurtas,andkurtiswithChinmayaMissionOMembroiderywereindemandtoo.ChinmayaYuvaRhythmspresentedanexclusiveliveperformanceatthecamp.AfewoftheirsongsfromthelatestCDOmGamGanapateyrockedthehall.ItwasindeedablessingtohavebeenabletosharethemusicanddevotioninthepresenceofsomanySwamis,SwaminisandAcharyas.FoodTeamWhileitwasachallenge,thefoodteamcateredtothevariedculinarydemandsregardlessoftheagegroup.Theirnutritional internationalcuisineofferedmultiplemealsandsnackstosatiateeveryone’s taste buds. There were plenty of choices for Indian, Italian, Mexican andMediterranean palates. The health-conscious were also assured that these meals weremeticulouslywellbalancedintermsoftheirnutritionalvalueforthecarbsandproteinsintake.GuruPadukaPuja
The camp concluded with the solemnGuruPadukaPujaconductedbyalltheattendees. The puja team wasinstrumental in ensuring that thenecessarymaterials,inminutestdetails,were in place The large crowd seatedthemselves with the puja thalis in anorderly manner and was treated to ablissfulshoDashopacharapuja(16-stepworship) led by Swami Paratmanandaand performed with Guru PadukaStotravidhana. Flower offerings with
Param Pujya Gurudev’s ashottarashatanamavali (108 names) while the namavali was being
rendered in raag Yaman by the CMDFW Swaranjali group, imbued the kind of bhaktibhava(devotionalspirit)intheroomthatonlythoseperformingthepujacouldexperience!Theaudience’scravingtosilentlysoakinthevibesthatweregeneratedintheprocesswaspalpable.FamiliesofferedtheirgurudakshinaandhumbleprostrationstoParamPujyaGurujionelasttimeduringhisfinalvisittotheUSAbeforeHiskshetrasanyasbecomeseffectivefromJanuary2017.Performedwithproperunderstandingandinthespiritofcompletesurrender,theGuruPadukaPuja (prostrations to the holy sandals of guru) is supposed to bestowupon the devotee theessentialqualitiessuchasViveka,Vairagyaetc.,thefoundationalelementsneededforspiritualprogress.SummaryOverall, the number of camp attendees (nearly 1200), the largest attendance ever for aMahasamadhi camp – was no challenge for this team of energetic volunteers. From thecelebratoryinauguration,withPujyaGurujileadingtheprocession,tothemulticulturalcuisine,to the Yuva Rhythms Live and the Comedy Hour by CHYKs, the soulful music by CMDFWSwaranjali teachers/students and visiting CM guests,adultdiscoursesbyPujyaGuruji,SwamiShantanandajiand Swami Swaroopanandaji plus satsangs/Q&A,activities and/or workshops by variousSwamis/Acharyas for the non-adult attendees,Chinmaya Jeevan Darshan exhibit of Param PujyaGurudev, and the visits to ChinmayaMangalamweremade possible because of the 11-month-longmeticulous planning and diligent execution by thevolunteerteams.ChinmayaAradhana,amusicaltributetoParamPujyaGurudevonDay-4andGuruPadukaPujaonthelastdayofthecampwerelike“icingonthecake,”as expressed by many camp attendees. CJD andChinmayaVani (book store)drewbig crowdsand the"GreenScreen"photoboothwasabighit.Everyfamilywas provided with a commemorative family portraitwiththesealofexcellenceasthebackground–ParamPujya Swami Chinmayanandaji’s centennial year (1916-2016)with themotto “Unto HimOurBest”.
