The Chinmaya Mission () is a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

religious and spiritual organization that disseminates

Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; , ), also known as ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six orthodox (Āstika and nāstika, ''āstika'') traditions of Hindu philosophy and textual exegesis. The word ''Vedanta'' means 'conclusion of the Vedas', and encompa ...

, the science of the self as described in the

Vedas FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...

, particularly the

Upanishads The Upanishads (; , , ) are late Vedic and post-Vedic Sanskrit texts that "document the transition from the archaic ritualism of the Veda into new religious ideas and institutions" and the emergence of the central religious concepts of Hind ...

, and other Hindu scriptures such as the

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; ), often referred to as the Gita (), is a Hindu texts, Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the Hindu epic, epic poem Mahabharata. The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Ind ...

. Followers of Chinmayananda Saraswati established the Chinmaya Mission in India in 1953. The mission was headed by Swami Tejomayananda and is now headed by Swami Swaroopananda. There are over 313 mission centres all over India and abroad. North America had more than 30 centres. It is currently administered by Central Chinmaya Mission Trust (CCMT) in Mumbai, India, headed by Swami Swaroopananda.

History

Foundation

Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati, the founder of Chinmaya Mission, was born in the city of

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...

in present-day

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

, India. Doubting the teachings of the sages in the Himalayas, Balakrishna Menon met Swami Sivananda (

Divine Life Society The Divine Life Society (DLS) is a Hinduism, Hindu spiritual organization and an ashram, founded by Swami Sivananda Saraswati in 1936, at Muni Ki Reti, Rishikesh, India. The Society has branches around the world, with its headquarters in Rishi ...

), who taught him in spiritual studies and then placed him under the tutelage of Swami Tapovanam ( Tapovan Maharaj), with whom he pursued spiritual studies. He eventually became the teacher known as Swami Chinmayananda.

After Swami Chinmayananda

After Swami Chinmayananda died in 1993, his disciple Swami Tejomayananda (known as ''Pujya Guruji'' and previously known as "Sudhakarbhai Kaitwadeji") became the global head of Chinmaya Mission. Under Swami Tejomayananda, projects such as the Chinmaya International Foundation and the Chinmaya International Residential School were taken up. In January 2017, Swami Tejomayananda assigned the headship of Chinmaya Mission Worldwide to Sri Swami Swaroopananda.

Activities

The following activities are conducted at mission centers on a weekly basis.

Bala Vihar

Bala Vihar is a program in which children from age five to eighteen meet on a weekly basis to learn about Hindu culture, customs, and philosophy. Bala Vihar is a program that is conducted throughout the world, not just in India, but also in countries such as the United States, UK, and Australia. Some centers also have a version called Sishu Vihar, which is meant for children aged 2 to 4.

Chinmaya Yuva Kendra

Chinmaya Yuva Kendra, known as CHYK, is the global youth arm of the Chinmaya Mission. It is meant for youth aged 18–30 and its motto is "Harnessing Youth Potential through Dynamic Spirituality". CHYK conducts many camps and sessions throughout the world. CHYK West is a similar organization that operates in North America.

Other activities

* Study groups for adults * Chinmaya Vanprastha Sansthan for senior citizens (India and UK)

Medical facilities

* Hospital – 1 * Nurses Training Centre – 1 * Diagnostic Centre – 14 * Eye camp in the rural areas – 1 * Adoption of villages for providing social and medical relief – 120 * Senior Citizen Homes – 8 * Income generating schemes for downtrodden women – 1 * Children Welfare Centre – 1 * Goshalas – 4

Educational field

* Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth, a liberal University focused on promoting Indian Knowledge Systems, Indian traditions, Indic parampara an
interdisciplinary research.
They have established three campuses in Pepathy, Pune, and Warriam Road. * Chinmaya College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Tripunithura * Schools (Regular) – 70 * Chinmaya International Residential School – 1 * Harihar Schools (Free education & vocational training for downtrodden children for self-sufficiency) – 3 * Colleges – 4 * Degree College – 1 * Chinmaya Institute of Higher Learning – 1 * Chinmaya Heritage Centre – 1 * Value based Vision Programme for schools (Regularly conducted in various parts of India) * Institute of Management – 1 *Chinmaya Academy for Civil Services

Rural development

Chinmaya Mission undertakes activities of Rural Development via its wing Chinmaya Organisation for Rural Development (CORD)

Environment related

Chinmaya Mission, Sikkim Centre has established CHINMAYA SMRITI VANAM at Bulbuley, Gangtok, Sikkim, India, in 1995 and have planted till now more than 10,000 trees sapling most of which have grown now into full trees.

Studies in Indology

* Chinmaya International Foundation (CIF), Veliyanad,

Cultural field

* Seminars on public speaking for Youth * Leadership and personality development for youth and adults * Centre for World Understanding – 1

Areas served

The Chinmaya Mission is active in the whole of India as well as in many communities in Australia, England, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, the United States and other countries.

References

External links

* {{Hindu reform movements Religious organizations established in 1953 Hindu organizations Religious organisations based in India Hindu new religious movements 1953 establishments in India