On the one hand, Pujya Gurudev awakened all Hindus, which means the followers of Hinduism to their religion. At the very outset, in his forthright style he declared, “I don’t seek to convert people belonging to other religions to Hinduism; I want to convert Hindus to Hinduism.” The implication was that though born in the Hindu tradition, we ourselves did not know its greatness. He made us aware of the glory and richness of the religion, its foundation, culture and rituals.

On the other hand, his message was steeped in the Upanishad culture. Their teachings – universal in nature and application, go beyond classifications of caste, colour, creed, religion, and nationality. Gurudev brought to light the essence of the Upanishads and made their timeless knowledge available to humanity. This is why, even people living abroad, were wholly receptive to and impressed by his teachings. The message of the Upanishads is universal. Even today, there are Mission workers, who are not directly born into the Hindu religion or tradition.

At the individual level, he wanted people to change for their own betterment, improvement and ultimately, perfection or God-realisation. Through individual perfection alone, is world perfection possible. In short, Pujya Gurudev’s work was inspired by one factor: to bring about change in the whole nation was not as essential as bringing about a transformation in the person. Individual effort to strive for and succeed in bringing about internal change, is the greatest service that one can render the world.

Kindling the Fire of Knowledge

Gurudev started his work through ‘Jnana Yagnas’ – a series of talks, by giving discourses on the Upanishads. Later, a new pattern developed. During the morning sessions, he discoursed on the Upanishads and in the evenings, on the Bhagavad Gita. His jnana yagnas became so popular that the phrase ‘jnana yagna’ became synonymous with Pujya Gurudev.

The term ‘jnana yagna’ appears in the Bhagavad Gita itself. Bhagavan Shri Krishna has clearly authenticated its importance by, ‘I am most pleased with anyone who worships me through this jnana yagna.’ Listening to talks on the Geeta, self-study, discussions on its shlokas are all aspects of jnana yagna. Its most important aspect is: when through all these activities, the fire of knowledge kindled in the heart, burns the fuel of ignorance to ashes. That is the real jnana yagna. Jnanai sarva karmani bhasma sat karnte. Jnana yagna is multifaceted and its outer form is the lecture series. This then takes the form of individual study, followed by group study, to culminate in its inner form as meditation and realization. This was the beginning…then came the idea of the study group.

The main purpose, the motivation, the vision behind all activities and actions of the Mission is to bring about inner transformation. What is logically, the starting point for this inner transformation? Would that not be childhood itself? Therefore, Gurudev conceived of Bala Vihar for children. where the emphasis is on inculcating sanskaars – sanskaar pradhan. For the youth, it was Yuva Kendra, with the emphasis on vichaar – vichaar pradhan. It is said, ‘balakeshu ca samskaro vicaro yuvakesa ca’ – good impressions in childhood; inquiry for the youth. So even though the underlying common objective of all Mission activities is – inner change – the emphasis and method changes according to the age group. For adult sadaks he recommended study groups or swadhyaya kendras. The emphasis here is not only on questioning, but more on reflection – chintan mananan pradhaan.

Pujya Gurudev created programmes for all age groups tailored for their ages. Even though at every stage nourishment is in the form of Knowledge, the methodology is different at each level. To illustrate this Gurudev used an interesting example – from birth to our twilight years, we require physical nourishment – food in one form or another. A baby is nourished only by the mother’s milk, not by solid food. As the baby grows, even cow’s milk can be given in a bottle or a glass. Once the teeth develop, solid foods are introduced. From childbirth to the end, we require food, but its nature and the method of ingesting it changes.

His Legacy

Pujya Gurudev touched the hearts and lives of millions and effected an inner awakening. This was his real work. It is well neigh impossible to present statistics on the scope of his outreach. In travels to different places and meeting with people, one is surprised to hear and see how Gurudev impacted their lives. Showcased across the globe in innumerable homes, is his real work of transformation!

Transcribed and edited from a talk given during a Training Camp for Study Group Sevaks at Chinmaya Vibhooti, May 2107