by Dr.C.D.Sharma
As a part of the Retreat Programme for the current year, the Gita Gyan Yajna was conducted by Swami Krishnananda ji from 11th june to 18th June, 2011. The various components of the Yajna were the Chanting of the Gita, the paraphrasing of each verse, Group Discussion, the mutual sharing of the Gita knowledge and the wisdom it contains, a Visual Treat through Video shows of the outer Mahabharat, the Devotional Bhajans, the Musical Recitals, the elevating Satsang on the core of the Gita, the Fire Rite on Vasudeva, daily Energization Exercises and Meditation, and the Quiz on the Gita for self-appraisal. The devotees were also provided useful notes, illustrations and other related background material on the Gita.
The Gita Chanting: The loud chanting of a few Chapters of the Gita everyday along with the audio-recital in a CD by the Chinmaya Mission, the devotees joined the Swamiji and raised themselves to a Heavenly experience. The piety was indeed well-pronounced. The marathon chanting of all the 18 Chapters of the Gita on the penultimate day lasting for three and a half hours was a never-before experience of a unique sort. The paraphrasing of the verses by Sw Krishnananda ji provided clarity and enhanced the wisdom of devotees.
The Gita Chanting
The Satsang : The Satsang by Sw Krishananda ji was inspiring as well as exhaustively informative. Topics such as Allegory of the Mahabharata, The Subtleties of the Ego, Humility, True Devotion, Renunciation, the Sadhana, The Kriya Yoga etc., all motivated devotees to newer resolves in their sadhana. His exposition of the Gita bore the stamp of scholarship and his high state of consciousness. The devotees, indeed, felt highly blessed.
The Satsang
The Group Discussion: This is another area which had all the markings of a corporate approach to a subject of learning. The participants were divided into five Groups led by a leader who would moderate all discussions and present an oral report to the audience and the Swami ji. 20 to 25 questions on 2/3 Chapters of the Gita were given every day to all the devotees to examine, discuss and share the answers. Every participant was expected to be familiar with the answers with his/her own personal reading. Questions and doubts were presented to Swami ji for his clarifications. His elaborations enriched the knowledge of devotees.
The Group Discussion
Energization Exercises and Meditation: Routine Energization Exercises and Meditation daily in the morning and evening were regular cardinal features of the whole programme. Morning meditation was for one and half hours and in the evening it was for two hours. There was a special 3 hours guided meditation conducted by Swami Krishnananda ji on 17th evening which was immensely liked by the devotees.
Energization Exercises
Meditation Session
The Quiz: When a Quiz Programme on the Gita was announced, the idea of an academic competition among the Groups made everyone scary. But it became one of the finest features of the Yajna. Conducted by Dr Keshav Sharma with a professional touch, it turned out to be a jolly Merry-Go-Round of questions and a hilarious session with Groups virtually ‘jostling’ with each other like school kids. The devotees revelled in the joy of hits and near-misses. The sporting spirit was at its best. No matter which Group won or lost, they all had the blessed gift of a piece of the sacred cloth worn by the Guru, a souvenir, memorable and beyond compare.
The Quiz Session
The Concluding “Session and the Fire Rite: The Yajna had a grand finale at the YSDK, The Ridge in Shimla. Serene and grand at once, the atmosphere was soul-inspiring. Sw Krishnananda’s the concluding message of the Gita, the Pushpanjali and the ‘Krishna’ prasad devotees received from him rung the curtain on the Yajna in a formal way. The Fire Rite Ceremony or the Havan performed late in the evening on the last day invoking the blessing of Lord Krishna was the crowning event of the Programme.
Session at YSDK Shimla
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The Fire Rite
The Kabir Jayanti : This was celebrated on the 15th of June, the birth anniversary of the great Indian saint, a devotee of the Rama, one of the divine avatars of the Lord. An audio feature on His biography fanned the devotional fire in the hearts of the participants.
Video shows, the Bhajans and the Musical recital: Selected scenes from the TV serial “The Mahabharat” were video-cast for devotees for a greater understanding of the outer and inner Mahabharat so wonderfully amplified by the Guru ji. The Bhajans, an enthralling session of devotional songs by Sh Dewaker Dutt Sharma and Sh. Mritunjya Sharma and a sitar recital by Dr Keshav Sharma struck a chord with the devotees and charged them with higher levels of Bhakti.
Arti of the Gita: On the last day i.e. on 18th June, Arti of the Gita (God Talks To Arjuna) was performed by the devotees which further added to the piety of the Gita Gyan Yajna.
Arti of the Gita
On the whole, the programme of Gita Gyan Yajna, to all the devotees, was a special blessing from Guru ji and a wonderful experience as expressed by them. Some of the excerpts from the feedback received from devotees are as follows:
“By the sheer grace of God and Guru, we could get the valuable opportunity to attend the Gita Gyan Yagna held in June 2011 in the sylvan settings of the Himalayan foothills of Shimla among extremely quiet surroundings of the Anand Shikhar Sadhnalya.”
“It was an experience of a life time.”
“It was a wonderful debut by the YSS and we wish many more such attempts may be made in future at various places for the benefit of other fellow devotees.”
“It was indeed a unique effort to give the devotees a flavour of the Guru ji’s immortal Commentary on the Gita ‘God Talks with Arjuna”.
“Swami Krishnanada ji’s elaborations on the Gita, enriched our knowledge and honed our wisdom. By the last day of the Yajna, we felt like the twinkling stars of the Gita.”
“The daily recitation of the Sanskrit verses, which came out of the mouth of God, seemed to penetrate some deeper fiber and purify our consciousness. Day by day we felt more uplifted and we got a new meaning of life.”
All the devotees expressed their gratitude to the YSS and Sw Krishananda ji for planning this Gita Gyana Yajna, restoring the glory of the Gita and Guruji’s Commentary, and for raising their understanding and consciousness to higher levels.
The Whole Group
The response of devotees to participate in the Gita Gyan yajna was so overwhelming that we had to express our inability to accommodate many for want of adequate stay arrangements in the Retreat at Anand Shikhar. It means, in future, there is a scope for arranging more programmes of Gita Gyan Yajna.
In the end, we would like to commend the sincere efforts made and stamina exhibited by Swami Krishnananda ji to plan and organize The Gita Gyan Yajna single handedly and very effectively. Had there been more support to him from the YSS, it would have been much better.
