| When I was a youth, Swami Tejomayananda would | | | | but how to read shlokas, write exams and interpret |
| stay at our home whenever he visited Niagara Falls. | | | | our scriptures. Shivani said of Samvidji, "Not |
| Devotees from all around used to flock by the | | | | only did he get us to learn Sanskrit, he also instilled a |
| hundreds to be in his presence. To me, the whole | | | | deep love for the language." |
| scene seemed boring. He was just another swami, | | | | Knowing Sanskrit was a great aid in chanting the |
| only with a cool title- head of Chinmaya Mission. Only | | | | Lord's names- which was our next session. I had |
| after I actually listened to him explain the subtlest of | | | | never been a ritual-oriented person. Rituals seemed |
| texts, like the shads and Brahma Sutras did I come | | | | irrational, insubstantial. Hence, when informed we |
| to preciate his brilliance. Christian Louboutin Pigalle | | | | were to chant Vishnusahasranama at noon every |
| 10cm nappa leather | | | | day, I had the same initial reaction as towards |
| "There are only a few acharyas in the whole | | | | Sanskrit study- Christian Louboutinan inefficient use |
| world who can teach what he can the way he can. | | | | of time. But this seemingly mindless chanting |
| Perhaps this is the reason why Swamiji was honored | | | | eventually became quite meaningful. Swamiji took the |
| as 'Hindu of the Year' in 2005 by Hinduism | | | | time to explain what each of Lord Vishnu's 1,000 |
| Today," remarked Prabhat Chaitanya, a student | | | | names signifies and how by remembering His divine |
| from Toronto, Canada. | | | | qualities, one could nurture the same within oneself. |
| Sanskrit, Language of the Gods | | | | Practical Classes |
| After an hour's discourse and breakfast, skrit class | | | | We had periodic "organizational classes" in |
| commenced at 9:30am. When I had first mentioned | | | | which we learned how to conduct the Bala Vihar |
| to Swamiji that I was interested in joining the | | | | children's classes and camps, how to facilitate a study |
| Vedanta he laughed, and told me to learn as much | | | | group and how the Chinmaya Vidyalayas are run- all |
| Sanskrit as possible before coming to Sandeepany. | | | | grassroots activities of the Mission. These classes |
| Determined, I started setting aside an hour a day to | | | | were not on Vedanta, but on how to spread it. For |
| learn this language of the Gods. Christian Louboutin | | | | example, Swamini Vimalananda, who looks after the |
| Glitter Sling back Within a month I had to give up as | | | | education facet of Chinmaya Mission, gave us an |
| I struggled to even write the script. A teacher would | | | | overview of the Mission's various schools and their |
| be necessary for me to ever learn Sanskrit. But here, | | | | curriculums. |
| thanks to Samvidji, I not only learned the alphabet, | | | | |