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Vedanta Sadhaka Course

Chinmaya Mission is conducting the first Vedanta Sadhaka Course, a one-year residential course, starting from Vijayadashami, 15th October, 2021. The Mukhya Acharya of the course is Pujya Swami Swaroopananda, Global Head of Chinmaya Mission and the resident Acharyas are Swami Advayananda and Swami Sharadananda. The venue of the course is Chinmaya International Foundation, Adi Sankara Nilayam, Ernakulam, Kerala, the maternal birth-home of Sri Adi Sankaracharya.

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Chinmaya Mission is conducting the first Vedanta Sadhaka Course, a one-year residential course for the intensive study of the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and the other important Vedantic texts. The medium of teaching is English. The course is to begin on Vijayadashami, 15th October, 2021. The Mukhya Acharya of the course is Pujya Swami Swaroopananda, Global Head of Chinmaya Mission and the resident Acharyas are Swami Advayananda and Swami Sharadananda. The venue of the course is Chinmaya International Foundation, Adi Sankara Nilayam, Ernakulam, Kerala, the maternal birth-home of Sri Adi Sankaracharya.

The main purpose of this one-year residential course is to help the seeker acquire complete clarity on the teachings of Advaita Vedanta and the various spiritual practices for living the life of a ‘sadhaka’, a spiritual seeker. Such in-depth study of Vedanta, in a Gurukula set-up, will bestow the seeker the right and holistic vision of life in the path to Self-realisation.

Eligibility

  • Age 33 to 65 years
  • Keen interest in Vedantic studies and to live the life of a sadhaka (spiritual seeker)

Course Objectives

  • To gain an in-depth knowledge of Vedanta through the study of the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and other essential Vedantic texts
  • To acquire clarity about the spiritual path and the spiritual practices (sadhanas)

Medium of Teaching: English

Duration: One-year residential programme

Day of Commencement:15th October, 2021 (Vijayadashami)

For course donation and queries, contact:

Phone: +919746824142 / +919207711145 / +919207711142
Email: vsc@chinfo.org

How to Apply?

The course will have a limited number of seats and the admission will be based on an interview. Interested participants can download and fill up the application form.

Option 1 – Send the hardcopies with relevant documents to:
Manager
Chinmaya International Foundation
Adi Sankara Nilayam, Veliyanad
Ernakulam – 682313, Kerala, India
Phone: +91 92077 11145 / Email: manager@chinfo.org

Option 2 – Scan and send the soft copy of the filled application form to: vsc@chinfo.org

Last date of sending in the completed Application Form is 30th June, 2021.

Mukhya Acharya

Pujya Swami Swaroopananda

In an era rife with scepticism and confusion about matters spiritual, Swami Swaroopananda is a rare voice that blends authenticity with accessibility; theory with self-practice; logic with heart. As a child, he heard many religious stories from his grandmother, tales from the great Indian epics and the lives of saints, and verses from the Guru Granth Sahib. These stories suddenly came to life, acquiring new meaning and depth, when as an adolescent he encountered the preeminent Master of Vedanta, Swami Chinmayananda. His heart completely moved and inspired, in 1984 Swami Swaroopananda gave up his family's thriving business to undergo intensive training under Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda and Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Mumbai. He was initiated into the monastic order in 1992 by Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda. Since then, he has touched thousands of lives across the world, and his tremendous work in bringing out the essential wisdom and underlying unity of all religions has garnered him a place among the vanguards of self-development philosophy. He was formerly the Regional Head of Chinmaya Mission Australia, United Kingdom, Middle East, Africa and Far East, and presently Chancellor of the Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth Trust (University for Sanskrit and Indic Traditions) and Chairman of the Chinmaya International Residential School in Coimbatore, South India. In January 2017, Swami Swaroopananda was bestowed by Swami Tejomayananda the privilege to serve as the Global Head of Chinmaya Mission.

Resident Acharyas

Swami Advayananda

Swami Advayananda is currently serving as the In-charge of CIF. An accomplished teacher of Vedanta, he has authored several books and courses at CIF including the Holy Gita Ready Reference, Advanced Vedanta Course, and so on. He served as the Acharya for two Vedanta Courses – the first in Tamil-English at Sandeepany Vidyamandir, Coimbatore and the second in English at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Mumbai. He was part of the team that researched and coordinated the Upanishad Ganga tele-serial, which was broadcasted by Doordarshan. In the last decade, CIF has significantly expanded the publications and research work under Swamiji's guidance. He has supervised and co-redacted the publication of the 2-volume work on the Brahmasutra-catussutri. This work is noteworthy for its profound, student-friendly English translation and exposition of Sri Adi Sankaracharya’s commentary on the first four aphorisms of the Brahmasutra, with extensive footnotes from 10 sub-commentaries. He is a Trustee of the Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth (CVV), a Deemed-to-be-University established in 2016 to promote world-class education rooted in Indian Knowledge Traditions.

Swami Sharadananda

Swami Sharadananda Sarasvati, is a polyglot with expertise in Sanskrit, Indian Philosophy (Yoga and Advaita Vedanta) with an in-depth understanding of ritualistic and cultural traditions. A post-graduate in Advaita Vedanta, he secured a first rank at the All India level, and was awarded a gold medal from the prestigious Sanskrit university, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi. He had assisted Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda as the Sanskrit Acharya in the 13th Batch of the Vedanta Course at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Mumbai. A year after this batch, he became the Acharya for the Purohit Course (batch of 2010) at Chinmaya Gardens, Coimbatore. He was also appointed as Upa-acharya for the 15th Sandeepany Vedanta Course (Batch of 2013) where he gave the students an excellent grounding in Sanskrit and Vedic Chanting. He was also the Acharya of the two-year residential Vedanta Course in Malayalam (2018 – 2020) at Kerala Sandeepany, Adi Sankara Nilayam. He is also a member of the Academic Council of Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth (CVV).

The Vedanta Sadhaka Course is conducted at Chinmaya International Foundation, Adi Sankara Nilayam, the hallowed maternal birth-home of Sri Adi Sankaracharya. The vicinity of the illom is surrounded with lush green vegetation, and the in-house sacred temple complex radiates a spiritual ambience that stands as a classic example of how utility meets art and work meets worship.

Chinmaya International Foundation (CIF) is the Academia of Sanskrit and Indic Studies, established in 1989 by Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda, with a vision of it being “a bridge between the East and West, past and the present, science and spirituality, and pundit and public.”

The purpose of the residential Vedanta Sadhaka Course is to provide an ideal opportunity for all the sincere seekers to learn Vedanta. In this one-year course, students withdraw fully from worldly life and follow a disciplined schedule of classes and activities in an ashram setting to promote learning, reflection and contemplation.

Through the entire duration of this intensive one-year residential course, the Acharyas closely observe and monitor the progress and development of the sadhakas. Sadhakas are expected to live a life of discipline in the gurukula. There are no holidays during this entire period. The daily schedule includes the study of Vedanta and Sanskrit, Vedic chanting, Meditation, Bhajans, and Satsangs.

Sadhakas will be methodically guided through the wisdom of the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Prakarana-granthas of Vedanta, authored by Adi Sankaracharya, Swami Vidyaranya and other saints. Texts unveiling the practice of Bhakti like Ramayana and Bhagavatam will also be studied. They will also learn to read and write in Devanagari and the basics of Sanskrit grammar.

  • Single accomodation (option of non-AC and AC)
  • Simple sattvic vegetarian food
  • Textbooks

To be brought by the Sadhakas

  • Sufficient clothes (suitable for ashram wear)
  • Essential medicines (can be purchased as need be)
  • Stationery (notebooks etc. can be purchased as required)

Ashram Discipline

Attending all classes is mandatory with no exceptions. Apart from classes, the sadhakas are expected to study, reflect and contemplate on the teachings. The sublime atmosphere of Adi Sankara Nilayam, the maternal birth-home of Sri Adi Sankaracharya, enables the seeker to turn inward effortlessly. All the sadhakas are expected to follow the instructions of the Acharyas and adhere to the ashram discipline.

Dress Code

Sadhakas are to attire themselves in clothing suitable for an ashram atmosphere.

Tentative Course Curriculum

Tentative Daily Schedule

FAQs

Disclaimer: Please note the answers to the below Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are provided as a tool for understanding what students can generally expect during their stay at Chinmaya International Foundation, Adi Sankara Nilayam. Authorities reserve the right to change the policies at any time without any notice.

Course Information

On Vijayadashami, 15th October, 2021

The course duration is 1 year and it would conclude around Vijayadashami, 5th October, 2022.

For information contact: +91 92077 11142 / +91 97468 24142 / vsc@chinfo.org

Yes, candidates may opt to scan the filled Application Form along with their recent photograph and supporting documents and email it to vsc@chinfo.org

Reporting date for the first Vedanta Sadhaka Course is 12th October, 2021. If you want to attend the preceding Navaratri Celebrations at Adi Sankara Nilayam, please contact: +91 92077 11142 / +91 97468 24142 / vsc@chinfo.org

CIF, Adi Sankara Nilayam is located at Veliyanad, Ernakulam District. The location address is as follows:

Chinmaya International Foundation
Adi Sankara Nilayam, Adi Sankara Marg, Veliyanad
Ernakulam – 682313, Kerala, India
CIF is well connected by different modes of transport.

By Air:

Cochin International/Domestic Airport [Airport code (COK)] is the closest. CIF, Adi Sankara Nilayam is about 45 kms (around 90 minutes from the airport by taxi) away.

By Rail:

Alight at Ernakulam South (ERS) or Ernakulam North (ERN) stations and take a taxi to CIF, Adi Sankara Nilayam via Thripunithura-Mulanthuruthy-Arakkunnam-Peppathy route or take a bus from Ernakulam.

Chinmaya International Foundation (CIF) office shall send you the necessary documents on request. However, for any queries or clarifications please contact: The Manager – +91 92077 11145 | manager@chinfo.org

You will be notified within 2 to 3 months from the time of your submission of application and will be informed well in advance.

The interview will be conducted online through the Zoom app so that you do not have to be physically present at the venue.

Once selected for the course after the interview, the medical test reports should be submitted on or before 31st July, 2021.

Preparation

All the textbooks necessary for the course will be provided to the sadhakas. However, they may carry notebooks, stationery and their personal daily prayer books.

Yes. The medium of teaching is English. Besides that, the Acharyas will ensure that Sanskrit language skills are imparted during the course so that the student is equipped to study the texts that are taught.

Revisions and assignments for greater understanding and comprehension are part of the course. However, there will be no examinations.

If you seek to familiarise yourself with Vedanta, you could join the Study Groups in your local Chinmaya Mission centre. For a list of Chinmaya Mission Centers, click here. You can also listen to the discourses offered by the Swamins and Brahmacharins of the Chinmaya Mission either directly or online through Chinmaya Channel, Chinfo Channel, Chinfo Malayalam Channel, Chinfo Tamil Channel etc.

Yes, you are permitted to leave the campus without missing any of your daily classes. Since the Vedanta Sadhaka Course has sessions on all days, including Sundays, sadhakas are expected to devote the complete year for their studies and sadhana. In case of any emergency, you will be permitted to leave the campus for a duration that is required after which you will be expected to cover the sessions you have missed.

You are expected to attire in clothing suitable for an ashram.

No. You are free to wear clothes in the colour of your choice.

Facilities

Single AC/Non-AC rooms with attached bathrooms will be provided to the sadhakas. However, couples can avail shared rooms (AC/Non-AC) on request as per availability.

Yes, a well-equipped library to meet all your study needs.

Basic first aid facilities will be provided in-house. The nearby private hospital is situated just 2 kms away and specialist hospitals are available around 30 kms. All medical expenses are expected to be borne by the sadhakas.

Yes. You can use your mobile phones apart from the class schedule. However, please make sure that it does not create any distraction during the course.

Yes, washing machines will be provided for self-washing. If you require any aid for washing/dry cleaning, the facilities can be arranged on payment.

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