Voyages in the Yuva Kendra

Bag stuffed, folder filled, and brain completely devoid of meaning: that would accurately encapsulate my state in the very first class of CHYK CIRS. Seated in a circle with faces familiar and unfamiliar, I felt more apprehension than inspiration. And yet, here I find myself three years on, molded by the hands of giants, in the service of the God called Man, with my eyes blissfully opened to the infinite potential in all things living.

This was no instant transformation. At first glance, the Chinmaya Yuva Kendra at CIRS was only a tangled mass of philosophical sessions, with perhaps a few outings filled with exciting activities and performances in between. But as we turned the pages of 'Freedom and Licence,' the first chapter of our study, Gurudev's words seemed to leap out of the pages and into the core of our hearts. I felt an indescribable weight in them, jolting me to move beyond mere intellectual wanderings into living and breathing spirituality.

There exists a gross misconception of spirituality, that it is only a field for the old and decrepit folk, living out their days in solitude and isolation. CHYK showed me the polar opposite - a gathering of young people constantly chipping away to mold their character, building themselves to build Bharat. Their infectious dynamism proved to me that spirituality is no secluded field. In fact, it is not a field at all, because it deals instead with the one commonality that threads together all fields of the world: your Self.

There exists a gap between good and bad, a chasm between the righteous and the ignoble. Every student feels the strong tug of the latter side, egging them on to settle for lesser, the more appealing and pleasurable. I certainly did. But self-control is not the absence of temptation; it is one's triumph over it.

My greatest battles were not blind competitions for marks with my peers or my struggles on the sports field - they were in quiet moments in the dead of night - warring against my own mind. And while I had several companions in my other endeavors, my sole pillar in this inward fight was CHYK. CIRS offers us two paths - one of industrious work, dedicated effort and unwavering character, and another of wasteful lethargy, impermanent joys, and low-quality living. Our unfortunate reality is that the first path is a road not taken, while the second sees several travellers with each passing moment.

My own path-changer was a single habit; the Yuva Kendra's greatest gift to me: Sadhana. Simply chanting a set of 24 syllables might seem like the most mundane activity on this planet, and yet a mere 108 turns of my mala beads every day have brought quietude to my once-wayward mind. It has imparted to me a strength unspeakable: one that allows me to take a stand against hundreds and thousands without batting an eye.

It has hardened me to become immune to any challenge, trouble or tribulation that the world may throw at me, and it has also softened me to withdraw the venomous hatred that I once used to throw out into the world. CHYK's activities are not unlike those at several other schools: light-and-sound shows, school-wide yatras with interactive stations, temple treks, and the foundational weekly classes are nothing outside the perceived normal.

But I soon discovered that CHYK's real beauty lay not in its activities, but in the spirit with which they were executed. The determined ideation, enthusiastic execution, and whole-hearted servitude pushed me to constantly, joyously serve the Yuva Kendra. In return, it gave me perhaps even more: it took me across Bharat to the International Youth Convention, placed an entire cohort of aspiring Chyksters in my hands, and brought my words to thousands of people through the Chinmaya Udghosh.

Slowly, silently, the months of sadhana, study and reflection piled on top of each other to bring about a revolution from within. I feared less and cared more. I talked less and worked more. I fought less and thought more. I cannot pinpoint exactly where or when these changes came about. I can only stand today on the shore, look back at the raging storm, and bow in gratitude to the organization that sailed me through it.

I know still that I have accomplished nothing - that there are many more mountains to climb, and many more storms to weather. But the Yuva Kendra has brought me some part of the way up the highest peak - the peak of self-mastery - and so I know that the challenges of the world, no matter how large they may seem, are never insurmountable.

To all those who wish to truly join CHYK: leave your ego at the doorstep, open up narrowed notions and embrace these teachings with pure love and unwavering faith. Question everything. Hate nothing. Reflect daily. Speak boldly. Act powerfully. Slowly, you will find yourself staring back and wondering what magical touch must have taken place to turn you into the person you will be. That is no magic. It is transformation - slow, strenuous, and unfathomably rewarding.

It is the hallmark of this organisation. Yuva Kendra is not a place for the spineless. Its first principle is that spirituality is about lived experience, never about purposeless discussion. I have made difficult choices, sometimes excruciatingly painful ones, but behind every choice is the call of dharma - of that unfailing righteousness that separates the mighty from the millions.

Somewhere far along this journey you may catch a glimpse of God, and beyond that there is nothing more I can tell you about - only an existence so beautiful that describing it would be defacing it. You will find Him, not with a great white beard in the clouds, but shining through every man, woman and child around you. That is a faraway summit, but we can begin today with a choice - the Yuva Kendra choice - of slowly removing that vile selfishness from ourselves and growing into more successful individuals in the service of noble causes. Until that day, my humble farewell.