Balan reached Rishikesh and met Swami Sivananda of Divine Life Society and told him that he was a journalist from Delhi and intended to write a story on the area and the sages.
The questions that Balan, as an agnostic would have asked Swami Sivananda are displayed on the sails. The Vedantic answers of Swami Sivananda appealed to Balan’s rational mind and he started transforming. We have imagined a few questions that Balan, as an agnostic would have asked Swami Sivananda .
1. Does Brahman or God Exist?
2. Where is God?
3. Why Religion?
4. Why is someone born poor & someone rich ? Why so much inequality in the world?
5. What is the purpose of Life?
6. Who controls my destiny? Do I have freewill?
7. Why & What is Self-Realisation?
8. What is the mind? How to control it?
9. What is the essence of Sadhana?
10. What is Japa?
Balan soon observed that this Swami was no hermit sitting in the retirement of meditation; he was busy 7 days a week without holidays or vacations. His opinion of sanyasis as a “lazy jobless lot” was completely wrong. He saw that the Swami worked selflessly on many spiritual and social welfare projects. Balan also began helping with the journalistic work of the Ashram and participating in its activities and services
Seeing Balan’s intellectual strengths and other qualities like determination, honesty and self-confidence, Swami Sivanandaji hinted to him “God blessed you with such intelligence, why don’t you use it for Him? You can join us - become a swami like us! Keep this idea in mind, even as you continue with (delete with) your life out in the world.”
After months of Ashram life, Balan returned to Delhi. He picked up his daily life and career as he had left them. However, he continued to divide his time between his mundane life in Delhi and the spiritual life in Rishikesh.
The Tongue Tied Menon
On sept 8 1947 was the diamond jubilee birthday of Swami Sivananda. Everyone was commemorating the birth of a Free India along with the Swami’s birthday. Balan stayed on for the celebrations.
At one evening service, a rather informal and spontaneous event, Swami Sivananda suddenly called Balan to say a few words on a topic of his own choice. Balan was at a loss for words and stood tongue tied. Atlast Swami Sivananda interrupted the silence, “Its Ok. You’ll get another chance.” No one, not even Balan himself, would have dreamt then that he would one day captivate the world with his gifts of oratory.
Later after the service, Swami Sivananda commented, “What is this, an M.A a successful journalist, not able to give a short, impromptu discourse? You had better prepare yourself for tomorrow evening’s meetings as i’m sure to call on you again. Why don’t you take the theme of Shreyas and Preyas as your first topic?”
After research and contemplation on the subject, the next evening, Balan gave his first spiritual discourse.
Original ideas
Encouraged by Swami Sivanandaji, Menon began to give small speeches prepared on given topics, at the services. His original and frank ideas reflected his belief in self-effort rather that taking the easier way of picking up something from a good book.
Swami Sivanandaji’s hint to Menon to serve God
Seeing Menon’s intellectual strengths and other qualities like determination, honesty and self-confidence, Swami Sivanandaji hinted to him “God blessed you with such intelligence, why dont you use it for Him? You can join us - become a swami like us! Keep this idea in mind, even as you continue with your life out in the world.”
After months of Ashram life, Balan returned to delhi. He picked up his daily life and career as he had left them. He continued to divide his time between his mundane life in Delhi and the spiritual life in Rishikesh.
“These trips to Rishikesh did not have too much of an effect on my actions. It was my thoughts and ideas, my concepts and visions, my values and principles that were changing in the relentless logic of the great books of Hinduism.”
Balan asks to be Initiated
Finally Balan asked Swami Sivananda about getting initiated into Sannyas. To his surprise, the Swami advised him to be cautious, “There is no hurry. You are still so young. You go on with your newspaper work in Delhi. That’s the Lord’s work too. You must be sure you’ve tasted all of the worldly life. Lets give you plenty of a time to be sure that this is a true desire for the spiritual life , not just temporary moment of disenchantment with the world.”
Design Notes
Sceptic to Sannyasi
In this exhibit, there are digitally printed panels in the form of sails that rise from the water and extend up into the sky. Made of light tensile fabrics, they are dynamic and metaphorically represent the journey of Swami Chinmayananda from a Sceptic to a Sannyasi. The panels are situated on the river as the events depicted during this time of his life occurred around the river Ganga.