YEP 11 Inauguration
Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth commenced the first Diploma programme in Youth Empowerment and Philosophy today at Chinmaya vibhooti. YEP - batch 11 was inaugurated today by Poojya Swami Swaroopanandaji, the Chancellor of Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth. He spoke about the need to harness the potential of the youth positively for nation building and the effectiveness of YEP in creating leaders for the future through self transformation and service of the society. Poojya Swami Mitranandaji(the conceiver of YEP), Poojya Swami Advaitanandaji and Swami Swatmananda(Acharya for YEP11) were present for the programme. 25 students have been selected for the programme.
Swami Swaroopanandaji's Address
" We have to learn how to adjust(pointing to the mike). At the same time, if you do it yourself, and the one who is supposed to do it is not taught,then you will have to keep doing it all the time. This is what the YEP course is all about. To empower our youth to be dynamic, efficient, powerful and productive contributors to the society. Poojya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda's very very famous statement, probably those who have been in the Chinmaya Yuva Kendra have heard it: Youth are not useless, they are are used less. And as you demonstrated in the play, they are not only used less by others,but they themselves also do not recognize their potential. They do not recognize their sense of responsibility and when they recognize their potential and responsibility and are given a proper guidance, then they are a force of positive contributors. If in the world, many youth are misguided to become destructive forces in the society and they effectively do it, then why cannot the very youth be given the direction, given noble ambitions, given guidance as to how to develop those virtues by which they can create an army of people, not for destruction, but for the evolution, for the growth and the well being of the society. This wonderful course, inspired from Poojya Gurudev’s vision and the hardwork of our Acharyas like Swami Mitrananda,Swatmananda,and others, has become a very very effective course, in creating such dedicated youth, sevaks of society.
I remember once Pujya Gurudev telling, that today's education system has become such that you do not finish your post graduation till you are about 24 and then internship,further studies. By the time you really finish your studies, you are almost 28 or 30. Then you get training in job etc is 35,then a person wants to get married. After 35 why they want to get married? big question. By 40 they have children, now they have to bring up the children till 55 ,till their 60. Now when its time to use their experience, they are tired. They retire. That is the time,when no body wants them, they will come to some ashram and say ,"can i come and do some seva?" You wonder, if they require seva or they are going to do seva. The most productive years of our lives, go only in finding our livelihood and not being able to become positive contributors in the society. And as it is happening round the world, we are taking and taking and taking and sometimes even looting nature and the world, without putting back much into the world. If we don't invest, we are not going to get greater profits. Here profits i am not talking about monetary profits, we are not going to get greater benefits. Therefore it becomes our responsibility, in every generation, to see what world we create. This was Gurudev's great grand vision. Gurudev started the Vedanta course for the Brahmacharis and Swamis, the Balvihar,the Yuvakendra ,the study groups. He wanted to make such sevaks. In fact he called himself as a sevak only. He was the chief sevak,the mukhya sevak of the mission.His was the motto: serve,serve,serve and serve you shall deserve. So this empowerment programme that has been designed and successfully conducted over the last 13 years has been very very effective and you are all privileged to be a part of this course. While you learn for 2 months, equip yourself fully. It is not about going and teaching others. Others learn mainly through demonstration and what we are. If you are empowered, the world will be empowered. Transform yourself, the world will be transformed. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change that you want to see.” I invoke Poojya Gurudev's blessings that all of you, not only for these two months, but for your life, continue to learn and serve. Life is indeed meant to be beautiful. It is beautiful,if we know how to see and what to do. So wish you such a wonderful,fulfilling,growing,transforming experience in YEP.
Hari Om and best best wishes! "