Bokaro: “Devotion is not achieved by effort alone, it is only through the grace of God,” said Param Pujya Swami Advaitananda Saraswati, addressing the evening session on the fourth day of the Manas Gyan Yagna at Chinmaya Vidyalaya’s Tapovan Auditorium in Bokaro.
Reflecting on a profound episode from the Ramayana, Swami Ji narrated the emotional moment when Lord Shri Ram humbly asked Sage Valmiki to suggest a place in the forest where his presence wouldn’t disturb the meditating sages. Overwhelmed, Valmiki—recognizing Ram as the Supreme Being—worshipped him silently, and declared that Ram is the embodiment of the Vedantic truth: beyond attributes, beyond thought, infinite and formless, yet taking form out of divine will.
Swami Ji explained that God, in his highest reality, is formless (Nirguna) and infinite, but manifests in form (Saguna) out of compassion—for the benefit of the devotee.
“O Ram, you are the creator and sustainer of the universe. The world exists in you, but you are beyond it,” he said, quoting Sage Valmiki.
He further elaborated that Sita is the divine energy (Shakti), Lakshman is eternal time, and all creation operates under the divine will of Shri Ram. “Even Brahma, Vishnu and Shankar cannot comprehend the Lord’s ultimate truth,” he noted.
Illustrating that divine love is bestowed only through grace, Swami Ji cited the example of Ahalya, wife of Gautam Rishi, whose curse turned into a blessing as it led her to the feet of Lord Ram. “Devotion arises not by one’s merit, but by the Lord’s will,” he emphasized.
In a deep Vedantic insight, Swami Ji recounted Valmiki’s reply to Ram:
“You ask where to stay, O Lord, but where are you not? Still, if you ask, reside in the ears that thirst for your divine stories, in the eyes that long for your darshan like a Chatak waiting for rain, and in the hearts that seek nothing but your grace.”
Swami Ji explained that such ears, eyes and hearts, filled with unwavering devotion, are the true abode of the Lord. Valmiki describes 14 such divine dwellings, of which Swami Ji elaborated on four, promising to explain the remaining ten in the next two days.
The evening concluded with soulful bhajans and Naam Kirtan, leaving the audience spiritually uplifted.
Besides others Anil Kumar Mishra, Principal District and Sessions Judge of Bokaro, graced the event as a special guest and was felicitated by Swami Ji. Chinmaya Mission’s resident Acharya Swamini Samyuktananda Saraswati, School President Biswaroop Mukhopadhyay, Secretary Mahesh Tripathi, Treasurer R.N. Mallick, Principal Suraj Sharma, Vice Principal Narmendra Kumar, Headmaster Gopal Chandra Munshi, along with teachers, alumni, parents and students, were present on the eve.
The stage was coordinated by Supriya Choudhury and teacher Sonali Gupta. The school’s music department infused the environment with devotional chants and shlokas, turning the campus into a spiritual sanctuary.
