Pancadasi Ch. 10: Natakadeepa – A Jnana Yajna

Wake up and awaken to this lecture series by Swami Ishwarananda on the topic of Panchadasi, a seminal work by Swami Vidyaranya that expounds on the wisdom and knowledge of Advaita Vedanta. Swamiji will be conducting lectures at 6:30 AM starting on Sunday, May 26, and we invite all who are interested to join!

This event is free to attend and does not require any reservation.

Location: Chinmaya Mission Vancouver Ashram – 155 East 54th Ave Vancouver BC (Entrance at Back)

Please note, that Swamiji will also be presenting OJAS (Orange Juice to Awaken the Soul), a series of lectures on practical, spiritual advice, in the evenings at the Burnaby Hindu Temple. Visit the OJAS event page for more information.

About Panchadasi Chapter 10

Panchadasi (पञ्चदशी) is an extensive and comprehensive text written by Swami Vidyaranya on the topic of Advaita Vedanta. Divided into 15 chapters, it explores the truths and wisdom laid out in texts such as the Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras, and the Bhagavad Gita.

Chapter 10 discusses the Natakadeepa, or the Lamp of the Theatre. In this chapter, the supreme Self is likened to a lamp illuminating a theatre stage. Just as the lamp casts light on the empty stage before the play begins, during its performance, and even after its conclusion when the stage is vacant, the self-luminous supreme Self exists before the universe’s inception, throughout its manifestation, and beyond its dissolution.

About Swami Ishwarananda

Swami Ishwarananda is the resident Swami at Chinmaya Mission Los Angeles (CMLA). An accomplished master of Vedanta philosophy, Swamiji explains the universality of spiritual teachings in a simplified manner for audiences to grasp and for seekers to implement teachings in day-to-day living. Several companies, universities, and inter-faith consortiums routinely reach out to Swamiji for delivering talks to their employees, students, and congregations. Swamiji is presently one of the Directors of Chinmaya Mission West (CMW) which oversees the activities in North America. Previously, Swamiji was part of Chinmaya Mission Bangalore where he served as the secretary.

Swamiji has conducted yajnas in Vancouver many times before, and you can view his previous virtual lecture series on Chapter 14 of the Bhagavad Gita here, his lecture series on Subodha Vedanta, and his lectures series on the Hanumat Stuti.

About Guru Dakshina

Guru Dakshina is a very ancient concept belonging to the Indian origin. It is the tradition to offer, with reverence, something of value, to one’s ‘Guru’ or ‘Teacher’ or towards his/her cause in recognition of the invaluable knowledge imparted to the student. Spiritual knowledge offered by the Chinmaya Mission will always remain free. However, if you would like to offer Guru Dakshina, please send your donation via Interac e-transfer to treasurer@chinmayavancouver.org and include “Swami Ishwarananda GD” in the note. To learn more about donating to Chinmaya Mission Vancouver, visit our Donation page.