Modi Interacts With Holographic Avatar of Swami Chinmayananda, Seeks His Blessings

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the Chinmaya Amrit Mahotsav Global Sammelan at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, where he interacted with a holographic avatar of Swami Chinmayananda, the spiritual leader who died in 1993.

During the interaction, the Prime Minister sought the spiritual leader's blessings for his future work. "It was my great fortune that I met you, and today I want you to bless me for the work I wish to do," Mr Modi said, addressing the avatar.

The remarks attributed to the avatar, which formed part of the holographic presentation at the sammelan, expressed happiness at seeing Mr Modi become Prime Minister and conveyed support, saying, "India is with you, Narendra."

Addressing the gathering afterwards, the Prime Minister described the occasion as a distinct spiritual experience and thanked the assembled saints for their blessings. "It is another kind of spiritual experience. This is a blessing from our saints for me. The Chinmaya Mission is not merely an institution; it represents 'Chinmaya Vichar'," he said.

Mr Modi said the word "Chinmaya" signified immortality, which he said made the naming of the sammelan meaningful. He added that the use of technology at the event had made the experience more vivid. "Seeing the divine presence of Chinmaya Ji through his hologram, I felt as if I had travelled back 33 years," he said.

Recalling his association with Swami Chinmayananda, the Prime Minister said he had first met the spiritual leader around February or March 1993 to invite him to the centenary celebrations of the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. "He accepted my request and went there to make people aware of the World Parliament of Religions. However, destiny had other plans. Just a few weeks before the programme, he left us on August 3," Mr Modi said.

He added that he was present at the gathering held in Chicago on September 11, 1993, and felt the spiritual leader's absence there. Mr Modi also said his last meeting with Swami Chinmayananda had centred on building youth power and, through it, a strong and capable India.

The Chinmaya Mission was founded by Swami Chinmayananda in 1951 with the aim of making the teachings of Vedanta and the Bhagavad Gita accessible to a wider public. Over the decades, it has expanded its work in spiritual education, cultural preservation, youth empowerment and community service.

The three-day sammelan, scheduled from October 23 to 25, 2026, is expected to bring together more than 9,000 participants from India and abroad, according to the organisers. It marks the culmination of a year of celebrations commemorating 75 years of the Mission.

The celebrations began last year with the Prime Minister releasing a Tamil versification of the Bhagavad Gita produced by the Mission, with music composed by Ilaiyaraaja, at Gangaikonda Cholapuram in Tamil Nadu. Other initiatives during the year included mass havans at several locations, the consecration of the Maa Soundarya Chinmayi Temple in Tripura, and the Chinmaya Gita Samarpanam, under which more than one lakh people worldwide chanted the 15th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita together online. A separate programme, Gita Panchamrit, focused on five selected verses of the text.

To carry the Gita's teachings across the country, 15 young members of the Chinmaya Yuva Kendra undertook the Chinmaya Amrit Yatra, travelling more than 40,000 km across India.