After the Course

It is welcomed and hoped that at the end of his/her course, each student will choose to be initiated into Chinmaya Mission’s monastic order as a Brahmacharin (yellow clothes) in order to follow in the Guru’s lineage (Guru-shishya Parampara) by serving at a Chinmaya Mission Centre. In due time, Chinmaya Mission Brahmacharins are initiated into sannyasa (ochre robe of a Swamin). Initiated Brahmacharins are those students who have decided to offer their full-time service to teaching, studying and reflecting upon the sacred teachings of the Scriptures. In general, Brahmacharins are appointed to a Chinmaya Mission Centre, where they can fulfil the above mentioned purpose. It goes without saying that those initiated into yellow are expected to comply with the rules and regulations of the Brahmacharin lifestyle.

For those students who are unsure of what path to take at the end of the Course, in terms of taking initiation or not due to familial obligation or other limitations, there is the option of serving Chinmaya Mission in white clothes. Those in white can serve the Mission to whatever extent they can without being formally initiated into the monastic order. There are many active individuals who serve in white but also have the freedom to fulfil their personal obligations. Taking white provides a way for sadhaks to bridge the gap between the spiritual and secular world.

Having said this, it is entirely up to the student, whether or not (or to what extent) he or she would like to serve the Mission upon completing the Course.