One of the things that surprised Sajili about Veda is her effortless willingness to sustain the practice and how naturally it has become a part of her daily life.
By Sophia Ann French
Dehradun-based Sajili Mohan Chawla studied accounting and began a career in finance, but it lasted only two years. “I was miserable in finance. My parents had a publishing company and asked me if I would like to join the business, so I ended up learning the ropes and scaling the business, leading to a successful exit after 20 years,” says Sajili.
During those decades, a litany of personal and professional challenges led Sajili to a workshop called “Who Am I ?” She attended more workshops, learnt various healing modalities and was gradually inspired to co-facilitate and eventually lead workshops. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) from the International Coach Federation (ICF), a Certified Integral Coach from New Ventures, and holds a Master’s degree in Transpersonal Psychology. She also taught at the SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai as a Professor of Science of Spirituality, thanks to her meeting with Professor Surya Tahora, who gave her this incredible opportunity. “I spent five years teaching with Surya, and during that time, I attended a Vedanta retreat hosted by his wife, Neema Majmudar. Everything I heard in my first 10 days resonated with me as truth. At one of their retreats, I heard Vedic chanting for the first time. I remember thinking I didn’t want to be left behind. My fellow students told me they were learning from Shantala, and that’s how I connected with her, around 2018. So, in a sense, it began with curiosity — and perhaps a little fear of missing out,” says Sajili. She’s in conversation with Veda Studies and shares how her spiritual journey eventually led her to study, recite and teach Veda.
Veda Studies: What was your understanding of Veda before you started studying formally, and how has that impression changed?
Sajili: Growing up in India, one is exposed to some version of the Vedas — part tradition, part ritual, part mystery and part compulsion. I thought of the Vedas as ancient scriptures: revered, feared and distant. Through my study of Vedanta and Vedic chanting, they have become intrinsic to how I live today. They give me purpose and perspective, growth and grounding.
Veda Studies: Did anything surprise you about the Veda Studies tradition of learning and teaching?
Sajili: The extraordinary precision of oral transmission surprised me. You start learning by listening and repeating a mantra, get corrected, and gradually learn to correct yourself until you get it right. What also surprised me was the sheer vastness and depth of the knowledge, the time-tested methodologies, the structure and discipline, and the scaffolding they provide for learning. And perhaps most importantly, how willingly and naturally this practice can become part of one’s life. My enthusiasm and effort also surprise me.
Veda Studies: What has sustained your commitment to this practice over time?
Sajili: It provides scaffolding and anchoring, purpose and perspective. It is a path I have consciously chosen for my own growth and learning. Progress requires patience, repetition, and a willingness to be corrected. What I particularly value is that the practice gives back – meaning that on a scattered day, ten minutes of chanting brings me back to myself. And there is something deeply meaningful about learning from an unbroken lineage. I feel a responsibility to preserve and carry forward what has been entrusted to me.
Veda Studies: How did reciting Veda enhance or affect your existing spiritual practices?
Sajili: My study of Vedanta with Neema, along with some prāṇāyāma and meditation, preceded my formal engagement with Vedic chanting. Chanting has brought a more embodied dimension to my spiritual exploration. Vedanta invites inquiry and understanding; chanting calls for your attention in a very immediate, physical way.
As a fellow student, you know, it is one thing to understand the importance of being present; it is quite another to remain present when you are trying to get every syllable and svara right. And chants start to linger and float in your system, which is so beautiful.
Veda Studies: Tell us about the Indica Veda Studies TTC Programme.
Sajili: This is truly a before-and-after story for me. The TTC has given greater structure to my own learning. It has also made my own practice more rigorous because you cannot teach what you haven’t sufficiently absorbed yourself, and it has made me cherish the rigour. It has taught me how to teach: to identify and correct svara errors, and to pace learners with different backgrounds. I am also learning to break down a mantra for a student. I am sure there is so much more to learn in TTC level 2. I must mention Shantala here. Being taught by someone so precise is also a reminder that one can always do better. More significantly, it stirs up a move within from being a student to becoming a custodian of the tradition.
Veda Studies: How do you envision sharing this practice in your own work or community after you complete the TTC?
Sajili: I have already started teaching small online batches. I would like to make Vedic chanting more inviting to people who may assume it is religious, or difficult or meant only for Sanskrit scholars. I would love for people to discover the depth and transformative potential of this tradition for themselves, rather than decide in advance that it isn’t for them.
Veda Studies: What is the one misconception people have about reciting Veda?
Sajili: That it is only a religious activity or ritual, or that you need to be a scholar or already know Sanskrit to begin. Vedic recitation is a training in attention, humility and precision. Śraddhā, Medhā, Agni … every aspect of Iśvara, every deity, every chant is priceless. Being comfortable being a beginner is another mindset to be worked through.
Veda Studies: Why should a spiritual practitioner study Veda — both practice and theory?
Sajili: Serious spiritual inquiry needs an enquiring mind and a willingness to practise. With only one, it’s like standing on one leg, and your perspective ends up lopsided. Antaḥkaraṇa śuddhi and viveka need both.
Veda Studies: When did you first decide to follow the spiritual path?
Sajili: When I met my Gurus, Surya and Neema. In a sense, the path brought me to itself. That is how I experience it. Looking back, the different stages of my life — from business to coaching to transpersonal psychology — seem to have led me to my teachers Surya, Neema and Shantala and to this knowledge.
Veda Studies: How has reciting Veda affected you?
Sajili: It has become an anchor as life presents its myriad shades and experiences.
It has also deepened my relationship with various deities and with Iśvara. Chanting is my go-to place when I want to feel secure, happy and quiet. There is something reassuring about having a practice you can return to, whatever else is happening in life.
Veda Studies: What is spirituality according to you?
Sajili: For me, spirituality is the journey of knowing one’s true nature, guided by a guru and grounded in a lineage of knowledge.
To get in touch with Sajili, visit her website at https://sajilimohanchawla.com/
or email her at [email protected]