sriabinavavidyateerthabharatiswamigal

8/3/2019 SriAbinavaVidyateerthaBharatiSwamigal

1/17

Biography

PrologueDivine DescentCaptivating ChildhoodThe Second BirthStudent Life At SringeriAn Ascetic Is BornIdeal DisciplePerfection in YogaAdministrator Par ExcellencePeerless PreceptorThe Ideal ChoiceEpilogue

Prologue

The accounts of the life of great sages and saints are proof that the Truth declared in our

scriptures are not mere words or figment of imagination but something achievable in thi

life itself and also serve as a guiding torch for those venturing into the spiritual life, a lif

of discovery and total fulfillment.

Sri Adi Shankaracharya was one such pre-eminent sage who was responsible for re-establishing our Sanatana Dharma and bringing out clearly the essence of the Upanishad

In His great wisdom and compassion, He also established four Maths in the North, South

West and East of India so that our Sanatana Dharma is ever preserved and every spiritua

quest is always assuaged. Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetam, the first of the four Maths, has

been led by mahapurushas well known for their abidance in Truth, tapas, sastraic

knowledge and compassion. In such a lineage, Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamiga

the 35th pontiff, shines like the pole star. Each and every aspect of His life is a veritable

display of divine qualities that can super-charge any spiritual aspirant. Needless to say,

the essence of His life and actions will also serve as an ideal to any human being.


2/17

Divine Descent

Sri Srinivasan, as Acharyal was known before His Sanyasa, was born to VenkatalakshmiAmmal and Rama Sastry. The advent of incarnations has come to be celebrated after thei

descent. In this case, however, in accordance with the fullness of the divine manifestatio

the country was agog with joyous celebrations on the day of the holy birth itself for it wa

none other than the sacred Deepavali day.

As per the Indian almanac, the divine descent occurred in the year Pingala in the month

Aswina on the Bahula Chaturdasi day under the star Svati. This corresponds to Novembe

13th, 1917. The birth took place in Rama Sastrys sisters house in Basavangudi, Bangalor

at 6.45 am. The planets had so positioned themselves that the horoscope has as its

features, Dharma Karmadhipa yoga and Sanyasa yoga.

Captivating Childhood

Even from His childhood days, Sri Srinivasan was an embodiment of such divine qualities

as compassion, firm belief in Ishwara, forbearance etc.

Once, His friend did not fare well in the examinations and the boys father punished him b

placing a big stone on his back. On seeing this, Sri Srinivasans heart melted and He

offered to bear the load. The father was moved by Sri Srinivasans concern and relieved h

son of the burden imposed. He was young - yet He was not only ready to put up with

suffering but also bold enough to approach an angry father and express His opinion.

Similarly, He was extremely considerate to animals and chastised any of His friends if the

willfully harmed any animals or insects. Sri Srinivasan helped His mother in various way

and thereby reduced her burden of taking care of the family and the house.

Sri Srinivasans belief in God was far from superficial. A tank was believed to be infested

with ghosts and people used to abstain from using it after sunset. On an amavasyaevening, Sri Srinivasans friends challenged Him to go to the tank. He boldly ran to it,

washed His hands and feet, rinsed His mouth and returned. When asked for the reason fo

His fearlessness, He said, "I was chanting the name of God. How could any evil spirit

approach Me?"

Once, He told His friends that the goal of His life would be to realise God. During this

conversation, one of His friends challenged His conviction that God exists on the ground

that neither He nor those He knew had seen God.Sri Srinivasan: Can you prove that there is no God? Would you say that something


3/17

does not exist because you have not seen it? For instance, have you

seen Bombay? No. Does it then follow that Bombay is non-existent?Friend: I have not seen Bombay but I have seen many who have. That is

why I believe that Bombay exists.Sri Srinivasan: Very well. Likewise, our ancient sages who had seen the Lord have

given clear indications to that effect. What is wrong if weunreservedly accept their words? Their experience cannot be set

aside and so we must concede the existence of God.

With the passage of time, Sri Srinivasan began to regularly express to His friends His

desire to renounce the world. When one boy praised the position of a king, He replied "D

not think thus. What long-lasting benefit is there in becoming a king? An emperor can

enjoy only when he is at the helm of power and this state has to come to an end sooner o

later. If, however, I become a sanyasi, I can constantly meditate and be without any

worries. There will be a wonderful opportunity to behold God and I shall remain ever

protected by Him". Strange words of wisdom indeed from one who was hardly a teenage

All this was only a prelude to His unmatched spiritual eminence that was soon to unfold

The Second Birth

Sri Srinivasans mother often found it difficult to feed her family due to extreme poverty.

Seeing His mothers plight, Sri Srinivasan said, "Let my Upanayanam be performed. I wilfetch you what I get for Bhiksha and with that your food problems will be solved". The

mother was touched by Sri Srinivasans deep concern but unable to assure Him of such a

happening. Providence willed otherwise.

His Holiness Sri Chandrasekhara Bharathi Mahaswamigal (Paramacharyal), who was the

then Jagadguru of Sringeri, desired to spend more time in penance. Hence, He decided t

choose a successor to whom He could entrust the responsibilities of the Math. He informe

this to the Sringeri Math agent, Srikanta Sastry. Srikanta Sastry initiated a search for boy

with a natural inclination for the Sanyasa order and also consulted various astrologers fo

this purpose; one of them was Venkatarama Iyer. Venkatarama Iyer, who lived in a rente

room in Rama Sastrys house, handed over Sri Srinivasans horoscope. On hearing that SrSrinivasans Upanayanam had not been performed, Srikanta Sastry took a decision to

perform the function at Sringeri at the Maths expense. Rama Sastry gladly agreed.

The family reached Sringeri during Sri Shankara Jayanthi celebrations. Sri Srinivasans

Upanayanam was fixed on Vaishakha Shukla Sashthi which corresponded to 4th May 193

After completing all the religious observances connected with the Upanayanam ceremony

Rama Sastry and his family members went to Narasimhavanam to pay their respects to

Paramacharyal. The austere eyes of the Jagadguru fell compassionately on the young

celibate.


4/17

Paramacharyal: You are a Brahmachari now. It may be necessary for You to go homeand perform the ordained duties.

Sri Srinivasan: No, I desire to remain here.Paramacharyal: Do You not have to study English and take up a job to earn Your

livelihood? If so, it is imperative that You go.Sri Srinivasan: I desire neither that education nor a job. I wish to study Sanskrit

here.

Paramacharyal continued with questions pertaining to Sri Srinivasans studies. Much to th

astonishment of His father and others, Sri Srinivasan recited and expounded some

passages from Nalacharitra in an exemplary manner and also gave a brief account of som

of the historical facts He had learnt. When Paramacharyal asked Sri Srinivasan to tell a

moral that He thought was important, Sri Srinivasan replied, "Keep good company and

avoid evil associations."

The elated Paramacharyal then asked, "Will You study here?" Without a moments

hesitation, Sri Srinivasan answered in the affirmative. Turning to His parents, He said,

"You can go home, for I wish to be a student here". The parents left for Bangalore leavin

their dear son under the loving care of Paramacharyal.Student Life At Sringeri

Paramacharyal arranged for Sri Srinivasans stay in Narasimhavanam itself. Along with SSrinivasan a couple of other students of about the same age were also taught. Sri

Srinivasan developed the habit of waking up at around 4.30 am. After a wash and bath, H

used to perform His Nityakarma (ordained duties such as Sandhya Vandanam)

meticulously. After a light breakfast, He set Himself to studies. In the afternoon, after Hi

Madhyahnikam and lunch, He continued His studies. Not before 10.30 p.m. would He reti

for the day.

Vaidyanatha Sastry (later, Sri Bhashya Swamigal) was deputed to instruct the students i

the performance of their daily routine and to teach them basic texts, such as Amara Kosh

and Shabdas. After the study of Sanskrit, Kavyas were taken up. Paramacharyal regularl

monitored the progress of the students. He found Sri Srinivasan head and shoulders abov

the others. In the evenings, Paramacharyal generally went to the Kalabhairava temple an

often took Vaidyanatha Sastry and the young students with Him. On such occasions,

several topics were discussed and quite often Antadi slokas were chanted. Paramacharya

was very pleased by Sri Srinivasans unique interpretation to slokas and situations.

Occasionally Paramacharyal would inquire about the welfare of the boys and also asked

them about the quality of food. The boys usually gave various kinds of answers but Sri

Srinivasan kept quiet on such occasions. Noticing this, one day Paramacharyal asked Sr

Srinivasan the reason for this. Sri Srinivasan said, "All that we get is Acharyals Prasadam

As such, it is always tasty". Paramacharyal was very pleased on hearing this. It had bee


5/17

His intention to find out how far the boys were slaves of the tongue.

Once Sri Srinivasan developed high fever and became delirious. A Kashayam (an ayurved

preparation) was administered but was not effective. Sri Srinivasans fever only increase

and He started to speak incoherently. Amongst His various utterances, He said

sadguro sharaNam shivoham shivoham

(O guru, You are my refuge. I am Shiva. I am Shiva)

When the matter was reported to Paramacharyal, He neither authorised medical attentio

nor did He give sacred ash as prasada as He had done in the case of the other students

when they had taken ill. Sri Srinivasan was eagerly expecting vibhuti prasadam from

Paramacharyal and to assuage Him, Vaidyanatha Sastry told Him a lie to the effect,

"Acharyal Himself is going to come to bless You". Sri Srinivasan was very happy and

began to continuously chant

sadguro paahi sadguro paahi

(O Guru, protect Me. O Guru, protect Me)

The next day it was Ekadasi. At noon, when Paramacharyal was proceeding to the river fo

a bath, He heard Sri Srinivasans continuous chant. After making sure that only

Vaidyanatha Sastry was around, Paramacharyal abruptly entered Sri Srinivasans room. S

Srinivasan abruptly got up and prostrated in such a manner that His forehead came in

contact with Paramacharyals sacred feet. Gently raising His disciples head, He said, "Hav

You still got fever? Do not worry. Go and lie down". The touch of Paramacharyals hand

instantly freed Sri Srinivasan from His sickness and He became quite normal. This inciden

induced a major change in Sri Srinivasans way of life. He became comparatively very

serious in His demeanor and seldom indulged in playful talk or useless conversation.

An Ascetic Is Born

To induce desirelessness in Sri Srinivasan, Paramacharyal used to very often stress the

importance of dispassion and initiate the chanting of Antadi slokas relating to it. On an

occasion, Paramacharyal summoned Vaidyanatha Sastry and Sri Srinivasan. When they

were seated, Paramacharyal said, "Today we shall discuss the comparative merits of beina householder and a Sanyasi. You first explain the advantage of family life". As

commanded, Vaidyanatha Sastry and Sri Srinivasan explained the values of being a

householder. Paramacharyal then commenced His exposition of the disadvantages of

being a householder. He gave many examples to prove His point.

Paramacharyal finally asked, "Now tell Me. Is it better to become a married man or a

recluse?". Without any hesitation, Sri Srinivasan said that Sanyasa indeed was the loftier

path. Paramacharyal had often stressed to Sri Srinivasan the importance of

Brahmacharyam and Sanyasa. One day, Sri Srinivasan asked Vaidyanatha Sastry a set of

questions. They were:


6/17

1. I have heard that the eldest son in the family must get married. Is it so?

2. Is it necessary to master the scripture before renouncing the world?

3. I have heard that a set of debts accrues when one is born. Some of these are resolved

by service to parents, some by worshipping Devas and some others are repaid by

begetting progeny. Is this indeed the state of affairs?

4. To enter another Ashrama, is it necessary for one to dwell as a Brahmachari with the

Guru for a long time?5. Can a young boy like Me take up Sanyasa? Can Sanyasa be taken up without the

approval of the parents?

Vaidyanatha Sastry could not give satisfactory answers to these questions. Subsequently

one evening Paramacharyal went to the Kalabhairava temple accompanied by Vaidyanath

Sastry and Sri Srinivasan. Paramacharyal asked Sastry to give the meaning of certain

slokas from the Prabodha Sudhakara which deal with liberation and procreation. As

ordered, Sastry gave an overall meaning: "It cannot be said that begetting a son confers

liberation because not all people with sons have attained liberation. Further, the cycle of

transmigratory existence itself will cease if this were true. A son cannot be the cause of

happiness in this world or next since the Vedas prescribe special rites such as Jyotishtom

to attain a higher world and not procreation. The Veda very clearly proclaims that only th

realisation of the Self yields immortality. The Vedas utterances that a son is essential

should be understood as merely eulogising the performance of sacrifices such as

Puthreshti Yaga (performed to obtain a son).The Vedas, which are like a mother, certainly

does not intend to compel desireless ones to perform such sacrifices".

After this, Paramacharyal proceeded to give a detailed exposition. He said that marriage

compulsory only for a person who wants to enjoy sensual pleasures. For persons with

strong dispassion there is no obligation to lead a householders life. Further, there is no

Vedic injunction that a dispassionate one should get married. The householders life is

recommended for persons with desire so that they avoid bad ways and lead a path ofDharma. In fact, the Jabala Upanishad explicitly declares that the moment one becomes

extremely dispassionate, one can renounce and become an ascetic. Paramacharyal went

on to explain the futility of begetting a child. He strengthened His explanations by various

citations and firmly drove home His points.

On many occasions, Paramacharyal spoke to Sri Srinivasan in private about detachment

and Brahmacharyaand He was able to gauge from Sri Srinivasans face that the advice wa

having the desired effect. Undoubtedly, these words would have been like nectar to Sri

Srinivasan whose longing for asceticism was intense and innate.

Paramacharyal did not explicitly reveal His intention to choose Sri Srinivasan as successoto the Peetam. However, His intention became apparent when, at the end of His daily puja

to Sri Chandramouleeswara, He began to pray

sarvajnam shriinivaasam kuru shivadayite satvaram madvinamram

(O beloved of Shiva, quickly make Srinivasan omniscient and a disciple devoted to Me).


7/17

One day Paramacharyal resolved that Sri Srinivasan should be

His successor. That night He had a dream in which His Guru

gave a total consent to the choice. Paramacharyal felt intensely

happy. The next day He informed the Sringeri Math agent

Srikanta Sastry. At Bangalore, Venkatalakshmi Ammal readily

consented to Sri Srinivasan taking up Sanyasa.

The sacred initiation ceremony was held on 22nd of May 1931.Paramacharyal named His holy successor designate Abhinava

Vidya Theertha.

Ideal Disciple

Acharyals Guru Bhakthi and Guru Seva stand as a perfect

example of Guru-Sishya relationship eulogised in the scriptures

Since 1923, Paramacharyal began to periodically enter into a

state called antarmukha avastha. During these periods His

behavior was unpredictable and the ordinary rules of conduct,

worldly or spiritual, were no more for Him. During such moods

Paramacharyal had to be particularly cared for. People feared

that He might get drowned or move away into the forest. None

dared to approach Him for He would pelt them with stones. It

was only Acharyal who was able to bring His Guru back to the

safety of Sacchidananda Vilas.

There were even times when Paramacharyal would start casting off His clothes and move

about unconcerned like an avadhuta. Acharyal would rush spare clothing to Him to preve

a commotion. This apart, Acharyal used to constantly look after Paramacharyals needswhen the latter was in His moods of seclusion. It is not too difficult to serve the Guru in

conditions of normalcy but it requires patience, dexterity and tact to attend to the Gurus

needs under trying circumstances. Acharyals exemplary care of His master is itself

sufficient testimony to His boundless devotion to His Guru.

Paramacharyals affinity to Acharyal was so great that He forbade people referring to

Acharyal as Swamigal and strongly disapproved when devotees showed preference in

having His (Paramacharyals) darshanam. In fact, Paramacharyal firmly believed that His

disciple was none other than His Guru incarnate and even had told Acharyal about this.

Paramacharyal did not hesitate to exhibit His regard for Acharyal openly - He would


8/17

sometimes open the door for Acharyal and was known to have stood up on Acharyals

arrival. Acharyal never let these things go to His head. As far as He was concerned, "It

was only Acharyals love for Me that caused Him to speak of Me as a remanifestation of Hi

own Guru".

The fact that Acharyal adored His Guru did not imply that He aped all of Paramacharyals

views for that would have never met with Paramacharyals approval. Several examples ca

be cited to differentiate between Paramacharyals orthodox views from Acharyals practicaones. Such differences in expressions do not imply that Acharyal did not take

Paramacharyals views seriously. In fact, it was Paramacharyal who Himself encouraged

Acharyal to take a free and independent line of thinking in such matters to keep up with

the changing society.

When Acharyal came to Sringeri, He did not know swimming but gradually mastered it. H

would dive into the Tunga from high trees and swim for long distances even when the

river was swollen in the rainy season. Acharyal also loved to wander into the forests and

along the banks of the Tunga. Paramacharyal had such intense love for His disciple that H

would become visibly restless if it became late for Acharyal to return. He never

reprimanded Acharyal for coming late though He advised Him not to stay out well after

dark. Acharyal has told a disciple, "Barring three things, I do not remember having done,

even in dream, on even one occasion, anything that did not meet my Gurus approval. The

three things were swimming, climbing trees and going freely for a walk in the forests".

Paramacharyal wished to be absolved of responsibilities and pontifical duties and decided

that Acharyal should shoulder them. The true disciple that He was, Acharyal did not

hesitate or shirk, though His innate longing for penance was overwhelming.

Paramacharyal soon handed over the performance of Sri Chandramouleeswara Puja

completely to Acharyal and contented Himself with hearing the praises of Acharyals

concentration and devout performance of Puja. Even though Acharyal was given the

responsibility to handle all the pontifical functions, He continuously sought

Paramacharyals permission regarding the same.

Paramacharyal had conveyed to the Government that Acharyals views might be taken as

His own (The reader is reminded that for some years, the Maths administration was unde

Government control). Though this meant that Acharyal could freely take decisions within

the framework of Government control, He chose to always consult Paramacharyal in

important matters even when the latter chose to be secluded. When Acharyal took a

decision, He did it so well that Paramacharyal was completely satisfied.


9/17

Perfection in Yoga

The sage Yagnavalkya declares:

ayam tu paramo dharmo yadyogenaatmadarshanam

(Realisation of Atma by means of Yoga is indeed the highest dharma)

Realisation of Atma yields absolute freedom from the cycle of transmigratory existence

which is the final aim of Sanyasa. Acharyal was temperamentally inclined to the royal pat

of Yoga. After Sanyasa, Paramacharyal initiated Acharyal into the Pranava and the

Mahavakyas. Acharyal started chanting them for protracted periods of time during His

anushtanam which gave Him great satisfaction. Apart from the mantras necessary for

sanyasis, the pontiffs of Sringeri Sharada Peetam are also initiated into special mantras

like mantraraja of Lord Narasimha, Sivapanchakshari, Balatripurasundari and Sri Vidya.

Acharyal was in His teens when He started mastering Yogasanas. He was eager to learn

and He enjoyed doing asanas. Both of these contributed to the fact that He mastered man

asanas in a relatively short time. Siddhasana with its variations, Sarvangasana with its

variations, Mayurasana, Dhanurasana, Paschimottasana, Ardha Matsyendrasana,

Bhujangasana, Chakrasana, Konabaddhasana and Supta Vajrasana were some of His

favourites. Apart from Yogasanas, He also learnt various Kriyas. His favourite Kriya was

Nauli.

Acharyal also took up the practice of Pranayama primarily to use it as an aid to meditatio

and to purify the Nadis. Paramacharyal initiated Acharyal into the process of

contemplation when our Guru was hardly 15 years of age. Paramacharyal cited the 12th

verse of Shatasloki and explained, "When a mumukshu (one desirous of liberation) walks

he should feel that he is a wave in the ocean that is the Atma. When seated, he should

imagine that he is a pearl in the garland strung with the thread of consciousness. While

perceiving objects such as form, he should feel that, by the light of consciousness of Atm

he is the seer illuminating what is grasped. With regard to sleep he should imagine that h

is submerged in an ocean of bliss. You too should contemplate in this fashion constantly.

Thereby great good will accrue to You". Acharyal started implementing the advice in righ

earnest. Initially, He would sometimes forget to practice for a few minutes. Paramachary

was quick to sense these minor lapses and set them right.

The stage was set for Acharyal to step into the sublime realms of the heights of Yoga.

Paramacharyal, though to Acharyals knowledge did not practice Samadhi, did contemplatintensely on the forms prescribed in the dhyana slokas of the mantras He chanted.

Paramacharyal discovered that the tendency of the mind to wander was curbed if the gaz

was directed to the region between the eyebrows. He conveyed this to Acharyal and aske

Him to incorporate it in His japa. This instruction was sufficient for Acharyal to reach the

acme of Yoga.

Acharyal was in the habit of doing prolonged japa of the Bala Mantra. He started practicin

meditation by directing His gaze towards the middle of His eyebrows with partly open

eyelids and mentally chanting the Bala Mantra. He experienced a tingling, slightly painful

sensation between the brows and gradually beheld a light blue hue eclipsing His field of


10/17

vision. At this juncture, the mental chanting spontaneously stopped. He then imagined

Ambals form as coming out of the blue hue and remaining in front of Him as described in

the dhyana sloka. Acharyals heart was filled with joy during these times. One day His

meditation suddenly became very deep and His attention sharply focussed on Ambals fee

Acharyal has narrated His experience of that day to one of His devotees - "That day I was

visualizing Ambals full form as usual when suddenly My mind sharply focussed on to Her

feet. I had always been seeing Her form clearly but the experience that day was

particularly special. I saw Her feet throbbing with life. I was seeing Ambal Herself and nomerely the form that I was imagining earlier. The sense of reality of the vision was highly

profound and left no room for doubts. That was my first experience of Savikalpa Samadhi

This experience occurred before Acharyal was 18 years of age.

Acharyal used to go to a hill adjacent to the one on which

the Kala Bhairava temple is situated for doing meditation.

He sat on the forested summit, facing west. From His seat

he could clearly see the Malahanikareshwara temple bathe

in the orange glow of the setting sun. The scenic beauty

and the calm surroundings were ideal for practice of

Samadhi. Till then, Acharyal had been meditating on the

Supreme as possessed of a form, such as that of Shiva,

Vishnu or Amba. One day, Acharyal decided to focus on the

Supreme without superimposed forms and activities. He sa

down in the Siddhasana, facing west. Then He intensely

reflected upon certain Upanishadic passages that deal with

Brahman. This contemplation lasted for about 45 minutes

and He had kept His eyes closed during this time. Then, He

began His meditation in the normal fashion directing the

gaze between the eyebrows and mentally chanting the

Pranava.ahameva param brahma vaasudevaakhyamavyayam.

(I am indeed the Supreme Brahman, the One free from decay and known as Vasudeva (H

who resides in and shines in all))

He strongly held on to the idea conveyed and immediately He felt Himself expanding and

becoming pervasive like space. A great wave of joy arose and submerged Him. That days

meditative experience ended there. The experience repeated on subsequent days also. "I

is true that I am experiencing great bliss in that state and I am perceiving no form and no

hearing sound. But, still the feeling I am experiencing has not vanished. I must do

something to transcend it", thought Acharyal. The next day, the moment He reached the

state wherein He felt Himself pervasive and had a great experience of bliss, He forcefully

restrained Himself and introduced the thought, "I am not the one experiencing bliss butam bliss itself". In a trice, a sharp change occurred. Awareness of the distinction of the

concentrator, concentration and the object of concentration completely disappeared. No

more was there any sense of individuality or of space, time and objects. Only Brahman, o

the nature of absolute existence, pure consciousness and ultimate bliss, shone bereft of

the superimposition of even a trace of duality. After a lapse of time His mind descended

slightly from that state to the Savikalpa Samadhi level. Gradually His mind came down

further. He opened His eyes and He saw nothing whatsoever as existing apart from Him.

Everything was like bubbles in the ocean that was Himself. His body felt light like cotton

wool and as He walked downhill it seemed as if He were on a moving canoe. After about

an hour the experience slowly faded. He began to repeatedly attain this state and soon th


11/17

realization that He was Brahman, the substratum of all, became steady and unchanging

He had attained perfection and had become a Jivan Mukta, one liberated while alive.

Strange as it may seem, Acharyals formal Vedanta lessons started much later than His

attaining the Highest. The Vedanta study merely served to confirm what He had already

known by direct experience.

Even after attaining perfection in Yoga, Acharyal tried out various experiments with

meditative techniques just for the fun of it. For example, He found that NadaAnusandhanam (contemplation on internal sound) is an effective way of attaining

Samadhi. He tried out and developed various short-cuts for Himself to plunge into

Samadhi with minimum effort and in the shortest possible time. His experiments, though

served Him no particular purpose, made Him an ideal Guru who could speak

authoritatively on any aspect of meditation and comprehend the experiences of His

devotees within the framework of His research.

Acharyals realisation of the Supreme Truth was so firm that even when given an injectio

of morphine during a cardiac illness, with a semi-conscious mind, He continued to lisp

words indicative of absolute realisation.

Administrator Par Excellence

In 1954, Paramacharyal began to give hints that He no longer

wished to retain His body since He felt that His work had been

completed. On the 26th September early morning,

Paramacharyal entered the waters of the Tunga and

voluntarily cast off the body. Acharyal, in spite of being a Yog

could not keep down His emotions. He immediately collected

Himself and set about to execute the final rites according to

the Math tradition.

Acharyals formal coronation as the 35th Jagadguru Shankaracharya of the SringeriSharada Peetam took place on Aswina Panchami under the star Rohini. This corresponds

to October 16, 1954. A large and distinguished gathering witnessed the installation

ceremony and invoked the blessings of the new Jagadguru. The formal completion of the

functions took place on October 17. After His coronation, Acharyal rendered a brief speec

wherein He said that He was highly in need of Paramacharyals grace to carry out His

duties as a Peetadhipathi. He then said that He would pray for such blessings from His

Guru.


12/17

precarious. Facilities for the stay of devotees at Sringeri were very poor and extensive

renovations were absolutely necessary. Further, devotees from all over the country were

eagerly looking forward to Acharyals gracing their cities since Paramacharyal had not

toured much. Acharyal set about solving these and many other problems in His

characteristic and inimitable style.

He assigned the first priority to the call of His devotees and so in 1956, set forth on His

first South India tour. Village by village, He visited and graced devotees by the thousandRelentlessly He drove Himself to the verge of exhaustion to inculcate dharmic ideals and

spiritual values in the hearts of millions. He was not only a venerable teacher but also a

perfect student too. He analysed and absorbed what was relevant to the Math. For

example, He talked to serveral farm-owning disciples and learnt many agricultural

techniques. Production units and technical centers captivated Him. Much of Acharyals

knowledge stemmed from His interest and observations. He had said, "Even from My

young age I was inclined to open up and reassemble a gadget in order to understand its

working".

In 1959, the government handed over the Math administration to Him. He immediately

formulated plans for the betterment of the Math. Acharyal initiated the construction of a

new guest house. Renovation of Ambal and Ganapathy shrines at the Malahanikareshwar

temple, a new vimanam for the Adishankara Bhagavatpadal shrine and a gopuram for th

Ambal temple were His other schemes.

With the agricultural knowledge acquired during His tours, Acharyal converted a bamboo

forest adjoining Narasimhavanam (the place where Acharyal stays) into cultivable land.

Many thought that this was impossible and He proved them wrong. To enhance

accessibility, Acharyal chalked out the positions and paths for laying roads in

Narasimhavanam.

While planning a building, Acharyal would give importance to user-convenience, non-

wastage of space, fulfillment of multiple objectives, provision of expansion and cost-minimization. His modifications to Chandramouleeswara thotti and His construction of

several guest houses bear testimony to the above principles. He had said, "I have no

formal engineering education but am ever ready to learn by questions, observations and

practice".

Interested in Vedic education, He renovated the patashala at Sringeri and made numerou

conveniences for the teachers and students. He established various branch Maths at

various places and consecrated many a temple. He also encouraged secular education.

With His blessings, a girls school was started at Sringeri. He was also the patron of the

Shankara college at Kalady. He also planned and directed the construction of the Sri

Sharada Dhanvantari Hospital at Sringeri.


13/17

Acharyal was a very able administrator. His taking over the

reins of administration of the Math from the government bear

concrete testimony to this. But, when the administration

returned, the Math was stripped of all the jahagirs and this

was a big blow to the income of the Math. When the news was

sorrowfully told to Acharyal, He replied, "The jahagirs were

non-existent in Bhagavatpadals time. The Math had been

functioning quite well even before the lands were granted.Likewise, it shall carry on now without them. There is nothing

to worry about". His stand had been more than vindicated due

to the patronage of the devotees. Acharyal firmly believed,

"Ishwara is there. He knows how to take care of things.

Whatever He resolves is indeed the best".Acharyals immaculate intuition and razor-sharp intellect contributed a great deal in

evaluating and dealing with situations. Accepting and implementing good suggestions,

skill based work allocation and freedom of action at various levels were the highlights of

His ingenious methods.

He was extremely just in all His dealings allowing neither partiality nor favouritism. He

applied this rule to everyone without exception. His normal recourse was soft words and

impeccable logic which appealed not only to the intellectual but also to the emotional an

moral aspects of individuals. During His 1979-80 tour of Kerala, due to misrepresentatio

of Acharyals words in the press, a belligerent crowd armed with sticks collected outside

temple where Acharyal was visiting. The news was conveyed but Acharyal seemed

thoroughly unperturbed. He emerged from the temple and the crowd became even more

boisterous. Unexpectedly, Acharyal summoned one of the members. Taken by surprise, th

man mutely stepped forward and Acharyal handed him a tray full of dry fruits. Acharyal

spoke softly but with force, "You are the leader. Distribute the prasadams to people". Th

man obeyed and the crowd mellowed as they saw some conversation going on between

Acharyal and one of their people. The distribution was thoroughly unexpected and the

crowd, as though mesmerised, stopped the shouting. Acharyal said, "Repeat after Me". H

began to chant "Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare. Hare Krishna Hare

Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare". Initially, only a handful followed but soon it becam

an impressive chorus. Acharyal assuaged the people with comfortable words and minute

later, drove off in His car.

Simple living and high thinking characterise Mahatmas. Acharyal insisted on doing His

personal works Himself. He would take His attendants assistance for a task only if such

help was essential or if it was related to His pontifical duties.


14/17

Peerless Preceptor

People with various needs approached Him - spiritual aspirants who

wanted to step into the next higher level and He guided each and

everyone as if He had been with them throughout their spiritual

evolution; scholars well versed in Sastras who were eager to analyze

the intricacies of Tarka and Vedanta and He won their hearts by His

in-depth knowledge; people who wanted material gains, relief from

afflictions and ailments and He listened to them patiently, offered

them kind words and, of course, benevolently blessed them.

Acharyal was always accessible to devotees and He made no distinction of caste, creed

etc., as far as sincere aspirants were concerned. He accorded very high priority to spiritu

aspirants. When arrangements were being made for Sishya Sweekaram in November

1974, an Italian came to get clarifications regarding Gaudapadacharyals Karikas on the

Mandukya Upanishad. Even though Acharyal was extremely busy directing the

arrangements of the function, He most readily consented to spare time when the reques

was made known to Him. On a certain day Acharyal was not doing well and darshanam

was highly restricted. A spiritual aspirant in his twenties had travelled a long distance to

see Acharyal and was to leave the next day. When this was made known to Him, He calle

for the person, heard him patiently and gave valuable advice.

Acharyal had an inimitable method of imparting spiritual advice but what instruction He

would give to an aspirant could not be predicted. A man once complained of

breathlessness during meditation. Acharyal diagnosed the problem immediately and

replied, "You are making an involuntary effort to still the breath to gain better meditation

Your dhyanam is, however, not deep enough to warrant almost no breathing. Do not try t

alter the breathing pattern. Just pay attention to fixing the mind on the object of

meditation".

Another aspirant found the swallowing of saliva every few minutes disturbed his goodmeditation and approached Acharyal for guidance. Acharyal pondered for a few moment

and said, "In your case, folding the tongue such that the tip is turned towards the gullet

and rests lightly on the upper palate will be helpful. Secondly, do not consciously or sem

consciously anticipate the necessity to swallow". On the first day, the aspirant found the

folding of the tongue somewhat inconvenient but got used to this soon. The need to

repeatedly swallow started decreasing and in less than a week, the distracting feature

ceased to cause difficulties.

Another aspirant mentioned of sharp bodily jerks during meditation and asked Acharyal

for remedy. Acharyal clarified, "You are not strong. Eat well and do some exercise. The


15/17

jerks shall not bother you".

There are so many such examples and when asked about His mode of answering

questions, Acharyal replied, "Quite often, I give a solution based on personal experience

As I have tried out numerous methods when I was young, I often easily comprehend the

aspirants conditions. Sometimes, after getting further clarifications I try out what the

aspirant practices. I use My experience to shape the reply. On some other occasions, I ju

feel like prescribing a particular course of action. It is Ishwaras grace which makes theanswers helpful to the seekers".

Acharyals compassion was something that can only be wondered at and not explained. A

Ayurvedic physician gave a small amount of a rare lotion to Acharyal and said that the

lotion would heal any wound. The physician kept the composition of the lotion as a secre

One day, Acharyal was moved when He saw a badly wounded dog. The dog was hurt with

a knife and the wound was deep. He ordered that the lotion be applied on the dog and th

dog was cured in a remarkably short time.

Even when travelling He would notice persons or situations needing help. Once, when

travelling through a city, Acharyal saw a man lying on the ground and having an attack o

fits. He ordered His driver to stop the car. Even when told that those scenes were commo

and more often than not were mere pretenses to get alms, Acharyal refused to budge.

Accordingly, the driver stopped the car. Acharyal realised that the man stopped having fit

and was feeling thirsty. So, without a moments thought He picked up His own vessel and

ordered for the water to be taken to that man. In the meantime, another car had stopped

and its driver gave water to the sick man. When Acharyal resumed the journey, He

remarked, "How fortunate the other car driver was to be able to render help! I was not

lucky enough to avail the opportunity to help the suffering one".

A poor devotee was very keen on performing Pada Puja but did not have adequate funds

for the purpose. When Acharyal went to a house for Pada Puja, He noticed this poor

devotee standing in a corner and gazing longingly at Him. He beckoned him and found threason for his grief. Acharyal cheered him up and told him to go to his house and be

prepared. After the completion of the Pada Puja, Acharyal informed the Math staff about

His intention to go to the poor mans house for Pada Puja. The Pada Puja proceeded

smoothly. At the end, Acharyal asked His secretary to hand over Rs. 250 to the poor man

Acharyal never believed in keeping to Himself what He had learnt. Hence, He had trained

many in the Tarka Sastra. He was even keener on expounding Vedantic texts. He would

welcome doubts and would not hesitate to refer numerous other texts. Once a sabha wa

called at Bangalore to discuss whether Bhagavatpadal recognised moola avidya (primary

nescience). Traditional scholars are of this view while some other pundits held the

contrary view. Acharyal witnessed the proceedings with avid interest. A person asked Himwhy He could not pass His verdict as a Jagadguru. Acharyals poignant reply was, "I am n

here as a Jagadguru. On the contrary, I am seated as one who was taught the sastras an

I want to confirm what I have learnt." This shows how impartial Acharyal could be in spit

of His being recognised by scholars as an unparalleled exponent of Tarka and Vedanta. H

would permit interested people to attend His classes for He held that even mere hearing o

sastras was beneficial.

Quite often His expositions and upanyasams clearly bore the stamp of realisation

particularly those which relate to dhyanam and the state of a Jivanmukta. While it is true

that Acharyal believed in individual attention, He gave upanyasams by the thousands


16/17


17/17

Epilogue

From 1954, Acharyal had set a very hectic pace for Himself as the Jagadguru. During thi

time He packed His life with achievements of no mean order. Within Sringeri, the list of

accomplishments was staggering. One of the projects that He initiated in the 1980s wasthe construction of a bridge across the Tunga. For this project, he had collected

photographs of world famous bridges over the years. While planning for this bridge, He

utilized all these statistics. This shows how perfectly thorough He was.

With the passage of time, His Holiness began to hint that His work in a mortal frame was

nearing completion. This thought reflected in His conversations and discourses. He also

indicated this to His successor-designate.

From the second week of September 1989, Acharyal was not well. During this time, He

asked His secretary to read to Him texts like Mohamudgara, Shiva Manasa Puja Stotram

and Brahmanuchintanam. He said, "Instead of moaning and wailing when one is sick, oncan read holy works such as these. This is what My Guru taught me. But now I am not abl

to read and so you read them out to Me."

In the early hours of the morning of 21st September, he experienced chest pain and

uttered "Narayana". His assistant came running. Acharyals first reaction was, "Have I

spoken so loudly that I woke you up?" The characteristic of extreme compassion never

deserted Him even then. During the latter half of the morning, Acharyal shed His morta

coil.

Acharyal did not live to see the bridge across the Tunga completed. Small matter, for is H

not, Himself, the ultimate bridge enabling His disciples cross the ocean of transmigratory

existence. He lives even today in the hearts of many of His devotees and continues to

bless and guide as ever before.

sriabinavavidyateerthabharatiswamigal

Documents