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SHORT BIOGRAPAHY OF JAGADGURU SRI CHANDRASHEKHARA BHARATI MAHASWAMIGAL (PART 4)
SELF-REALIZATION
After the consecration was over, His Holiness steadily set His mind on the practical realization of the truths learned by Him through His exhaustive studies and, though He continued to expound the scriptures and the commentaries to deserving students, He spent more time in contemplation and Tapas. He felt that He must seek the grace of Sri Sharada and His Guru intensely and qualify Himself to the utmost for the seat of spiritual eminence which He had been called upon to occupy.
His intensive devotion to His Guru and the steady perseverance which characterized His efforts led Him in course of a few years to such an exalted state of erudition and self-realization as could not ordinarily be reached in several lives of genuine effort. He stands unrivalled in learning and stands equally unrivalled in the realization of the goal of the Vedanta. His predilection for contemplation naturally marked Him out from other people who could possibly have no conception of the supranormal experiences had by Him. It may be mentioned in parenthesis that His Parents were justly proud of their son and had the supreme satisfaction of seeing for themselves the spiritual eminence which He had attained.
(PART 5)
VIJAYA YATRA
In or about 1923, His Highness the Maharaja of Mysore requested His Holiness to go over to Mysore and confer blessings on himself and the other members of the royal family. In deference to that request His Holiness left Sringeri on the January 18, 1924 and proceeded to Mysore.
Arranagements had been made for acquiring for the Mutt, the house in the old agraharam at Mysore in which the previous Acharya was born and also some extensive adjoining it. Thanks to the kindness of His Highness the Maharaja of Mysore and the good services of Brahmashri Kunigal Rama Shastri and Srikanta Shastri, it was possible to raise thereon a magnificient stone structure containing a shrine for a beautiful marble image of His Holiness Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Narasimha Bharathi Mahaswamigal. His Holiness had the supreme pleasure of consecrating this new shrine at Mysore in holy memory of His Guru. In accordance with His instructions, Vedanta classes were being held there daily.
The earnest representatives of the disciples in the southern districts made His Holiness agree to extend His tour as far south as Kanyakumari. After a magnificient reception in Mysore, His Holiness descended the Mysore Plateau by the Sathyamangalam ghat. He was well versed in Telugu, His mother-tongue, Kannada, the language of the land of His birth and Tamil, from contact with the Tamilian disciples who had visited Sringeri. The visit to Sathyamangalam was really His first contact with the Tamil districts.
While there, He was requested to give some words of advice to His disciples and to the great surprise of all including those most intimate with Him, He began to give discourses in such chaste and fluent Tamil as would evoke the admiration of any born Tamilian. Since then throughout the Tamil districts, His discourses were all in Tamil except in special gatherings of pandits which He addressed in His own characteristic style of very simple and expressive Sanskrit so natural to Him. His admonitions and advices, coming as they did from a sincere heart longing for the welfare of the world, had their own inimitable effect in converting many a skeptic and in strengthening the faith of many a believer.
After visiting Rameshwaram, His Holiness toured throughout the Madurai and Tirunelveli Districts, had a fitting reception at Tiruvananthapuram and then proceeded to Kalady, the birthplace of Sri Adi shankara. His Holiness Sri Sacchidananda Siva Abhinava Narasimha Bharathi Mahaswamigal had after great difficulty and with the hearty help of the then Maharaja of Travancore acquired an extensive site there and built there a temple for Sri Adi shankara and another for Sri Sharadamba in 1912.
His Holiness felt that this place must be improved further so as to become a centre for learning. He accordingly directed the formation of an agraharam (street) there for the residence of the temple employees and others and also the building of a Veda Pathasala for the education of young Brahmin boys who desired to learn the Vedas.
In 1927 when He personally visited the place, He inaugurated a Vedanta Pathasala also for advanced students in Vedanta. The students were given a house to live in and also a decent stipend to cover their expenses. From Kalady His Holiness returned via Palghat and Coimbatore to Nanjangud in the Mysore State. There He founded another Pathasala and proceeded to Mysore.
His Holiness returned to Sringeri towards the end of 1927. He was greeted with a magnificent and devoted reception. He showered divine blessings on all those who came in contact with Him.
(PART 6)
CHOOSES HIS SUCCESSOR
Four years of busy touring was followed by a long period of practical seclusion from the outside world. The Acharya gave Himself up to intense Tapasya oblivious to His surroundings. But the affairs of the mutt required attention. Under inspiration from Sri Sharada, the Acharya designated Sri Srinivasa Shastry, as His successor. He was a youth of remarkable intelligence and potential for spiritual eminence. The Acharya gave Him sannyasa on May 22, 1931 with the name of "Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha". The Junior Swami soon became highly proficient in learning and took over the spiritual and secular affairs of the mutt, giving considerable relief to the senior Acharya.
Seldom did the Acharya receive disciples while in retirement. On the few occasions that He did, for which hundreds would be waiting, a smile or a significant nod proved more efficacious and illuminating than a sermon. It would fill their souls with blessedness. By dint of introspection and Tapasya, His consciousness appeared sublimated into an all-radiating spirit.
In 1938, the Acharya yielded to the prayers of the disciples to visit Bangalore and stay there for a few months. Facing the shrine of Shankara another shrine had been built for Sri Sharadamba in Shankara Mutt at Bangalore. This temple was consecrated by the Acharya. From Bangalore, He went to Coimbatore and then to Kalady.
SHORT BIOGRAPAHY OF JAGADGURU SRI CHANDRASHEKHARA BHARATI MAHASWAMIGAL (PART 7)
SILENT BLESSINGS
The Acharya returned to Sringeri in 1940 and again went into retirement in the Narasimhavana. Though He was not accessible, thousands who prayed for His blessings in their troubles got relief. Many others were blessed even without any conscious attempt on their part to solicit His grace.
His Holiness seldom came out of His seclusion and on the few occasions He did, He used to perform Sri Sarada Chandramoulisvara puja meticulously. He fully demonstrated in His life the qualities of a sthita prajna as enunciated by Sri Krishna in the Gita. Although externally engaged in worldly actions, His Holiness, whenever He returned to bahirmukha (the state of normal activity), Had no attachment to any object whatsoever. His conduct did not annoy anybody. He behaved like an ideal friend of all.
Enjoying the Supreme Bliss, He moved sometimes like an ignorant one, sometimes with royal magnificence, sometimes full of auspiciousness, sometimes unmoving like a python, sometimes evoking respect, sometimes getting derided and sometimes unknown to anybody.
When numerous disciples approached the Acharya for permission to celebrate the 60th anniversary of His birth which fell in October 1952, He sternly discouraged the idea. When it was suggested that the funds collected would be spent in performing Atirudra and Sahasra Chandi homas He approved. The homas were conducted in April 1953. A large concourse of people from distant places gathered to witness this unique function and to get the blessings of the Acharya.
The Acharya came out of His retirement for a few weeks after the homas Had concluded, resumed His normal routine and received disciples. On August 24, 1954, President Rajendra Prasad paid a visit to Sringeri and was received by both the Senior and Junior Swamis with whom he spent some hours in intimate and soulful conversation. The Rashtrapatis innate humility, piety, godliness, and respect for saints much pleased the two Gurus, who showered their blessings on him.
SELF-REALIZATION
After the consecration was over, His Holiness steadily set His mind on the practical realization of the truths learned by Him through His exhaustive studies and, though He continued to expound the scriptures and the commentaries to deserving students, He spent more time in contemplation and Tapas. He felt that He must seek the grace of Sri Sharada and His Guru intensely and qualify Himself to the utmost for the seat of spiritual eminence which He had been called upon to occupy.
His intensive devotion to His Guru and the steady perseverance which characterized His efforts led Him in course of a few years to such an exalted state of erudition and self-realization as could not ordinarily be reached in several lives of genuine effort. He stands unrivalled in learning and stands equally unrivalled in the realization of the goal of the Vedanta. His predilection for contemplation naturally marked Him out from other people who could possibly have no conception of the supranormal experiences had by Him. It may be mentioned in parenthesis that His Parents were justly proud of their son and had the supreme satisfaction of seeing for themselves the spiritual eminence which He had attained.
(PART 5)
VIJAYA YATRA
In or about 1923, His Highness the Maharaja of Mysore requested His Holiness to go over to Mysore and confer blessings on himself and the other members of the royal family. In deference to that request His Holiness left Sringeri on the January 18, 1924 and proceeded to Mysore.
Arranagements had been made for acquiring for the Mutt, the house in the old agraharam at Mysore in which the previous Acharya was born and also some extensive adjoining it. Thanks to the kindness of His Highness the Maharaja of Mysore and the good services of Brahmashri Kunigal Rama Shastri and Srikanta Shastri, it was possible to raise thereon a magnificient stone structure containing a shrine for a beautiful marble image of His Holiness Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Narasimha Bharathi Mahaswamigal. His Holiness had the supreme pleasure of consecrating this new shrine at Mysore in holy memory of His Guru. In accordance with His instructions, Vedanta classes were being held there daily.
The earnest representatives of the disciples in the southern districts made His Holiness agree to extend His tour as far south as Kanyakumari. After a magnificient reception in Mysore, His Holiness descended the Mysore Plateau by the Sathyamangalam ghat. He was well versed in Telugu, His mother-tongue, Kannada, the language of the land of His birth and Tamil, from contact with the Tamilian disciples who had visited Sringeri. The visit to Sathyamangalam was really His first contact with the Tamil districts.
While there, He was requested to give some words of advice to His disciples and to the great surprise of all including those most intimate with Him, He began to give discourses in such chaste and fluent Tamil as would evoke the admiration of any born Tamilian. Since then throughout the Tamil districts, His discourses were all in Tamil except in special gatherings of pandits which He addressed in His own characteristic style of very simple and expressive Sanskrit so natural to Him. His admonitions and advices, coming as they did from a sincere heart longing for the welfare of the world, had their own inimitable effect in converting many a skeptic and in strengthening the faith of many a believer.
After visiting Rameshwaram, His Holiness toured throughout the Madurai and Tirunelveli Districts, had a fitting reception at Tiruvananthapuram and then proceeded to Kalady, the birthplace of Sri Adi shankara. His Holiness Sri Sacchidananda Siva Abhinava Narasimha Bharathi Mahaswamigal had after great difficulty and with the hearty help of the then Maharaja of Travancore acquired an extensive site there and built there a temple for Sri Adi shankara and another for Sri Sharadamba in 1912.
His Holiness felt that this place must be improved further so as to become a centre for learning. He accordingly directed the formation of an agraharam (street) there for the residence of the temple employees and others and also the building of a Veda Pathasala for the education of young Brahmin boys who desired to learn the Vedas.
In 1927 when He personally visited the place, He inaugurated a Vedanta Pathasala also for advanced students in Vedanta. The students were given a house to live in and also a decent stipend to cover their expenses. From Kalady His Holiness returned via Palghat and Coimbatore to Nanjangud in the Mysore State. There He founded another Pathasala and proceeded to Mysore.
His Holiness returned to Sringeri towards the end of 1927. He was greeted with a magnificent and devoted reception. He showered divine blessings on all those who came in contact with Him.
(PART 6)
CHOOSES HIS SUCCESSOR
Four years of busy touring was followed by a long period of practical seclusion from the outside world. The Acharya gave Himself up to intense Tapasya oblivious to His surroundings. But the affairs of the mutt required attention. Under inspiration from Sri Sharada, the Acharya designated Sri Srinivasa Shastry, as His successor. He was a youth of remarkable intelligence and potential for spiritual eminence. The Acharya gave Him sannyasa on May 22, 1931 with the name of "Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha". The Junior Swami soon became highly proficient in learning and took over the spiritual and secular affairs of the mutt, giving considerable relief to the senior Acharya.
Seldom did the Acharya receive disciples while in retirement. On the few occasions that He did, for which hundreds would be waiting, a smile or a significant nod proved more efficacious and illuminating than a sermon. It would fill their souls with blessedness. By dint of introspection and Tapasya, His consciousness appeared sublimated into an all-radiating spirit.
In 1938, the Acharya yielded to the prayers of the disciples to visit Bangalore and stay there for a few months. Facing the shrine of Shankara another shrine had been built for Sri Sharadamba in Shankara Mutt at Bangalore. This temple was consecrated by the Acharya. From Bangalore, He went to Coimbatore and then to Kalady.
SHORT BIOGRAPAHY OF JAGADGURU SRI CHANDRASHEKHARA BHARATI MAHASWAMIGAL (PART 7)
SILENT BLESSINGS
The Acharya returned to Sringeri in 1940 and again went into retirement in the Narasimhavana. Though He was not accessible, thousands who prayed for His blessings in their troubles got relief. Many others were blessed even without any conscious attempt on their part to solicit His grace.
His Holiness seldom came out of His seclusion and on the few occasions He did, He used to perform Sri Sarada Chandramoulisvara puja meticulously. He fully demonstrated in His life the qualities of a sthita prajna as enunciated by Sri Krishna in the Gita. Although externally engaged in worldly actions, His Holiness, whenever He returned to bahirmukha (the state of normal activity), Had no attachment to any object whatsoever. His conduct did not annoy anybody. He behaved like an ideal friend of all.
Enjoying the Supreme Bliss, He moved sometimes like an ignorant one, sometimes with royal magnificence, sometimes full of auspiciousness, sometimes unmoving like a python, sometimes evoking respect, sometimes getting derided and sometimes unknown to anybody.
When numerous disciples approached the Acharya for permission to celebrate the 60th anniversary of His birth which fell in October 1952, He sternly discouraged the idea. When it was suggested that the funds collected would be spent in performing Atirudra and Sahasra Chandi homas He approved. The homas were conducted in April 1953. A large concourse of people from distant places gathered to witness this unique function and to get the blessings of the Acharya.
The Acharya came out of His retirement for a few weeks after the homas Had concluded, resumed His normal routine and received disciples. On August 24, 1954, President Rajendra Prasad paid a visit to Sringeri and was received by both the Senior and Junior Swamis with whom he spent some hours in intimate and soulful conversation. The Rashtrapatis innate humility, piety, godliness, and respect for saints much pleased the two Gurus, who showered their blessings on him.