Scholar Nonpareil

Acharya

Date: 24-10-1997 :: Pg: 41 :: Col: a

The 80th jayanthi of Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal, the 35th pontiff of Sri Sharada Peetham in Sringeri, is being celebrated on Deepavali day.

Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal, revered as a great yogi and a scholar par excellence, adorned, as its 35th pontiff, the sacred Sri Sharada Peetham established by Adi Sankaracharya over 12 centuries ago, at Sringeri in Karnataka.

Born on November 13, 1917 on Deepavali day to Rama Sastry and Venkatalakshmi Ammal in Basavangudi near Bangalore, Srinivasan, as he was named by his parents, was exceptional even as a young boy.

There are numerous incidents related with his childhood that set him apart from other children. Once, not only did he quietly bear the unjust caning meted out by his father, but also held out his other hand to receive further punishment. Never one to be frightened by anything, he used to regularly express to his playmates, his one overwhelming desire - to renounce the world and behold God.

Srinivasan's thread ceremony was performed on May 4, 1930, at Sringeri. The then Jagadguru of Sringeri, Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswamigal, a great and renowned Jeevanmukta (one liberated while alive), gladly inducted him into the Sringeri Math Patashala. He mastered scriptural texts with ease.

The longing for renunciation being innate in him and being the natural choice of the then Jagadguru as the successor to the Peetham, Srinivasan was initiated into the holy order of Sannyasa on May 22, 1931 when he was yet to turn 14. Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswamigal named his successor designate, Abhinava Vidyatheertha.

Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal (Acharyal) served his guru with great devotion. His preceptor, for his part, used to hold Acharyal in the highest esteem. Once, referring to Acharyal, he even remarked to a disciple, "Do not think he is just a Swamigal. He is God. He is my Guru."

Acharyal was temperamentally inclined to the path of yoga. The eight steps to perfection in yoga were ascended swiftly by him. He observed the yamas (restraints) and niyamas (observances) scrupulously and perfected the asanas and pranayama. Practising dhyana, he had his first glimpse of Goddess Bala Ambal before he was 18. By the time he was 20 years old, he had attained the acme of yoga and had become a Jeevanmukta.

It is said that even ferocious creatures abandon their nature and bow to the will of great sages. It once happened that some workers were ploughing the land in the Sringeri Math premises. At one place, a number of snakes suddenly came out hissing at them. Petrified, the men ran to Acharyal for help. Acharyal came to the spot and asked where the snakes were. No sooner had one of the workers pointed to a particular place and touched it with a spade, than numerous cobras came out and began playing before Acharyal. He said to the snakes, ``These people are afraid of all of you. It is better if you leave.'' To the utter astonishment of the onlookers, all the snakes left. Acharyal's compassion extended to all life forms. He used to rear many animals including cows, deer, rabbits and cats.

Persistent requests from devotees all over the country caused him to set out on his first Vijaya Yatra in 1956. A scholar par excellence in Tarka and Vedanta, he held the scholars of Varanasi spellbound with his brilliant expositions during his very first trip there.

Acharyal was responsible for the setting up of numerous institutions all over the country to further the cause of sastraic and secular learning. The Sharada-Dhanvantari Hospital at Sringeri equipped with modern medical equipment, was founded by him and still stands as a testimony to his great humanitarian efforts.

Acharyal nominated his successor to the Peetham on November 11, 1974. He initiated Sri Seetharama Anjaneyulu into Sannyasa and named him Sri Bharathi Theertha. In 1989, Acharyal shed his mortal frame on September 21, at Sringeri. However, he continues to reside in the hearts of his innumerable devotees, bestowing unlimited grace on them as before.

This year marks the 80th Jayanthi of this great sage (his Jayanthi falls on Deepavali day). It is being celebrated with great fervour by his devotees at Sringeri and in the rest of the country.