Sri Sringeri Guru Charitra
Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Maha Swamiji – 35th Acharya ( 1954 – 1989 )
Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamigal, the 35th Jagadguru of the Sringeri Sarada Pitha, was a perfect embodiment of virtues: compassion, truthfulness, patience, fortitude and righteousness. He worked ceaselessly for years with inspired vision and strength and an immense capacity to elevate people.
Born to primary school teacher, Rama Shastry, on November 13, 1917, the day of Deepavali at Bangalore, he was called Srinivasa. Since childhood he was an ardently pious person. At school, Srinivasa was an obedient and conscientious student. Several were the instances of his boyhood days when he displayed exceptional qualities of wisdom and farsightedness. From a very young age, he began expressing to his friends a desire to renounce the world and attempt to see God.
Meanwhile, Srinivasa’s parents were stricken with poverty and were at their wits’ end trying to find a way to feed the family and perform his upanayanam (sacred thread ceremony). Good fortune knocked on their door in the form of an invitation from the Sringeri Matha to perform Srinivasa’s upanayanam at the Matha’s expense at Saradamba temple in Sringeri. Ordained by the Gayatri Upadesa, Srinivasa stepped into the state of brahmachari, after which he sought to stay back and learn the holy scriptures at the matha.
When the Jagadguru decided to chose his successor, the choice rightly fell on Srinivasa. Necessary arrangements were made. On May 22, 1931, Srinivasa was initiated into the holy order of sannyasa, even before he had attained the age of 14. The Guru named him as Abhinava Vidyatirtha and taught the sacred Mahavakyas that signify the identity of the individual soul with the ultimate reality.
Probably sensing the capability of his disciple, the Jagadguru wished to be relieved of his responsibilities and pontifical duties. He handed over the running of the matha to his disciple and entrusted the performance of the Chandramouleeswara Puja. He authorized the young Swami to take decisions on the matha’s affairs.
Ever since he was initiated into to sannyasa, Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha was extremely keen on being an ideal ascetic. Mere reading of the scriptural texts could never satisfy his need for perfection. Therefore, he began learning yoga.
Strange as it may seem, his formal lessons in Vedanta commenced much after he had attained perfection in yoga. His guru expounded the Bhagavad Gita Bhashyam, Brahma Sutra Bhashyam and Bhashyam of Isa, Kena, Katha and Taittireya Upanishads. To the Acharya, these lessons merely served to confirm what he had already learnt through his personal experiences earlier in life.
On September 26, 1954, Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati ended his mortal life in the waters of Tunga. About 20 days later, on October 16, Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha formally took over as the 35th Jagadguru Sankaracharya of the Sringeri Sarada Pitha.
Able Administrator
Many were the tasks that lay ahead of the new Jagadguru. As his guru had often remained secluded, he had not toured much. Naturally, devotees all over the country were eagerly awaiting the visit of the Acharya to their cities. There were other administrative problems of the matha that needed to be sorted out immediately by the new Jagadguru.
He started improving the affairs of the matha, built a new guest house, renovated the Ambal and Ganapati shrines, converted a huge bamboo forest into cultivabled land, laid roads of access in Sringeri and introduced irrigation facilities.
He also started a girls’ school at Srigeri, established branch mathasat various places and consecrated many temples. He became a very able administrator.
The Acharya was also blessed with incredible memory. When questioned about the accuracy of his recollections relating to numerous details, he said: “I used to remember details of the construction work that has carried outin my presence. In fact, I could even recall the exact number of nails used for a particular task as also the number of strokes with which each nail was driven in, provided the task was carried out in my presence.”
In April 1964, the Acharya started from Sringeri on his first all-India tour during which he met the Sankaracharya of Dwaraka. The meeting of the two Jagadgurus was a great event and was hailed by the press and public alike.
Fifteen years later, during the Jayanti of Sankara Bhagavatpada in May 1979, the Acharya organizsed a historic summit meeting at Sringeri with the Jagadguru Sankaracharyas of the three other mathas of Dwaraka, Badri and Puri, established by Adi Sankara, thus showing the unity of spiritual strength of the religious leaders.
In the administration of the matha and its affairs, in strengthening the bonds between the devotees and the matha, in establishing the branches, in the propagation of Vedas and sastras, and, in short, in all activities that were beneficial to the people at large, his contribution was remarkably significant. There was no matter connected with the matha in which he had not played an effective role.
Extensive Tours
It is true that right from the beginning the Acharyas of Sringeri Sri Sarada Pitham have undertaken tours to bless the devotees. But it is difficult to find a personality like Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha in the annals of the matha who had so extensively and repeatedly travelled from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.
Not only that, he is the only amnaya pithadhipati after Adi Sankara to have visited Nepal. Maha Sivaratri was celebrated by him at Nepal in 1967. That too was on the earnest and devout request made by the then king of Nepal. Out of gratitude for the special blessings received by his father, King Tribhuvan, from Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati, king Mahendra of Nepal extended a reverential invitation to the Acharya.
Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha started on his first tour in 1956 and covered the four sourthern states of Karnataka,Kerala, Tamil Nade and Andhra Pradesh, for a period of six years. Again starting from Sringeri in June 1964, he covered southern and northern India continuously for four years.This was his second major tour.
In many parts of the country, he established branches. In many places, he consecrated the idols of Sri Saradamba and Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada. He established pathashalas and initiated activities for Dharmic awareness. For propagation of Vedas, the Acharya added a Veda Pathashala to the existing one at Bangalore. Tremendous developments took place in the 100-year old propagation of Sanskrit, he established ‘Surasaraswati Sabha’ which is conducting examination for a large number of students twice a year.
The finances of the matha were not in good shape when he bacame the Acharya. Added to it, then Inam abolition and land reforms brought fresh problems. But he faced the problems bravely and put the matha on a strong footing by efficient management of the affairs.
Constructive Work.
He gave a face lift to the matha premises in Srigeri and also provided facilities to the pilgrims who were coming to Sringeri in large numbers throughout the year. The bridge over the Tunga river, called Vidya Tirtha Sethu, stands as a living monument to his memory, for its owes its construction entirely to him.
He renovated the Malahanikaeswara Temple, the Sureswaracharya samadhi, the Sankara Sannidhi, the pathasala and yagasalas. He shifted the Rama and Brahma temples to the front of the Sarada temple, and in their place built the Sankara Krupa Guest House. He constructed the Subrahmanya temple, Sakti Ganapati temple and the Pravachana Mandira and paved the entire premises with stones. He also built a hospital with 100 beds at Sringeri and brought out many publications of matha.
Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamigal was a great scholar; people from all over India came to him for darsan and guidance. It is no exaggeration to say that he brought to the Sarada matha all its ancient eminence and glory. He attained videha mukti in September 1989.
Article excerpted from : The Greatness of Sringeri, A Sringeri Sarada Peetham Publication
Transcribed by : Vijay Kompalli
