The Sringeri Sharadha Peetam was established by Adi Sankara over thousand years ago and one of his disciples Sureshwaracharya took over the reins of the mutt.
The Sringeri Sharadha Peetam was established by Adi Sankara over thousand years ago and one of his disciples Sureshwaracharya took over the reins of the mutt.
A number of great Saints like Vidyaranya, who guided the brothers Harihara and Bukka (Founders of the Vijayanagar dynasty), Sri Nrisimha Bharati, Sachithananda Shivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati and Chandrashekhara Bharati decorated the Sharadha Peetam.
The Pontiffs established facilities and temples all over India. It was Sachithananda Shivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati who brought about a revolution of sorts by getting the Sankara Jayanthi celebrated all over India.
He was the great soul who established beyond doubt that Kaladi was the birth place of Adi Shankara. Long ago, an icon of Sharadhamba used to be with His Holiness and Coimbatore is truly blessed to have this icon at the Sankara Mutt in Raja Street. His successor Chandrashekhara Bharati was a jivanmukhta and a number of Coimbatoreans were fortunate to have had his benediction.
His Holiness Chandrashekhara Bharati was followed by Abhinava Vidyatheertha and it was during his times that a number of tours undertaken by him gave an oppourtunity for the people to enjoy the nectarine waters of Vedanta as propounded by Adi Shankara.
The Centenary of the Saint Abhinava Vidyatheertha was celebrated recently and the story of his times will surely add to peace and tranquility to the people of our country.
A pious couple Rama Shastri and Venkatalakshmi lived in Bengaluru along with their daughter Seethalakshmi. The wife Venkatalakshmi used to circumambulate the Aswatta (Peepal) tree regularly before the birth of the son Srinivasa in the year 1917.
Young Srinivasa was not only bright but was a helpful child who spared time for teaching other students while also helping his mother at home. He was known to be a kind person who was ever ready to bear difficulties in the interest of others. Srinivasa preached contentment and forbearance even while he was just 12 years old. He had a small crystal idol of Lord Ganesh and he used to offer simple but earnest worship to the deity every day.
Once his father was about to punish him on the assumption that he was not pursuing his studies properly but an astrologer who intervened, read his palm and told him that Srinivasa was destined to become a great Yogi. Young Srinivasa got initiated at Sringeri in the May of 1930 due to the intervention of this astrologer who had introduced Rama Shastri to the agent of Sringeri Mutt. It was at this moment that Srinivasa met the Pontiff Chandrashekhara Bharati and thanks to his permission, he stayed back at Sringeri in order to pursue the study of scriptures.
His good qualities, dispassion, compassion and brilliance made him the natural choice for succession and he was initiated into Paramahamsa Sanyasa on 22/05/1932 as Abhinava Vidyatheertha Swamigal by His Holiness Chandrashekhara Bharati.
Abhinava Vidyatheertha would wear wet clothes and sleep on the bare floor at night and he used to mix up all the items of food before eating so that he would not know the taste of any food item. He loved nature and used innovative methods to study nature.
On one occassion he made a magnifying glass by poking a leaf and putting a drop of rain water to study the inhabitants of a hole. Swamiji was initiated into the Nrisimha Mantra by his Guru Chandrashekhara Bharati and he was initiated into the practice of deep meditation at the age of 16.
He became a Jivanmukha on 12/12/1935 at the age of 18. Prior to that he used to meditate of Balamba, Shiva and Dakshinamurthy in such an intense manner that he could literally experience divine company.
One day he had just meditated on the one who wears a cobra for an ornament (Lord Shiva) and when he opened his eyes he found a huge cobra loosely coiled around his neck! He became the 35th Pontiff in the year 1954 and thereafter he was involved with a number of good activities. He built schools, hospitals for the needy and poor while also taking Vedanta forward all his life. A number of temples were consecrated and Veda Patashalas were founded by him.
He was a diehard conservationist and he carried out the afforestation of several hills around Sringeri. He undertook a number of Vijaya yatras met Prime Ministers, Kings, Presidents and other noteworthy people while also accepting the hospitality of some of his not so well off hosts.
Once he told the US Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker that if world leaders understood that rebirth was certain and that would be payback time, they would strive for harmony. He met up with the other four Sankara peetathipathis and this had happened for the first time after Adi Shankara. He travelled to Nepal and his visit was celebrated in the mountain kingdom. Whenever he visited a place which was hit by drought it used to rain. He did not believe in the increased use of loudspeakers during his lectures. He performed a number of Yajna’s in the interest of the world and was a true patriot who believed in being an Indian. Swamiji was a staunch believer in Ahimsa and he abhorred violence.
Swamiji loved cows and maintained a goshala which had about 100 cows. He was an expert swimmer and was keen to evince interest on a number of subjects like electronics. He was a true liberal who appreciated people who did not toe his line and G.D.Naidu the genius inventor and avowed non believer had named a hall after him because of the universal affection that drew him to the Swamiji.
His Holiness Abhinava Vidyatheertha was loved by all. There are several miracles ascribed to him. He used to bless patients and they got cured and on some instances he used to provide guidance through a dream. Some of his devotees used to seek his direction through letters and he would send in replies promptly. The performance of the Chandramouleeswara Pooja by Swamiji used to be a sight to behold. He performed the pooja very regularly.
Swamiji used to maintain the tradition of Adi Shankara and therefore he was able to identify an able successor in Sitarama Anjaneyalu who became Bharati Theertha on 11/11/1974. The good work of his successor Bharathi Theertha goes on to prove the foresight and wisdom of Swamiji.
Sringeri is located in the Western Ghats region of Karnataka and is a lovely place which happens to be known as Dakshina Chirapunjee. The Sharadha Peetam is located on the either sides of River Tunga. Everyday this lovely environ which is full of trees and animals gets a lot of devotees. The mutt feeds them with both lunch and dinner. The mornings would be wonderful if one enjoyed a soap free bath in River Tunga. It was the place for kindness for once Adi Shankara noticed a cobra providing shade through its hood to a pregnant frog on the banks of the sacred Tunga.
His Holiness Abhinava Vidyatheertha was a spiritual guide who used to advice seekers appropriately. Many of them became noble souls due to his influence. He used to visit Coimbatore on a number of occasions and the families of Sulur Nanjundiah, K.V.Narayanaswamy Iyer, T.S.Sankara Iyer, Binny Subba Rao, C.S.Govinda Iyer, G.K.Devarajulu and Annur K.Govindaswamy Naidu were well known to him.
It was during his pontificate that the Sringeri Sharadhambal Temple came up on the land belonging to the family of Sulur S.R.Nanjundiah at Race Course. Swamiji has really blessed Coimbatore through a number of visits and he had inaugurated the Sri Rama Navami celebrations at the residence of Binny Subba Rao in the past. The Sringeri Mutt is known for its fabulous service due to the good work of His Holiness Abhinava Vidyatheertha Swamiji, a true patriot who believed in the oneness of India before anything else. The Dakshinanmaya Sringeri Sharadha Peetam in Coimbatore manages a number of temples and institutions including the Sharadhambal Temple at Race Course, Panchamukha Vinayakar Temple in Perur, Varasiddhi Vinayakar Temple in Saibaba Colony, Cochin Diwan Nanjappier Kalyana Mandapam (Raja Street) and the Sankara Mutt on Raja Street. Now Vidhushekhara Bharati has been chosen by His Holiness Bharati Theertha as his successor and both of them graced Coimbatore by visiting the city recently. The Kodandaramaswamy Temple in Ram Nagar is endowed with a Pravachana Mandapam (Hall for temple related lectures and other programmes) named after His Holiness Abhinava Vidyatheertha Swamigal. A number of the followers of the Sringeri Mutt in Coimbatore have named their children after the noble saint.
Thanks to the benevolence of His Holiness and the approach of the Sringeri Mutt in Coimbatore, the Sharadhambal Temple at Race Course has become a popular religious destination. A number of weddings and aksharabyasams take place in the sacred temple. Due to the inputs of Abhinava Vidyatheertha Swamigal, hygiene is the priority and a number of children, houses and businesses in this region are named after Sharadhambal.
Swamiji used to ask his followers to appreciate the good qualities in others and not assume or search for their faults. He requested everyone to dedicate their everything to God. He used to state that charity would bring in happiness for the needy while also greatly conducing the spiritual well being of the donor. While he stated that the mercy of Lord extends to all, he further added that if we remain unruffled in the face of provocation, then we become noble people.
He would also state that different objects would constitute the wealth of common folk, the lack of possessions would be the wealth of the wise. The message of His Holiness Abhinava Vidya Theertha had impelled a number of Indians and Coimbatoreans in particular to do a lot of good things while elevating millions spiritually. The Sringeri Mutt is following the noble footsteps of Abhinava Vidyatheertha in the interest of humanity.