Sri Kanchi Mahaswami V.V.S.Manian
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Sri Kanchi Mahaswami V.V.S.Manian A rare gem among saints What makes the Sufi? Purity of heart; Not the patched mantle and the lust perverse Of those vile earth-bound men who steal his name. He in all dregs discerns the essence pure: In hardship ease, in tribulation joy. The phantom sentries, who with batons drawn Guard Beauty's palace-gate and curtained bower, Give way before him, unafraid he passes,.. Rumi In ancient days there were not many saints. Today you have dime a dozen persons who call themselves saints, Jagadh gurus, sadhus, spiritual leaders, soothsayers, etc. A “new breed of sanyasis”, who indulge in everything from rape, murder squandering devotees’ money to satisfying their sex urges and five star living have sprung up. Among this criminal crowd of saffron scoundrels, it is very difficult to cull out a true sanyasi who can guide the troubled world to walk in the path of divinity, devotion and prayer. In the present day, pursuing a saint’s life is a highly lucrative profession; easy to wear ochre robes and proclaim oneself as path finder of prosperity and heaven. There are enough superstitious suckers who fall into this trap. Women devotees unwittingly lose their chastity and hard earned money to some flamboyant sanyasis. Profile of a true saint The rishis, seers, sadhus, sanyasis, gurus and acharyas, were the storehouse of spiritual knowledge. They scrupulously followed Hindu dharma and were considered as Gods on earth. Swami Sivananda while narrating the glory of saints observes “To him (saint) the whole world is mere straw. To him pleasure and pain are the same. The saints are the Gods on earth... the saints constitute a ladder for the pilgrims to the shrine of God. Through history, the saints have played a great part in preserving spiritual values in the world. A saint is a spiritual washer man. He applies soap of devotion and knowledge and removes spots of sin in worldly people.” Today, it is the public and the police who wash the dirty linen of overfed fat God men. This cluttered lot of ‘spiritual’ crowd painfully drives us to recollect some of the great souls of the past era who have given everything to the world and took nothing in return. Among the few noble sages, let me recall the rarest of gem among sages, Jagadguru Chandrashekarendra Saraswati Swamigal Jagadguru Chandrashekarendra Saraswati Swamigal is popularly known as the sage of Kanchi, Maha Swamigal. He was the 68th Jagadguru of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. He was respectfully and fondly addressed by all devotees as Paramacharya, MahaSwami or Maha Periyavaal. Swamimalai Lord Swaminatha Courtesy: Keshav Maha Periyavaal was born on 20 May 1894, under Anuradha star, in a Smartha Hoysala Karnataka Brahmin family in Viluppuram, South Arcot District of Tamil Nadu. He was the second son of Subramanya Sastri. His mother Mahalakshmi was a Kannada Brahmin from the village Icchangudi near Thiruviyaru. The child was named Swaminathan, after the family deity, Lord Swaminathan of Swamimalai, near Kumbakonam. Kumbakonam is famous for its temples and mutts (monasteries). There are around 188 Hindu temples in this town. Apart from this, there are over a thousand temples in the surrounding area, thereby giving the town the sobriquet “Temple Town” and “City of temples”. The town is well known for renowned educational institutions, carved panchaloka idols, brass and metal wares. Kumbakonam is also famous for silk products. The temples have stunning architectural beauty with exquisite pillars, carved drawing o walls and legendary stories. Kumbakonam and surrounding areas are the birth place of many saints, scholar and musicians. The fertile and green flush fields and Cauvery water has inspired many and fertile brains bloomed in the tiny hamlet. Swaminathan began his early education at the Arcot American Mission High School at Tindivanam, where his father was working. He was an exceptional student and excelled in several subjects. He won a prize for his proficiency in recitation of the "Holy Bible". In 1905, his parents performed his Upanayanam, a Vedic ceremony, which qualifies a Brahmin boy to begin his Vedic studies under an accomplished teacher. During the childhood of Acharya, his father consulted an astrologer who, upon studying the boy's horoscope, is said to have been so stunned that he prostrated himself before the boy exclaiming that "One day the whole world will fall at his feet." 66th Acharya In 1906, the 66th Acharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, performed the annual Chaturmasyam (a forty-day annual ritual performed by Hindu ascetics while remaining in one place), in a village near Tindivanam in Tamil Nadu. Swaminathan who happened to be present on the occasion greatly impressed the Acharya. This was Swaminathan’s first exposure to the Math and its Acharya. In February 1907, the Kanchi Kamakoti Math had informed Subramanya Sastrigal that Swaminathan’s cousin Lakshminathan was to be installed as the 67th Peetathipathi. The presiding Acharya was suffering from smallpox and had the premonition that he might not live long. He had, therefore, administered upadesa to his disciple Lakshminathan before he died. Sastrigal being away on duty arranged for the departure of Swaminathan with his mother to Kanchipuram. The boy and his mother started for Kalavai (where Lakshminathan was camping) to console his aunt who, while also being a widow, had just given up her only son to be an ascetic. The 67th Acharya also died. Swaminathan was installed as the 68th head of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam on February 13, 1907, the second day of the Tamil month of Masi, Prabhava year. He was given Sanyasa Asramam at the early age of 13 and was named Chandrasekharendra Saraswati. On May 9, 1907 his "Pattabishekam" as the 68th Peetathipathi of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam was performed at Kumbakonam Math. Devotees including Shivaji Maharaja of Tanjore, government officials and pundits participated in the event. Even though there was not enough property in the mutt, the court considering the benefit of the mutt, ordered the mutt to be administered under the “Guardian and Wards Act”. Sri C.H.Venkataramana Iyer, an illustrious personality from Kolinjivadi village near Coimbatore was appointed as guardian by the court. The administration of the mutt was under guardianship from 1911 to May 1915. On Sankara Jayanthi Day in the year 1915, Swamigal took over the administration of the mutt on completion of his 21 st year. The administration of the mutt was taken over in name only; the actual work was taken care of by an agent, Sri Pasupathi Iyer. Sri Swamigal did not sign any document; instead “Sri Mukham stamp” was placed on documents. Maha Periyava spent several years in the study of scriptures and dharma shastras and acquainted himself with his role as Head of the Math. He soon gained the reverence and respect of devotees and people around him. Maha Periyava was the head of the Mutt for eighty-seven years. During this period, the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam acquired new strength as an institution that propagated Sankara’s teachings. Throughout his life, the focus of his concern and activities was rejuvenating old temples, encouraging Vedadhyayanam and study of Dharma Sastras, which had suffered decline. "Veda rakshanam” " was his very life breath, and he referred to this in most of his talks. Pata yaatra The sage of Kanchi undertook pilgrimages on foot from Rameswaram in the south to Kasi in the North. By providing support to Veda Patasalas through the Veda Rakshana Nidhi which he founded and honouring Vedic scholars, he reinvigorated Vedic studies in India. He organized regular sadhas ('conferences') which included discussions on arts and culture—these led to a renewed interest in Vedic religion, Dharma sasthras, and Sanskrit. His long tenure as Pitadhipathi is considered by many as the Golden Era of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. He attained Mukti (died) on January 8, 1994 and was succeeded by Sri Jayendra Saraswati. “The sage of Kanchi” left behind a treasure house of knowledge (Kanchi Math) and huge wealth in the “land of thousand temples”, with a hope that his inheritors would live a true saintly life as inscribed in the Vedas and teach the values of disciplined life. Kanchi Mutt Miracles of Mahapriyava Stamped wish Indira Gandhi had a special liking for Kanchi Mahaswami and hence for 1983 Sankara Jayanthi, she wanted to release a stamp on Adi Sankara. She did not want to release it without getting permission from Periyavaa and hence she had sent Sri. C.Subramaniam, who was the minister of agriculture and an ardent devotee of Periyavaa, to Satara where he was stationed. Kanchi Mahaswami treats everybody as equal. When CS came, he asked him the purpose of his visit. CS humbly told him that he had come to take his permission to release the stamp of Adi Sankara. Kanchi Acharya smilingly replied, ‘permission means you have already decided to release the stamp. You have come here to convey the information. If I give my opinion that would be binding on the government’. CS responded to Mahaswami that the Prime Minister was clear that whatever was the desire of Acharya, it would be carried out. CS presumed that Acharaya would concur with the government's decision. Mahaswami made it explicitly clear that he was against the release of the stamp. He said that people would lick the stamp for affixing it on envelopes. He further added that in case the PM wished to release the stamp it was her wish. ‘I gave my opinion since you have come all the way and asked for it’. Indira Gandhi understood what Mahaswami meant and immediately gave up the idea. Indira had great respect for Mahaswami.