His
Holiness Jagadguru Shankaracharya Shri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati Swamigal or
the Sage of Kanchi was an Indian Saint. He is usually referred to as Nadamadum
Deivam (The walking God), Sage of Kanchi, Maha Periyaval or Paramacharya.
Early life
Swaminatahn
(Purvashram name of His Holiness) was born on 20 May 1894, under Anuradha star
according to the Hindu calendar, into a Kannadiga Smartha family in Viluppuram,
South Arcot District, Tamil Nadu. He was the second son of Subramaniya
Sastrigal, a District Education Officer. The child was named Swaminathan, after
the family deity, Lord Swaminatha of Swamimalai, near Kumbakonam. 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 the
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.
Incidents leading to
Sainthood
During
the childhood of the 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."[citation needed] In 1906, the 66th Acharya of Sri
Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham 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. This was Swaminathan’s first exposure to the
Math and its Acharya. Later, Swaminathan accompanied his father whenever he
visited the Math where the Acharya was deeply impressed by the young boy.
In the
first week of February 1907, the Kanchi Kamakoti Math had informed Subramanya
Sastrigal that Swaminathan's first cousin (son of his mother's sister) was to
be installed as the 67th Peetathipathi. The presiding Acharya was then
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 in Trichinopoly 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. They
travelled by train to Kanchipuram and halted at the Sankara Math. By then,
Lakshminathan had fallen ill:
In
the words of His Holiness:
I had
a bath at the Kumara Koshta Tirtha. A carriage of the Math had come there from
Kalavai with the people to buy articles for the Maha Puja on the tenth day of
the passing of the previous 66th Acharya. One of them, a hereditary maistry
(mason) of the Math, asked me to accompany him. A separate cart was engaged for
the rest of the family to follow me. During the journey the maistry hinted to
me that I might not return home and that the rest of my life might be spent in
the Math itself. At first I thought that my elder cousin having become the Head
of the Math, it was his wish that I should live with him. But the maistry
gradually clarified matters as the cart rolled on. The acharya had fever which
developed into delirium and that was why I was being separated from the family
to be taken to Kalavai... I was stunned by this unexpected turn of events. I
lay in a kneeling posture in the cart, shocked as I was, repeating
"Rama... Rama," the only prayer I knew. My mother and other children
came some time later only to find that instead of her mission of consoling her
sister, she herself was placed in the state of having to be consoled.
—T.M.P.
Mahadevan, The Sage of Kanchi
The
67th Acharya also died, after reigning for a brief seven days as the head of
the Math. Swaminathan was immediately installed as the 68th head of the 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
"Pattabishegam" as the 68th Peetathipathi of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam
was performed at the 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 to be administered, 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 (Colinjivadi) village near Coimbatore was
appointed as guardian by the court. The administration of the mutt was under
guardianship from 1911 to May,1915. On the day of Sankara Jayanthi in the year
1915, Swamigal took over the administration of the mutt on the completion of
his 21st year. The administration of the mutt was taken over in name, but the
actual work was taken care of by an agent, one Sri Pasupathi Iyer. He was an
able administrator who volunteered to do the job without compensation and
hailed from Thirupathiripuliyur. Swamigal does not sign any document, instead
Sri Mukham stamp is placed on documents.
Jagadguru
Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati spent several years in the study of the
scriptures and dharma shastras and acquainted himself with his role as the Head
of the Math. He soon gained the reverence and respect of the devotees and
people around him. To millions of devotees he was simply "Periyava" —
the revered one or Maha-Periyava. "Periyava" in Tamil means a great
person, and conveys endearment, reverence, and devotion. "Mahaswami"
and "Paramacharya" are his other well-known appellations.
Jagadguru
Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati was the head of the Mutt for eighty-seven
years. During this period, the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Pitam acquired new strength
as an institution that propagated Śankara's teachings. The devotion, fervour,
and intensity with which the Paramacharya practiced what Śankara had taught are
considered to be unparalleled by his devotees. Throughout his life, the focus
of his concern and activities was rejuvenating Veda adhyayana, the Dharma
Sasthras, and the age-old tradition, which had suffered decline. "Veda
rakshanam" was his very life breath, and he referred to this in most of his
talks.
Remaining
active throughout his life, the sage of Kanchi twice undertook pilgrimages on
foot from Rameshwaram in the far south of the Indian peninsula to Benares in
the North.
Providing
support through Veda Patashalas (schools teaching Vedic lore) through the Veda
Rakshana Nidhi which he founded and honouring Vedic scholars, he reinvigorated
Vedic studies in India. He organised regular sabhas ('conferences') which
included discussions on arts and culture — these led to a renewed interest in
Vedic religion, Dharma sasthras, and the Sanskrit language. His long tenure as
Pitadhipathi is considered by many to have been the Golden Era of the Kanchi
Kamakoti Peetham. He attained samadhi on January 8, 1994 and was succeeded by
H.H.Sri Jayendra Saraswati.
Courtesy : http://www.gurusfeet.com/guru/sri-chandrashekarendra-saraswati#tabset-3
For more information pls visit
http://www.kamakoti.org/
Thanks : To Mahaperiyava Bhaktas for the all the photos.
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