Bharathi Teertha Mahaswami

His Holiness Jagadguru
Shri Bharathi Teertha
Mahasannidhanam
Born (1951-04-11) 11 April 1951
Andhra Pradesh, India

Jagadguru Bharathi Teertha Mahaswami (born as Seetharama Anjaneyalu in 1951)[1] is the 36th Jagadguru[2] of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham, which has been occupied by an unbroken lineage of gurus stretching back to the Advaitic philosopher Adi Shankaracharya, who established the matha for the propogation of Sanatana Dharma.[3]

Childhood

He was born on 11th of April, 1951, which corresponds to Chaitra Shukla Shasti of the year Khara ( the sixth day of the bright fortnight in the month of Chaitra as per the Hindu calendar) to the pious couple of Smt. Ananthalakshmamma and Shri Venkateshwara Avadhani.[4] Seetharama Anjaneyalu evinced signs of devotion towards the Almighty in His childhood. His Brahmopadesha was performed when he was seven years of age and he was regular in the performance of the prescribed karmas of Sandhyavandanam three times a day, and Agnikaryam, twice a day. Sri Anjaneyalu, in addition to schooling, spent time to study Sanskrit and also started taking Vedic lessons from his father, who himself was a Vedic scholar.[5]

Influence of the guru

In the year 1966, Sri Anjaneyalu approached the 35th Jagadguru of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamiji as a bachelor, at the age of 15, seeking his blessings and tutelage in the sastras. The Jagadguru Acharya accepted the disciple and the lessons in the Shastras of Tarka commenced. The Acharya also kept a close watch over the progress of his ward.[6]

Embracing Sanyasa

Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamiji announced his desire to appoint the brahmachari ("bachelor" in Sanskrit) Seetharama Anjaneyalu as the successor-designate (i.e., as the 36th Jagadguru acharya) and give him Sanyasa. The Shishya Sweekaram ceremony took place on the 11th day of November, 1974 and the brahmachari received the saffron robes, the sacred staff and the kamandalu (water pot) from the acharya.[7] The newly initiated sanyasi was given the Yogapatta Sri Bharati Teertha in line with the Dashanami Sampradaya of Shri Adishankaracharya.[8]

Reign as Jagadguru

Sri Bharati Teertha Mahaswami has studied Shastras like Vedanta,Mimamsa Tarka, Nyaya, Vyakarana amongst others.[9].He has also completed his studies in the Yajur Veda in Sadvidya Sanjivini Pathasala prior to taking up Sanyasa. The devotees of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham pay frequent visits to the matha seeking guidance and blessings.[10]. Many notable personalities who are politicians, spiritual gurus, et al like Narendra Modi[11],Abdul Kalam, etc have also paid visits and sought guidance. The Acharya is familiar with and delivers benedictory addresses in Indian languages like Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Hindi which are available on Youtube.[12]. As part of the tradition, the acharya also undertakes Vijaya Yatras (tours) to visit different places and guide the devotees. The most recent one took place in the year 2017 which covered the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.[13][14][15] The various events involved in the Vijaya Yatra were covered by Sri Sankara TV, which broadcast the highlights on a daily basis in the course of the Vijaya Yatra.

During his reign as the Jagadguru, assisted by V. R. Gowrishankar - the current CEO and administrator of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham, the matha also undertook activities in the field of education[16] and social service[17] in addition to being a seat of Vedic learning.[18][19][20]

The Acharya is the pontiff, both in spiritual and secular sense. A celibate ascetic by tradition of the Matha, he leads the learning institutions within the monastery and worship festivals. In case of differing views on the operation of monastery, his decision is considered by the monks as binding.[21] He is also responsible for screening, studying and selecting the monk who will succeed him as the next pontiff.[22]

Appointment of the successor

Sri Bharati Teertha Mahaswami appointed the brahmachari Kuppa Venkateshwara Prasad Sharma as his successor designate, i.e., the 37th Jagadguru of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham on 23rd January 2015 and gave him the Yogapatta (monastic name) Sri Vidhusekhara Bharati Mahaswami.[23][24]

See also

References

  1. Chandar, Suresh. Inspiring Saint. Sri Vidyatirtha Foundation,Madras.
  2. Murthy, Narasimha. "Salutations To Sringeri Jagadgurus".
  3. Maramkal, MB. "Successor designate appointed". Times of India. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  4. Shastre, Giredhar (2003). Jagadvandya Jagadguru (Kannada).
  5. Chandar, Suresh. Inspiring Saint. Sri Vidyatirtha Foundation,Madras.
  6. Tattvaloka (Sep 2018 ed.). Chennai: Vidyateertha Education Trust. Retrieved 7 October 2018. The guru meets His disciple
  7. Shivaram, Choodie. "Successor initiated". Hinduismtoday. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  8. Geeta, Venktaraman (27 Sep 2018). "Asetic extraordinary". The Hindu. Retrieved 8 October 2018. Successor nominated
  9. Vidya, Shree. "Ideal Pontiff". Shrividyaranya Samethi.
  10. Jagadguruvin Arulamuda Thuzigal (in Tamil). Sri Vidya Bharathi press. 2010.
  11. "Modi meets acharya".
  12. K, Suresh (2010). Acharyalin Ponmozhigal (in Tamil). SSP.
  13. Special, Correspondence. "Reception accorded to the Jagadguru". Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  14. Staff, Reporter. "Pontiffs arrive in the city". The Hindu. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  15. A, Rajagopal. "Sringeri mutt chief arrives in capital". The new Indian Express. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  16. "The Management and Board Members". Adi Shankara Institute of Engineering Technology. 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  17. "Management Team". Rangadore Memorial Hospital. 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  18. Correspondence, Special. "Seat of Learning". Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  19. "Bricks laid for Sringeri Sharada Peetham Temple in Houston". India Herald. 28 August 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  20. Correspendence, Special. "Sringeri seer releases a book about the Peetham". Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  21. AK Shastri 1999, pp. 75-76.
  22. AK Shastri 1999, pp. 77-78.
  23. "Sringeri seer appoints successor". The Hindu. 24 Jan 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  24. "Sringeri seer names successor". Deccan Herald. 24 Jan 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
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