Prelude

The teachings of Bhagavān constituting the second and third chapters of the Bhagavad-gītā cover the entire contents of the fifteen chapters that follow them; the first four aphorisms of the Brahma-sūtras and Ādi-śaṅkara-bhagavatpāda’s commentary thereon themselves convey comprehensively, the tenets of Advaita Vedānta. In a similar manner, this aṣṭottara-śata-nāmāvali (series of 108 nāmas) on His Holiness Jagadguru Śrī Abhinava Vidyātīrtha Mahāsvāmin, composed by His direct disciple and present Jagadguru Śrī Bhāratī Tīrtha Mahāsvāmin, has the significant characteristic that the first three nāmas themselves express, in a nutshell, all the glorious facets of His Holiness. As will be apparent from the sequel, the first three nāmas

compellingly convey a synopsis of the entire aṣṭottara-śata-nāmāvali. They shine the spotlight on the fact that His Holiness Jagadguru Śrī Abhinava Vidyātīrtha Mahāsvāmin - hereinafter referred to as ‘His Holiness’ - was a glorious sage who was ever firmly established in the Supreme. They underscore His infinite compassion towards all. They further highlight that throughout His earthly sojourn, He considered worldly joys useless, conducted His life according to the dictates of the Vedas and taught the path through which everyone may attain the knowledge of the non-dual Supreme. Finally, they reveal that His life itself was a divine sport.

The essential teaching of His Holiness was, “It is only the realization of the non-dual Supreme Brahman as the Self of all, that can free us from all fears, grant us absolute bliss and liberate us from the great misery that is saṁsāra (transmigratory existence). We who have the innate power of discrimination, should, without wasting this rare human birth of ours, develop intense vairāgya (dispassion) towards all worldly enjoyments, develop devotion towards the Supreme, engage ourselves in ātma-vicāra (enquiry about the Self), and strive to become established in our true nature.”

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