108 Facets of the Inimitable Guru

36. दक्षिणाम्नायपीठपः Dakṣiṇāmnāya-pīṭhapaḥ

One who reigned over the Dakṣiṇāmnāya-pīṭha

Śrī Ādi-śaṅkara-bhagavatpāda established four āmnāya-pīṭhas, seats of Vedic learning, in the four directions, that is, dakṣiṇa (South), pūrva (East), paścima (West) and uttara (North). The dakṣiṇa-āmnāya pīṭha, the southern seat of Vedic learning, is located at sacred Sringeri, nestled in the picturesque Sahyadri mountain ranges, and a place where Sage Ṛṣyaśṛṅga of Rāmāyaṇa fame, performed austerities.

The Dakshinamnaya Sringeri Sri Sharada Peetham is assigned the Yajur-veda, the mahāvākya (Upaniṣadic declaration of the great Truth), ‘ahaṁ brahmāsmi (I am Brahman),’ and the presiding deity, Goddess Śāradāmbā. Bhagavatpāda appointed Śrī Sureśvarācārya, one of His four direct disciples, as the first pontiff of this southern pīṭha. Ever since then, in an uninterrupted Guru-śiṣya tradition, successive pontiffs have occupied this great pīṭha that is the symbol of knowledge and wisdom. By virtue of being a representative of Bhagavatpāda Himself, every pontiff is reverentially referred to as ‘Jagadguru Śaṅkarācārya’.

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His Holiness once specified (in a communication sent from the Maṭha) the following criteria bearing on the selection of a successor to the Dakshinamnaya Sringeri Sri Sharada Peetham:

102 37. Dākṣiṇya-nilaya-svāntaḥ

  1. He should belong to the Yajur-veda.
  1. With the exception of Sureśvarācārya, all the ācāryas (preceptors) who have adorned this pīṭha have been celibates. Hence, the person chosen should be a celibate and not a householder.
  1. He should come from a good family.

All of these criteria found complete fulfilment in His Holiness.

After the Mahāsamādhi of His Guru, His Holiness’s formal coronation as the 35th Jagadguru Shankaracharya of the Sringeri Sri Sharada Peetham took place on 16th October, 1954, corresponding to āśvayuja-kṛṣṇa-pañcamī of the cyclical year Jaya, under the star Rohiṇī.

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