82. वाग्देवीसमुपासकः Vāgdevī-samupāsakaḥ

One who was an ardent worshipper of the Goddess of Speech

Vāgdevī, the Goddess of knowledge and speech, is none other than Goddess Sarasvatī. The grace of Śāradāmbā, who is also worshipped in the form of Goddess Sarasvatī, bestows erudition and eloquence. His Holiness is said to be sam-upāsaka, an excellent worshipper, of Vāgdevī. His unmatched erudition and eloquence were ample proof of this fact. The elaboration of this nāma has been provided in a verse earlier composed by Jagadguru Śrī Bhāratī Tīrtha Mahāsvāmin Himself, meaning, “I take refuge in that Vidyātīrtha, on the stage of whose tongue Goddess Sarasvatī Herself dances.”²²⁸ Indeed, scholars held Him in the highest regard. His Holiness worshipped Vāgdevī and as Vāgdevī, He bestowed knowledge and speech on others.

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On an occasion, on beholding the senior Jagadguru seated with His Holiness, a scholar well-versed in the Sāma-veda thought, “How difficult it must be for Him to train such a young disciple. Indeed, it must be a burden on Him.” Abruptly, the senior Jagadguru asked the preoccupied Vedic scholar to chant the Sāma-veda. The man stood up but found words failing him. He had mastered the Sāma-veda in its entirety but in spite of his best efforts nothing was forthcoming. Addressing him, the senior Jagadguru said, “Śāradāmbā is there to take care of things and everything goes on as per Her wish. She is His (His Holiness’s) guardian.” The Veda-paṇḍita realised his folly in presuming that His Holiness was an ordinary teenager, training whom would be a nuisance.

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The Maharaja of Kochi, Sri Rama Varma Parikshit Thampuran, himself an accomplished scholar in the Nyāya-śāstra, once wrote a letter to His Holiness detailing a doubt he had in the Nyāya-śāstra and sent it to Him through a scholar. At that time, a vidvat-sadas was going on in the august presence of His Holiness. When the letter was submitted, His Holiness directed one of the scholars to read it out in the sadas, thereby initiating a discussion among the scholars. One by one, the scholars attempted their resolution of the issue but one or the other scholar promptly rebutted the replies. Erudite vidvāns such as Sri Mathur Venkateswara Sastri, a professor in the Mysore University, and Sri Madhusudana Bhattacharya, a renowned Tārkika from Kolkata, too offered their explanations only to be subsequently countered by the other scholars. The debate continued and it seemed as though it would be eternity before a conclusion could be reached. His Holiness suggested to the scholars that all of them reflect on the issue further and come out with a tenable conclusion before the concluding session.

As it turned out, even on the concluding day of the sadas, none of the scholars was able to resolve the doubt to the satisfaction of all. At this juncture, His Holiness Himself intervened and presented an appropriate answer in His inimitably lucid style. The scholars were awestruck by the splendid reply given by His Holiness. Mathur Venkateswara Sastri, who had learnt under none other than Jagadguru Śrī Candraśekhara Bhāratī Mahāsvāmin, openly remarked, “Only His Holiness can put any doubt to rest. After all, is He not the Goddess Śāradāmbā in human form?”

Needless to say, the Maharaja’s joy knew no bounds when he received the clarification given by His Holiness. He promptly wrote a letter to His Holiness conveying his reverential salutations and gratitude.

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In 1976-77, the second daughter of Sri Meenakshisundaram Iyer of Dindigul, developed tonsillitis. This resulted in a total loss of speech even before the surgery. The worried father took the girl to Sringeri, after having exhausting all available courses of medical treatment. When Meenakshisundaram Iyer submitted to His Holiness the purpose of their visit, His Holiness asked them to be present during the evening Candramaulīśvara-pūjā. During the pūjā, His Holiness kept looking at the child now and then, while she sat with her palms joined in reverence. After the pūjā was completed, His Holiness beckoned to the father and giving him a ball of sandal paste that had been offered to Lord Candramaulīśvara, asked him to drop it into His daughter’s mouth. Soon after ingesting the prasāda, the girl said, ‘Ambā’, prostrated before His Holiness and started speaking. His Holiness, the worshipper of Vāgdevī, and indeed Vāgdevī Herself, had blessed the girl to regain her power of speech.

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