83. विद्यारण्यसमप्रज्ञः Vidyāraṇya-sama-prajñaḥ

One whose wisdom matched that of Śrī Vidyāraṇya

Jagadguru Śrī Vidyāraṇya Mahāsvāmin, who reigned as the 12^th pontiff of the Sringeri Sri Sharada Peetham from 1380 to 1386 C.E., was both a pre-

216 83. Vidyāraṇya-sama-prajñaḥ eminent sage and a brilliant statesman. This nāma conveys that His Holiness’s prajñā, intellectual prowess (vide nāma 69), was sama, equal to, that of the great Śrī Vidyāraṇya. Indeed, one was vidyā-āraṇya, a forest of knowledge, the other vidyā-tīrtha, a sacred place of knowledge.

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His Holiness attained through deep contemplation and meditation, savikalpa-samādhi on nirguṇa-Brahman (vide nāma 59). He meditated using as props, external objects and mental thoughts, and on the tattva of the Ātman and of Brahman. While He was narrating the sequence of events decades later to a disciple, the following conversation ensued.

Disciple: Was Your Holiness familiar at that time with the scriptural account of the two dṛśyānuviddha (associated with a perceptible object) and two śabdānuviddha (associated with a sound) kinds of savikalpa-samādhis?

HH: No. I read the verses concerned of the Sarasvatī-rahasya-upaniṣad and the Dṛg-dṛśya-viveka much later. Only when I did so did I come to know that there were these varieties of savikalpa-samādhi and that I had properly practised all of them.

His Holiness, then just 18 years old, understood by Himself, and that too as a matter of direct experience, the esoteric passages of the Śruti with the correct interpretation. He had, on His own, contemplated and arrived at the two forms each of the two-fold types of meditation laid down by Śrī Vidyāraṇya in His text Dṛg-dṛśya-viveka, and practiced all of them perfectly to attain savikalpa-samādhi on nirguṇa-Brahman. Indeed, how can it be otherwise, when His Holiness’s knowledge was, as stated in this nāma by His foremost disciple, on par with Śrī Vidyāraṇya’s!

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Śrī Vidyāraṇya was a sage who was initiated into saṁnyāsa by the 10^th pontiff, Śrī Vidyātīrtha, in 1331 A.D., exactly six centuries before His Holiness (who had His saṁnyāsa-dīkṣā in 1931). The 14^th century sage’s vast repertoire of knowledge is apparent from the large body of writing that He produced spanning Nyāya, Mīmāṁsā, the Dharma-śāstra and Vedānta. His masterpieces in Vedānta include the Jīvanmukti-viveka, Pañcadaśī, Dṛg-dṛśya-viveka, a sub-commentary on Aparokṣānubhūti, and six Upaniṣad-dīpikas, all of which are celebrated as authoritative works on Vedānta. Through these, He has explained the concepts of Vedānta in ways that have been useful to students of Vedānta and spiritual aspirants across generations.

His Holiness’s contributions to the spread of Vedānta has been no less, and has also been in accordance with the requirements of the 20^th century. His Holiness penned telling essays that capture the essence of Sanātana-dharma, Vedānta and the practice of spirituality in such lucid terms that they can be understood and brought into practice by lay people of the present age. He extensively taught the scriptures to various classes of people from scholars to laymen who do not know Sanskrit. He gave scores of benedictory discourses in local languages, simplifying the tenets of Vedānta so that it reaches the common man. He answered questions of devotees and others without diluting the scriptures and yet catering to the modern mind. He initiated several into mantras and cleared their doubts, personally guiding many a spiritual aspirant. He provided lucid expositions on several knotty issues presented in the scriptures in a way that is universally understandable.

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Śrī Vidyāraṇya was instrumental in the establishment of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 14^th Century. That was a watershed moment for India, because it ensured the re-establishment of Sanātana-dharma, which had suffered a body blow due to foreign invasions. This single act of the sage vouchsafed the rebuilding of several temples, restart of worship in many important ones that had been abandoned due to Muslim invasion, and sustenance of new Maṭhas established in different parts of South India. All of this, achieved through the patronage of the Vijayanagara emperors who owed the reinstatement of their kingship to the grace and guidance of the sage, in turn ensured that the Hindu faith was resurrected magnificently and placed on a firm footing.

His Holiness, as seen under various nāmas here, was equal to Śrī Vidyāraṇya in this aspect as well. When the Maṭha itself was deprived of all its income-generating lands, His Holiness’s incisive intellect and vision caused Him to assure worried officials and well-wishers that the patronage of devotees will not only make up for the loss of revenue but will in fact far exceed it. His words came true. His Holiness toured India thrice and devotees thronged to serve the cause of Sanātana-dharma that He espoused. Temples were built and consecrated by Him, new Maṭhas established all over India, Maṭhas established earlier were renovated and expanded and became flourishing institutions, and several pāṭhaśālas were established. He was instrumental in starting periodicals that spread the message of Bhagavatpāda among the masses. At a time when western influences were obliterating the belief in Sanātana-dharma, His Holiness brought thousands and thousands into its fold and paved the way for their spiritual upliftment.

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Śrī Vidyāraṇya wrote the authoritative biography of Śaṅkara-bhagavatpāda, the Śaṅkara-digvijaya, also known as the Mādhavīya Śaṅkara-vijaya, thereby making a very significant contribution in spreading the message of Bhagavatpāda for the benefit of mankind.

The ways in which His Holiness worked to spread the message of Bhagavatpāda bears the stamp of His great prajṇā. The birthplace of Bhagavatpāda at Kalady at which a Maṭha had been established earlier, was in a shambles, and His Holiness made extensive renovations and expansions to make it a thriving institution, apart from giving a major fillip to the town of Kalady itself (vide nāma 23). He encouraged and blessed the youngsters who organized the Shankara-jyoti that was travelling from Kalady to Kedarnath to spread the message of Bhagavatpāda in 1988. He used every opportunity to spread Bhagavatpāda’s teachings through the length and breadth of the country. He wrote a treatise on Him forcefully bringing out the greatness of His life and teachings, gave benedictory discourses about His greatness and doctrine, taught the works of Bhagavatpāda to many, motivated people to read Bhagavatpāda’s works and consecrated numerous shrines of Bhagavatpāda across the country.

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Harihara I and Bukka I, the emperors of Vijayanagara, who regained their lost kingdom because of the guidance of Śrī Vidyāraṇya, submitted their kingdom at the feet of the Jagadguru of Sringeri, the reigning (10^th) pontiff at the time, Jagadguru Śrī Vidyātīrtha Mahāsvāmin. From then, the emperors of Vijayanagara served the Jagadgurus of Sringeri and helped immensely in the protection of Hinduism.

His Holiness, who was the new or ‘Abhinava’ Vidyātīrtha of the 20^th century, too had Maharajas and heads of state pay obeisance at His feet and seek His grace and guidance for matters spiritual and worldly, as described briefly under nāma 77. Such was His spiritual stature, scriptural knowledge, rapport with people and amicable disposition that the wielders of the highest power flocked to Him to seek His blessings. As was the case with Śrī Vidyāraṇya, His Holiness was a saṁnyāsin with no possessions, and yet everything was placed at His feet.

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