88. वीतरागजनस्तुतः Vīta-rāga-jana-stutaḥ

One who was extolled by dispassionate ones

His Holiness was stuta, One who was extolled, by janaḥ, people, who were vīta-rāga, free from attachments, that is dispassionate. When people free from attachments extol someone, it would be factual, for the possibility of the praise being false or exaggerated in order to gain some benefit, simply does not arise in their case.

His Holiness was a sage firmly established in perfect dispassion. It is therefore natural that He was a role model and held in the highest regard by dispassionate ones. The truth of this nāma was expressed by Jagadguru Śrī Bhāratī Tīrtha Mahāsvāmin in a hymn He composed much earlier on His Holiness, in which He has said, “I seek refuge in that Vidyātīrtha, the recipients of whose grace have been sages who, after completely giving up desires for objects, have become established in supreme dispassion.”²³⁴

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Jagadguru Śrī Bhāratī Tīrtha Mahāsvāmin once stated as follows in a benedictory discourse:

“I do not consider myself competent enough to adequately speak about His Holiness’s total mastery over the senses, perfect character or high erudition. Like the footprints of birds in the sky and of fishes in the water, the course of the knowers of the Truth cannot be discerned.²³⁵

“Our Guru was the foremost of such knowers of the Truth. Having embraced saṁnyāsa at a young age like Bhagavatpāda, He was a stranger to passion; what He was conversant with was mokṣa (liberation).”

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His Holiness was held in very high esteem by the pontiffs of all the other three āmnāya-pīṭhas established by Bhagavatpāda. Śrī Svarūpānanda Sarasvatī Mahāsvāmin, the Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math, in particular, had great regard for His Holiness and met Him on numerous occasions. Śrī Abhinava Saccidānanda Tīrtha Mahāsvāmin of Dwaraka passed away in 1982 and had nominated Śrī Svarūpānanda Sarasvatī Mahāsvāmin to succeed Him at the Dwaraka Math. On account of His great regard for His Holiness, Śrī Svarūpānanda Sarasvatī Mahāsvāmin met Him and requested Him to come to Dwaraka to perform His paṭṭābhiṣeka (coronation). His Holiness graced the occasion and Himself performed the coronation in May 1982. Śrī Svarūpānanda Sarasvatī Mahāsvāmin has a vast āśrama in Paramahamsi Gangashrama of Madhya Pradesh. He built a big temple there dedicated to Rājarājeśvarī and was rather keen that His Holiness Himself should perform the kumbhābhiṣeka, and accordingly arranged for His Holiness’s camp there. His Holiness graced the place in December 1982 and performed the kumbhābhiṣeka of the temple.

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Viśiṣtādvaitic religious heads like the Jeeyar of Vanamamalai met His Holiness. Likewise, during His 1979-80 tour when His Holiness was camping at the National High School in Tiruchirapalli, the Jeeyar of the Ahobila Math met Him. Mādhva Maṭha pontiffs, such as Śrī Viśveśa Tīrtha of the Pejawar Math met His Holiness at Shankara Math, Bengaluru, during His Holiness’s cāturmāsya there.

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Śrī Saccidānanda Abhinava Subrahmaṇya Bhāratī Svāmin of the Sivaganga Math, along with his disciple, Śrī Viśveśvarānanda Bhāratī Svāmin, had requested His Holiness to grace Sivaganga. When His Holiness visited Sivaganga in 1968 and 1971, the Svāmin performed pādapūjā. The heads of the Hebsur Math and Machilipatnam Gāyathrī-pīṭha were also present on the occasion. His Holiness performed the kumbhābhiṣeka and pratiṣṭhā of the new shrines of Dakṣiṇāmūrti, Mahāgaṇapati and Danḍapāṇi. Śrī Viśveśvarānanda Bhāratī Svāmin later offered his respects in 1977 during the Ṣaṣṭyabdapūrti celebrations of His Holiness in Chennai.

Śrī Saccidānanda Bhāratī Svāmin, the immediate predecessor of the current pontiff of the Sivaganga Math, had been a student of the Sringeri pāṭhaśālā prior to saṁnyāsa. He visited Sringeri and paid his obeisance to His Holiness on many occasions, besides having been initiated into a mantra by Him.

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The Mahant of the Tarakeshwar Math highly revered His Holiness, and invited Him to and made excellent arrangements for His stay at Tarakeshwar on more than one occasion. He reverentially escorted His Holiness to the famous Taraknath Temple and was present when His Holiness performed pūjā to the holy liṅga there.

In December 1963, during His Holiness’s tour of Goa, He was received with devotion at Parthagali by Śrī Dvārakānāth Svāmin, the head of the Parthagali Math.

On the request of Sri Ramanatha Jnana Desikar, the head of the Kovilur Math, His Holiness visited Kovilur and was received there by a mammoth gathering, which included many prominent Nagarathars. He was taken in a procession to the Kovilur Math. In the public meeting presided over by Dr. Raja Sir Muthiah Chettiar of Chettinad, the Kovilur Maṭhādhipati presented the welcome address. Prasādas were brought from the nine Nagarathar temples on the occasion.

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Svāmi Cinmayānanda also maintained contacts with His Holiness and visited Him on 17^th October, 1967 in Mumbai, and later at Shankara Math, Bengaluru, as well as at other places.

Svāmi Śivānanda, the founder of the Divine Life Society of Rishikesh, was a great admirer of the Sringeri Math. His successor, Svāmi Cidānanda, too held His Holiness in great esteem. When His Holiness toured the Himalayas in May 1967, Svāmi Cidānanda organised a public meeting at Rishikesh and later showed Him around the Sivananda Ashram.

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