The Greatness of Our Acharyal

by Sri. K. Srinivasan

Truly speaking, none has the power to describe in words the glory of our Acharyal. Poet Kalidasa has said in praise of Iswara, “If, after exalting Your glory, we remain quiet, it is only on account of our incapacity and fatigue and not because Your glories have come to an end.” So too it is for anyone who attempts to portray our Acharyal’s life. If His human sport is itself a book then this book contains the highest esoteric doctrines. It is the essence of the Vedas; its language is so sweet and simple that man can easily understand it after a little practice. But the thoughts conveyed are so deep that none can arrive at their end even after constant study throughout a life time. Every day, they exhibit new facets of the Truth; therefore, they remain ever fresh and new. With this backdrop, an attempt is made here to provide some information about Acharyal, with the sole idea of giving the reader a glimpse of His nonpareil greatness.

Our Acharyal’s human sport commenced in the month of Aswina of the year Pingala, under the star Swati in Bengaluru, South India. This corresponds to November 13, 1917.

The fortunate parents affectionately called the child Srinivasan. The trappings of a saint were evident in Him even from the days of His childhood. Divine virtues viz., absolute fearlessness, perfect purity of mind, non-violence in thought, word and deed, truthfulness, absence of anger even on provocation, etc., were born with Him. Even then, His only goal in life was to discard the world and behold God!

Sri Srinivasan’s Upanayanam was performed on Vaishaka Shukla Shasti of the year Pramodhuta (May 4, 1930), at Sringeri. His prehensile abilities were conspicuous even at that tender age of 13. When being taught the evening Sandhya Vandanam by the Purohit’s son, He corrected him by insisting that what was taught in the afternoon pertaining to Abhivadana was different.

The then pontiff of Sringeri, Sri Chandrasekhara Bharathi Mahaswamigal inducted Sri Srinivasan into the Patashala thus keeping Him under His loving care.

It was Paramacharyal’s desire that Sri Srinivasan should not be disturbed in the course of His studies. So, a few other students, of almost of the same age as Sri Srinivasan were lodged with Him in Siddhashrama, in Narasimhavanam itself.

The boys were once playing blind man’s bluff. One of the boys had a cloth tied over his eyes and was the one supposed to touch the others, who were moving around to avoid him. When the boy came near Sri Srinivasan, the latter stepped aside. The boy bumped against a pillar, removed his cloth and struck Sri Srinivasan a blow, presuming Him to be the cause of his injury. As one who is never given to anger even on provocation, Sri Srinivasan pacified the boy and attended to the injury. The boy’s heart melted.

Being a habitual early riser, Sri Srinivasan assiduously engaged Himself in studies. His devotion and etiquette pleased Paramacharyal and soon Sri Srinivasan became the obvious choice for Paramacharyal’s successor. He was initiated into the holy order of Sannyasa when He was only 14 years old, on the Shukla Panchami of the Jyestha month of the year Prajapathi (i.e. on May 22, 1931). Paramacharyal named His holy successor designate “Abhinava Vidyatheertha”, perhaps because He could envisage that His matchless disciple would surpass the great yogi, the tenth Pontiff, Sri Vidyatheertha, in Yoga.

Acharyal, whose true being is pure bliss, was a perfect disciple of His Guru. He was always looking for an opportunity to serve His Guru. The following episode should teach us what an ideal disciple He was, and how He was ever ready to meet the needs of His Guru.

A certain devotee went to Sringeri to have Darshan of Their Holinesses. Paramacharyal was in His indrawn state and many devotees of the Math who had come to Sringeri could not have His Darshan. This devotee eagerly waited for few days and it so happened that Paramacharyal suddenly appeared at a window and called him. He asked him to get Him a mango. The devotee brought it by running to the other side of the river and procuring it from the bazaar. The same evening, the devotee told our Acharyal about the happenings of the morning. Acharyal just smiled and nodded His Head.

The subsequent year, when the same devotee paid a visit to Sringeri, our Acharyal, after some general queries, asked him, “Have you brought mangoes for our Acharyal?” When the devotee gave an embarrassing, “No”, for an answer, our Acharyal gently disembarrassed him by telling him, “I will give you some mangoes. You can place them along with the other fruits that you have brought and pay your obeisance.” So saying, He went to an adjacent room, brought some mangoes, chose the best among them with great care and gave them to the devotee.

A devotee presented to Acharyal a small box which opens when a button fixed by the side of the box is pressed. He had affixed a photo of Paramacharyal inside the box before submitting it. Acharyal, upon seeing it, immediately said, “Oh! I will use it. Every morning, I can have Darshan of My Guru by just pressing the button.”

When an old devotee of the Math reminisced about the loving and enchanting relationship between Acharyal and Paramacharyal, Acharyal’s eyes became moist and, with joined hands, He said, “It is very true. Till the end, My Guru looked after Me with such affection.”

Once, Paramacharyal asked our Guru whom He would like to emulate. Without a moment’s hesitation, Acharyal replied “Sadashiva Brahmendral.” Acharyal, ever since He was initiated into Sannyasa, was extremely keen on being an ideal ascetic. The eight steps leading to the acme of yoga came naturally to Him and He attained Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the highest state of yoga, before He was twenty. By repeated attainment of this exalted state, longed for by Yogis, He became a Jivan Mukta, one liberated while alive. To bear testimony to His deep Atmanusandana an instance can be cited. It is so powerful, that it has a profound influence on those nearby, provided they suitably attune themselves.

Sri Venkatasubba Rao has this to say, “Acharyal was once traversing from one place to another. I was in the pilot jeep and Acharyal’s car was just behind ours. Suddenly, I noticed that Acharyal had ordered His car to stop. His Holiness asked me to sit in the front seat of His car and sent His attendant Mahabala to the jeep. No conversation ensued. Acharyal lost Himself in the contemplation of the import of the Upanishads. The effect on me was extreme, to say the least.”

He was a scholar par excellence in Tarka and Vedanta, though He never thought He was One. He was once camping at a devotee’s house at Bengaluru. The devotee had vacated several rooms of his house for Acharyal and His staff. Acharyal was staying in a room in which an open cupboard contained some books. The devotee had kept in that cupboard a notebook in which he had written some Sanskrit Shlokas, in Kannada script, for daily recitation. After His Bhiksha, Acharyal glanced at some of the books and replaced them.

When the devotee went for evening Darshan, Acharyal told him, “Fetch the note book from the cupboard.” Upon his doing so Acharyal said, “I went through this notebook in the afternoon when I had some free time. You have written some Shlokas which you are probably reciting daily. Some Shlokas contained spelling mistakes. I have corrected to the extent possible. I did so because I didn’t want you to recite with mistakes. Verify the correctness of the verses and then chant them.” So saying, He handed him the notebook.

The devotee was struck by Acharyal’s simplicity and humility. By virtue of His unparalleled erudition and the holy seat He was occupying, He could have easily said, “I have corrected all the mistakes. So, you can henceforth chant the verses without errors.” But He didn’t. Therein lies His genuine greatness.

Paramacharyal was least interested in the administrative affairs of the Math and He decided to transfer the burden of pontifical duties to Acharyal. Acharyal shouldered these responsibilities in His impeccable style and for the welfare of the Math, He strived diligently, even at the cost of His health. Numerous are the improvements to the Math that have been effected by Him. He has established Veda Patashalas at numerous places. He has encouraged scholars versed in traditional lore by providing them financial assistance and Sambhavanas. At the annual Vidvat Sadas (assembly of traditional scholars) presided over by Him, He never allowed humiliation of any Pandit and, when budding Pandits spoke, He encouraged them by asking simple questions. He established branch Maths at various places and consecrated many a temple. To cater to the medical needs of the people at Sringeri, Acharyal started a hospital and donated several lakhs of rupees for its development.

Various classes of people came to Acharyal for guidance and spiritual illumination. The ocean of mercy that He was, He attentively listened to each one of them and in His eagerness to guide them, readily made Himself accessible to them. Not making any distinction of caste or creed, He has guided many a sincere aspirant. Once, a poor lady from North India came to Sringeri to have His Darshan. She had saved up for a long time in order to be able to make the trip. Realising that it would not be possible for her to stay for long, Acharyal altered His daily schedule to some extent to permit her to obtain the maximum advantage of her trip. On another occasion, even when Acharyal was unwell, He gave audience to a young spiritual aspirant who had travelled a long distance to see Him. He patiently heard him and gave him invaluable spiritual advice. Myriads of such instances of Acharyal’s constant eagerness to guide a spiritual aspirant can be cited.

Acharyal’s heart melts instantaneously whenever He sees human suffering even in a small measure. Once, when He was giving Theertha Prasadam to devotees at Tiruchirapalli, an old lady also had joined the long queue to receive His blessings and Theertha Prasadam. Being poor but very much devoted, she wanted to contribute some coins at least as Theertha Kanikka. Having neared Acharyal, before receiving the Theertham, she struggled to untie the knot in her sari in which she had kept the coins. The people behind her were pushing her. Realising her predicament, Acharyal, called one of His attendants and asked him to regulate the queue. He then told the old lady, “I will wait till you are ready.” When she was finally ready, He gave her Theertham and blessed her. Through one of His attendants, He asked the old lady to wait. Then, He called one of the Math devotees and said, “It is pitiable to see her in worn out and tattered clothes. Somehow purchase a sari today from a shop (It was a Sunday) and give it to her. See to it that she is fed in the Math. It is sufficient if she leaves the Math after the evening Upanyasam.” The devotee did accordingly and the old lady’s joy knew no bounds.

A Goshala worker working in the Math had a large family to support and he was finding it difficult to make ends meet. Added to all this, his second son was deaf, dumb, blind, lame, etc. He was just a ball of mud, the worker felt. Everything for the boy had to be done by somebody else. The worker didn’t know whether Upanayanam should be performed for him or not. Some Pandits, whom he consulted, were not able to give a definite answer and so he decided to consult Acharyal Himself. Acharyal patiently listened to his tale of woe and said, “Upanayanam should be performed, but because the boy cannot perform his Nityakarma, it will suffice if you do some extra Gayatri Japam daily on his behalf.” Not stopping with this, Acharyal went out of His way to see that the Upanayanam was conducted at the Math itself. He arranged for a priest, and provided a place, money and even food for the conduct of the function. All this He did despite His busy schedule during the Sri Shankara Jayanthi celebration.

When Acharyal was once camping at Dharwad, the headmistress of an orphanage requested Him to grace her school and bless the children. Acharyal readily consented. At the school, she showed Acharyal around the place and told Him about each of the children. She said, “I found this one abandoned in a railway station at the age of three... this one I picked up from a dustbin....” While Acharyal was listening to all this, tears were flowing copiously down His cheeks.

Acharyal responded to various classes of people in an appropriate manner. He was really the Kalpataru of every devotee. His extremely striking personality attracts anyone who has had His Darshan once.

Once a young lawyer happened to visit Sringeri. Coming to Narasimhavanam, he told a disciple of Acharyal, “I came here for sightseeing. I am an atheist but am curious to see what the head of this Math is like. Can I see Him? However, as I have no respect for Sannyasis, I will neither remove my shirt nor prostrate before Him.” The disciple replied, “Acharyal will be giving Darshan in a few minutes. Anybody can go in. You can decide for yourself whether you want to go or not.” The disciple went inside and, in a few minutes, the door was opened for people to enter for Darshan. The lawyer followed a group of devotees into the room. He stood right at the back. In a few moments Acharyal’s eyes fell on him. Acharyal beckoned to him, holding a fruit in His hand. The lawyer stepped forward, abruptly prostrated and remained so. Some time lapsed. But the lawyer did not show signs of getting up. Finally, Acharyal Himself asked him to rise. He got up with tears in his eyes and, in a choked voice, requested Acharyal to bless him. Acharyal gave him His blessings and also Prasadams. Then the man went out. The disciple whom the lawyer had earlier spoken to emerged and closed the door. He found that the lawyer was the sole man in the Verandah. The lawyer moved up to the disciple and said, “Are you wondering why I behaved in this fashion?” The disciple said, “No, I have seen such things happen often.” Such is the magnetic personality of our Acharyal.

Acharyal’s actions are beyond all human understanding. They have never been sans relevance. At Sringeri, once when Acharyal was proceeding for His afternoon ablutions, He found a medium-sized nail in the pathway that was leading to His bathroom. He beckoned His attendant and asked him to pick it up and place it on a nearby window sill. The attendant did as instructed but could not help thinking to himself, “Of what use is this nail? Why does Acharyal want this nail to be preserved?” But he was in for a surprise when, a few days later, Acharyal called him and asked him to fetch the nail from the window sill. He was astonished to note that Acharyal used the nail for packing a box containing some materials to be sent to Kotekar, near Mangalore. Recalling to his mind his previous impression, he felt ashamed. He also found that the nail perfectly fitted the box which was getting packed. He realised that no action of Acharyal is desultory.

The water tank supplying the Math premises at Kotekar was fixed directly above the room used by Acharyal. He observed that even after the pump was switched off, a copious amount of water flowed to the ground, unused. He immediately asked the authorities to bring a coconut sapling and Himself saw to it that it was planted at the right spot where the water flowing from the tank reached. Thus, we see that, Acharyal did not believe in wasting and always found some way of using what others might feel constitutes waste material.

Acharyal had a special interest in trees, fields, gardens and protection of the environment. On an occasion Acharyal gave advice about rose plants to the gardener at Bengaluru Math, drawing upon His deep knowledge of flowering plants. The gardener heeded Acharyal’s precious suggestions and was thrilled to find the reward very soon. By the time he could convey the results obtained to His Holiness, Acharyal had left Bengaluru for Sringeri. Undeterred, he left for Sringeri, with his rose plant, in a Math lorry carrying coconuts from the Bengaluru Math.

By the time he reached Sringeri, the budding rose on the plant had fully bloomed and he was all the more enthusiastic about showing it to Acharyal. As he approached Acharyal’s place of stay, Acharyal was conversing with some disciples. Upon seeing the gardener with the pot, Acharyal got up from His Asanam and came rushing down the steps to see the flower. He asked the gardener to place the pot on the ground, crouched and lovingly stroked the rose gently with His beautiful, smooth hands. He called the disciples nearby and explained in detail about the beautiful flower.

Many of Acharyal’s devotees who have been fortunate to walk with Him in the lush green forests of Narasimhavanam, have observed how Acharyal used to get delighted at the bewitching scenery nature has gifted to Sringeri. He used to keep His palms joined and utter the ninth verse of Sri Dakshinamurthy Stotram. In that verse, nature is spoken of as a constituent of God’s form.

Even if an insignificant favour is done to Him by anyone, Acharyal never allows the act to slip from His mind. On the other hand, on account of His self control, He does not remember even a hundred wrongs done to Him. Once when Acharyal was camping at Chennai, He was to grace a particular temple and bless the devotees assembled there. A devoted lady who lived near the temple, yearned that Acharyal pay a visit to her house also. Though it was not in His day’s schedule, Acharyal graced her house and blessed her and her family members. Wanting to express her gratitude at least in a small measure, the devoted lady later went to Acharyal’s place of stay and submitted a small silver tumbler filled with sugar.

Acharyal : What is this? Why is this being offered?

Lady : Acharyal, out of mercy, had graced my house. I could not offer anything then. I had not even offered Padapuja.

Acharyal : Even without any of these, I would have come to your place. I am pleased with your devotion.

After a few months, when she went to have Darshan of Acharyal at Sringeri, He remarked to some of the assembled devotees, “Just because I paid a visit to her place at Chennai, this lady offered a big silver vessel to the Math.” The lady was spell bound as she was very well aware that she had offered only a small tumbler. She was amazed at Acharyal’s memory, magnanimity and easy satiation. After a few months, when she made another trip for His Darshan, Acharyal remarked to assembled devotees, “Just because I visited her place, this lady offered to the Math a large vessel (Acharyal spread His hands wide), how magnanimous of her.” The lady was at a loss for words to explain when some of her relatives among the assembled devotees later questioned her about her large offering to the Math. She understood that Acharyal, on account of His large heartedness, considers even a mole of an offering as a mountain.

We have seen that our Acharyal’s benevolence knows no limits. Out of His boundless grace, He has blessed us with Sri Sri Bharathi Theertha Mahaswamigal, the present pontiff of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham. Acharyal has mentioned in a speech that the tradition of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham is transferred from Guru to Shishya just as a lamp lights another lamp. He thus indicated that the lighted lamp becomes as bright as the one that lit it.