CHAPTER 21 Chosen Successor
Being the pontiff of the hallowed Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham, which has had an ‘avicchinna-guru-paraṁparā (unbroken line of Gurus)’ right from Śaṅkara-bhagavatpāda, His Holiness recognized the need for Him to nominate a successor-designate. On 26th October, 1974, upon emerging from Goddess Śāradāmbā’s sanctum sanctorum, He announced to the assembled devotees that, with the concurrence of the Divine Mother, He had decided to nominate Sri Sitarama Anjaneyulu as His successor-designate and that the siṣya-svīkāra (acceptance-of-disciple) ceremony would take place on 11th November, 1974.
Sri Sitarama Anjaneyulu was the first son of Ananthalakshmamma and Venkateshwara Avadhani, a Vedic scholar. The first four children of the couple being daughters, both Avadhani and his spouse had wished and prayed for a son. He observed strict fasts and worshipped Lord Bhavānī-śaṅkara at the local temple near the river Naguleru in Alugamallepadu in Andhra Pradesh. He unfailingly bathed in the river early in the morning and performed mahānyāsa-purassara-rudra-abhiṣeka (abhiṣeka accompanied by chanting of the śrī-rudra and preceded by the chanting of the mahānyāsa) to the Lord every day for a year. He continued his fasts and prayers after he shifted to Machilipatnam. He worshipped Lord Rāma there with great fervour during the Rāma-navarātri celebrations and resolved that he would name his child after Sītā and Rāma, if his wish for a male child was fulfilled. For her part, Anantalakshmamma devoutly worshipped Lord Āñjaneya and prayed that she be blessed with a son. One night, she dreamt that Lord Āñjaneya gave her three mangoes and vanished. She woke up and narrated to her husband, her dream through which, she felt, Lord Āñjaneya had graced her. She decided that if she gave birth to a son, she would name the child after Him. The Lord answered the prayers of the pious couple and a baby boy was born to them, in Machilipatnam, on 11th April, 1951, corresponding to caitra-śukla-ṣaṣṭhī of the cyclical year Khara; His birth-star was mṛgaśīrṣa. The couple named Him Sitarama Anjaneyulu.
Avadhani settled down with his family in Narasaraopet when Sri Anjaneyulu was a few months old. Even as a toddler, Sri Anjaneyulu showed signs of His future greatness. One day, when Ananthalakshmamma woke up at 5:00 a.m. as was her wont, she was surprised to see a halo around the face of her darling child who was asleep. Sri Anjaneyulu learned God’s name easier than any other word. His first steps were towards the family deity. Once, when Sri Anjaneyulu was three years of age, He started weeping inconsolably. His mother took Him to the local Śiva temple. To everyone’s surprise, the little one not only stopped crying but also began to utter repeatedly, ‘Śambho, Śiva, Śiva.’ Śambhu is a name of Lord Śiva. Śiva later became His iṣṭa-devatā (favourite deity).
Sri Anjaneyulu’s elder sister, Srilakshmi, started teaching Him Sanskrit before he was five years of age. Pratapagiri Sivarama Sastry, a Sanskrit scholar, took over when Sri Anjaneyulu turned five. By the time He was nine, He attained proficiency in Sanskrit and was able not only to converse in that language, but also to compose verses in it. He bagged several prizes and was invited by All India Radio, Vijayawada, to participate in Sanskrit programmes. In fact, it was His command over Sanskrit that first caught the attention of His Holiness. Sri Anjaneyulu’s upanayana was performed when He was seven years of age. He learnt the Yajur-veda from His father and soon mastered it; He passed with honours the Guntur District Vedapravardhaka Vidwat Pariksha.
He had His first darśana of His Holiness when His Holiness visited Narasaraopet. Later, His Sanskrit teacher took Him and some other students to Vijayawada when His Holiness was camping there in 1961 and asked Him to deliver a talk in Sanskrit in the presence of His Holiness. Recalling the impact that His Holiness’s darśana in Vijayawada had on Him, He said years later, “I had the good fortune of beholding the Jagadguru early in life. Once, I was asked to talk in Sanskrit by my teacher before His Holiness, in Vijayawada. I got a special prize from Him. At that time, it struck me that His Holiness was my teacher and my saviour. His beatific smile, I felt, was giving me a message. I felt that I got what I wanted. That day onwards, His benevolent looks were etched in my mind. The affection that He showered on me was more pleasant than the affection of my parents. I decided then that He was my Guru. Whenever there was a problem, I felt that I was guided by the Jagadguru. My feelings towards Him grew to such an extent that I could no longer stay in my house.”
One day, a person came to Avadhani’s house looking for the latter, who was to officiate in his son’s upanayana. Sri Anjaneyulu informed him that His father was not in town, but would return and conduct the ceremony. However, owing to unforeseen circumstances, Avadhani’s return was delayed. Sri Anjaneyulu who had, till then, only seen His father perform the upanayana rites five times, stepped in for His father. He Himself conducted the ceremony to the satisfaction of all.
Sri Anjaneyulu had His secular education in the local school. Being a bright student, He consistently stood first in his class. However, He did not complete his S.S.L.C., for, His intense dispassion, desire to study the śāstras and His regard for His Holiness drew Him away. Without informing His parents, He left Narasaraopet and went to Ujjain in 1966, where His Holiness was observing cāturmāsya. After reaching there, He informed His parents about His whereabouts and that they need not be concerned about Him.
His Holiness took Sri Anjaneyulu into His fold and started expounding the Tarka-saṅgraha, an introductory Nyāya text, to Him. Subsequently, on returning to Sringeri, His Holiness arranged for Gollupudi Gopalakrishna Sastry, a great Nyāya scholar, to teach Sri Anjaneyulu the Nyāya-śāstra. His Holiness keenly kept track of His disciple’s progress. In a short span of time, Sri Anjaneyulu could comfortably participate and hold His own in the annual Vidvat-sadas. During His stay in the Maṭha as a brahmacārin, Sri Anjaneyulu impressed all those who came in contact with Him with His strict regime, burning dispassion, great erudition and unassuming demeanour.
When Sri Padmanabha Upadhyaya, His Holiness’s Personal Assistant, died in an accident in 1974, His Holiness asked Sri Anjaneyulu to assist Him in some Maṭha- related activities. The transition from the life of a recluse to involvement in the Maṭha’s activities was tough for Sri Anjaneyulu but He took it in His stride. Shortly thereafter, His Holiness announced His decision to ordain Sri Anjaneyulu as His successor-designate. What Vaidyasubramanya Iyer wrote in this regard (in an article published in 1977) is reproduced verbatim below.
“In 1974, at Sringeri I, with all due apology, asked His Holiness as to whether He was having in mind the appointment as His Sishya, the Brahmachaari who was learning Tarka, etc., at the Math. I conjectured that His Holiness could have such an intention. His Holiness told me that He was contemplating it, but had not reached a decision. While so, He asked me casually to fetch the almanac (Panchangam) and He started discussing an auspicious date for Shishya-Sweekaram, I could not follow the almanac as it was in Kannada script. He indicated a place in an open almirah and asked me to take the Tamil version of the almanac. I located the same and was about to take that out, when a piece of paper fell from the top of the bookshelf. His Holiness noticed this and wanted it to be brought to Him. It happened to be the cyclostyled copy of the brochure in Kannada of the Shishya-Sweekaram program of His Holiness by His Guru Sri Chandrasekhara Bharathi in 1931. His Holiness immediately exclaimed that Goddess had given Him the favourable signal for the Sishya-Sweekaram. We both went through the almanac and the date was fixed for Sishya-Sweekaram, scheduled for November 1974. He made His decision public during Navarathri.”
The religious ceremonies related to Sri Anjaneyulu’s saṁnyāsa in November 1974 were similar to those of His Holiness’s saṁnyāsa in May 1931 (which were described in an earlier chapter); they are, therefore, not detailed here. On the night prior to His saṁnyāsa, Sri Anjaneyulu was to keep awake beside a sacred fire duly set up in the structure housing the samādhis of the 33rd and 34th pontiffs. Sri Subbaramaiya was with Him that night. Jagannathan (who was known as Śrī Śāntānanda Bhāratī after he became a monk) came out of Sacchidananda Vilas that night to answer a call of nature and walked past the samādhis. As he did so, he perceived Sri Anjaneyulu sitting alone close to the sacred fire, melodiously chanting the name of Lord Rāma and oblivious of His surroundings. This is what he emphatically told me two days later. I learnt from Sri Subbaramaiya that he was with Sri Anjaneyulu throughout that night and that they were in the room in front of the 34th pontiff’s samādhi. Hence, if Jagannathan had not been hallucinating, Sri Anjaneyulu should have been in two places at the same time that night.
Sri Anjaneyulu became a saṁnyāsin on 11th November, 1974 and was blessed by His Holiness with the yoga-paṭṭa ‘Bhāratī-tīrtha’. Devotees thereafter reverentially referred to Him as Śrī ‘Sannidhānam (meaning divine Presence)’ and to His Holiness as Śrī ‘Mahāsannidhānam’. After the functions, His Holiness instructed the devotees that Śrī Sannidhānam should be accorded full respect by them.
In the next few days, in accordance with the pontifical tradition in the Maṭha, His Holiness initiated Śrī Sannidhānam into several mantras such as those of Lakṣmī- narasiṁha, Medhā-dakṣiṇāmūrti, Bālā-tripurasundarī and the Śrīvidyā. When initiating Śrī Sannidhānam into the Śrīvidyā, as His Holiness was uttering the dhyāna- śloka concerned, He abruptly became motionless and unmindful of His body and surroundings. After some time, He regained normalcy and told Śrī Sannidhānam, “You are fortunate. As I was reciting the dhyāna-śloka, I had a fascinating vision of the Goddess and was forcefully drawn into samādhi.” This incident was narrated to me by Śrī Sannidhānam.
When Śrī Sannidhānam was a brahmacārin and was staying in the basement in the western wing of Sacchidananda Vilas, His Holiness had sent for Him one morning and told Him (then Sri Anjaneyulu) to observe Him performing yoga-āsanas on that and the following days and learn to do them. Śrī Sannidhānam told me about this in 2013.
“His Holiness instructed me, ‘One should ever contemplate, even when moving about, on the Truth expounded by Bhagavatpāda.’”
- Śrī Sannidhānam
In a benedictory address in Kannada delivered on 4th October, 1995, recalling His days with His Holiness, Śrī Sannidhānam said, “He instructed me, ‘One should ever contemplate, even when moving about, on the Truth expounded by Bhagavatpāda. We have just returned from Śāradāmbā’s temple. We prostrated before Her. That is a bodily activity. The inner activity should be the constant contemplation on the Truth taught by Bhagavatpāda. That indeed will make one’s birth fruitful.’… Even when I was a brahmacārin, He had great affection for me. Once, during the early days of my stay in Sringeri, I went to the other side of the river on a pradoṣa. That night, while seated for pūjā, He asked me, ‘Did you go to the other side?’ ‘Yes, I did,’ I answered. He said, ‘It is enough if you stay in Narasimhavana itself. I will be observing you.’ From this, I understood the concern and affection that He had for me. He told me that there must not be any distraction while studying. ‘If you develop distracting habits, your learning will be impeded. Efforts put in by you at a much later stage will not suffice to enable you to become versed in the śāstras. If I missed my studies for even a while, my Guru would chide me,’ He said. In this fashion, He narrated His experiences and advised me about how I should conduct myself, the traditions of the Maṭha and how to treat devotees. He often said, ‘Whatever be the attitude of the visitor, we, for our part, should show affection to all. We should not forget this. None should feel that his presence is not liked.’”
“On the occasion of the Vidvat-sadas, he (Śrī Sannidhānam) demonstrated that he was more scholarly than the most erudite of the scholars who attended the sadas.
- His Holiness
Śrī Sannidhānam is versed in the śāstras such as Vedānta and Nyāya and an eloquent speaker conversant with Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Hindi. His discourses are lucid and conform to the letter of the śāstras. In a benedictory address delivered in Kannada at Bengaluru on 3rd September,1987, His Holiness spoke as follows about Śrī Sannidhānam: “When I was in Delhi (in 1982), my disciple (Śrī Sannidhānam) was with me. He conducted himself in the way a disciple should. On the occasion of the Vidvat- sadas (held in New Delhi in 1982), he demonstrated that he was more scholarly than the most erudite of the scholars who attended the sadas. Wherever I went, he followed me in accordance with the dictum, ‘The disciple should follow his Guru.’…Recently when I was in Madras (Chennai, in the last quarter of 1986), several reporters came to me and posed various questions. Prior to coming to me, they had asked him these questions. Subsequent to my answering them, they said, ‘It would have been sufficient if we had met just one of them. Even in their words, there are no differences. We do not know if they had a discussion.’ The reason for the similarity in the replies was his having been with me. He intelligently pondered, ‘How should I conduct myself such that it would be appropriate?’ and acted accordingly. His discourses too are like that. Earlier, whenever he discoursed after me, he used to recite the very verse that I had chanted and spoke on the same lines as myself. Frowning upon this, I told him, ‘What is the need for me to seat you next to me to repeat whatever I say?’ He asked, ‘Should I not speak like that?’ ‘No. You must say something new,’ I told him. He said, ‘In that case, I shall speak accordingly from tomorrow.’ He was prepared for that too. What I have observed is what I am saying now.”
Since the 1950s, His Holiness maintained a diary in which He recorded not His thoughts, feelings and experiences but what was relevant to the Maṭha, such as which place was visited and who the organizers were. Yet, in a sort of exception, He noted, in Kannada, about a speech delivered by Śrī Sannidhānam on the eve of Their departure from Chennai years ago, “Rasavattāgi ittu (It was delightful.).”
Śrī Sannidhānam accompanied His Holiness on His various tours in the period 1974 to 1983. After ill-health led to His Holiness curtailing His tours, in response to His directive, Śrī Sannidhānam started touring independently too. Śrī Sannidhānam’s first such tour commenced on 18th May, 1983; the last of His independent tours during the lifetime of His Holiness began on 11th February, 1989, covered Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra and He was in Pune when His Holiness attained videha-mukti on 21st September, 1989. During His tours, Śrī Sannidhānam kept His Holiness posted about events through letters. Here is an English translation of a letter penned by Him in Namakkal (in Tamil Nadu) on 4th February, 1988:
☆☆☆
This submission is preceded by my sāṣṭāṅga-namaskāra at the lotus feet of the most worshipful, eminent Guru. By the kindness of Your Holiness, the tour is proceeding well.
Śrī Sannidhānam accompanied His Holiness on His various tours in the period 1974 to 1983. After ill-health led to His Holiness curtailing His tours, in response to His directive, Śrī Sannidhānam started touring independently too.
After completing the Mahāśivarātri-pūjā at Dindigul, I shall proceed, via Palakkad, to Kallidaikurichi. I shall perform the installation of the idols of Śāradā and Śaṅkara there at the newly constructed Shankar Math and then proceed to Coimbatore. Sahasra- caṇḍī and other religious rites are to take place at Coimbatore in the śukla-pakṣa of the month of madhu (19th March, 1988 – 3rd April, 1988). I intend to perform the installation of Śāradāmbā that month itself at Tiruppur and reach Chennai on kṛṣṇa-caturdaśī (15th April, 1988) to initiate the celebration of Śaṅkara-jayantī there. I believe that by the mercy of Your Holiness all these functions will proceed as intended. I laid the foundation stone for the construction of a marriage hall in our Shankara Gurukulam in the pilgrim centre of Srirangam.
I have an intense desire to prostrate before the feet of Your Holiness at Sringeri after completing the tour as quickly as possible. I believe that it will be fulfilled through the unlimited compassion of Your Holiness and Śrī-Śāradā-candramaulīśvara.
A disciple offering sāṣṭāṅga-namaskāra,
Sd/- Bhāratī-tīrtha
☆☆☆
In response to this, His Holiness wrote to Śrī Sannidhānam from Sringeri an epistle dated 15th February, 1988. A rendering of that into English is as follows:
☆☆☆
Prostration to the glorious, revered Guru.
May the blessings, preceded by the contemplation of the unity of the inner self and Brahman, conferred in respect of my dearest disciple, the eminent monk Śrī-Bhāratī-tīrtha manifest well.
I have received your letter penned on prabhava-māgha-kṛṣṇa-dvitīyā (4th February, 1988), Thursday. The tour is proceeding satisfactorily, as planned. Several institutions are being established at various places for the benefit of disciples. Great rites and festivals pertaining to the divinities are being conducted. I felt pleased on knowing this and other news through it.
From your letter, I understood that you yearn to have my darśana at Sringeri after completing the tour as quickly as possible. I pray that Goddess Śrī-Śāradā fulfils your wish.
Though old and weak, acting in accordance with my age, I am sincerely serving the feet of Śrī-Śāradā. I spent some time at the Maṭha at Kotekar during the winter season. Devotees will be celebrating the rathotsava of Goddess Śrī-Śāradā at the city of Bengaluru on the full-moon day of the first month of the year Vibhava (3rd April, 1988). I need to be present there for their mental satisfaction. All is well here.
With the recollection of Nārāyaṇa
Sd/- Vidyātīrtha.
☆☆☆
Śrī Sannidhānam has highlighted the glories of His Holiness through a couple of hymns composed by Him during the lifetime of His Holiness and, after that, through an aṣṭottara, a carama-śloka and a verse inscribed in His Holiness’s samādhi. In the late seventies, I requested Śrī Sannidhānam one morning to bless me with some verses on His Holiness. Within minutes of His going to His room after completing His āhnika and paying obeisance to His Holiness, He called out to me and gave me a sheet of paper in which He had quickly penned, in a neat hand, eight verses in the anuṣṭubh metre. The first letters of the verses were ‘A-bhi-na-va-vi-dyā-tī-rtha’, which, when read together, formed His Holiness’s holy name ‘Abhinava-vidyātīrtha’. As there is no word in Sanskrit beginning with ‘rtha’, His Holiness had, in the eighth verse, ingeniously written “rtha preceded by a’ and thus generated the word ‘artha (import).’ The meaning of this octad of verses is, “I take refuge in Śrī Vidyātīrtha, the Jagadguru, who confers all joys, has a charming lotus-like face and is adored by everyone. I take refuge in Śrī Vidyātīrtha, who is tranquil and is both the Highest and its effect, about whom the Veda says, ‘On realizing Him, the knot of the heart (the host of impressions in the form of desires that hang on to the intellect) is rent asunder.’ I take refuge in Śrī Vidyātīrtha in the stage of whose mouth, the Goddess of learning (Sarasvatī) dances and who is proficient in terminating the miseries of those who bow before Him. I take refuge in Him, who is none other than Lord Dakśiṇāmūrti who, having left His abode at the base of the banyan tree, dwells in Sringeri and imparts the knowledge of the Truth to devotees. I take refuge in Śrī Vidyātīrtha who bestows grace on the saintly ones who, having renounced the desire for sense-objects, are established in extreme dispassion. I take refuge in Śrī Vidyātīrtha, the Supreme Lord of all about whom the Veda says, ‘He is the sole effulgent one who created heaven and earth.’ I take refuge in Śrī Vidyātīrtha, the foremost Guru, who dwells on the bank of the Tuṅgā (in Sringeri) and expounds the Reality to disciples. I take refuge in Him who makes known the true import of the scripture to disciples and makes them dedicated to the path of dharma.”
On a later date, when I requested Śrī Sannidhānam to grace me with a hymn that portrays His Holiness in nirvikalpa-samādhi and can serve as a dhyāna-śloka, He quickly wrote down and gave me verses, whose overall import is, “For getting liberated from the state of transmigration, I meditate upon the greatest Guru, Śrī Vidyātīrtha, who is the resplendent sun that dispels the darkness of ignorance, whose mind is established in the Supreme Brahman of the nature of absolute existence and limitless bliss, who is seated in the padmāsana, whose eyes are partially closed in meditation, whose body, neck and head are held upright, who is brilliant, whose bodily splendour vies with the effulgence of the sun, whose limbs are motionless, who is auspicious and abides in nirvikalpa-samādhi, who deems insignificant every object of experience commencing with one’s body and culminating in the state of Brahmā, who removes the suffering of those in distress, who resolves all doubts, who purifies all beings by His glance itself and whose feet are positioned in the lotus of my heart.”
Audience to Rajiv Gandhi in Chennai - 1988
Consecration at Narasaraopet - 1989