I am glad to share this piece of information
about Kanchi Maha Periyava "Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi
Maha Swami" who inspired many, who laid firm faith in the non - believer,
guided many on the spiritual path, reached in numerous country men, instrumental
towards connecting people through Padha Yatra' , regular chanter of Bhaja
Govindam, made access of the simple mantra 'Bhhaja Govindam Bhaja Govindam' to
all to get rid anxiety, agony, stress and evil thoughts.
Maha Periyavaal was born on 20 May 1894, under Anuradha
star according to the Hindu calendar, into a Kannadiga Smartha Hoysala
Karnataka Brahmin family in the Villupuram South Arcot District, Tamilnadu as
Swaminatha. He was the second son of Subramanya Sastri, a District Education
Officer. The child was named Swaminatha, after the family deity, Lord
Swaminatha of swamimalai near Kumbakonam Swaminatha began his early education
at the Arcot American Mission High School at Tindivanam, where his father was
working. He was an exceptional student and excelled in several subjects . In
1905, his parents performed his upanayanam, a Vedic ceremony which qualifies a
Brahmin boy to begin his Vedic studies under an accomplished teacher
During the childhood of the Acharya, his father consulted
an astrologer who, upon studying the boy's horoscope, is said to have been so
stunned that he prostrated himself before the boy exclaiming that "One day
the whole world will fall at his feet". In 1906, the 66th Acharya of Sri Kanchi
kamakoti peetam performed the annual Chaturmasyam (a forty-day annual ritual
performed by Hindu ascetics while remaining in one place), in a village near
Tindivanam in Tamil Nadu. This was Swaminathan’s first exposure to the Math and
its Acharya. Later, Swaminathan accompanied his father whenever he visited the
Math where the Acharya was deeply impressed by the young boy.
The following is narrated by swaami himself at a later date:
In the first week of February 1907, the Kanchi Kamakoti
Math had informed Subramanya Sastrigal that Swaminathan's first cousin (son of
his mother's sister) was to be installed as the 67th Peetathipathi. The
presiding Acharya was then suffering from smallpox and had the premonition that
he might not live long. He had, therefore, administered upadesa to his disciple Lakshminathan before
he died. Sastrigal being away in Trichi on duty arranged
for the departure of Swaminathan with his mother to Kanchipuram. The boy and
his mother started for Kalavai (where Lakshminathan was camping) to console his
aunt who, while also being a widow, had just given up her only son to be an
ascetic. They traveled by train to Kanchipuram and halted at the Sankara Math.
By then, Lakshminathan had fallen ill:
I had a bath at the Kumara Koshta Tirtha. A carriage of the
Math had come there from Kalavai with the people to buy articles for the Maha
Puja on the tenth day of the passing of the previous 66th Acharya. One of them,
a hereditary maistry (mason) of the Math, asked me to
accompany him. A separate cart was engaged for the rest of the family to follow
me. During the journey the maistry hinted to me that I might not return
home and that the rest of my life might be spent in the Math itself. At first I
thought that my elder cousin having become the Head of the Math, it was his
wish that I should live with him. But the maistry gradually clarified matters as the
cart rolled on. The acharya had fever which developed into delirium and that
was why I was being separated from the family to be taken to Kalavai... I was
stunned by this unexpected turn of events. I lay in a kneeling posture in the
cart, shocked as I was, repeating "Rama... Rama," the only prayer I
knew. My mother and other children came some time later only to find that
instead of her mission of consoling her sister, she herself was placed in the
state of having to be consoled
The 67th Acharya also died, after reigning for a brief
seven days as the head of the Math. Swaminathan was immediately installed as
the 68th head of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam on February 13, 1907, the second
day of the Tamil month of Masi, Prabhava year. He was given Sanyasa Asramam at
the early age of 13 and was named Chandrasekharendra Saraswati. On May 9, 1907
his "Pattabishekam" as the 68th Peetathipathi of Kanchi Kamakoti
Peetam was performed at the Kumbakonam Math. Devotees including Shivaji
Maharaja of Tanjore government officials and pundits participated in the event.
Even though there was not enough property in the mutt to be
administered, the court considering the benefit of the mutt, ordered the mutt
to be administered under the “Guardian and Wards Act”. Sri C.H.Venkataramana
Iyer, an illustrious personality from Kolinjivadi (Colinjivadi) village near
Coimbatore was appointed as guardian by the court. The administration of the
mutt was under guardianship from 1911 to May,1915. On the day of Sankara
Jayanthi in the year 1915, Swamigal took over the administration of the mutt on
the completion of his 21 st year. The administration of the mutt was taken over
in name, but the actual work was taken care of by an agent, one Sri Pasupathi
Iyer. He was an able administrator who volunteered to do the job without
compensation and hailed fromThirupathiripuliyur Sri Swamigal does not sign any
document, instead Sri Mukham stamp is placed on documents.
Mahaswami had vedic studies at Kumbakonam Mutt oppostie the
mahamaham tank. In 1915, Sri Anantharama Srouthigal was his prathama adhyayana
tutor. As a little girl, his granddaughter Nagam used to carry milk in a pot to
the pontiff next door. She said the acharya was sharp in memory and divinely
blessed with prediction. Avidly she recalled how the acharya directed her
father Narayana Iyer (S/o Anantharama Srouthigal) to vacate the place and go to
his house next door. Narayana came home and died within minutes. Thus was his
spiritual darshan. When her family visited the Kanchi Mutt in 1991, the aged
acharya blessed the family members and enquired if they were Nagam's children.
It is understood that the house was later donated to Mutt by the family.
Maha Periyavaal spent several years in the study of the
scriptures and dharma shastras and acquainted himself with his role as the Head
of the Math. He soon gained the reverence and respect of the devotees and
people around him. To millions of devotees he was simply
"Periyavar"—the revered one or Maha-Periyavar or Periya-Periyavar.
"Periyavar" in Tamil means a great person, and conveys endearment,
reverence, and devotion. "Mahaswami" and "Paramacharya" are
his other well-known appellations.[
Maha Periyavaal was the head of the Mutt for eighty-seven
years. During this period, the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam acquired new strength
as an institution that propagated Sankaara”s teachings. The devotion, fervor,
and intensity with which the Paramacharya practiced what Śankara had taught are
considered to be unparalleled by his devotees.Throughout his life, the focus of
his concern and activities was rejuvenating Veda adhyayana , the Dharma Sastras
, and the age-old tradition, which had suffered a decline. "Veda rakshanam
" was his very life breath, and he referred to this in most of his talks.
Providing support through Veda Patashalas (schools teaching
Vedic lore) through the Veda Rakshana Nidhi which he founded and honouring
Vedic scholars, he reinvigorated Vedic studies in India. He organized regular
sadhas ('conferences') which included discussions on arts and culture—these led
to a renewed interest in the Vedic religion, Dharma sasthras, and the Sanskrit language.
His long tenure as Pitadhipathi is considered by many to have been the Golden
Era of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham He attained the lotus feet of Acharayars and
Lord Almighty commonly understood as Mukti (died) on January 8, 1994 at the age
of 100 and was succeeded by Jayendra saraaswti Swamigal.
Though Paramacharya did not get directly into politics, he
was interested in the happenings. At Nellichery in Palakkad (Present Day
Kerala), Rajaji and Mahatma Gandhi met the Acharya in a cow shed. It was a
practice in the mutt to wear silk clothes. But Acharya was the first one to do
away with them and shifted to Khadi robes at Rameshwaram. He requested his
devotees to do away with foreign/ non natural clothes some time earlier at Trichy.
The day India became free, he gave the Maitreem bhajata song, which was later
to be sung at the UN by M S Subbulakshmi. He gave a speech on the significance
of the flag and the Dharma chakra into it on that day.
Periyava's charm invited the rich and the poor, the old and
the young alike to be his devotees. Some of his famous devotees include, their
highness the King and Queen of Nepal , the Mother of Greece, the Dalai lama ,
M.S. Subbalakshmi, Siubramanya swami, Indira Gandhi, R. Venkatraman and Atal Bihari
Vajpayee among others. To the Acharya, the VIPs and the common man were one and
the same. There were thousands of personal experiences to lakhs of his
devotees, who still revere him, and pray to him as a messenger of the Supreme
or an ultimate Guru.
The Paramacharya leads a very simple life like wearing
homespun Khadi only. He believes that poor womenfolk spinning yarn of their own
at their leisure hours could earn a fair and decent living conducive to the
Dharmic way of life. He will never stay in Cognito within the four walls of a
room. He will never sweat as he never takes salt. He will stand on single tow
in kukkutasana posture and converse with the people nearby for hours on end. He
is a master of all Yoga asanas. He has completely discarded salt, tamarind and
chilies in any form the date of His ascension to the Peetham. His food consists
of a morsel of fried paddy with some fruits mixed (if they are available) and
milk at times and He will quietly avoid any food if he happened to see unworthy
and sinful people and observe complete fast for the whole of that day. At night
He will never take food.
I have found Him living for a month in Calcutta only on
Vilva-fruit which will be very sour and most untasteful but medically
recommended. He himself observes strictly the Dharna with 'kamandalu'(wooden
water pot), a danda (holy-stick) and kashaya-Vastra (ochre cloth). His austere
celibacy is well-known and he prohibits any women folk to see him in private.
He won't relish by himself music or fine-arts unless it is as dedicated to God
Sri Chandramouleeswara or other deities. He won't lay aside 'danda' at any cost
unless it be for bath or wash. He will sleep with the 'danda' in his grab. His
sleeping time will be very short and however late it is his going to sleep, he
wakes up by 4 a.m. always and will be ready for a full time Japa.
He is very proficient in the Vedas and especially in the
Rig Veda(Mutt's Veda). He has mastered all the Sastras in Vedantha (Advaita
Philosophy) to the end of 'Siddhi Brahmanandeeyam', Tarka, Sahitya,
Dharma-sastras, Puranas and itihasas. He is a keen student of English, French, Telugu,
Canarese, Latin Literatures besides possessing a masterly knowledge of sacred
Tamil literature like Tirukkural, Kamba Ramayanam, Sekkizhar's works and twelve
Thiruppavai-Thiruvembavai conferences and also the originator of the singing of
Kolaru-Pathigam on Navagraphas by Thirugnana Sambhandar. He organized all India
Cultural Programs on Agamas, Bharta Kala, Silpa.
His Mudradhikari Scheme is one of the social programs for
keeping the temples clean, lighting the lamps with oil and a congregation of people
on Ekadasi days to pray to God and read Puranic stories. He wants the people of
Two or three villages gather once a year and dig tanks of one region or other
and take the temple cars around the places in festivals. He is very particular
in helping the downtrodden, lone and sick people who are on their deathbed by
uttering the name of Sri Rama into their ears, a spoon of Ganges water and
Thulasi leaf for them to take in and undertake the cremation of the bodies with
due rites. He called for Vedic Sammelans on all-India basis gathering all the
Vedic scholars. He has arranged to provide pensions for the learned scholars
and introduced the scheme of remuneration to Vedic student. Veda-bhashaya
(commentary on the Vedas) and Prayoga (conduct of religious rites), study of
Dharma-sastras are dear to his heart. He has published Advaita philosophy as
found in all literatures and languages. He knows epigraphy and has done some
astute and deep researches in that area.
