Kaleshwaram: DECEMBER 28-29, 2012
A Renovated Kshetram in Splendour
Jagadguru Shankaracharya Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji started from Vemulawada in the early afternoon of December 28th and arrived at the holy town of Kaleshwaram. The Jagadguru first had Darshan of Sri Kaleshwara and Sri Mukteeshwara and then graced the Welcome Sabha. The officials of the temple recounted how many decades ago, the temple had been in a dilapidated state and had now become a beautiful structure owing to the blessings of Sri Sri Mahasannidhanam (Jagadguru Sri Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamiji).
In His Anugraha Bhashanam, the Jagadguru said that Kaleshwaram in Andhra Pradesh is a very prominent Kshetram of Lord Shiva. It is the point of confluence of the rivers Godavari & Pranahita and is therefore very auspicious. But this sacred place had once been in a state of sheer neglect. The Jagadguru recounted that His Guru, Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamiji had come to Kaleshwaram in 1966. He gave his blessings that this Kshetram would become prominent in the future and performed puja at the shrine.
The Jagadguru then said that it is not possible for anyone to say how, when and to whom God will give a sense of motivation. Sri Juvvadi Chokka Rao was motivated by God at that time, and he acquired a resolve to develop this Kshetram. He wanted to bring a sense of importance for this Kshetram and hence with His Guru’s blessings he began renovating the temple. In the year 1976, the Kumbhaabhisheka was conducted by the Sringeri Jagadguru for the Vijaya Ganapathy Temple here. Afterwards, repairs were executed speedily and the temple became very beautiful.
The Jagadguru reminisced that in the year 1982, both He and His Guru had visited Kaleshwaram and performed the Kumbhabhisheka for all the temples here.
The Jagadguru pointed out that God’s grace is very important for man. Without it, man cannot achieve success in any deed he undertakes. If we desire to achieve success in anything, God’s grace is imperative. Therefore, we must seek refuge in God with a sense of complete devotion. Temples are constructed with a view to connect man with God. In our life, happiness and sorrow keep coming in cycles. During times of happiness, we don’t realize how the day has gone by. But during times of distress, even a single day seems very long and hard to tide-over. In those times, where can we go and vent our sorrow? We can’t seek other people, for they may be experiencing greater distress than us. Of what use will such persons be to us? Hence, during such times, we have to turn to God. If we express our distress to God, the situation will improve with His grace; we will be able to wade through such difficult times and happy times will be back again. This is something everyone experiences. There need be no proofs for this. It is said, “Why do you need a mirror to view your palm?” Likewise, everybody has an experience of this fact. Therefore, we must necessarily seek refuge in God.
God is the personification of compassion. He will bless everyone. He does not have any partiality towards anybody. In our country, God has has graced devotees by His divine presence in several holy towns. In each place, He is known by a different name. Except for the differences in name, none should think there is a difference in God. The same God is known as Mallikarjuna in Srisailam, Vishwanatha in Kashi, Ramanatha in Rameswaram, Rajarajeshwara in Vemulawada and as Kaleshwara-Mukteeshwara here in Kaleshwaram. Thus, there is no difference in God. It is the same God who is present everywhere. We have to worship this God with utmost devotion and make our lives blessed through His grace.
Therefore, our lives will depend on how well we take care of our temples. It is said, देहः देवालयः प्रोक्तः – If the temple is in a good condition, so will our body. On the other hand, if the temple is dilapidated, it amounts to our body following suit. Hence, for healthy bodies, we have to maintain our temples in a good state, too.
The Jagadguru also remarked that this Kshetram is a very prominent one as the deity here is very powerful. With the intent that we should worship and be blessed by Ishwara here, this temple has been restored from a state of ruins. The Jagadguru mentioned that whenever He came to this region, He desired to worship Sri Kaleshwara – Sri Mukteeshwara of Kaaleshwaram. All the people here realize that it is because of the Sringeri Jagadgurus that this place has come to this position and hold the Jagadgurus in high esteem. The Jagadguru ended the Anugraha Bhashanam praising the respect and honour of the residents of Kaleshwaram to the Sringeri Jagadguru Parampara.
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Puja to Kaleshwara and Mukteeshwara & Sringeri Math Foundation Stone
On 29th December 2012 the Jagadguru offered Puja to Kaleshwara and Mukteeshwara. The Jagadguru also worshipped Goddess Parvati. The Jagadguru then went to the temple of Sri Adi Mukteeshwara and had Darshan. Close to this temple, the Jagadguru laid the foundation stone for Sringeri Shankara Math at Kaleshwaram. The Jagadguru returned to give Darshan to the devotees. Later, the Jagadguru had Darshan in the temple for Goddess Saraswati, adjacent to the Kaleshwaram temple.
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Temple Visits Enroute to Chennur
In the afternoon, the Jagadguru started towards Chennur. Enroute, the Jagadguru had Darshan at Ishwara temple, Mahadevapur and at Peddamma Aalaam, Godavarikhani.
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