Mahadanapuram: June 8-9, 2017

Jagadgurus at Mahadanapuram

ARRIVAL

Sri Mahasannidhanam and Sri Sannidhanam arrived at the Mahadanapuram near Kannyakumari to a rapturous reception by devotees of the Agrahara. Devotees were ecstatic that the Sringeri Jagadguru was gracing Mahadanapuram after more than half a century (the previous visit being the one by the 35th Acharya in 1964). After Dhuli Pada Puja, a public function was organised to honour the Jagadgurus. The function began with Veda Ghosha. Sanskrit Swagata Patrika, read out by Ghanapaathi Sri Manikanta Sharma and Tamil Swagata Patrikas were read out on the occasion and submitted to the Jagadgurus.

THE REMARKABLE INCIDENT A CENTURY AGO

Sri Mahasannidhanam in His Anugraha Bhashanam remembered the similarities between the life of Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada and the life of His Parameshti Guru, the 33rd Sringeri Acharya, Jagadguru Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati Mahaswamiji. In the first decade of the 20th century, the Acharya, having located Kalady the birthplace of Bhagavatpada, was travelling towards Kalady to consecrate temples for Bhagavatpada and Goddess Sharadamba there. When He traversed the Kanyakumari region as part of His Vijaya Yatra, the Acharya was approached by a Grihastha from a nearby Agrahara named Asramam (pronounced as “Aashraamam”) seeking blessings for his dumb boy. The Acharya blessed the boy and he soon began talking. This incident has been compared to the similar and famous incident of Bhagavatpada blessing the dumb young son of a Grihastha in Sribali (present-day Karnataka). The son, who had remained dumb till then, when questioned by Bhagavatpada thus – “कस्त्वं शिशो! कुत आगतोऽसि?” – O Child! Who are you? Where have you come from?, broke his silence and rendered beautiful verses each ending with “स नित्योपलब्धिस्वरूपोऽहमात्मा” – “I am that Self whose nature is Eternal Awareness.” Bhagavatpada went on to accept the son as His disciple under the name Hastamalaka, implying that the Supreme Truth was easily available to him as if It was a gooseberry on his palm.

The comparison of this incident of Adi Shankaracharya blessing Sri Hastamalaka with the incident of the 33rd Acharya blessing the young boy (Vatu) from Asramam (“Aashraamam”) and making him eloquent was made in a Sanskrit verse by the Shishya of the 33rd Acharya – the great Jivanmukta, the 34th Acharya, Jagadguru Sri Chandrashekhara Bharati Mahaswamiji in one of the many Stotras composed upon His illustrious Guru (the 33rd Acharya):

आश्रामवासिवटुमेकमभाषमाणं

सम्भाषमाणमकरोत्त्वरितं कृपातः ।

श्रीशङ्करार्य इव यः स हि हस्तधात्रीं

दृग्गोचरो भवतु देशिकराण्ममाशु ॥

Sri Mahasannidhanam mentioned that He remembered this incident and the power of grace of His Parameshti Guru as he entered Mahadanapuram, close to which Asramam (Aashraamam) is located.

Sri Mahasannidhanam expressed joy at having graced Mahadanapuram along with His Shishya and blessed the assembled devotees.

Sri Sannidhanam in His Anugraha Bhashanam emphasised on the need for parents today to convey the tenets of Dharma to their children. Sri Sannidhanam mentioned that good Samskaras are the best wealth that can be passed on from one generation to the next.

Later, Sri Mahasannidhanam performed the Sharada Chandramoulishwara Puja.

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VISITS

On June 9, Sri Sannidhanam had Darshan at the Navaneeta Santana Gopala Krishna Swamy temple and the Bala Ganapati temple in Mahadanapuram. Sri Sannidhanam also visited the Ramayana Darshanam photo exhibition, Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari.

After granting Darshan to devotees at Mahadanapuram and blessing them with Mantrakshata, the Jagadgurus started towards Nagercoil.

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THE JAGADGURUS VISIT THE ASRAMAM (AASHRAAMAM)

It must be noted here that as soon as Sri Mahasannidhanam finished narrating the miraculous incident of His Parameshti Guru at Asramam (Aashraamam) in His Anugraha Bhashanam of Sri Mahasannidhanam on arrival at Mahadanapuram, Vedic Pandits and Purohits such as the Ghanapaathi Manikantha Sharma and his father Nagaraja Vadiyar mentioned with joy that they were a native of the Agrahara of Asramam and invited the Jagadgurus to grace the Agrahara.

Amazed by the incident that Sri Mahasannidhanam narrated, these Vedic scholars (who live in Nagercoil) upon checking with the other natives of the Agrahara, had found to their pleasant surprise were descendants of the young boy who had been graced by Sri Mahasannidhanam’s Parameshti Guru, the 33rd Sringeri Acharya, Jagadguru Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati Mahaswamiji. The young boy had grown up to become a person with sound Vedic knowledge. The name of this Vedic scholar was Sri Ramaswamy Dikshitar and he was also popularly known as “Oomai Iyer” (the dumb one). The reason for his being called so and the miraculous incident that had occurred in his childhood where he had been the recipient of the Grace of the then Sringeri Jagadguru came to be realized by the present-day natives of Asramam (Aashraamam) only after Sri Mahasannidhanam had mentioned it in detail in the Anugraha Bhashanam.

Accepting the invitation of the residents, Sri Mahasannidhanam and Sri Sannidhanam graced Asramam (Aashraamam) en route to Nagercoil in the early evening of June 10. They blessed the residents of the Agrahara including the descendants and relatives of Sri Ramaswamy Dikshitar. A photograph of Sri Ramaswamy Dikshitar was also retrieved during this time and shown to the Jagadgurus.

At the Agrahara of Asramam (Aashraamam), the Jagadgurus had Darshan at the Balakrishna Swamy temple. Sri Mahasannidhanam blessed the devotees with an Anugraha Bhashanam and also declared a sum of Rs. 1 lakh would be given by the Sringeri Math as Sharada Prasada for the renovation of the temple. Sri Mahasannidhanam also directed the residents of the Agrahara to chant daily the Adi Shankaracharya Ashtottara Shata Namavali.

The Ubhaya Jagadgurus then visited the Dharma Shasta temple at Kariyamanikkapuram, had Darshan and blessed the devotees. The old temple has been handed over to the Math for renovation.

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