Tradition: Karnatak's Magnanimous Math

[and/or www.mantra.com/jai]

Tradition: Karnataka's Magnanimous Math

Precious pontiff: Swami at the twice-daily
prayer meeting with students

Karnataka’s Magnanimous Math

How a 105-year-old swami and his followers are creating a
21st century spiritual and educational legacy that
remains faithful to a 700-year-old past

By Choodie Shivaram, Bengaluru
Hinduism Today Magazine
April-May-June 2013

Located near the town of Tumkur, an hour and a half from
Bengaluru, Siddaganga Math is among the foremost Lingayat
maths (home of the guru) in Karnataka. Its revered 105-
year-old seer, Sree Sree Dr. Shivakumara Swami, has
steered a revolution in affordable education for millions
of poor students. Indefatigable to this day, Swamiji
follows a grueling schedule of worship, work, teaching
and administration, putting in over 20 hours a day seeing
to the welfare of the 10,500 children housed at his math,
serving thousands of devotees and overseeing the math’s
many educational institutions.

History and lineage

The math’s 700-year history begins with the 14th-century
sage Prabhu Gosala Siddeshwara Swami. Legend has it that
while meditating at a dry, rocky hill which was home to
many siddhas (mystics), he found a yogi in a cave
suffering from thirst and calling out to God for help.
Using his yogic power, Swami pressed his knee to the rock
and created a spring in the cave, thereby alleviating the
yogi’s suffering and giving the hill its name,
Siddaganga. Swami later founded the math which shares
that name.

Continues at:

http://hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=5367

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.jai-maharaj