Kanchi Maha Periyava

[Ramakrishnan K S]

Kanchi Maha Periyava

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“I have come to know, as none other perhaps, the endless afflictions of humanity.” -Maha Periyavall

Swaminatha also called as Kanchi Maha Periyaval was born on 20 May 1894, into a Kannadiga Smartha Hoysala Karnataka Brahmin family in Viluppuram, South Arcot District, Tamil Nadu. He was the second son of Subramanya Sastri, a District Education Officer. 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.

The astrologer who saw Periyava’s horoscope was stunned and exclaimed “One day the whole world will fall at his feet”. In 1906, the 66th Acharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham performed the annual Chaturmasyam (a four-month 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.

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.

Swaminathan was 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 Tanjavur, government officials and pundits participated in the event.

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.[citation needed] 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”. “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 Śankara’s teachings. The devotion, fervour, 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 Sasthras, and the age-old tradition, which had suffered decline. “Veda rakshanam” was his very life breath, and he referred to this in most of his talks.

Remaining active throughout his life, the sage of Kanchi twice undertook pilgrimages on foot from Rameshwaram in the far south of the Indian peninsula to Benares in the North.

His long tenure as Pitadhipathi is considered by many to have been the Golden Era of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.] He attained Mukti (died) on January 8, 1994 at the age of 99 and was succeeded by Jayendra Saraswati Swamigal.

Periyava stressed the importance of a Guru in one’s life. He repeatedly preached about the importance of following the Dharmic path. He treated all religions equally and with respect. He guided the devotees by spiritual means.

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.

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 Queen Mother of Greece, the Dalai Lama, Subramanian Swamy, M. S. Subbulakshmi, Indira Gandhi, R. Venkatraman, Shankar Dayal Sharma and Atal Bihari Vajpayee among others.

His Holiness, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi, the Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in South India, passed away in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, on Saturday, January 8th, 1994, just four months before he was due to complete his centenary. The end of the 68th pontiff of the Kanchi Mutt came suddenly at 2:58pm as he was relaxing in his room within the mutt. All of India rushed to pay respect-Hindus, Muslims, Christians, rich, poor, low caste and high caste alike. Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao canceled his programs to attend the internment.

He was an exemplary sannyasin, a renunciate monk, who owed nothing and for the past few decades ate but one meal each day of simple grain with fruit juice or milk. By tradition, he traveled on foot to bring the power of Sankara’s teachings deep into India’s countryside. He would walk 10 or 20 miles a day, followed by crowds chanting “Jaya, jaya Sankara. Hara, hara Sankara”. Each day he would camp at a village to perform the mandatory puja which the pontiff alone can do. Villagers would come, prostrate, listen to his upadesha and make simple offerings (placed on a small table in front of him, for he cannot touch others or things they may give him, especially money). The next morning he would continue, marching another 20 miles in the hot sun, worshipped by passers-by or people from roadside homes. None who met him could possibly miss the purity, the clear-eyed presence, the spiritual awakening he obviously abided in day and night.

Never a day passed without his reading the newspaper. Until a few years back he would be seen scanning a newspaper even under a torch light. When he became too weak, he made someone read the newspaper thoroughly everyday and give him the news summary. So too would letters be read aloud to him. S. Ramaswami relates that once some disciples asked the pontiff to persuade the Muslim community in Kanchipuram to shift the mosque that is quite close to the mutt. The saint merely replied, “That is a temple too.”

The Acharya’s “Pidi Arisi Thittam” (handful of rice scheme) was conceived with the poorest in mind. Every household was requested to keep aside a handful of rice and a humble coin before starting the day’s cooking. Both the rice and the money were collected by a volunteer agency. While the rice was to be cooked in temple premises, offered as prasad to the deities first and then to the needy, the money would serve a socio-religious cause.

He attained mahasamadhi in January 1994 at Kanchipuram. The paramacharya is the first pontiff of the Kanchi Peetam to be interred in the mutt premises. The spot where the body of the 68th Sankaracharya of the Kanchi mutt was buried was thrown open for public worship on January 11th. The saint’s few possessions-a cot, woolen blanket, flashlight, spectacles, an alarm time piece and wall clock are kept in a glass case by the samadhi for public viewing.

“He symbolized humankind’s quest for truth, peace and harmony.” – Mr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, the President of India

“a lamp unto humanity who led them on the path of dharma and offered solace to millions.”- Former President, Mr. R. Venkataraman

“The liberation of His Holiness marks the end of a great epoch in the spiritual history of India. He was a great sage in every sense of the term.”- Mrs. Jayalalitha, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.

“The pontiff saw with the eyes of his soul and exemplified the towering tenets of Indian culture. No man ever asked of life so little for himself.”- Nani Palkhivala, Indian Ambassador to USA.

“The pontiff is simply beyond praise. We were all supremely privileged to be his contemporaries.”- Madras Chief Justice Mohammed Mohammed Ismail

Pramacharya’s Commandments

The Paramacharya also listed 10 simple commandments (Dasopadesam) and urged his followers to lead a purposeful and wholesome life.

This included going about

• Doing one’s duty with a sense of social responsibility and god-consciousness,
• Offering the best of everything to God,
• Unconditional love for everyone,
• Practising philanthropy,
• Cultivating the ability to discriminate between good and evil
• Looking upon assimilating wisdom not wealth as the goal of life.

As his prayer to mankind, in an international message in the form of a song, he urged that minds be won in a friendly way. He wanted us to eschew war and jealousy. The Mahaswamigal insisted that the cause of poverty and sorrow the world over is want. Men of means should plan things in such a way that their prosperity is shared willingly with the poor. In the absence of desire, there is no sin and no misery.

The ultimate revenge belongs to the divine. As human beings we have no right to revenge; only self- defence and righteous struggle. As Hindus, this is easy to understand because we believe in the law of Karma.

ANBUDAN

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