This is the first of a two-part article on Pujyasri ChandrasekarendraSaraswati Swamiji, the 68^th Shankaracharya of Kanchi to mark the 20^th annual Aradhana for this revered saint. 

मैत्रींभजतअखिलह्रुज्जेत्रीं  --  Maitreem Bhajata Akhilahrujjetreem

Serve with amity and conquer the hearts of all

आत्मवदेवपरानपिपश्यत  -- Atmavadeva parranapi pashyata

View everyone as a part of your own self

युद्धंत्यजतस्पर्धांत्यजत  --  Yudhdham tyajata spardhaam tyajata

Renounce war and competition

त्यजतपरेश्वक्रममाक्रमणं  -- Tyajata pareshva kramamaakramanam

Renounce covetous aggression on others

दाम्यतदत्तदयध्वम्जनताः  --  Daamyata datta dayadhwam janataaha

Be gentle, compassionate and generous

श्रेयोभूयात्सकलजनानाम्  -- Sreyo bhooyaat sakala janaanaam

May all people be happy and prosperous

 On October 23, 1966, the halls of the United Nations reverberated with this beautiful Sanskrit poem rendered in the golden voice of the acclaimed vocalist Bharat Ratna Srimati M.S. Subbulakshmi. These benedictory words of love, peace and brotherhood were composed by Jagadguru Pujyasri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati Swamiji, who served as the 68th Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt located in Kanchipuram, one of the ancient centers of learning in India.

Known to the masses by reverential titles such as  “Paramacharya” (the Greatest Teacher), “Maha Periyava” (the great elder) and “Maha Swami” (the Great Divinity), Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati Swamiji was a towering spiritual colossus in 20th century India. He was a strong pillar of Dharma and an avowed professor of the importance, relevance, and validity of the Vedas. To his most ardent devotees Paramacharya was much more than a Guru - he was an avatar or  a Nadamadum Deivam (God incarnate) whose grace influenced their lives in miraculous ways. Numerous songs in his praise have been composed and sung by famous vocalists. Though a humble ascetic at the core, he was also known and respected for his intellectual strengths, and insightful understanding of various aspects of current affairs, contemporary politics and modern science.

Fortuitous Saint

Paramacharya was born Swaminathan on May 20th 1894 into a Kannada Brahmin family in the town of Villupuram, Tamil Nadu, India. Young Swaminathan was home schooled until the age of 8 and then attended a school run by Christian missionaries from America. He was an exceptional student, who also  won the first prize in a Bible competition and the first prize for acting in the role of King Arthur in a Shakespearean play. When Swaminathan was 12, the 66th Shankaracharya, saw in the boy a future Mahapurusha (great man). When Swaminathan was 13, he was summoned by the 66th Shankaracharya, and in a most unexpected turn of events, he was installed as the 68th Shankaracharya. Thus Swaminathan renounced worldly life and became a sanyasi at the tender age of 13. He subsequently received personal instruction in a variety of subjects including Vedas and Shastras and Tamil grammar and literature from highly-qualified teachers (Maha mahopadyayas) of great repute. He also studied English, French and Marathi on his own and displayed deep interest in music, history, archaeology and sculpture. An young Shankaracharya who had not even attained the legal age to administer the properties of his own mutt at initiation, went on to become a great saint who would live for a 100 years and serve as a guiding light for millions.

Protector of Vedic Dharma

Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah (धर्मोरक्षतिरक्षितः): A central tenet of all of Mahaswami’s teachings is upholding Dharma or righteousness. According to Adi Shankara, Dharma is nothing but truth translated into action. Paramacharya identifies Dharma as our protecting shield - “it is Dharma alone that will protect you, and this Dharma is what you protect with courage and steadfastness.” He asserts that if an individual treads the path of Dharma, he will win universal respect.  He teaches us that “if we practice Dharma without expecting any reward in the belief that Isvara gives us what he wills, and in a spirit of dedication, the impurities tainting our being will be removed and we will obtain the bliss that is exalted”

Vedakhilo Dharma Moolam (वेदाखिलोधर्ममूलं): A second core theme in his teachings is that the Vedasare the source of all Dharma. One’s religion is nothing but the Dharma practiced by our forefathers. Vedas are Dharmapramana  - “that which gives one the true knowledge of Dharma.” Knowledge and wisdom are enshrined in the Vedas and its auxiliary texts - these are Vidyaasthaanas.

Mantra Yoga (मन्त्रयोग): Mantra Yoga, the proper recitation of mantras, serves as a path to realization and well-being - “Veda mantras properly recited with the proper discipline produce the necessary emotions in the mind which ensure well-being to the person reciting as well as to the world. Other baser emotions are also kept out in the process.”

Vedic vibrations are beneficial: Vedas are Sruti - sounds revealed to seers or rishis known as Mantra Dhrashtas. They have the power to inspire good thoughts in people. “Vedas must be chanted with grandeur, so that the sound can be properly heard. Vedic mantras not only produce beneficial vibrations in the pulse of one who chants them properly, but also similar vibrations in those who may hear them. Since it is spread in the atmosphere, it ensures well-being here and hereafter. Therefore it must be audibly chanted so that it can be spread far and wide in the atmosphere”; “The mantra of the vedas are remarkable in that they bring blessings to the world in the form of sound even if their meaning is not understood.”

Veda Samrakshanam (वेदसंरक्षणं): Vedas ensure the well-being of the individual and the world. Vedas are a treasure that belongs to the whole of humanity. This treasure that has been bequeathed to us must not be frittered away. The Vedas must instead be protected, revitalized, and propagated, not with an attitude of performing a burdensome-duty, but with great enthusiasm and interest.

Universal Values: Paramacharya emphasized Bhakti (devotion) in conformance with Hindu traditions. However most of his Dharmic teachings have universal appeal - Satya (Truth), Prema(Love), Shanthi (Peace), Ahimsa(non-violence), Seva(service), Selflessness, Charity, Purity of Mind,  Self-Control, Forgiveness, Repentance, Atonement, Kindness to all creatures, and the Oneness and Well-Being of All (लोका समस्ता सुखिनो भवन्तु). He also stressed the essential unity of all religions in spite of their different approaches, as captured in the Vedic saying “ekam sat viprah bahuda vadanti”. He taught that “The temple, the church, the mosque, the Vihar may be different from one another.  The Idol or symbol and the rites may be different.  But the paramatman who wants to grace the worshipper is the same whatever be the faith.”

Paramacharya shed his mortal coils in January 8, 1994. To his devotees he is still an eternally living presence, the very thought of whom  is enough to cleanse their souls.

यस्यस्मरणमात्रेणचित्तशुध्धिउत्पद्यतेतस्मैश्रीगुरवेनमः |

Yasya smarana maatrena chitta shudhdhi utpadyate, tasmai sree guravve namah

 NOTE: This article draws from a number of sources (to whom I am grateful) including Wikipedia, “The Sage of Kanchi” (an excellent video film on the life of Paramacharya produced by a team that includes Dr. N. Veezhinathan and Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam) and other  videos on You Tube, “The Vedas”, “Hindu Dharma” and “Deivathin Kural” (books that compile Paramacharya’s discourses on various topics), “Poojya Maha Swami Divya Charitram” (a biography by Sri Sambamoorthi Sastrigal), and a facebook page dedicated to Paramacharya. Please take the time to click on the links in this article, which augment the text in significant and valuable ways.

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