The Great Sage of Kanchi PART 2

K. ARVIND This is the second of a two-part article on Pujyasri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati Swamiji, the 68th Shankaracharya of Kanchi, written to mark the 20th annual Aradhana for this revered saint at the Hindu Temple of New Hampshire, Nashua, NH. The Hindu Temple of New Hampshire has been observing the annual Jayanthi and Aradhana functions for Mahaswami since its inception. The first part provided a brief biographical sketch and presented some of the core themes of his spiritual teachings. This part deals with how he served and influenced the community around him. A slightly revised version of this part appeared in the January 16, 2014 issue of Lokvani.

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 (Tamil for “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.

Pillar of Social Service Mahaswami emphasized the path of service and the well-being of all. He took a strong stand against the evil of dowry, a source of great distress to middle class families in India. He instituted an innovative scheme called “Pidi Arisi Thittam” (“Donate a fistful of rice”) to feed the poor - he encouraged every housewife to set aside a fistful of rice every day for charity. Volunteers periodically collect the donated rice and use it to feed the poor in Temples. He initiated social service schemes in villages to encourage self-sufficiency within the community. These schemes included the digging of wells, tanks, channels and construction of roads, planting of trees, and the protection of cows. He led the renovation of many old

Temples and inspired the construction of many new Temples. Although he believed in the essential unity of all religions, he asserted that there was no need for uniformity and advocated peaceful persuasive prevention of proselytization. At the age of 84, he undertook a pada yatra (trek on foot) in truly ascetic conditions to meet and bless the masses with no caste distinctions. His message of Paropakara (service to others) has continued to inspire the setting up of educational institutions and hospitals to serve the poor.

Intellectual Saint Though a humble ascetic at the core, Paramacharya was also known and respected for his intellectual strengths. He had command over multiple languages - an IIT Madras project called Acharya that deals with computing and Indian languages is named in his honor. He had a deep interest in music, history and sculpture, and took special interest in investigating and bringing to fore the historical cultural links between India and South-East Asia. His investigations into these historical links are also credited with the resurgence of the centuries old Tamil hymns known as Thiruppavai and Thiruvembavai. He questioned the divisive Aryan/Dravidian race theory put forth by the West, and believed that the ancient Vedic culture of India spanned from West Asia to South East Asia. His spiritual discourses (usually in Tamil) were reverentially attended. Mahaswami was an inexhaustible fountain of Indian spiritual wisdom who could convey his understanding in clear and simple language that any lay person could follow. He was a composer and an articulate speaker. His words have been compiled into a 6500 page, 6 volume collection in Tamil called “Deivathin Kural” (The Voice of God) by ardent devotee Ra. Ganapathi. This collection is sometimes referred to as the common man’s Vedas. Parts of this collection have been translated into English as “Hindu Dharma” (available online) and “The Vedas”.

Influential Saint Paramacharya’s influence extended much beyond the spiritual domain, and even influenced the history of political India in some fundamental ways. His input to the Indian Constituent Assembly shaped some of the religious rights enshrined in the India constitution. Dr. Subramaniam Swamy, who has served as India’s foreign minister, attributes Paramacharya with triggering the resumption of the long-frozen political relationship between India and China in the 1970’s. He also credits Paramacharya for encouraging an initiative of his, that led to Deng Xiao-Ping the then Chinese Premier taking a personal interest in the reopening of Kailash and Manasarovar, pilgrimage sites located in Tibet, to Indians. His devotees included a constellation of Indian leaders including Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Narasimha Rao and Vajpayee, and Presidents R. Venkatraman and Shankar Dayal Sharma. Maha Swami was universally revered even by people of other faiths. The Dalai Lama described him as the “only monk of the century”. American consul Albert Franklin said he saw Jesus Christ himself in Paramacharya. Harvard alumnus and Vice Chancellor of Tehran University, Professor Hossein Nasr said after darshan of Paramacharya that “the light that I have experienced as a Muslim from saints of our faith, I realized at Kanchi”.

Humble Saint In spite of his power and stature, Maha Swami was a humble saint of great humility at the core. He explained that “many devotees identify divinity with me though it may not be a fact. Perhaps they derive an inner feeling of communion with divinity due to their own dedicated perception.” Many devotees may

beg to disagree with their revered Guru on this point. Srimathi M.S. Subbulakshmi recalls how the very thought of Maha Swami restored her lost voice before her United Nations concert in 1966. Paramacharya shed his mortal coils on January 8, 1994. To his devotees he is still an eternally living presence, the very thought of whom is enough to cleanse their souls.

यस्य स्मरण मात्रेण चित्तशुध्धि उत्पद्यते तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः | Yasya smarana maatrena chitta shudhdhi utpadyate, tasmai sree guravve namah | ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: 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.