वाराणसीमिति । योगिवर आचार्यः वाराणसीं काशीं वरणासोनद्योर्मध्ये स्थितत्वात् वाराणसी इति पृषोदरादित्वान्निपातितः । श्रीहरिश्रतुर्भुजैरिव शिष्यैः पद्मपादाचार्यादिभिः सह अधिगम्य प्राप्य आत्मना सह अमीषां शिष्याणां पञ्च मठान्प्रकल्प्य कतिचिद्दिनानि तस्थौ स्थितवान्। ‘कालाध्वनोरत्यन्तसंयोगे’ इति सप्तम्यर्थे द्वितीया ॥ २३ ॥
The shloka that has surfaced and popularised in the recent times raises many critical questions.
अवतीर्णश्च कालट्यां केदारेऽन्तर्हितश्च यः ।
चतुष्पीठप्रतिष्ठाता जयताच्छङकरो गुरुः ॥
What is the pramanam or source of this shloka? It appears to be a recent composition.
Hence the author of this sloka should step forward to clarify on what basis it was composed and why it has been intentionally prioritized over the traditional gurumahima slokas.
Are the Four Matha Theorists Cherry-Picking Quotes from Chidvilasa to Support Their Narrative?
The four matha theorists claim Shri Shankaracharya established only four mathas, citing Chidvilasa’s Sankara Vijaya. Yet, they disregard the same Chidvilasa’s account of Shri Sankaracharya’s meeting with His Guru Shri Govinda Bhagavatpada in Badarikashrama (not on the bank of Narmada) and His Sarvajna Peetharohana and Shanmatha sthapana in Kanchi. Why this inconsistency?
“सम्प्रदायो हि नान्योऽस्ति शङ्कराद्बहिः”
From the preface of Paramapujyashri 108 Mahant Gangapuriji Maharaj, Sangameshvar Mahadev, Kurukshetra in the book “Prapancasara tantre – Shankaracharyah tantrika sadhana” by Dr. Ramachandra Puri Professor of Lajpat Rai Ghaziabad.
Shri Vidyaranya Yati in His tantrika work Srividyarnava Tantra worships Shankaracharya among the acharyas of tantrika sampradaya and says that tantrika sampradaya is not outside the Sampradaya of Shri Shankarachara.
From the standpoint of philosophical thought Acharya was an advaitin. However Shankara the sadhaka was an upasaka of Bhagavati.
The Shrividya sadhana set forth by Shankaracharya is still prevalent among many renunciate sannyasis. Sanyasis are lokasangrahis and they perform the necessary aadhyatmika, adhibhautika and adhidaivika sadhana for the benefit of this world. These sadhanas are elaborated upon by Bhagavatpada in the Prapanchasara. He was as much a lokasangrahi as he was a paramarthadarshi. He spoke of the fourth tattva moksha but did not ignore dharma artha and kama for these are essential steps in the ascent towards moksha.
Srichakra at Chidambaram Sri Sivakami Amman Temple (Article By Dr.A.Subbian, Prof.& Head, Department of History, Annamalai University –
XV National IASLIC Conference Souvenir, Published By Annamalai University Library, Chidambaram, 1992.)
One of the acharyas of the Dwaraka Peetha removed himself to Malabhagalu situated to the North of the present Kolar. During the time of Sivappa and Bhimappa Naik of Bidanur, the then Acharya of Dwaraka (Mulabhagalu) Matha was invited to the Durvasapura. He accordingly visited the place and had a Matha constructed there. The principal deity worshipped in the temple is Sri Gopalakrishna. There are also murtis of Sri Chandramaulisvara Swamy and Sri Gayatri Devi.
(Original Article: Written by Sri Anantanandendra Swami of Upanishad Brahmendra Matha – Published by Prof.S.Soundararajan,Bangalore)
दसो दिशाओं के संरक्षक उपर्युक्त दशनामी संन्यासियों की संगठन शक्ति अक्षुण्ण बनी रहे और कालान्तर में उनके संगठन में किसी पृथकतावादी तत्त्व का समावेश न होने पाये, इसके लिये उन्होंने दशनाम संन्यासियों को निम्न रुप से एक ही शरीर के विभिन्न अंगों के रूप में प्रतिपादित किया-
” ब्रह्मरन्ध्रे पुरी चैव ललाटे चैव भारती जिह्वाग्रे सरस्वती चैव बाहौ च गिरिपर्वतौ।
कुक्षौ तु सागरश्चैव वनारण्यौ च जंघयोःपादोः तीर्थश्रमौ चैव दशनाम प्रकीर्तिताः।”
Shankarite Institutions have been at the forefront of patronising and encouraging the publication of rare shastra granthas and scholars in all parts of the country. We have seen earlier about the publication of Shivarahasyam Manuscripts by the North and South Indian scholars in 1932 & 1934 and the interactions of Tarkaratna Panchanana Bhattacharya of Bengal in Kashi.
Another such account of Kanchi-Kashi Sambandha is the account of Mimamsakesari Vidyavachaspati Mahamahopadhyaya Padmabhusana Pandit P. N. Pattabhirama Shastriji. He was born in 1908 in Palasur village near Kanchipuram, initially educated at Tirupati and later in Varanasi under M.M. Chinnaswami Shastri. From there he went to Kashi and served at Banaras Hindu University. Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya later recommended his appointment as Principal of Maharaja Sanskrit College, Jaipur. His dedicated mastery of the sastric tradition of Bharatam and his writings, lectures and editions on Mimamsa remain as evidence of his work.
The All-India Kashiraj Trust was established in 1951 and its silver jubilee was celebrated on 24th October 1981. The recods of the proceedings started with a mangalacharana by Shri Ganeshvara Dravid and Shri Pattabhirama Shastri read out a sandesha from Shri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati Swamigal, the 68th Acharya of Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Pitham that was specially sent for the occasion. This is published in the summary of the activities of the Kashiraj Trust in 1982
Pt. Pattabhirama Shastri’s disciple Pt. Dr.Mandana Mishraji writes in his general editor’s preface of the edition of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Kendiya VidyaPith 1984 wries in his introduction to “Shabara Bhashya with the Tuptika Varttikabharana, Tantrashikhamani and Bhashya Sandarbha Yojini” says that it was only due to the anugraha of Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Acharya that his guru Shri Pattabhirama Shastri was able to do this work and seeks their continued blessings for the good health and strength for Shastri to complete this work.
The Tuptika is written by Shri Venkateshvara Dikshita, the architect of the 72-mela system and the son of Advaita Vidyacharya Govinda Dikshitar. The relationship of the matrilineal side of this Govinda Dikshita family to the purvashrama families of Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Pitham is well-known. The Tantrashikhamani is written by Shri Rajachudamani Dikshita, the youngest son of Shri Ratnakheta Dikshitar and also a student of Shri Nilakantha Dikshitar. Rajachudamani Dikshita was a gifted writer of kavya and the author of Shankarabhyudaya, a literary work on Shankaracharya which traces his birth to His siddhi in Kanchipuram.
The story behind this publication is narrated by Pandit Pattabhirama Shastri in the introduction titled “Yatkinchit”. Shastriji says as follows:
“Once I went to Shahabad near the banks of Pampa river in Karnataka to have darshana of the “walking God”, Shri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati Shricharana, of Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Pitham established by Shri Jagadguru Adishankaracharya with my spouse. My two daughters were also with me. Shricharana was getting ready to have his snana. Knowing that I had come, he beckoned me. All of us went towards Him. He asked me if I can stay there for 3-4 days and if I knew someone near by. I responded that I will stay as long as Shricharana wishes and that I will get to know someone who lives around the area. Then someone said they will make arrangements for my stay with family hear near the banks.”
Then a young man who they knew from Kolkata introduced himself to them and took them to his home for three days. Then for three days we had the fortune of darshana of Shricharana who was in the state of Kashtamauna for three days. On the fourth day having learnt that the Jagadguru completed His maunavrata and was speaking, we went. The Karunamurti looked at us and beckoned us. He asked us what our daily activities were and how many students were studying and what I was teaching and what I was publishing. Then he asked me why I had not yet edited and published the TupTika of Shri Venkateshvara Dikshita and the Tantrashikhamani of Shri Rajachudamani Dikshita.Then he detailed the lives of the two granthakarthas. When I replied that that the manuscripts of these two were not available to me in full, He said that manuscripts of these works will be available in the Tanjavur Sarasvati Mahal and Government Oriental Manuscripts Library, Madras and in Mysore Oriental Library and you may try and obtain the copies. Publish whatever you can find.”
Three hours went by in this conversation and thus instructed. Then Shricharana was getting ready for His anushthana and we sought His permission to go back to Varanashi and then mentioned that Shricharana has given ajna to publish this work but I fear that I don’t have the kind of vaidushyam and am afraid at each step I take”. Shricharana raised His hand blessed me and said “You will have a long life and take up this work at the earliest and complete it!”
Then he details the accounts of how he collected the various manuscripts from different locations and also found a copy from the collection of his teacher Chinnaswami Dikshitar and with prayers to Shricharana he began the laghu tika that accompnies this text and how this was published with the assistance of his student Mandana Mishra.
Panditaraja Pattabhirama Shastri was also the editor of Advaita Grantha Kosha. In the year 1946, Shri Shankaracharya of Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Mulamnaya Sarvajna Pitham expressed a desire that a comprehensive list of all manuscripts and books pertaining to Advaita be compiled and published. This was prepared by a disciple of Sri Ishtasiddhindra Saraswati Swami of the Upanishad Brahmendra Matha Kanchipuram and edited by Panditaraja Pattabhirama Shastri and was released in 1964.
तस्मात् प्राप प्रयागाख्यं स्थलं पुण्षविवर्धनम् ।
गङ्गायाः यमुनायाश्च सरस्वत्याश्च सङ्गमम् ॥
-Anandagiri Sankaravijaya, Prakarana 35
श्रितमुर्मुरमुद्धरंस्त्रिवेण्यां यतिराड् भट्टमघानि वो वितृष्णात् ॥
– Gururatnamalika
How can one possibly identify Madhava with Vidyaranya, who flourished in the 14th century, when Madhava pays homage to Vyasacala of the 16th century and quotes extensively from Rajacudamani Dikshita of the 17thcentury?
