Arsha Vidya Newsletter - April 2012 7

Sringeri Äcarya visits AVG, Coimbatore

His Holiness Jagadguru Çaìkaräcärya Sri SriBhärati Tértha Mahäsvämigal who was onhis first visit to Coimbatore came to theArsha Vidya Gurukulam on the 2nd of April.

He was received with pürëa kumbham andtaken to Çré Dakñiëämürti temple.

Later he addressed the students and visitorsto the Gurukulam at the Lecture Hall in theGurukulam.

The Acharya spoke in Tamil and his talkwas translated into English by Pujya

Swamiji. Acharya’s exposition was a verybrilliant one. He said :

It is all very well known that Ädi Çaìkaräwas an avatära puruña to establish thissanätana dharma when it was under somepressure. There is a wide spread feeling thatÄdi Çaìkarä created and propoundedadvaita. He did not create a ssampradäya.He was not a sampradäya kåt; he wassampradäya vit. What was there in theçrutis and what has come down from theåñis; that is adwaita and his job was only

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to present them as a bouquet collected fromall sources and presented

Not only that Ädi Çaìkarä left acommentary for the posterity to follow.There are commentaries on Upaniñads Úétäand Brahma Sütra. It has a style capturingthe tradition and sampradäya.

Bhäñyakära himself says in the GétäBhäñyam ‘asampradäyavit çastrajïopimürkhavat upekñaëéyaù. A person whodoes not conform to sampradäya should bekept away like an adamantine fool. A foolwho is adamantine is a mürkha.

Çästra is so profound; one has to get it froma teacher. Teacher himself is one whoreceived the sampradäya from anotherteacher. In Çaìkarä Vijaya there is anepisode. Vyasa himself comes out to checkup Çaìkarä. He comes as a våddha, an oldman and he comes to know through thedisciples of Çaìkarä that he is teaching andcommenting upon Sütra Bhäñya. Vyasa isthe sütrakära. Naturally, in the form of anold man, he wanted to check up, and theyentered into a discussion. He said: “You arecommenting upon Vyasa’s sutras”. Çaìkaräsaid, I am not commenting on Vyasa’ssutras. I have received from my elders andwhat I have received, I am discussing.

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There was a big discussion andit went on and on andPadmapadha made a remarkthat this discussion wasbetween Çiva and Näräyaëa; itwill never come to an end. Thatis the sampradäya. He gave acertain verse to stress thispoint:

tyaja dharmam adharmam cayena tyajasi tat tyaja|ubhe satyänåute tyaktvä yenatyajasi tat tyaja||

You cannot understand withouta guru. Yena tyajasi tat tyajameans yena atmajïänenapraptam tat tyaja upadiça, makeit descend upon the çiñyäs.

Really it is the sampradäya thatholds everything. Some enjoyand without understanding thesampradäya, the subject matterwill not be meaningful. We arestudying bhäñya etc. Andtherefore it is the sampradäyathat really holds the whole thingand without sampradäya, thesubject matter will not bemeaningful..

We are studying bhäñya etc.And Swami here is teachingbhäñya etc. And therefore I amvery happy. I hear a lot ofpeople come and tell me andtherefore I am very happy thatyou are all pursuing Çaìkaräsbhäñya and Äcarya. You havethe blessings of the Äcaryas and

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my own blessings will alwaysbe with you.

Pujya Swamiji spoke of theservices of Sri Sri V.R. GowriSankar, Administrator of theSringeri Mutt and honouredhim with a shawl.

Pujya Swamiji presented theAcharya with a rudräkñamälahaving 62 rudräkñ.

The 62nd Vardhanti (birthdaycelebrations) of His HolinessJagadguru Çaìkarächarya SriSri Bharati TirthaMahaswamigal wascelebrated in the City ofCoimbatore on Wednesday.The Swamigal was on a vijayayathra across Tamil Nadu andAndhra Pradesh from March20 to April 4. The SriShadambal ThirukoilKumbabishekam was alsoperformed on April 1.

During the Vardhanticelebrations, the Swamigalsaid that both tireless effortsand divine blessings werevery important in life. Healso spoke about theimportance of Dharma in life.He said: “You might seepeople who have strayedfrom the path of Dharmabeing successful in life. Youmight doubt why they aresuccessful even after strayingfrom Dharma. But such

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success is only temporary and leads to thepath of destruction. To achieve your goal youhave to make tireless efforts. Only then willyou be successful. Also, please do notundermine the role of your divine blessing”.

This was the first visit by the Swamigal toCoimbatore and to the Gurukulam inAnaikatti.

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