K
A R N A T A K A
Chitrapur’s Innovative Leader
Sadyojat
Shankarashram Swamiji sets new patterns for passing dharma to the next
generation and service to his community
BY
SHAILAJA GANGULY, MUMBAI
AT THE AGE OF 35, A
YOUNG SWAMI from the Saraswat brahmin community was immersed in his sadhanas at
Mount Abu, Rajasthan, when an emissary of his community approached him
regarding the spiritual leadership of the Chitrapur Math in Karnataka. The head
of the math, His Holiness Parijnanashram III Swamiji, had just passed away
without naming his successor. The emissary’s request: that Swamiji take over
the math. Thus did His Holiness Shrimat Sadyojat Shankarashrama Swamiji become
the eleventh guru of this lineage. He is notably publicity shy; only after
three years of polite requests did he finally grant me the interview for this
article.
There
are approximately 25,000 Saraswat brahmins today. Many live in Karnataka, but
they are also found across northern India, from Kashmir to Bengal, and now in
other countries, including the US. They trace their origins to the Saraswati
River civilization and find mention in the Vedas. Prior to 1700, some of
them—Smarta Saraswats, who follow the teachings of Adi Shankara—migrated from
the Goa area to Karnataka, without a spiritual leader. This was a period when a
number of Hindu communities were fleeing the persecution and atrocities then
common in the Portuguese colony.
Around
1700, a sannyasin of the Ashram order (one of the Dasanami orders of sadhus)
came to Karnataka from Kashmir. He became Shrimat Parijnanashram I Swamiji (the
“I” differentiating him from subsequent heads of the same name) and established
the first math in Gokarna. His successor, Swami Shankarashram I (of the same
name as the current head), firmly established the math’s spiritual authority in
the Saraswat community. Upon his passing in 1757, the Chitrapur Math was
founded at the site of his samadhi (burial) in the seaside village of Shirali.
In a pattern oddly frequent to this lineage, he left no designated successor,
so one had to be chosen from the community, as was the case in 1997 with the
ordination of our Swami Shankarashram.
Capturing the Next Generation
A
natural teacher and lecturer, Swamiji has developed innovative programs with a
particular focus on engaging the community’s youth. With the help of about 75
young adults trained as workers and leaders, Swamiji established eight
prarthana centers in 2007 for children of ages 5-15. Now there are 41 schools,
including five in the US and one in the UK.
Swami
explained, “Many parents felt guilty and helpless. Their children were not
getting value-based education, even in the best of schools. If both parents work
or do not know enough and there are no grandparents, children have no one to
tell them stories or anecdotes and make them aware of their glorious heritage.
Our leaders have also helped children who are unwilling to share problems with
their parents—or whose problems have actually been compounded by the parents.
They are now keen to participate regularly and take part in interactive
discussions and all the creative and cultural activities.”
n
addition to the prarthana centers there are 23 yuvadhara centers for some 700
young adults, actively involved in various projects such as cleaning,
tree-planting, festivals, PowerPoint presentations of the math’s work and more.
“They sense a growing identification with something good and worthy,” Swamiji
says. “Here the youth have opportunities to express themselves and their
potential in ways not available in the classrooms.”
The
math has produced a well-made video (bit.ly/ChitrapurYouth)
on one of their 2012 youth camps. Two camps are held each year, one in Pune and
one in Bengaluru, engaging city-raised children in a wide range of
activities—puja, garland making, worship, spreading manure in fields, cleaning
reservoir ponds, meditating and even martial arts. Judging by the video, it is
an exemplary program.
The
math also runs a small Veda pathashala (priest training school) with twelve
boys in residence. When trained, they will serve either in their home community
or in Chitrapur and its related maths.
In
2002, to encourage the use of Sanskrit, Swami created an educational program
called Girvaana Pratishtha, which now has 18 centers in India and three abroad.
Sixty devotees have completed the teacher’s training, 1,500 have passed the
conversation test and 1,000 have passed the theory exam.
Through
the Srivali Trust, Chitrapur Math has established Srivali High School with 352
students and Mallapur High School with 250. A second agency, the Parijnan
Foundation, funds a 45-seat program of vocational training for 45 underprivileged
young women. So far, Swamiji reports, “Over 500 have graduated and many have
started their own businesses.”
A
museum at the math displays books and sculptures, some quite ancient, to
inspire the younger generation. “Volunteers help clean and preserve our vast
collection of palm-leaf manuscripts, which are then photographed and preserved
for posterity,” says Swamiji.
Life at Chitrapur Math
The
math has a 35-acre campus with an additional 25 acres of farm land. Worship,
bhajana and cultural events are attended by 150 to 200 visitors daily and as
many as two thousand on festival days. When in residence, Swamiji gives
discourses and holds guided meditations.
Every
day at 6 am brahmin priests conduct an hour-long puja, with Swamiji doing the
abhishekam to the six Sivalingams at the six samadhi shrines of earlier gurus
and other shrines. At midday there is arati for the main Deity, Lord
Bhavanishankar, and Swamiji’s predecessor. From 4 pm to 7 pm, Swamiji is
available to visitors. The main puja and abhishekam of the day, for Lord
Bhavanishankar, begins at 7 pm. Swami sets aside one or two days a week for a
personal silent retreat.
During
the rainy season, July through September, Swamiji observes the Chaturmasya
Vrata tradition by remaining in one of the lineage’s other maths—Shirali,
Gokarna, Mallapur, Mangalore, Bengaluru, Pune or Karla—and his resident center
becomes the “parent math” during that time. He has taken devotees on pilgrimage
to Mount Kailas, Chardham, Amarnath, Vaishnodevi, and two journeys to trace the
course of the ancient River Sarasvati.
Swamiji
reaches the global Saraswat community through his books on meditation, monthly
math newsletter, audio CDs and the Internet. For more information, go to www.chitrapurmath.net or listen to
Swamiji on YouTube at bit.ly/chitrapur
(SHAILAJA GANGULY of Mumbai is a journalist
and Saraswat brahmin. She has assisted the math with its DVDs, publications and
in writing bhajanas and songs.)
MINISTER’S MESSAGE
Steps to Reach the Absolute
To
attain our true Self requires honing our humility and aspiration through
service, fitness and purification, followed by consistent meditation
B
Y H I S H O L I N E S S S A D Y O J A T S H A N K A
R A S H R A M S W A M I J I
Aside
from his social service work, Swamiji is a raja yoga adept. He regularly
conducts guided meditation sessions in two complementary forms. One is indoors,
with eyes closed in the traditional manner. The other, known as Ashtamoorti
Upasana, is outdoors, with eyes open, at a scenic spot where the participant is
taught how to meditate on the elements and arrive at one’s True Self in an
illuminating, methodical and unhurried manner. Swamiji shares these thoughts
about sadhana.
SEVA PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE aspirant’s search
for the Absolute, the Ultimate Truth. It brings about purification, strengthens
the connection with the Divine and thus helps to stabilize a sadhaka’s
spiritual search. The earnest desire to learn, shrotum iccha, is slowly built
up through seva. Along with this is kindled the awareness of both the benefits
and the responsibilities of a serious seeker. You begin to stop paying
attention to that “me, me” feeling as you try keenly to understand more about
the principle of serving others. Thus the mind is occupied and alert, but its
dependence on the ego begins to lessen. It is no longer “I-centric.”
When
you work within a group, you gradually learn to assert or tone down your
opinion as needed, because here the goal is more important than petty concerns
like “I have been insulted” or “I did the work and someone else took the
credit.” There is an element of dispassion, tyaga, in your effort, because it
is not made for personal gain. When you are serving your master, your guru,
there is a lot of reverence and purity in your actions, because you look up to
him and are giving without any selfish motive. Seva done in the right spirit is
the first step towards true surrender.
Physical
fitness is also very important. Making time for exercise is a must. The good
effects of a regular workout can be felt very soon. If you do not have a proper
diet and are overweight and unhealthy, you cannot have the tenacity that is
required for sustained spiritual practice. Moderation is the key for fitness of
the body and consequently of the mind as well.
Then
we can take steps in meditation. The untrained mind is like a child who needs
to be placated before getting disciplined and drawn towards the right point of
focus. The mind harbors many samskaras—inherited traits and conditioning—which
cannot be erased in a trice. That is why mantra-japa is advised. Concentration
on a mantra helps a beginner, in particular, to hold other thoughts at bay
until he realizes that he is learning to surrender to a divine force that
exists within and without. Consistency helps the seeker to shed all the
negativity within until he understands that “pure” is not what he has to
become. “Pure” is who he is!
The
mind has to be made aware of the need for relaxation, the need for discovering
something very calm, very peaceful. Feeling that I am wasting my time because I
am not “doing” anything is self-defeating. Doing a few warm-ups and exercises,
breathing deeply and learning yogic processes—like kapalbhati or anulom-vilom
(breathing exercises) from a qualified teacher—enable your body and mind to
receive the fruits of meditation.
Regular
meditation can bring mental equipoise, strengthen your willpower immensely,
generate enthusiasm and inspiration in day-to-day tasks and thereby enhance
your efficiency. Meditation, therefore, is a must to learn how to draw upon
your inner resources, how to connect with your Higher Self.
In
the initial stage of sadhana, having accepted that this is as a place for
learning, the seeker is filled with zeal; he is respectful and eager to follow,
even imitate all that he observes in the guru. This infuses a certain
discipline; it gives his mind lessons about some dos and don’ts. He does not
seek any explanation, nor is he ready to receive it at this point of time.
Gradually,
unconsciously, he begins to develop a shivmayi drishti (purity of thought and
outlook). His negative thinking fades away because amangalata (any form of
impure thought or behavior) has absolutely no chance to flourish. His ability
to see and appreciate the good in others increases, along with tolerance and
acceptance. His spontaneity, clarity of mind and the need to express this
creative energy in better and better ways accelerates.
Finally
he becomes ready and worthy to receive the grace that was waiting to bless him.
There is a complete burning away of all the limitations that were earlier the
identification marks for his ego. The petty ego now gives way to total purity,
the shuddha aham, and the blissful discovery that “I am not who I thought I
was! This shivatwa—this totality and vastness of pure consciousness—of which I
was getting glimpses now and then—is my own swarupa, my True Self!”
(HIS HOLINESS SADYOJAT SHANKARASHRAM SWAMIJI, 48, is 11th in the
Paramapara of Mathadhipathis of Shri Chitrapur Math, Shirali, Karnataka, India,
the spiritual sanctum of 25,000 Chitrapur Saraswats scattered all over the
globe. See www.chitrapurmath.net)
Quotes
and Quips
“Let us not pray to
be sheltered from
dangers but to be fearless when facing them.”
dangers but to be fearless when facing them.”
Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)
When
I look inside and see I am nothing, that is wisdom. When I look outside and see
I am everything, that is love. Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897-1981), Hindu
spiritual teacher
A
language is something infinitely greater than grammar and philology. It is the
poetic testament of the genius of a race and a culture, and the living
embodiment of the thoughts and fancies that have molded them. Jawaharlal Nehru
(1889-1964), first Prime Minister of independent India
Greater
than a thousand ghee offerings consumed in sacrificial fires is to not sacrifice
and consume any living creature. Tirukural 259
Love,
love, love—that is what life is about. Study, pray, meditate, but love, love,
love— that is what life is about. All scriptures sing of love. All saints roar
of love. All the known prophets continuously demonstrate love. Swami
Chinmayananda (1916-1993),
founder of Chinmaya Mission
Good
judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment. Will Rogers
(1879-1935), American actor and humorist
The
wise man should merge his speech in his mind and his mind in his intellect. He
should merge his intellect in the Cosmic Mind and the Cosmic Mind in the
Tranquil Self. Katha Upanishad 1.3.13
Out
of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are
seared with scars. Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931), Lebonese-American writer
Am
I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them? Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), US
President
When
you submit yourself to the Divine, where is the need of melody and rhythm?
Paravathy Baul, singer and musician, when asked if she had any formal musical
training
Be
yourself. Everyone else is already taken. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), Irish writer
and poet
Two
men please God—one who serves Him with all his heart because he knows Him; and
one who seeks Him with all his heart because he knows Him not. Nikita Ivanovich
Panin (1718-1783), Russian author
Wisdom
ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and
too self-full to seek other than itself. Kabir (1440-1518), mystic Indian poet
India
is to me the dearest country in the world, because I have discovered goodness
in it. It has been subject to foreign rule, it is true. But the status of a
slave is preferable to that of a slave holder. Mahatma Gandhi
The
true state of meditation is oneness of the meditator with the object of
meditation, God. Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952), founder of Self-Realization
Fellowship
It
is not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. Henry David Thoreau
(1817-1862), American author and poet
So
great is glory gained by men in this world that celestials cease praising
ascended sages. Tirukural 234
In
ancient India, the intention to discover truth was so consuming that in the
process, they discovered perhaps the most perfect tool for fulfilling such a
search that the world has ever known—the Sanskrit language. Rick Briggs, NASA
researcher
What
for do we need a book? The whole spiritual truth, every Shastra, is secret in
the human heart. Sita Ram Goel (1921-2003), Indian political commentator
Never
think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to
think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin—to say that you are weak, or
others are weak. Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902)
Many
Western ideals and goals are based on the underlying attitude that there is
only one life—so we had better do everything we can in this life. We had better
achieve God Realization in this life, just in case. The Hindu attitude, based
on the confidence that we have many lives, is: “I know I’m coming back; no
rush. I will do as much as I can in this lifetime, and there will be ample time
for further advancement.” Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami
In
the final analysis we are all doing exactly as we want, as we must, doing what is
next on our personal path of evolution. Nothing is wrong. Nothing should be
that is not. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001)
Om Tat Sat
(My humble salutations to Sadguru Sri Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
ji, Satguru Bodhianatha Velayanswami ji, Hinduism
Today for the collection)
(The Blog is reverently for all the seekers of truth,
lovers of wisdom and to share the Hindu Dharma with others on the
spiritual path and also this is purely a non-commercial blog)
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