[Advaita-l] Sringeri Days - About Umesh ji

[Ryan Armstrong]

Dear Subbu ji
Thank you for this.
If I can add my 2c worth...

When I first began learning of Sri Aadi Shankara, his life and works, one
thing struck me immediately:
Why did Hastamalaka need to be a disciple of his if he (Hastamalaka) was
already Self-Realised?

Of course, this question itself displayed a definite lack of understanding
on my part, but there it is...
The understanding now is that Hastamalaka perceived neither guru nor
shishya and considered himself neither.
So what would it matter what role he fulfilled?

Why does this relate to this conversation?
Well, on reading the lovely narrative in the Sringeri Days posts it did
occur that Sri Umesh may be similar in this way.
The truth is, I don't know and any ideas about Sri Umesh AND how the
jagatguru should behave are pure speculation on my part.
Once again, my personal appeal (to myself and the group) which has already
been expressed in this thread is simple...
Forget the behaviour and actions of other.  Instead focus solely on knowing
who I am.

I say this since I have also behaved in a manner where I have called into
question the traditions, the School I belong to, the actions of its leaders
etc.
And looking back this was done only because I was deficient in my own
practises and disciplines.
Like a politician, the mind creates "issues" or distractions and places the
attention there rather than consider the actual cause of the real issue -
unknotting the heart...

I often feel that I am like a stubborn child in that the Truth is known and
I just refuse to admit it.
By putting the attention on the perceived faults of others, I am being
blind to faults within and so allow my faults to propagate.

Christ expresses this very well:
"First remove the beam from thine own eye, so that you may see clearly to
remove the mote in the eye of another"

Yours in Truth
Ryan

On Wed, 12 Sep 2018 at 14:32, V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> I was pained to read some of the messages posted about Brahmasri Umesh in
> this thread. There is also a comment that no information is available in
> the public domain about Umesh. Having known Umesh for a few decades now, I
> wish to share the following information about him.
>
> Sri Umesh had the great good fortune of performing shravana, manana and
> nididhyasana under the direct guidance of His Holiness Sri Abhinava
> Vidyatheertha Mahaswamin, the then Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Sringeri. As
> for his academics, Umesh finished his B.E (Hons.) in Electrical Engineering
> and M.E in Computer Science from the College of Engineering, Guindy in
> Chennai.  Later, as advised by His Holiness, Umesh also applied for and
> completed His Ph.D in Control Systems as also two Post-Doctoral researches
> involving mathematical modelling of Visual and Auditory systems.  On the
> instruction of the Acharya, for a few years, Sri Umesh served the Math as
> the Press Secretary to His Holiness and the Managing Trustee of Sri Sharada
> Trust, an affiliate organisation of the Math, engaged in the publication of
> books.
>
> About Sri Umesh’s establishment in the Truth, the then Jagadguru Himself
> has spoken to his disciples on many occasions. For instance, even in a
> public Upanyasa delivered in 1989 the Jagadguru said (the English
> translation of which is), ”Owing to the special merit acquired by him in
> his earlier birth, on his sitting in Samadhi, he does not get up even after
> three days have passed and “He is absorbed in Supreme Brahman.” “
>
> On Umesh’s shastraic erudition, the present Jagadguru His holiness Sri
> Bharathi Theertha Mahaswamin writes in the Srimukha to the book in Sanskrit
> written by Umesh, “Vacharambhana-srutyartha-vivechanam”, a treatise on the
> excellence of the Shankara Bhashya vis-à-vis other schools on the
> Vacharambhana Sruthi, (and here is an excerpt from it in English) “The
> author of this work is Brahmacharin Umesha, our dearest disciple.  He
> served my Guru well for a number of years and became the recipient of His
> unbounded grace.  Another speciality is that the author of this book had
> studied the Chandogya Upanishad bhashya directly from the Lotus-mouth of my
> Guru and gathered many a subtle points therein….”
>
> About the veracity and excellence of the contents of Umesh’s book “Yoga
> Enlightenment and Perfection (a spiritual biography of His Holiness Sri
> Abhinava Vidyatheertha), Jagadguru Sri Bharathi Theertha says in his
> Sanskrit Srimukha published in the book (and I present its translation),
> “We are extremely happy that Bharmacharin Sri Umesh has authored this work…
>   This author, the recipient of the limitless grace of the revered Guru,
> has correctly acquired the matters here directly from His (The Guru’s )
> lotus-mouth; it is.... certain that this book reveals what are facts. We
> bless that those striving for liberation study this book with faith and
> advance in the spiritual path.”
>
> Again, in the latest book of Umesh, “The Multifaceted Jivanmukta” (A
> comprehensive Biography of His Holiness Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha
> Mahaswamin) the present Jagadguru writes in His Srimukha in Sanskrit (and I
> cite its translation):  ”(The recipient of the infinite grace of the most
> exalted (my) Guru…) the celibate Sri Umesh penned His biography
> comprehensively in English for the comprehension of one and all and
> submitted it to me”.  His Holiness released the said book during the birth
> centenary celebrations of His Guru (18.10.2017) and praised the contents of
> the book.
>
> Umesh, with the permission of the Jagadgurus, withdrew Himself from all
> activities including his position in the Math even in his early thirties.
> From his prefaces in his books cited above, it could be discerned that they
> were written by him solely in deference to the directives of the present
> Jagadguru. He has not been part of any organisation, nor does he give
> lectures or take classes for the past 2 decades or more. It may seem
> strange but the fact is that he does not have email or social media
> accounts. Therefore, I am sure, he won’t even be aware of what is being
> written about him in FB or in this list.  Knowing him, I can say with
> certainty that he will neither respond to his praise in FB by Paddy Rao or
> his censure (ninda) here in Advaita –L even if he had access to these fora.
>
>
> regards
>
> subrahmanian.v
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-- 
Regards

Ryan Armstrong
+27 82 852 7787
ryanarm at gmail.com