[Advaita-l] Remembering the Mahatma HH Sri Chandrashekhara Bharati Mahaswaminah

[Murali k]

Namaste Subramanianji,

Is there any link to read this entire article?

Thanks for sharing.

Best Regards,
Murali

On Sat 28 Sep, 2019, 1:03 PM V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l, <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> Today is Mahalaya Amavasya. Followers of Sankara Sampradaya remember this
> day as the mukti day of a great personage, one of the greatest this planet
> had the privilege to host for 62 years.
> We reproduce the last part of my elaborate article on Sri Chandrasekhara
> Bharati Mahaswami of Sringeri which was published in ‘The Mountain Path’,
> the quarterly magazine of Sri Ramanasramam in its June 2001 issue. I have
> also posted the artist Maniam Selvan’s beautiful line drawing of the great
> Sage done for my article.
>
> THE LAST YEARS
>
> It was 1952. The Sringeri math authorities and Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati's
> devotees planned to celebrate the sixtieth birthday of the Swami in a grand
> manner. The Swami firmly turned down their request. He could not bring
> himself to allow an event that celebrated his body which he considered to
> be false. The Swami finally agreed, for the only reason that Ati Rudra and
> Sahasra Chandi homas which were beneficial to the world at large would be
> performed on the occasion. The yagnas were conducted in April 1953, months
> after the Swami's actual birthday; the Swami did not take part in them. He
> did not stir from his retreat at Narasimha Vana, but he gave darshan to the
> thousands of devotees who had assembled for the yagnas.
>
> In the year 1954, the Swami was his usual self and more accessible to
> devotees. He also participated in the Vinayaka sadas held on the occasion
> of Vinayaka Chaturthi — something which he had never done for a long time.
> Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati was particularly genial and gracious with
> everyone during the year 1954. People were surprised, as they witnessed the
> Swami call each of his attendants and the math staff and enquire of their
> welfare and of their family. With kindness and solicitude he spoke to
> devotees and blessed them. When a devotee, C.P.Ramaswamy Iyer, wrote to him
> as to when he could have his darshan, the Swami wrote back saying he could
> come immediately, certainly before Mahalaya Amavasya, which in that year
> fell on 26 September.
>
> On 25 September, he handed over the books in his possession to the
> librarian and spoke to all devotees who sought his presence. In the evening
> he stood before the Samadhi of his Guru, the great Sivabhinava Narasimha
> Bharati for sometime. He ate a frugal meal that evening and retired for the
> night but did not sleep. Every now and then he got up and went round his
> Guru's Samadhi several times and repeated slokas from Sadasiva Brahmendra's
> poem, Atma Vidya Vilasa and chanted other stotras.
>
> On 26 September, 1954, well before dawn, Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati started
> for the river Tunga for his bath. His attendant reminded him that hot water
> was ready for his bath. It was dark and rainy. The Swami said, "Today is a
> punya divasa (holy day) being Mahalaya Amavasya. Let us bathe in the
> river", and unmindful of the cold and drizzle, went down to the river. The
> attendant rushed behind with clothes for the Swami.
>
> Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati descended the steps and went into the river. The
> attendant had begun washing clothes with his back turned to the Swami. The
> Swami had a dip in the cool waters of the Tunga and sat on a stone slab for
> his pranayama. The next minute the attendant heard a loud thud and splash
> of water. Turning round he saw the Swami's body, in padmasana, floating
> downstream. Stunned, he screamed for help, dived into the water, went after
> the body and caught hold of it. Swimming against the water current with the
> Swami's body, the attendant repeatedly screamed for help. Presently another
> assistant who had rushed from the quarters jumped into the water and helped
> to bring the body to the river bank. It was a quarter past four in the
> morning.
>
> The junior Swami, Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha, math authorities, staff,
> devotees, all came. Doctors who examined the Swami found not a drop of
> water inside the body of that Maha Yogi. The face was calm and serene with
> that ineffable peace reigning. It was icha marana. Sri Chandrasekhara
> Bharati had of his own accord left his mortal coil. His body was taken in
> procession through the streets of Sri
>
> ngeri. Thousands of devotees rushed to Sringeri on hearing the stunning
> news and paid their tearful homage to Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati. His body
> was interred at Narasimha Vana next to the Samadhi of his illustrious Guru,
> Sri Narasimha Bharati. A Samadhi was built and a marble statue was made and
> consecrated in 1963.
>
> Thus ended a glorious physical chapter in the history of Sanatana Dharma.
> But not before, this phenomenon showed the world the way to live in this
> world, the way to attain happiness and peace. Not before this phenomenon
> poured its grace on countless devotees, transforming their lives for good.
> ......................................
>
> Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati said that the path of dharma was broad enough to
> accommodate various beliefs and there was absolutely no necessity to
> quarrel about the relative merits and demerits of the various paths or
> faiths. What was important was the practical realisation of the truth. The
> catholicity, broadmindedness and practical convictions of Sri
> Chandrasekhara Bharati are brought out in a conversation with a European
> gentleman, an excerpt of which is given here:
>
> European: Your Holiness, I have been studying your religion for many years
> now and am fascinated by its various aspects. I wonder if I could convert
> to Hinduism and if Your Holiness could initiate me!
>
> Swami: Have you studied the aspects of your own religion thoroughly?
>
> European: I am afraid not, but I have, to a certain extent, tried to follow
> the precepts of Christianity. Unfortunately, I have not been able to meet a
> genuine spiritual master of Christianity so that I can clarify my doubts.
>
> Swami: In the first place, every human being can be said to belong to
> Sanatana Dharma or what is today called Hinduism, because of the fact that
> most of the tenets of other religions are contained in Sanatana Dharma.
> However, God must have had a purpose in causing you to be born in a
> particular religion. I also cannot accept your opinion that there do not
> exist genuine spiritual masters belonging to your own religion. It is not
> necessary for you to convert to Hinduism in order to realise the truth. Go
> back and devote your time to study of Christianity in depth. Also, if you
> sincerely search for spiritual masters within your own religion you will
> definitely find them and they will solve your doubts in no time.
>
> European: Your Holiness, I am amazed at your catholicity and I do not know
> how to thank you, but now I go back, determined to live the life of a
> better Christian.
> ………………………………..
> Once a few disciples were waiting for the Swami to teach them Adi
> Shankara's bhashyas. The Swami was then engaged in Sri Chakra puja. He was
> so engrossed in it that he did not notice the passage of time nor the
> presence of his disciples waiting for him. A devotee who was observing all
> this thought to himself, "How can His Holiness find pleasure in
> mechanically offering flowers to the Goddess and how can it be superior to
> the charm and depth of Shankara's bhashyas"
> Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati came out after the puja and while offering
> prasadam to the devotee said, "One of the holy names of Mother Goddess is
> मिथ्या जगदाधिष्ठान mithyA jagadAdhiSthAna (substratum on which the illusory
> universe is seen). Do the bhashyas contain anything more than this?"
> …………………………………..
> A similar incident told to us by violinist R.K.Shriramkumar.
>
> Once, Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati was engaged in Sri Chakra puja. He had
> just then come out of a very long stint in Antarmukha. A devotee on seeing
> the Swami meticulously offering flowers to the Mother Goddess, thought to
> himself, “Swami is a pure Advaitin, a Jnani. Why does he engage himself in
> chanting the Lalitha Sahasranama and in doing puja?” After the puja, the
> Swami gave prasadam to the few devotees who were present. When this
> particular devotee, who had this doubt came to get the prasadam, the Maha
> Swami began chanting the Lalitha Sahasranama, all of those names being
> purely Advaitic in content (like nityamuktA nirvikArA niSprapanchA
> nirAshrayA etc). After reciting 40 or 50 namas, the Swami asked the devote
>
> e, “Is this Advaita in the Lalitha Sahasranama enough or do you want more?”
>
> Sriguro paahi
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