[Chaturamnaya] Life and Teachings of His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyateertha Mahaswamigal - 14

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Continued from previous post)





http://svbf.org/journal/vol4no2/teachings.pdf





Varied Reforms





Deciding to put the available land to the best possible use, he converted a bamboo forest into
cultivable land. In the face of extreme skepticism, he ordered the planting of coconut saplings.
His instructions were exactly carried out and Sringeri had its first coconut grove. Soon vast
stretches of Narasimhavanam and Narasimhapura were beautified with coconut trees that gave fruits
beyond expectations. The Acharya also set about gathering information regarding pesticides and the
care of crops and groves.




Irrigation being vital, the Acharya took special care in planning canals for appropriately
channeling the flow of water. He designed an extremely ingenious water supply system for
Narasimhapur.




While planning a building, the Acharya gave importance to user convenience, non-wastage of space,
fulfillment of multiple objectives, and provision for expansion and cost minimization.




The Acharya's developmental efforts were not confined to engineering tasks alone but he also
renovated the Pathasala at Sringeri and made numerous conveniences for the teachers and students.
He also encouraged secular education. With his blessings and under his directions, a girls' school
was started at Sringeri. He was also the patron of the Sankara College at Kaladi. He planned and
directed the construction of the Sarada Dhavantari hospital at Sringeri. All these show that the
Acharya was responsible for the all round development of the institutions with which he was
associated.




He was also an able administrator. Though in 1959 the government handed back administration of
the Mutt to the Acharya, it was stripped of all the Jahagirs earlier in its possession. This was
big blow to the income of the Mutt. The Mutt had to be content with an annual compensation of a
couple of lakhs of rupees.




When the news was sorrowfully told to the Acharya, he was unpertubed and replied, "The Jahagirs
were non-existent in the Bhagavatpada's time. The Mutt had been functioning quite well even before
the lands were granted. Likewise, it shall carry on now without them." His stand has been more than
vindicated due to the patronage of the devotees.





No Partiality





Power in the Mutt was initially concentrated in the hands of a few in the administrative cadre.
This provided scope for bottlenecks. The Acharya effectively implemented the well-known management
principle of decentralization. It is common knowledge that favoritism is always detrimental to
effective administration. The Acharya gave no room for partiality and the relatives of his former
days were no exception.




During one of the Acharya's tours, a relative of his joined camp for a few days to see some
pilgrimage spots. The Acharya granted permission, treating it as a normal request. The concerned
relative overstayed with a view to going further with the camp. On coming to know that the person
had not left, he was firm in not permitting any extension.




Simple living and high thinking characterize Mahatmas. The Acharya insisted on doing his personal
work himself. He would take his attendant's assistance for a talk only if such help was essential
or if it were to relate to his pontifical duties. He maintained his things methodically.




A person once came and asked the Acharya, "I would like to do Siva puja. May I have the Lingam I
submitted to the Acharya earlier?" The Acharya immediately fetched the required Lingam and handed
it over to the devotee with the following comment.




"When you gave it to me, you never told me that you would be needing it. Had you done so, I would
have kept it in an appropriate place. Please bear in mind that it is 27 years since you gave the
Lingam to me. So there was every chance that I might have given it away to some devotee on request.
In future, when you give me something and would like to have it back at a later date please let me
know."





(To be continued)