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Philosopher and saint in the true sense
SRI CHANDRASEKHARENDRA Saraswati Swamigal, the 68th Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Math, also known as "Maha Periaval" and "Mahaswami" by other appellations, was born on May 20, 1894 in Villuppuram, Tamil Nadu. He lived for a century and passed away on January 8, 1994. His ninth aradhana was observed all over the world on December 30, according to the Hindu calendar.
He has vividly narrated an incident early in life around his third or fourth year, which left an indelible mark on him and made him contemplate on what causes suffering. A dog had entered his house in the night in search of food. It put its head inside a vessel with a narrow opening and could not get its head out. Throughout the night it moved within the room restlessly with its head caught in the vessel. Hearing the noise, a few members of the household entered the room with rods and sticks thinking there was a robber inside. The dog was tied to a pillar. With great difficulty, they released the animals' head from the vessel even as it was struggling for life. It taught him how greed caused suffering.
The Shankaracharya was a polymath. Eminent men from different walks of life called on him and found him carrying on the conversation like an expert on their subjects, from which they learnt something. He was a philosopher in the original Greek sense of the term ("lover of wisdom or knowledge"). Members of European royalty were among his disciples. It was he who suggested that Paul Brunton, author of the well-known book entitled `In Search of Secret India,' approach Ramana Maharishi for having his doubts on spirituality cleared.
There was a historic meeting between the holy man and Gandhiji that took place in a cow shed in Nallichery near Palakkad, Kerala. The Shankaracharya had already started wearing khadi in the 1920s, in response to Gandhiji's campaign. Both sat on the floor after Gandhiji offered his salutation to the sanyasi. Gandhiji spoke in Hindi and the Shankaracharya in Sanskrit, for nearly an hour. Swamiji endorsed the view of Gandhiji that spirituality should be the basis for the functioning of a State and man cannot achieve things by merely making efforts. It was past 5.30 in the evening and Gandhiji would not take food after 6 p.m. So Rajaji, who had accompanied him, came in and reminded him. But Gandhiji said, "The conversation I had with Swamiji is food for me today".
His concern was as much with the poor and the needy as with the higher realms of religion and philosophy. He started a movement called "Pidi Arisi Thittam" (plan for a handful of rice) under which every family was advised to set apart a handful of rice in a vessel every day, for the benefit of the poor. Volunteers would come and collect the grain periodically and arrange for feeding the poor. He was popular with the dalits, Muslims and Christians. He used to visit the slums and distribute prasad among their inhabitants at a time when untouchability was prevalent.. He honoured Vedic scholars from other religions also. To demonstrate the universal values of Hinduism, he appointed the late N. A. Palkhivala, a Parsi, as the head of the Veda Dharma Paripalana Sabha set up by him.
The Shankaracharya has given a good explanation for varnashrama dharma. According to him, there are only four varnas mentioned in the shastras, not hundreds of castes as of today.
The influence that customs and rules of small communities exercise on their members is much more than that of laws of the Government.
A large number of sticks tied up into a bundle can be easily loosened by the removal of one. On the other hand, if there are small bundles which are bound together in a bigger one, it is more difficult to break them. There is nothing in our scriptures that says one varna or caste or job is superior to another.
He pointed out that in ancient times, during festivals, the so-called dalits participated as equals with others in drawing the temple car through the village.
What was aimed at was perfection and expertise in one's job, a concept of modern management. In addition to common dharmas like truthfulness, there are special dharmas for each of the varnas. These swadharmas had bound people together and acted as a bulwark against the onslaught of foreigners, contrary to the impression that they weakened the Hindu society.
Towards the end of his life, the Kanchi seer was sad to see hypocrisy as the bane of contemporary life.
He expressed his disappointment that those who came to see him were not prepared to follow what he said. He later stopped talking and became the Dakshinamurthy, who communicated with his disciples in silence.
A. SESHAN
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