Vijayendra Saraswati Swamigal
Encyclopedia
Sri Shankara Vijayendra Saraswathi Sankaracharya Swamiji is the 70th Pontiff
of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Kanchipuram
. He is one of the leading religious figures in Hinduism
today.
(guru and head or pontiff, Peetadhipathi) of the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, a Hindu religious institution. He was nominated by his predecessor, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi
, as his successor and was given the title Sri Shankara Vijayendra Saraswathi on May 29, 1983 at the early age of 13 years.
He first attended a village school in his native village of Thandalam. After school hours, he learnt Sanskrit
. His father Sri Krishnamurthy Sastri, a Vedic scholar of high repute, taught Rig Veda in the Sri Sankara Kainkarya Sabha Patashala in Polur. After studying in the regular system up to the sixth standard, Shri Sankaranarayanan (the boy) joined the Patashala as an ardent student of his own father and became very proficient in the Vedas
. He also studied and mastered various shastra-s.
He had his first darshana of (i.e. saw) the 69th Kanchi Shankaracharya Shri Jayendra Sarasvati
when he was about eight years old. Thereafter He visited Kanchipuram
from time to time and would go wherever the Navaratri pujas were performed by His Holiness Shri Jayendra Sarasvati. When He was eleven years old, he had his first darshana of the Mahaswami Shri Chandrashekharendra Sarasvati
at Satara
for the first time. When He met the Mahaswami once more a year later, the Mahaswami conversed with Him for a long time.
His brilliance in studies and pious nature were noticed by Shri Jayendra Sarasvati who decided that He would be an able successor. Shri Jayendra Sarasvati initiated Shankaranarayanan (the boy) to the holy order of sannyasa on May 29, 1983. His sannyasa name is Shankara Vijayendra Sarasvati. In Tamil Nadu, His followers call Him "Bala Periyavaal", which means "Young Holy One" in Tamil language
.
On account of his sacerdotal office and his profound knowledge of the Hindu religion and philosophy, Shri Shankara Vijayendra Sarasvati Swami commands wide respect in India
, particularly in religious Hindu circles.
Shri Shankara Vijayendra Sarasvati Swami has toured to many parts of the country. He has visited places like Punjab
, Himachal Pradesh
, Assam, Orissa
, West Bengal
and all other parts of southern India. He also Visited Nepal
in the year 1998 with His Guru Shri Jayendra Sarasvati Swami.
He is very particular about the preservation of native Indian dharma
and culture and has initiated, under the guidance of His Guru Shri Jayendra Sarasvati, several measures towards these goals. He has organised Shilpa Kendras or schools for the art of temple architecture
to preserve that thinning yet vital art. He has also been instrumental in establishing Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati International Library and Research Centre at Enathur, Kanchipuram which houses books in many languages and on various subjects, with a focus on Indian heritage and philosophy. This library also preserves many ancient palm-leaf manuscripts.
Shri Jayendra Sarasvati and Shri Shankara Vijayendra Sarasvati were listed among the accused in the case where Sankararaman, son of an ex-employee of the Kanchi matha was murdered on September 3, 2004. As of January 2010, the key witnesses of the case have themselves turned hostile to the prosecution and state that the police had forced them to lie against the Shankaracharya and his disciple Shri Shankara Vijayendra Sarasvati.
Pontiff
A pontiff was, in Roman antiquity, a member of the principal college of priests . The term "pontiff" was later applied to any high or chief priest and, in ecclesiastical usage, to a bishop and more particularly to the Bishop of Rome, the Pope or "Roman Pontiff".-Etymology:The English term derives...
of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram, or Kanchi, is a temple city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a temple town and the headquarters of Kanchipuram district...
. He is one of the leading religious figures in Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
today.
Biography
Sri Shankara Vijayendra Saraswathi (born March 13, 1969 as Sankaran in a village called Thandalam, Tiruvallur District, Tamil Nadu) is the 70th ShankaracharyaShankaracharya
Shankaracharya, is a commonly used title of heads of mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition. The title derives from Adi Shankara, a 9th century CE reformer of Hinduism. He is honored as Jagadguru, a title that was used earlier only to Lord Krishna...
(guru and head or pontiff, Peetadhipathi) of the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, a Hindu religious institution. He was nominated by his predecessor, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi
Jayendra Saraswathi
Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal is the 69th Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham....
, as his successor and was given the title Sri Shankara Vijayendra Saraswathi on May 29, 1983 at the early age of 13 years.
He first attended a village school in his native village of Thandalam. After school hours, he learnt Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
. His father Sri Krishnamurthy Sastri, a Vedic scholar of high repute, taught Rig Veda in the Sri Sankara Kainkarya Sabha Patashala in Polur. After studying in the regular system up to the sixth standard, Shri Sankaranarayanan (the boy) joined the Patashala as an ardent student of his own father and became very proficient in the Vedas
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
. He also studied and mastered various shastra-s.
He had his first darshana of (i.e. saw) the 69th Kanchi Shankaracharya Shri Jayendra Sarasvati
Jayendra Saraswathi
Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal is the 69th Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham....
when he was about eight years old. Thereafter He visited Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram, or Kanchi, is a temple city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a temple town and the headquarters of Kanchipuram district...
from time to time and would go wherever the Navaratri pujas were performed by His Holiness Shri Jayendra Sarasvati. When He was eleven years old, he had his first darshana of the Mahaswami Shri Chandrashekharendra Sarasvati
Chandrashekarendra Saraswati
Jagadguru Chandrashekarendra Saraswati Swamigal or the Sage of Kanchi was the 68th Jagadguru in the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam...
at Satara
Satara
Satara is a city located in the Satara District of Maharashtra state of India. The town is 2320 ft. above sea-level, near the confluence of the Krishna and its tributary river Venna. The city was the capital of the Maratha empire in the 17th century, hence one of the the historical cities of...
for the first time. When He met the Mahaswami once more a year later, the Mahaswami conversed with Him for a long time.
His brilliance in studies and pious nature were noticed by Shri Jayendra Sarasvati who decided that He would be an able successor. Shri Jayendra Sarasvati initiated Shankaranarayanan (the boy) to the holy order of sannyasa on May 29, 1983. His sannyasa name is Shankara Vijayendra Sarasvati. In Tamil Nadu, His followers call Him "Bala Periyavaal", which means "Young Holy One" in Tamil language
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
.
On account of his sacerdotal office and his profound knowledge of the Hindu religion and philosophy, Shri Shankara Vijayendra Sarasvati Swami commands wide respect in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, particularly in religious Hindu circles.
Shri Shankara Vijayendra Sarasvati Swami has toured to many parts of the country. He has visited places like Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
, Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
, Assam, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
and all other parts of southern India. He also Visited Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
in the year 1998 with His Guru Shri Jayendra Sarasvati Swami.
He is very particular about the preservation of native Indian dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
and culture and has initiated, under the guidance of His Guru Shri Jayendra Sarasvati, several measures towards these goals. He has organised Shilpa Kendras or schools for the art of temple architecture
Temple architecture
Temple architecture may refer to:* Hindu temple architecture* Temple architecture...
to preserve that thinning yet vital art. He has also been instrumental in establishing Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati International Library and Research Centre at Enathur, Kanchipuram which houses books in many languages and on various subjects, with a focus on Indian heritage and philosophy. This library also preserves many ancient palm-leaf manuscripts.
Shri Jayendra Sarasvati and Shri Shankara Vijayendra Sarasvati were listed among the accused in the case where Sankararaman, son of an ex-employee of the Kanchi matha was murdered on September 3, 2004. As of January 2010, the key witnesses of the case have themselves turned hostile to the prosecution and state that the police had forced them to lie against the Shankaracharya and his disciple Shri Shankara Vijayendra Sarasvati.