DiscoverBangalore prostrates in
humble obeisance to this great symbol of brahminical tradition on the
eve of its hundredth birthday.
A Special Report
by Sandhya Prabhakar
An
atmosphere of festive gaiety pervades Shankarpuram as the Sringeri Shankarmutt
holds a 40 day long Utsav to mark the occasion of its centenary celebrations.
The quiet spiritual dignity of the Mutt has been a beacon for seekers
of the true purport of life as propagated by Adi Shankaracharya through
the philosophy of Advaita or non-dualism.
On April 8th Shankarpuram rose and walked in devotional fervour as Swamiji's
flower bedecked chariot rolled past towards the Mutt premises. The mutt
has geared itself up to receive and feed an average of 10,000 guests
per day over the next 40 days.
Pujya
Sri. Bharathi Tirtha Swamiji will perform the kumbhaabhishekham at Sringeri
Shankarmutt, Sultanpet on April 29th, Kalkere Sringeri Mutt on May 5th
and Shankarmutt, Rajarajeshwarinagar on May 13th. His divine presence
also graced a Chandi Homa (on April 16th). Shankar Jayanthi festivities
(April 18-22), an all-India Veda Sammelana which hosts over 250 Sanskrit
scholars and an Ati Rudra Maha Yaga are the other much awaited programs.
On May 14th a Kumbhaabhishekam will be held at Sri. Sringeri Shankarmutt
Shankarpuram and a stamp in its honour will be released by the Union
Government. It was incidentally on this historic day that Pujya Sri.
Narasimha Bharati swamiji established the mutt way back in 1907.
Of course what sets the centenary celebrations apart is the occasion
itself being graced by pujya swamiji who is here after a gap of sixteen
years. For more than twelve years this benign saint "had not felt
like moving from Sringeri" as he himself expressed at the inaugural
address.
The
centenary celebration shall also witness the inauguration of a new Veda
Patashala, a hundred-bed hospital, and 'Sri. Bharati Nivasa' a museum
at the erstwhile residence of Sri. Chandrashekara Bharati swamiji housing
numerous memorabilia of his divine grace.
The stately mutt gleams afresh with well laid out flower beds. The 26
acre plot is a hub of activity with special pujas at the Sharada devi
and Adi Shankara temples.
Every day, with the onset of the evening, the mutt is transformed into
an ocean of bliss as it anticipates the puja to Chandramouleshwara by
none other than the seer. It is indeed a pleasant sight to see women
whom you would have otherwise seen in Jeans and Salwaar kameez as a
picture of traditional beauty with silken bordered sarees, kumkum, jasmines
glass bangles et al devoutly waiting for the glorious moment to begin.
The men sit in meditative silence in their dhoti-shalya and with vibhuti
smeared foreheads. Make no mistake, these men comprise of the cream
of Bangalore's intelligentsia most of them steering this silicon city
forward to the next level of all-round prosperity.
The chants of the Rudra reverberate as the Pontiff bathes Chandramouleshshwara,
incessantly as it were, in a divine outpouring of milk totally oblivious
to the huge gathering basking in this pious moment. Regulars at the
puja are awed by the way the flowers casually flying from the hands
of the saint settle down at the feet of the deity in such elegance that
they look like they have been fixed into position…!
Regular music concerts by eminent artists and satsangs by the scholars
at the huge pendal attracts thousands of visitors everyday. The dining
pendal next to it stuns you by the sheers numbers that it caters to
with tasty wholesome food lovingly served to hearts content by numerous
volunteers.
"In the highest sense we have all the four traits in us. At
those moments we are performing duties without the mind and the intellect
we become shudras and when we are involved in the daily activities for
the sake of food we become vyshyas! When we are reacting to a situation
in self defence we become Kshatriyas and when we turn inward and contemplate
on higher values of life we become the Brahmin class…"
- 'In Quest of Self' by Prabhakar Ananthaswamy.
(P.S : In Quest of Self is available for sale
through DiscoverBangalore. Please click
here for more details)
