The Origin and History of Shri Kashi Math Samsthan and the Guru Parampara – Shrimad Vijayindra Tirtha Swamiji to Shrimad Sudhindra Tirtha Swamiji and Shrimad Samyamindra Tirtha Swamiji

Miscellaneous

The Origin  and History of Shri Kashi Math Samsthan and the Guru Parampara-

Shrimad Vijayindra Tirtha Swamiji to Shrimad Sudhindra Tirtha Swamiji and Shrimad Samyamindra Tirtha Swamiji

V. Sudhish Pai

Shri Kashi Math Samsthan, Varanasi is a Dharma Peetha of the Goud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) community – a religious institution with glorious traditions and a hoary past. The GSBs are those Saraswats who migrated from Goudadesha, known as Trihothrapura in the Puranas.  The Peetha has been occupied and adorned by great Yatis who radiate spirituality and divinity.

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Moola Narayana rejoins his roots – A Tribute to Sant Bhadragiri Achutdas (1931-2013)

Miscellaneous

With the passing away of Sant Bhadragiri Achutdas on 22 October 2013 in Bangalore, a glorious era in the annals of Gowda Saraswatha Brahmins in particular and of Sanathana Hindu Dharma in general, has come to an end. Born in 1931 to Venkataramana Pai and Rukmini Bai in a large family in the small village of Bhadragiri near Udupi, Achut Pai learnt the rudiments of Bhajans from his mother. Though his formal schooling stopped at the 3rd Standard, he was able to absorb knowledge from the surroundings in the village particularly in Yakshagana, Thalamaddale, Bhajans, Keerthans etc. The world around became his school and he started practising the art of Harikatha, which is a unique form of mass communication  in the area of Puranas, incorporating the arts of singing, acting and elocution. He also took part in the performances of Yakshgana both as an actor and as Arthadhari(Narrator).

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Chathurmasa Vratha of His Holiness Srimad Samyamindra Thirtha Swamiji at Bangalore Sri Kashi Math ————- A Report by V.M. Pai

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H.H.Srimad Samyamindra Thirtha Swamiji, Patta Shishya of Mathadipathi H.H.Srimad Sudhindra Thirtha Swamiji arrived in Bangalore on 18th July from His Hubli Camp for the Chathurmasa at around 8.30 PM and was accorded a rousing reception at the Bangalore Sri Kashi Math in Malleswaram. This is the first time that Bangalore is witnessing a Chathurmasa by H.H.Swamiji after the Punar Prathistha of the deities of the Kashi Math Samsthan.

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Krushna Consciousness

Miscellaneous

My mother’s aunt was a devotee of Gauranga Mahaprabhu. In my childhood she read out to me episodes from his life.  I remember the book had  pictures in colours. When I was in middle school ,my uncle joined the Ramakrushna order  and interest shifted to Ramakrushna.

I went to Banaras for engineering studies. My Bengali friend there taught me Bengali .He said a  person is not cultured unless he learnt Bengali and studied  Bengali literature. I had an English version of Tagore’s Geethaanjali. I could now read it in original Bengali. And then I met a girl from my native place down south. She  had come to Bengal as a child. All her education was in Bengali, her tastes were Bengali. She sang Bengali. I married her after I finished my studies five years later. Luckily I was posted in Calcutta.  She taught me Bengali bhajans. Finally she put me deep in Chaitanya and Ramakrushna lore. She would read passages from lives of these two Avatara Purushas of Bengal. We  shared our interest for 52 years. It is a blessing to read  in original words of great saints in their original dialect.

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Sri Kashi Math In Badrinath

Kashi Mutt, Bangalore, Miscellaneous

On the 6th June, H.H.Srimad Sudhindra Teertha Swamiji of Sri Kashi Math Samasthan, camping in Bangalore, announced that the newly built Kashi Math branch of Sri Badrinath, would be inaugurated on 19th June. His Holiness extended an invitation to all to attend the function. I decided to attend this historical programme with a few of my friends. From Bangalore we went to Delhi and from there to Haridwar. We left Haridwar early morning on the 17th June by 4:30 AM on our way to Sri Badrinath. Our Swamiji was camping at Kali Kamblivala Ashram in Rudraprayag, which is 163 km away from Haridwar. We reached Rudraprayag at about 9:30 AM passing through picturesque hilly territories of Rishikesh,Deo Prayag and Srinagar. Rudra Prayag is at an altitude of 610 mtrs at the confluence of the river Mandakini flowing from Kedarnath and Alakananda from Badrinath.

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Twenty five Years of Sri Vyasa ashrama

Kashi Mutt, Bangalore, Miscellaneous

Preparations are on to celebrate the silver jubilee function of Vedavyasa Mandir at Haridwar from 18th to 22nd March 2013. The Mandir and the complex was established by H.H.Srimad Sudhindra Teertha Swamiji, Mathadipathi of  Samsthan Shri Kashi Math of Varanasi in 1988.  This  is an event to be celebrated not merely by the desciples of Shri Kashi Math, not even by all Gowda Saraswat Brahmins, but by the entire community of Sanathana Hindu Dharma in the country and elsewhere. Bhagavan Vedavyasa, an incarnation of the Supreme Lord is the author of Brahma Sutras,  Puranas, Itihasa including the Mahabharatha (which incorporates the Bhagavad Gita) and other scriptures which are at the core of belief and faith held by our people. He is also one of the principal diety of daily worship at the Kashi Math. Vedavyasa is therefore another name for the scriptural treasure of our country.

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Re-inauguration of Kashi Math at Rameswaram

Kashi Mutt, Bangalore, Miscellaneous

A report of the event which took place on 18th November 2005.

Rameshwaram, the island at the southern tip of the country, hallowed by the installation of the Holy Lingam of Lord Sri Mahadeva by non other than Lord Rama, which is now the principle deity in the magnificent Ramanath Temple, is one of the holiest places of pilgrimage for all denominations of Hindus.  It is one of the four holy Dhamas or spiritual pilgrimage centres, the other three being Badrinath in the North, Dwaraka in the West and Puri in the East. A branch of Sri Kashi Math had been established here when His Holiness Yadavendra Teertha Swamiji (H.H.Keshavendra Teertha Swamiji) was the Mathadipathi about 300 years ago.  According to available records and legend, the math along with the Kodanda Rama shrine (inside the main Rameshwaram temple) was built through the efforts of one Kalinga Prabhu, a Gauda Sarawat Brahmin of Kochi who was serving as a naval officer with the Dutch, at that time.  The math is located just outside the West Tower entrance of the main Ramanath temple on Nadu Theru Street.  Due to ravages of time, both the Kodanda Rama shrine with the deities of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana , situated within the main temple complex, as well the Math situated ourside on Nadu Theru, became dilapidated. The shrine was renovated on 19 March 1937 by Srimad Sukrathindra Teertha Swamiji.  The Math building outside however continued for much longer period in a dilapidated condition and it is only recently that a decision to pull down the old structure and build a new Math building on the same site was taken.

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