Presiding Force
The accounts of the life of great sages and saints are proof that the Truth declared in our scriptures are not mere words or figment of imagination but something achievable in this life itself and also serve as a guiding torch for those venturing into the spiritual life, a life of discovery and total fulfillment. Sri Adi Shankaracharya was one such pre-eminent sage who was responsible for re-establishing our Sanatana Dharma and bringing out clearly the essence of the Upanishads. In His great wisdom and compassion, He also established four Maths in the North, South, West and East of India so that our Sanatana Dharma is ever preserved and every spiritual quest is always assuaged. Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham, the first of the four Maths, has been led by mahapurushas well known for their abidance in Truth, tapas, sastraic (Scriptural) knowledge and compassion. In such a lineage, His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal, the 35th Ruling Pontiff of Dakshinamanya Sri Sharada Peetham Sringeri, shines like the pole star. Each and every aspect of His life is a veritable display of divine qualities that can super-charge any spiritual aspirant. Needless to say, the essence of His life and actions will serve as an ideal to any human being.
His Holiness, who should be thought of at the start of every day, Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal shone for thirty-five years as the thirty fifth pontiff of the Dakshinamnaya Sringeri Sharada Peetham. The holy life of this most illustrious one whose renown spread to the end of the quarters is an ideal for every body. This great soul took birth at Bangalore on 13th November, 1917 as the eldest son of a virtuous couple, Kaipu Rama Sastry and Venkatalakshmi, and was named Srinivasa. He, who was endowed from childhood with devotion to God, detachment to sensory objects, fondness for noble people and with good conduct, became the recipient of the unlimited kindness of the then pontiff of the Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham, the preceding Jagadguru Sri Sri Chandrasekhara Bharathi Mahaswamigal, who brought Him to Sringeri.
