There were the sages of old and now there are the new age gurus with all the latest apparatus. Jayendra Saraswathi was a little different from both. He was a sage from the old order willing to push the borders of orthodoxy to be in line with demands of contemporary India. He tried to and succeeded to a large extent in treading this delicate and dangerous tight rope. File image of Kanchi mutt pontiff Jayendra Saraswathi. Image courtesy: KA Vishwanathan He was a master of scriptures and shastras accessible to all with his disarming smile and childish enthusiasm. He preached profound matters in simple terms. He combined piety with practical wisdom. Small wonder he was a devotee s delight and a very popular person. At the same time he understood the nuances and demands of the modern world. He believed that service to people is service to God. He felt that if Hinduism were to be relevant in the present and future it needs institutions as much as it needs temples and ashrams. For this he hid not hesitate to bend if not break the Kanchi Order s convention of the incumbent seer keeping himself restricted to the physical space of the Mutt. The number of hospitals hospices colleges and schools and not surprisingly veda patashalas and temple renovations and rejuvenation of are eloquent testimony to this strong belief of his. These will now be everlasting monuments of his memory. It was ultimately his foray in to the material realm that cost him much distress. The last fourteen years were truly turbulent for the Kanchi Mutt and him. Treading on the unfamiliar and treacherous territory of politics he stepped on some sensitive toes. He became the target of an unrelenting political vendetta that saw him jailed for a few months. It humiliated him and sapped his body and soul. He was no match for a power-wielding chief minister who was bent on scoring political points at his expense. His Holiness lost out to Her Highness or more precisely Her High-handedness. All said what will remain in memory are his services to humanity and Hinduism. This personal anecdote is a good way to end this tribute: My wife Kaushalya and I have had many interactions with him. During one such interaction last year we asked him: Does Karma chase sages too or are they exempt? His simple reply: Yes and I am fortunate to have been bestowed this janma. I pray that with all this suffering my quota is over he said and laughed his trademark child-like laughter. I would like to think of that as probably his last laugh on those who hunted and haunted him and pray that his quota is indeed over. The writer is a senior Chennai-based journalist.
By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi | Updated: February 28 2018 12:44 pm Born in Tamil Nadu s Thiruvarur district Jayendra Saraswathi was chosen as the successor to Parmacharya Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi when he was only 19. Related News Jayendra Saraswathi (1935-2018): Spiritual leader who expanded Kanchi mutt s business servicesKanchi Seer Jayendrar Saraswathi passes awayKanchi seers 22 others acquitted in 2004 Sankararaman murder caseThe senior seer of Kancheepuram Sankara Mutt Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamy passed away at a hospital in Kanchipuram. He was 82. The mutt administration issued a brief statement on their website. The 69th Acharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya Swamigal attained Siddhi at 9.00 am today Shukla Trayodashi 28 Feb. 2018 at Sri Kanchi Kamakotii Peetam Sankara Matam Kanchipuram. He will be succeeded by Vijayendra Saraswathi who will be anointed as the 70th Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. Disappearance Born in Tamil Nadu s Thiruvarur district Jayendra Saraswathi was chosen as the successor to Parmacharya Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi when he was only 19. In 1987 Jayendra Saraswathi mysteriously disappeared from the mutt. He reportedly left behind his sacred thread and other articles of faith in his living quarters. Jayendra Saraswathi however was traced in Karnataka s Talacauvery three days after he went missing. His chosen successor Sankara Vijayendra Sarasvati was given charge of the mutt s daily rituals in Jayendra Saraswati s absence. Jayendra Saraswathi till date hasn t fully explained the circumstances surrounding his sudden disappearance. Nearly forty years after he was chosen as a successor Jayendra Saraswathi succeeded Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi as the 69th Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in 1994. Sankararaman murder case Jayendra Saraswati s role as the senior-most seer increasingly came under the spotlight in 2004 after he was named as an accused in the murder case of Sankararaman a temple manager. In 2000 when Jayendra Saraswati intended to visit China Sankararaman sought the court intervention to stop the senior seer from travelling abroad. Sankararaman argued that a Hindu would lose his/her religion if he/she crossed the ocean and as the head of the Kanchi mutt Jayendra Saraswati should have known better. Jayendra Saraswati was forced to abandon his plans. Sankararaman was allegedly barred from entering the mutt owing to differences between the two. He even wrote open letters to Jayendra Saraswati warning him against abusing his position at the mutt and threatened to move to court seeking his removal. The junior seer and his successor Vijayendra Saraswathi was also named as an accused in the case. Jaynedra Saraswathi was however acquitted in the case in 2013 after a prolonged legal fight. In 2004 Sankaraman was attacked by five men at the Debrajasamy temple and stabbed him to death. For all the latest Who Is News download Indian Express App Get assembly election result LIVE updates from each constituency in Tripura Nagaland and Meghalaya IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd More Related News Hearing in Sankararaman murder case adjourned to September 6 Bond of Music Tags: Jayendra Saraswathi PPriyamvadaMar 1 2018 at 3:26 amWhat a one-sided article on one of India s leading Gurus! No mention of all the social welfare schemes like Jana Kalyan and Jana Jagaran no mention of the orphanages and hospitals founded during his tenure as pontiff. I expected a better article from The Indian Express. Very disappointing.(1)(0) Reply RRaviFeb 28 2018 at 3:14 pmHighly biased article. Mentioning only the controversial parts of his life. He had several noble work done during his life time.(6)(0) ReplyJJVkumarFeb 28 2018 at 4:12 pmWell documented one(0)(2) Reply RramakrishnaFeb 28 2018 at 12:48 pmThere is no death ---SIVAIKYAM---GURU PADARAVINDAM SIRASA NAMAMI MNASA SMARAMI------- ATTAINS ONENESS(5)(1) Reply SSuhasFeb 28 2018 at 12:15 pmAfter srideve died our media gave 24 7 hrs coverage. All news channels showing only sridevi. But no one knows who was jayendrs saraswathi. That is the respect we give to our guru and to cine personalities. Sridevis death is very very sad but the way media is covering it 24 7 for last 5 days is nothing but pervrt obsession of media. I feel like vomiting bt seeing the type and time of coverage. Absolute humbug. That does not mean i am not sad about her death. But media coverage has crossed all limits of pervert level of obsession. This coverage by media is an insult to the viewers.(0)(0) Reply
ALSO READ President PM condole Kanchi Shankaracharya s demise Shankaracharya overcame ordeal of murder charge in 2013 Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati passes away at 82 Shankaracharya s face emits calm body taken to mutt s vantage spot Kanchi Shankaracharya passes away span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi hailed as a social reformer and known for his efforts for resolution of the vexed Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute died at a hospital here today at the age of 82. The Hindu seer who was the 69th acharya of the mutt which many believe was founded by Adi Shankaracharya himself nearly 2 500 years ago had his share of both glory and controversy as he was arrested in 2004 connection with the murder of a temple manager. He was acquitted by a sessions court in the case in 2013. Jayendra Saraswathi had been unwell for the past few months. He complained of uneasiness this morning and was rushed to the nearby Adi Bhagavadpada Cardiac and Dialysis Centre a facility sponsored by the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. He breathed his last at the hospital according to mutt officials. His mortal remains in a traditional seated posture as followed for seers have been placed at the mutt for people to pay their last respects. Condolence poured in for the revered seer with many recalling his contribution to philanthropic activities and his efforts to reach out to dalits and other socially backward communities. President Ram Nath Kovind Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu Prime Minister Narendra Modi BJP Chief Amit Shah Congress President Rahul Gandhi and other leaders condoled the death of the seer. According to officials the body will be kept for people to pay their respects till tomorrow morning before it is taken for last rites. Jayendra Saraswathi was heading the mutt since 1994 after taking on the mantle from his predecessor the late Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi. The junior pontiff Vijayendra Saraswathi will succeed Jayendra Saraswathi. The body will be laid to rest adjacent to his predecessor within the mutt premises tomorrow its manager Sundaresa Iyer said. Tomorrow morning at 8 am we will be starting the formalities as per the rules of the mutt. Rituals will be performed similar to the way they were done for Mahaperiyava (Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi) he told reporters. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami his deputy O Panneerselvam and DMK Working President MK Stalin among others who condoled Jayendra Saraswathi s demise. DMDK founder Vijayakant and sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran visited the mutt to pay homage to the late seer. Born as Subramanian in Irulneeki village in Tiruvarur district Jayendra Saraswathi was appointed as junior pontiff of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in 1954 by Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi at a young age of 19. Jayendra Saraswathi was credited for his outreach to various sections of the society. Once considered close to the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa he even attempted at finding an amicable solution to the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Majid issue. He held discussions with stakeholders on both sides in 2003 during the then BJP-led NDA regime at the Centre but could not make much headway. The pontiff had earlier courted controversy in 1987 when he suddenly disappeared from the mutt only to be found out later. However his most challenging period came in 2004 when he was arrested on eve of Diwali in connection with a murder of a temple manager A Sankararaman during the Jayalalithaa regime. The trial court had later acquitted him and others including his deputy Vijayendra Saraswathi in the case. Sankararaman manager of the Sri Varadarajaperumal temple here was brutally murdered in his office room in the temple on September 3 2004. He had levelled charges of financial misappropriation in the mutt administration against Jayendra and Vijayendra Saraswathi. The two seers were booked for murder and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code. Jayendra Saraswathi was arrested on November 11 2004 from Mahbub Nagar in Andhra Pradesh. The senior pontiff was granted bail by the Supreme Court on January 10 2005 after he had spent two months in Vellore jail. Vijayendra Saraswathi was arrested from the mutt on January 10 2005 and was released on bail a month later. They later moved the Supreme Court and got the case transferred to Puducherry in 2005 on grounds that the atmosphere in Tamil Nadu was vitiated and there may not be free and fair trial. In November 2013 the Puducherry Sessions Court acquitted both the seers. Besides them 21 other accused were also acquitted by Puducherry Principal District and Sessions Judge C. S. Murugan. Sad to hear of the passing of Jayendra Saraswatiji the Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. Our country has lost a spiritual leader and social reformer of rare eminence My condolences to his countless disciples and followers President Kovind said on Twitter. Naidu and Modi expressed sadness at his demise saying he will live on in the hearts and minds of devotees due to his exemplary service to society. Deeply anguished by the passing away of Acharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya Modi said in a tweet. He will live on in the hearts and minds of lakhs of devotees due to his exemplary service and noblest thoughts. Om Shanti to the departed soul he added. Congress President Rahul Gandhi said he was saddened to hear about the death of the Shankaracharya. He was revered by lakhs of believers all over the world for his teachings. May his soul rest in peace Gandhi said.(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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TIRUVARUR: A pall of gloom descended on Irulneeki -- the native village of Kanchi seer ayendra Saraswathi -- in Tiruvarur district after news of pontiff s death reached there on Wednesday morning. Jayendra Saraswathi was born as Subramanyam to Mahadeva Iyer and Saraswathi Ammal on July 18 1935. He completed schooling at Irulneeki primary school and at a middle school at nearby Aathichapuram village. Then he shifted to a vedha padasala at Thiruvanaikoil in Trichy. The villagers paid floral tributes to the seer after placing his portrait in front of the house where he was born. All the villagers skipped their work on Wednesday. A holiday was declared for the government middle school in the village. The pontiff s classmate Sattanathan 83 who is a priest said Subramanyam had been very pious since childhood. We studied together at Irulneeki up to Class III. Then he moved to Thiruvanaikoil. Whenever he visited our village on holidays we played marble and killi-thandu . He constructed a house for my family he added. President of the All Farmers Associations Coordination Committee P R Pandian who was also a native of Irulneeki village paid homage to the seer. The seer had done many things to our village including construction of an overhead water tank and buildings for government schools. He had also made arrangements to impart skill training to the women including stitching and weaving training. He had constructed houses for the people in below poverty line. A small hospital constructed for the benefits of the villagers is still functioning he said.
Written by Shahid A. Abbasi | Published: February 28 2018 7:00 pm The head of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham Jayendra Saraswathi passed away on Wednesday (Express Archive) In the aftermath of the Godhra train carnage in 2002 and the communal polarization that ensued I published a few articles demonstrating similarities in the messages of the Bhagvad Geeta and the Koran. I showed that Islam sanctifies Sanatan scriptures and acknowledges their contribution in the evolution of Islam. The articles attracted the attention of the Vishwa Hindu Parished (VHP). Their then Vice President Mr Vedantam who was looking after Tamil Nadu from his Chennai office came to Puducherry for a long discussion with me. He then suggested that I should meet His Holiness the Sankaracharya of Kanchipuram. The suggestion was hugely surprising as well as flattering. The Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi was one of the prominent national figures then having tried to negotiate a settlement of the Babri Masjid structure dispute with the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB). Cabinet ministers belonging to the BJP in the then NDA government used to visit him for advice and blessings. President APJ Abdul Kalam had publicly declared that Saraswathi was one of the most wise and inspiring persons known to him. READ | Who was Sri Jayendra Saraswathi? Devotees used to line up in the hot sun for hours just to get a glimpse. The high and mighty waited for days and weeks to get a minute s worth of his hearing. In contrast I was less than nobody unknown even to AIMPLB! But somehow Vedantam thought there was meaning in taking me to the Sankaracharya. He went a step further to ensure that for a full two hours during the scheduled meeting no one or nothing else not even a phone call should disturb His Holiness. On a balmy Kanchipuram afternoon I found myself walking barefoot along with Vedantam and an aide of his to the Sankaracharya a peetham. Vedantam s presence opened all the otherwise formidably closed doors and soon I was being ushered into the Sanctum Sanctorum the living room of the Sankaracharya. The room turned out to be as spartan as the sage s dress with only a modest cot on which he was sitting wearing little except a single-piece wrap. While Vedantam and his aide greeted the sage by lying prostrate only touched his feet sheepishly explaining that being a Muslim I can prostrate myself only before the unseen God. As the three visitors squatted on the floor for the meeting Vedantam told Saraswathi Professor says that if it is proved that the Babri Masjid was constructed after demolishing a functioning temple Muslims should immediately forfeit all claims . I elaborated saying In Islam it is a sin to damage any place of worship be it a temple a church or any other. No mosque can have sanctity if it has been constructed by destroying another functioning place of worship . A long and potentially acrimonious discussion then ensued. The VHP side presented their version of history as per which hundreds of temples have been destroyed in the past to build mosques. I presented my and a vastly different version of history. I mentioned the case of Mahmud of Ghazni which had been narrated in a gathering by none other than the RSS ideologue K. R. Malkani. When Mahmud of Ghazni offered some of his loot to the Chief Qazi of Samarkand for building a mosque there the Qazi contemptuously spurned the offer saying how can a mosque be built with money tainted by sin . The VHP side insisted But there are stones and pillars bearing carvings of Sanatan gods and goddesses in many mosques which proves that those mosques were built by destroying temples . I said on the other hand it shows the inclusiveness of quintessential Islam. If while building a mosque the Muslims of those times had found remnants of any old and fallen temple they would have honored those remnants by including them in the building of their mosques . I also pointed out that had the builders of those mosques been inimical to other religions they would have avoided polluting their mosques with signs of other religions. With both sides trying to prove their point the debate went on and on. On more than one occasion Saraswathi with an unconcealable tinge of irritation intervened. You may believe this but this is not how it is he said. Mostly though the debate was peaceful. It was a far cry from the expletives and innuendos that fly thick and fast on TV. So said His Holiness if it is proved that the mosque was constructed after destroying a temple the Muslims will give up their claims on it what if it does not get proved and the court judgement is in favor of Muslims? Then I said all true Muslims should immediately gift the site to our Hindu brotheren because true Islam like the true Sanatan dharma by which it has been inspired is a giving religion . By way of some sort of conclusion I said in either case a grand Ram temple should come at that site . If this is how Muslims feel asked Saraswathi why don t they give up their claim to that site now itself? I replied that giving up the claim now will have no honor. Saraswathi spoke about the intransigence of some Muslims on the issue and the necessity that persons like me educate such Muslims. Then he added all Muslims are not terrorists but all terrorists are Muslims. I replied with Sir in the 1970s the world spoke of Irish terrorism. Then it was Khalistan terrorism. It is only from the 1990s that we have begun hearing about the so-called Islamic terrorism .it has as little to do with Islam as Khalistan terrorism had to do with Sikhism or the Irish terrorism had to do with Christianity . On this note the meeting came to an end. Do come again said the Sage. I too very much wished to keep in touch with http://www.unionspringsal.gov/UserProfile/tabid/61/userId/93829/Default.aspx him. But soon the storm of the Sankaraman case was to break upon his life. He was eventually exonerated but the years of his national prominence were abruptly cut short. They were not destined to return. Shahid A Abbasi is a columnist who also writes ghazals in English and Hindi. An Emeritus Professor at Pondicherry University he can be reached at ) For all the latest Opinion News download Indian Express App Get assembly election result LIVE updates from each constituency in Tripura Nagaland and Meghalaya IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd More From Shahid A. Abbasi Singing Vande Mataram in a changing India For someone like me whose childhood was inseparable from Vande Mataram the mere mention of it now causes unease. If I don t sing it some Hindu boy meets Muslim girl or vice-versa? It s love all We have had both prem-dharmayuddh and love-jehad in our families so we are acquainted with both versions of love... Mohit GroverFeb 28 2018 at 7:21 pmHe was involved with the murder of his disciple he cannot escape that BAD KARMA(7)(12) ReplyKKamal PashaFeb 28 2018 at 10:10 pmWhen reicarnated he will suffer a lot and beg for death which will not come till he is 82 like now.(1)(2) ReplyCChanduFeb 28 2018 at 10:29 pmAnti Hindus tried to blame and tried to create this. Guru ji is more knowledgeable and great human being they don t harm anyone. They do chathurmasya because they don t want to hurt insects born during rainy season. That s the kind of at ude they will have. Its the Anti Hindu and conversion politics tried to blame him so that what ever good things he is doing for Hindus gets suppressed.(2)(2) Reply
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