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Issue Thursday, June 09, 2005

Seer’s second coming, same spot as 51 years ago

M.R. VENKATESH

Kancheepuram, June 8: The wheel turned full circle for acharya

Jayendra Saraswati today as he marked his formal return to the Kanchi

Kamakoti Mutt from the exact spot where he had been initiated into

sanyas 51 years ago.

The pontiff, junior seer Vijayendra Saraswati in tow, arrived at the

Sarvatheertham tank at the north-western end of the temple town early

in the morning to a low-key but spirited welcome from scores of

devotees.

Later, both acharyas re-ascended the mutt’s ancient pontifical seat,

believed to have been founded by Adi Sankara himself, the propounder

of the Advaita-Vedanta system of philosophy.

The seers arrived at Sarvatheertham at the stroke of six today, eight

months after they had left Kancheepuram and seven months after

Jayendra was arrested at Mehboobnagar in Andhra Pradesh as prime

accused in the murder of temple official Shankar Raman.

The senior pontiff had been staying at Kalavai, about 45 km from here,

since his release on bail by the Supreme Court on January 10.

Vijayendra, another accused in the case, had joined him recently

after Madras High Court relaxed his bail conditions.

On January 21, police filed a 1,873-page chargesheet in the case,

which is being tried at the Chengalpattu sessions court. Jayendra’s

plea in the apex court, seeking transfer of the case outside Tamil

Nadu, is pending.

Today being an auspicious day, the second day after amavasya (new

moon) which fell on June 6, the acharyas chose to return to the mutt

with its presiding deity, Sri Chandramouleeshwara, mutt sources said.

The Sarvatheertham tank (which is believed to contain waters of all

the sacred Indian rivers) was chosen for the reception for it was

there that Jayendra was initiated into sanyas by the late Maha Swami,

Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati, in 1954, the sources said.

The acharyas got off their vehicle amid full-throated cries of “jaya

jaya Sankara, hara hara Sankara” and were accorded the traditional

Poornakumbha welcome by Devalla Janakiraman, a Teertha purohit.

Then, under a small shamiana put up near the Sandhavalli Amman temple,

Rama Koti Shastrigal of the mutt — one of its seniormost priests —

tied the parivattam (a dark-red turban) around Jayendra’s head and

welcomed him with a garland and a shawl. He did the same for

Vijayendra.

Although Jayendra had visited the mutt a couple of times after his

release from the Vellore jail, it was the turban ceremony that

symbolised the return of the acharyas as pontiffs. They received

another Poornakumbha welcome at the entrance of the mutt.

With a wan smile on his face, Jayendra kept his right hand raised in a

gesture of blessing as he walked among the devotees but refused the

extra garlands.

In a sudden burst of energy, he walked into the Adi Sankara puja

mandap, which had become dusty since his arrest. Both seers paid

homage to the large stone statue of Adi Sankara and the first lamp

was lit.

As the acharyas prepared to settle into their daily routines, a truck

offloaded a huge cargo of religious paraphernalia, including large

vessels and utensils, indicating that the seers would stay in

Kancheepuram for now.

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