Swami Satchidanandendra Saraswati and the Sankaracharyas

[Guest guest]

Ranjeet Sankar wrote:

> Namaste,

>

> Swami SatchidAnandEndra Saraswathi in his famous book "The

Method of the

> Vedanta" (got the book atlast! ) says, the sole purpose of

-----

> Is "The Method of the Vedanta" considered a genuine work in the

advaitic

> circles? Has any of the SankarAchArya-s of the mutts ever given

any

> credibility to this work?

>

 

 

Swami Satchidanandendra Saraswati was born in 1880 in

Chikkamagalur, Karnataka state. His name prior to sannyasa was

Yellambalase Subbaraya Sharma. In his youth he studied Vedanta

for the noted teacher and vedantin K. A. Krishnaswamy Iyer -

author of the fairly well known and (in my opinion) brilliant

book "Vedanta or the Science of Reality". The young Subbaraya

Sharma also studied Vedanta under the guidance of Virupaksha

Shastri, the vidyaguru of the soon-to-be Sringeri Sankaracharya

Swami Chandrasekhara Bharati. However, some years later

Virupaksha Shastri became disappointed and somewhat upset with

Subbaraya Sharma, since Subbaraya Sharma questioned the concepts

of avidyA and mAyA as defined and used in the post-Shankara

tradition. Subbaraya´s views where first outlined in his work

mUlAvidyA nirAsA (published in 1919). In 1910 Subbaraya Sharma

got mantra diksha and blessings from the then Sringeri

Sankaracharya Satchidananda Shivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati.

 

I believe the works of Swami Satchidanandendra Saraswati could be

described as "critical traditionalism". While in every sense

staying within the orthodox Vedantic tradition as a sannyasi and

scholar of Vedanta, he questioned the additions to the Vedantic

tradition made after the days of Gaudapada, Adi Shankara and

Sureshvara. His aim was to revitalizise the original teachings of

these three classical acharyas, and to point out the doctrinal

additions made by later authors and teachers within the

tradition. Not surprisingly, this sometimes led to debates and

polemics with scholars representing the conventional view on

Advaita Vedanta. But he was held in high esteem by the

contemporary Shankaracharyas of Sringeri and Kanchi Kamakoti. For

instance, in 1961 the Kanchi Paramacharya Swami

Chandrasekharendra Saraswati invited Swami Satchidanandendra

Saraswati to Tamil Nadu, and he described his guest as "a living

example of a sage who had lived all his life steeped in

contemplation on the paramartha." In 1979 the Kanchi Paramacharya

promted and persuaded the devotees of Swami Satchidanandendra

Saraswati to celebrate his centenary (i.e. in 1980). Kanchi

Paramacharya also referred to Satchidanandendra Swamiji "as a

shrotriya (an adept well-versed in the traditonal method of

teaching as per the Shrutis and Upanishads) and a Brahmanishtha

(one who is rooted in Brahman, the Absolute Transcendental

Reality i.e. a Realized Soul) in the true sense of the two

epithets of a Bramajnani as stipulated in Mundakopanishad."

(cited from D. B. Gangolli, "Sri Satchidanandendra Saraswati

Swamiji")

 

Regarding the book "The Method of Vedanta", this might be of

interest: Due to Swami Satchidanandendra Saraswati´s debates with

some pundits connected to Sringeri Peetham, the Sringeri

Sankaracharya Swami Abhinava Vidyatirtha decided to visit

Satchidanandendra Swamiji in Holenarsipur. Obviously the

Sankaracharya had studied the manuscript to "The Method of

Vedanta" (Vedanta Prakriya Pratyabhijna). After reading it, he

offered financial help to publish the book. He said to

Satchidanandendra Swamigal: "By my personal visit many of my

doubts have been solved. Having dedicated your whole life for the

propagation of Sankara Siddhanta, you are a true devotee indeed."

 

Warmest regards

Stig Lundgren

[Guest guest]

Namaste Stig-ji,

 

Thank you very much for your mail regarding Swami SatchidAnandEndra

Saraswati.

 

Hari Om

 

-

"Stig Lundgren" <slu

>

> Swami Satchidanandendra Saraswati was born in 1880 in

> Chikkamagalur, Karnataka state. His name prior to sannyasa was

> Yellambalase Subbaraya Sharma

> For instance, in 1961 the Kanchi Paramacharya Swami

> Chandrasekharendra Saraswati invited Swami Satchidanandendra

> Saraswati to Tamil Nadu, and he described his guest as "a living

> example of a sage who had lived all his life steeped in

> contemplation on the paramartha." In 1979 the Kanchi Paramacharya

> promted and persuaded the devotees of Swami Satchidanandendra

> Saraswati to celebrate his centenary (i.e. in 1980). Kanchi

> Paramacharya also referred to Satchidanandendra Swamiji "as a

> shrotriya (an adept well-versed in the traditonal method of

> teaching as per the Shrutis and Upanishads) and a Brahmanishtha

> (one who is rooted in Brahman, the Absolute Transcendental

> Reality i.e. a Realized Soul) in the true sense of the two

> epithets of a Bramajnani as stipulated in Mundakopanishad."

> (cited from D. B. Gangolli, "Sri Satchidanandendra Saraswati

> Swamiji")

>

> After reading it, he offered financial help to publish the book. He said

to

> Satchidanandendra Swamigal: "By my personal visit many of my

> doubts have been solved. Having dedicated your whole life for the

> propagation of Sankara Siddhanta, you are a true devotee indeed."

>

> Warmest regards

> Stig Lundgren

>