Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamin

Chapter 14 - Chosen Successor

His Holiness, being the 35^th pontiff of the hallowed Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham that has an avicchinna-Guru-parampara (an unbroken lineage of Gurus) right from Shankara-Bhagavatpada, nominated Sri Sitarama Anjaneyulu as His successor designate in 1974 with the concurrence of the Divine Mother, Sri Sharadambal.

Sri Sitarama Anjaneyulu was the first son of Srimati Ananthalakshmamma and Sri Venkateshwara Avadhani, a Vedic scholar. The couple had fasted and prayed for a son, and Sri Avadhani performed mahanyasa-purassara-rudra-abhisheka to Lord Bhavani-Shankara everyday for a year at Alagumallepadu in Andhra Pradesh. After he moved to Machillipatnam, he worshipped Lord Rama with fervor during Rama–navarathri celebrations. He resolved that if a son were born, he would name him after Sita and Rama. Ananthalakshmamma devoutly worshipped Lord Anjaneya to beget a son. One night, in her dream, Lord Anjaneya handed her three mangoes and vanished. She decided that she would name her son after Anjaneya. A baby boy was blessed unto them on 11^th April 1951, on chaitra-shukla-shasti under the birthstar mrigasirsha, and was named Sitarama Anjaneyulu.

Avadhani settled down in Narasaraopet when Sri Anjaneyulu was a few months old. Even as a toddler Sri Anjaneyulu showed signs of greatness. He learned the Lord’s name easier than any other word. When He was three, His inconsolable weeping was only pacified when He was taken to the local Shiva temple, where He began repeatedly uttering ‘Shambho, Shiva, Shiva.’

Before Sri Anjaneyulu turned five, His sister Srilakshmi began teaching Him Sanskrit in which He attained proficiency at the tender age of nine. He had His upanayana performed at the age of seven and learnt the yajur-veda from His father, and passed the Vedapravardhaka Vidwat Pariksha at Guntur with honours.

When Sri Anjaneyulu was ten, He had His first darshan of His Holiness when His Holiness visited Narasaraopet. Later, His Sanskrit teacher took Him to Vijayawada where His Holiness was camping and asked Him to deliver a talk in Sanskrit in the presence of His Holiness. The beatific smile, benevolent looks and great affection of His Holiness etched themselves firmly in the brahmachari’s heart who realized that the Holiness was His teacher, savior and Guru.

Sri Anjaneyulu, impelled by His intense dispassion, His desire to study the shastras and His regard for His Holiness, left home and reached Ujjain in 1966, where His Holiness was observing chaturmasya. Sri Anjaneyulu surrendered Himself wholly to His Holiness, who took Him into His fold and started expounding the Tarka Sangraha to Him. On returning to Sringeri, His Holiness arranged for lessons in nyaya-shastra for Sri Anjaneyulu and keenly kept track of His disciple’s progress. Sri Anjaneyulu’s burning dispassion, genuine surrender, great erudition, supreme tapas and dedication to the cause of dharma greatly pleased the Guru who nominated Sri Anjaneyulu as His successor designate.

On 11 November 1974, His Holiness initiated Sri Sitarama Anjaneyulu into sannyasa and bestowed upon Him the yoga patta ‘Bharathi-Theertha’. In accordance with the pontifical tradition in the matha, His Holiness initiated His shisya into several mantras. His Holiness narrated His experiences and advised on how to conduct oneself, the traditions of the matha and how to treat devotees.

In a benedictory address, His Holiness praised the scholarliness demonstrated during the vidwat-sadas (held in New Delhi in 1982) by His disciple, Jagadguru Sri Bharathi Theertha Mahaswamin. His Holiness went on to add how His disciple conducted Himself in accordance with the dictum ‘The disciple should follow His Guru’.

Jagadguru Sri Bharathi Theertha Mahaswamin accompanied His Holiness on His various tours in the period 1974 to 1983. After that, as per His Holiness’s instructions, Jagadguru Sri Bharathi Theertha Mahaswamin began undertaking independent vijaya yatras. The written correspondence between His Holiness and His beloved disciple stand testament to the depth of affection between the Guru and His sishya. Similar to the exemplary disciple His Holiness was to His Guru, Jagadguru Sri Bharathi Theertha Mahaswamin never missed the slightest opportunity to be of utmost service to His Guru. Admiring the divine relationship between Them, Dr. Mandana Misra once said to His Holiness: “Till now I have seen many people. We have read that Shankara’s disciples went with Him. How was He? How were His disciples? I was only conjecturing. Now I have come to the conclusion that they must have been like this. It is so satisfying.”

Jagadguru Sri Bharathi Theertha Mahaswamin has highlighted the glories of His Holiness through hymns composed by Him during the lifetime of His Holiness and, after that, through an ashtothra, a charama shloka and a verse inscribed in His Holiness’s samadhi.

As the illustrious shishya of His Holiness and as the 36^th occupant of the throne of Transcendental Wisdom, Jagadguru Sri Bharathi Theertha Mahaswamin continues to relentlessly guide and inspire wisdom in the hearts of devotees.