His Holiness Paramahamsa  Sri Sri Satchidaanandendra Saraswathi Swamiji, the founder  of Adhyaatma  Prakaasha  Kaaryaalaya at Holenarasipur (Hassan Dist., Karnataka State ) and its branches in Bangalore  the author of over 250 reputed works on advaita  philosophy in  English, Sanskrit & Kannada , blessed the earth with his presence for ninety six useful years ( 1880 – 1975 ).

In the year  1915 when he was only thirty five years of age he noticed the accretions that had crept into Shankara Siddhantha,  by the commentators and he felt the need to rediscover the real  Shankara free from these accretions.
He strove single handedly to propagate and popularize  parishuddha shankara vEdanta siddhAnta.  Age and ailments did not deter him. His works born out of intuitive experience are characterized by vast and deep scholarship, clear and precise perception.  His  authentic interpretation of Shankara has been greatly recognized in the East and the West.  He was not just a rare and accomplished individual but a mighty and magnificent institution.

His sayings based on real Shankara are universal in appeal.  For example -

1. Vedanta is a Science of Reality.

2. Anyone who is eager to know the true nature of the self can understand the teachings of Vedaanta.

3. Vedaanta is a positive science founded  on reason, intuition and universal experience, etc..

He was initiated in to Vedaata by the then pontiff of ShringEri  Sri Shivaabhinava Nrisimha  Bharathi Swamiji, at  Kaaladi and he had come under the influence  of saintly scholars such as Brahma Chaitanya Maharaj of Gondavali and Kurthukoti Mahabhagavatar.
The Karyaalaya founded by revered Swamiji in his former Ashrama is registered public charitable institution. His Highness Sri Jayachamarajendra Odeyar Bahaddur of Mysore was the Paripalaka of the Karyalaya.  Their Holinesses The Shankaracharyas of ShringEri, Dwaraka and Kanchi encouraged the institution by graciously granting some monetary help as a token of their recognition of the activities of the Karyalaya.

Vedantic classes and lectures of prasthAnatrAyee are regular daily routine.  Swamiji has constructed a Digvijaya  Rama  Temple at Holenarasipur to which daily services are rendered even today. Thus the institution is spreading  the essence of  Vedanta to all human beings  which is irrespective of caste, creed, sex, nationality, age, etc.. which is every ones birthright to know the real self  or mOksha as stated by the great Shankara-

anubhavaavasThaanatvaatbhUtavastu viShayatvaaachcha Brahmajnaanasya

 

 

The sole purpose of his life was to spread the real tradition  - Shaankara  Sampradaaya – of Vedanta  i.e. AdhyArOpa apavAda prakriya as  pointed / recognized by Shankara  in Bhagavadgeeta Bhaasya. Swamiji is the first person to notice & discover this in Bhagavadgeeta Shaankara Bhaashya. He explained its significance and importance in understanding the messages of prasthAnatrAyee. His approach to the subject is analytical.  He made a comprehensive and comparitative study of all the Vedantic thinkers who lived prior to Shankara as also those who lived after Shankara.  Even to-day his sayings are vibrant  and living which are being spread through his lectures in English, Sanskrit and Kannada by his direct and intimate disciple Bramharshi  Adhyaatma Vidyaa Praveena Mahamahopadhyaya .Sri K.G.  Subbaraya Sharmaji, an equally energetic  vibrant pundit who travelled in U.S. also in 1995 to spread unique teachings of Vedaanta & Shankara.

His sole aim is to spread the messages in  Shaankara  Bhaashya  and keep alive the sacred memory of the revered  Swamiji  through lectures, books etc. He was also the editor of the popular Kannada trimonthly magazine – Shankara Bhaskara. He has also written ShAnkara saMvatsara, vEdanta saMvatsara  , Bhagavatgeetha saMvatsara  prabOdha chintAmaNi  which has been published in Kannada,  Samskrutam, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Oriya, Urdu, Marathi, Malayalam, English and also several books in Kannada  .

Swamiji lived a full life engrossed in vedantic thoughts , always right from morning till he slept and till he shuffled off his mortal coil, in accordance with the saying AsupterAmruteh kAlamnayed vEdanta chintaya quoted by H.H. Paramaachaarya  of Kaanchi mutt  in 1945.

Sunaada feels  blessed to share some of his compositions . Sunaada conveys its sincere thanks to Sri. Sanjeeva Murthy for sharing it with us. By the blessings of  Shankara  and  Swamiji let us also live our life fully in the same way, so that we can enjoy the everlasting  bliss of Aatman.

 

You can listen to Swamiji’s compositions on themes including upanishads, ShankarAcharya, bhagavadgeetha in nAdOpAsanaa on Sunaada Radio.