A life of 95 years (1880-1975) dedicated to Shankaracharya
“Shri Satchidanandendra saraswati Swamiji is the very personification of the couplet आ सुप्तेर् आमृतेः कालं नयेद् वेदान्तचिन्तया (right up to bed and right up to death, one should spend the time in Vedantic thoughts)” - this testimony comes from HH Chandrashekharendra Saraswati Swamiji, the 68th pontiff of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. He led a life up to the ripe age of 95 years dedicated to the feet of Shankara Bhagavatpada arising out of unflinching loyalty to every word of the Prasthana Traya Bhashyas by the great Acharya. His association with Shankara in a solemn way commenced at an early age of thirty when he was initiated at Kalady into the Vedantic learning in the traditional way by H H Shri Shivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati Swamiji, the then pontiff of Sringeri Mutt.
Initiation into bhakti by the great saint Shri Brahmachaitanya Maharaj of Gondavali, saved the Swamiji from being a mere dry, speculative, scholastic logician.(5) His life was marked by constant association with many saintly personages.
He was greatly influenced by Shri K.A.Krishnaswamy Iyer, a true Vedantin, in his thinking and analytical discernment of the ultimate Truth, based on universal experience. Study of Shankara Bhashyas was carried out mainly under the tutelage of Shri virupakṣha Shastri, the then Asthana Vidwan of the Sringeri Mutt, and Shri Kurtukoti Mahabhagavata, a saintly disciple of Shri Brahmachaitanya Maharaj.
Swamiji took upon himself the mountainous and apparently rebellious task of presenting the school of Gaudapada, Shankara and Sureshwara, the three respelendent stars of Advaita Vedanta, in its original pure form, both in words and spirit. With a crusader’s zeal, he spared no efforts to purge the doctrines foreign to and opposed to the Shankara school, which were attributed to Shankara by the later Vedantins to suit their own pet doctrines.
The most significant contribution by Swamiji is the discovery of अध्यारोपापवादौ (method of ascription and recession) as the cardinal method of interpretation adopted throughout by Shankara and that this is what is meant by ’tradition’ as per Shankara. Swamiji’s analytical exposition of the examination of the three states अवस्थात्रयम् finds no parallel.
He was a prolific writer having authored over two hundred books on Vedanta in Kannada, Sanskrit and English. His writings exihibit the confidence of an enlightened soul. His presentation of unmaligned Shankara caused great stirs in the Vedantic circles. Many neo traditionalists, failing to meet the points raised, resorted to accusing him of blasphemy and one lacking tradition. But the non prejudiced amongst them who could see reason in Swamiji’s writings, shifted their allegiance to Shankara alone minus sub-commentators. Even after the life time of Swamiji not a few had expressed repentance for their antagonistic behaviour towards Swamiji. Today the picture is changing fast. Greatly influenced by his writings, certain scholars, including western writers of repute, have transalated some of his works into other languages.
His life was an incessant battle with antagonistic forces with affilictions, social obligations, philistine opposition, weak health and what is most inexhorable, finance. However his perseverance against all odds saw to the establishment of Adhyatma Prakasha Karyalaya devoted exclusively for propagation of the pristine pure Shankara school of Vedanta in as early as 1920, which still carries the torch lit by him.
Swamiji though rebuked by some of the neo traditionalists, earned the appreciation and the admiration of many. It is no exaggeration that many regard the Swamiji as Abhivana Shankara, come down to present Shankara as Shankara truly is.
ते हि लोके महाज्ञानास्तच्च लोको न गाहते in the world, they are the Knowers of the Ultimate Truth which the commoner fathoms not (Mandukya Karika, 4 95).