Sringeri/ Kudali, Tunga - Shankaracharya

With due respects to Acharya Shankara, Adi Shankaracharya and more by similar names, I am curious to know the antiquity of Sringeri and Kudali on the banks of Tunga and Tungabhadra. Sringeri as i understand has  least or poetic connection with Rishya Shrinshiga. It is traditional belief that Adi Shankaracharya from Keralam wanted to settle down for some time on banks of Tunga/ Tungabhadra. Whether he set up any Ashrama/ Matha here has no historical links to know. 

Some say, the name Sringeri comes from one Sringara Bhatta, an accompaniment of Vidyaranya Swami, who is said to have removed his miserable Pretatva. Earlier to Vidyaranya, possibly Madhava Vidyaranya, who flourished in about 1450 CE, there was no established Shankara Pitha/ Matha, since it was presumably a Jain Center of learning. Earlier history of Advaita Matha here says, Swamis used to shift between Sringeri and Kudali. 

Some even say, the Matha institution came only after 1450 in South India. There was a monument for Vidya Shankara Tirtha/Vidya Tirtha built on banks of Tunga by 1400. It has Samadhi of Vidyashankara Swami, with several Jain and Vaishnava figurines and architecture of those times. Tradition says the Sharadamba shrine adjasent to this structure was built several times, first with a golden image of Sharadamba, later Sandalwood image and now  a bronze replica installed by around 1850. 

Advantages for Advaita

There was a time when teachers of Philosophy including several Mathas maintained that true Indian thought is basically Advaita supposed to be thought of Upanishads. They also sent a silent, yet powerful message that other Schools of thought are based on Theology, not pure philosophy, modelling on Western Philosophies.

While most of such dialogues happened outside India in English, local religious heads of Vaishnava thought were not aware of its consequences later on young minds, who were for a large part English educated and trying to move abroad for various reasons. Gurus ranging from Ramana till Chinmayananda, preached Gita and Upanishads as pure Advaita Vedanta while others are ‘Sects’ which spread locally!

Since we do not know exactly when Shankaracharya’s Advaita trickled across the subcontinent, it was possible through Christian Missionaries like Maxmuller. Originally, they made a study of Buddhist thought and Advaita but ignored Vaishnava schools like that of Ramanuja- Madhvacharya for reasons best known to them! Hence there continued a wider but not accurate information carried through English language. This again received a massive support from the likes of Dr S Radhakrishnan, Prof. M Hiriyanna and a gamut of their students across India. While Dvaita remained in Karnataka and Ramanuja thought on Tamil Nadu.

 

Meeting Dr BNK Sharma

 

It was a great opportunity in 1990 April, for me to meet one of the greatest scholars of our time, when I had an opportunity to interact with Dr BNK Sharma ( Bhavani Narayana Rao Krishnamurty Sharma)  when I was working with newly formed Dvaita Vedanta Studies & Research Foundation, based in a single room at RR Choultry, near Bangalore Medical college. , I had heard, but not personally interacted earlier. He had retired from his Professorship at Ruparel College, Mumbai, devoting himself fully for research and writing. He was given a separate room at Vyasaraja Matha, Basavanagudi. The task before him was getting 2 of his books translated to Kannada. I was fortunate to take up the task of translating some portion of his Engish book on HIstory of Dvaita school.

My relative Sri VB Murty was assisting him. I was introduced to the great Professor by Prof KT Pandurangi and VB Murthy. Clad in simple white shirt and dhoti, speaking Coimbatore's Kannada, he was jovial yet much attentive to his work on hand. he would ask the translator to read out to him twice to ascertain the quality. He never wasted a minute in doing work and getting work done either. . I was fortunate to translate about 50 pages of his Magnum Opus HDVL , it was a wonderful experience to work with a renowned scholar worldwide, unfortunately ignored by traditional scholars for reasons best known to them!

I could even meet him at his house in Raja street, Coimbatore after sometime. my dream of showing my Synopsis on Vaishnava TEmple Architecture. Those were days of no camera/ whatsap or social media to record all that. But my memory is filled with useful moments I spent with this magnanimous professor of all times!

Prof. LS Seshagiri Rao

 

 

Professor Lakshmeshvara Swamy Rao Seshagiri Rao, an important figure in the field of Kannada literature, has been a witness to the growth of Kannada Literature from the Navodaya period onwards. He taught us English literature at Government College, Kolar for 3 years. Affectionately called by his students as LSS,  he showed us a model of how language could be taught by using simple words avoiding glamour and fanfare. I still remember him quoting FR Leavis, ‘Shakespeare crated tragedy by dropping a handkerchief’’. In a career spanning over 5 decades, his books have educated generations about not only some of the best works in Kannada but also in English literature. Lakhs of students in Karnataka, including me would have referred to the English-Kannada dictionary put together by Prof. LSS Rao. History of English Literature in Kannada and English Drama are some among his Works. His translation of Bhagavadgita in Kannada is popularly read. Prof. LSS was awarded Sahitya Akademi Award, and also presided over Kannada sahitya sammelana at Udupi. 

He was a simple man, brimming with scholarship and curiosity and was ever happy to guide youngsters in fields of translation, editing of books and paly witing both in Kannada and English. he taught English at Govt. Colleges, Kolar, Madikeri, later at Bangalore University, where he retired from service. He was with Kannada University, Hampi.  He was first Chairman of Book Authority, Karnataka. had he lived now, he would have turned 100.