Parama Guru

His Holiness Sri Swayamprakasa Brahmendra Saraswathi Avadhutha Swamigal

Swami's Childhood days : Swami Swayamprakasa Brahmendra born as Krishnamoorthy to Ramaswami Sastrigal, a pious Vedic scholar and a poor but respectable Brahmin, and Janaki, a woman of high-souled purity, in the village of Kalpattu in the district of South Arcot, Tamil Nadu, on Tuesday, the 28th of November 1871. He was educated in three places: Thiruvidaimardur, Kumbakonam and Thiruvananthapuram. He passed the Matriculation Examination and took to the study of Sanskrit in right earnest. He studied under Bala Saraswati Bhatta Sri Narayana Sastrigal, an erudite scholar. Afterwards he studied Tamil poetry. Swamiji had a wonderful retentive memory. He quoted long passages with proper contexts and comments with perfect ease.

    Krishnamoorthy worked as a School Master in a neighbouring village for some time. There upon he joined the Settlement Department as a clerk on a monthly salary of Rs. 50/-.Krishnamoorthy was urged by his brother to marry, but he refused with determination. He gave up his job and turned his steps towards the North in search of a Guru. At Kashi he met Swami Dakshinamoorthy and stayed with him as his disciple for three years. He studied Vedanta thoroughly under the Swami. He served a silent Muni in Kashi for six months.
Sanyasa Life : There from Krishnamoorthy went to a cave above the Bana Tirtha near Papanasam, Tirunelveli District, where he saw a radiant Sannyasin, the Avadhuta Sadguru Brahmendra Saraswati, commonly known as the Judge Swamigal. According to the directions of the Swami, Krishnamoorthy went to his own house at Kanappettai, on the Full Moon Day in the month of June 1891. He stayed with his mother for three hours. His clothes fell down of their own accord. He took Avadhutashram at once.    Swami Brahmendra was a living example of spiritual eminence. He practiced the severe austerities of the Avadhuta Ashrama. Many were his physical sufferings on account of his nudity and phenomenal was his patience at the gibes and sneers of worldly-minded, ignorant youth. Early in life he abandoned the pleasures and comforts of the world. He braved the razor path of Nivritti Marga with a burning desire for Self-realization. He pursued the course under the blessings of his Sadguru with unabated vigor. He was a spiritual guide to a large number of disciples. Men, women and children have been the recipients of his benediction.

The Guhalaya : In order to infuse devotion and piety into the hearts of people, the Swamiji wanted to install an idol of Sri Dattatreya in his Ashram. While the Swamiji was living, his devoted disciple Swami Sankarananda, in his excessive love and reverence for the Swamiji, took immense pains to build a temple over the hillock, in the Ashram, for installing the idol of Dattatreya and also the marble statue of the Swamiji. The marble statue of the Swamigal and the idol of lord Dattatreya in that two-storeyed temple reveal the marvelous ingenuity of the artist who made them. This attractive temple on the hillock, with its calm and inspiring surroundings, and the improved Ashram owe their existence and present charming appearance to the strenuous, indefatigable efforts and remarkable patience and ability of Swami Sankarananda.

   The Guhalaya there is built on the Samiyarkaradu or Sannyasikundu. The hillock is called as Dattagiri now. The Dattatreya temple and the Guhalaya of Sendamangalam will flourish as lasting monuments, reminding the people of the glory and greatness of the holy sage who entered into Mahasamadhi in the month of December 1948.

Parameshti Guru

Sri Sadashiva Brahmendra Sarasvathyavadhutha Swamigal

   Sri Sadashiva Brahmendra Sarasvathyavadhuta Swamigal, also popularly referred to as Judge Swamigal was a great godman hailing from the proud lineage of the avadhuta saints who can be traced back to Lord Dattatreya. He was born in Vishakapatnam to parents who were orthodox Brahmins steeped in the vedic tradition. His father Sri Vedamoorthy Sastrigal was an adept in the Vedas and Shastras.

   From his tender years Sri Judge Swamigal showed a great inclination towards spirituality even though he was a received a formal academic education and received a degree in law. His moral uprightness and sense of Justice and Righteousness, elevated him to the position of a Judge very soon. But he was disillusioned with the practice of meting out Justice merely on the basis of witness and circumstances. He immediately decided to renounce worldly life and sought a Guru who would help free him from the fetters of mundane existence.

   He found in Sri Ramakrishna Swamiji of Kalahasti, such a worthy preceptor who initiated him into the spiritual life. The recipients of Sri Judge Swamigal’s benevolence and grace are many. His disciples were many, prominent among them being Sri Swayampakasa Swamigal.
   It is noteworthy to mention here that Sri Judge Swamigal’s adhishtanam has been built by Sathguru Sri Shanthananda Swamigal (whose Paramaguru is Sri Judge Swamigal) at Pudukkottai which stands to this day as a perennial source of Divine Grace.