Acharyas who adorned the Peetham between 1706 and 1817
- Sri Sacchidananda Bharati II
- Sri Abhinava Sacchidananda Bharati I (1741 - 1767)
- Sri Nrisimha Bharati VII (1767 - 1770)
- Sri Sacchidananda Bharati III (1770 - 1814)
- Sri Abhinava Sacchidananda Bharati II (1814 - 1817)
Sri Sacchidananda Bharati II (1706 - 1741)
सच्चित्ताम्बुजमित्राय सच्चरित्रयुजे नमः ।
सच्चिदानन्दभारत्यै सच्चिदानन्दमूर्तये ॥
The lotus in the heart blossoms due to this Sun
Whose sacred life do distinguised poets sing
And who is the Truth-Knowledge-Bliss embodied
I bow to that saint, Sacchidanada Bharati!
Sri Sacchidananda Bharati honoured Basavappa by visiting his capital. He later visited Kigga, Subrahmanya, Velapura, Uppinangadi, Nandavaram (the head quarters of a chief). He also worshipped Sri Narasimha installed at Haladi and proceeded to Kotishwara, Barakura, Bhatkal, Honnavar and Gokarna.
Sometime after returning to Sringeri, the Acharya set forth on another pilgrimage to Gokarna.
The active association of the Maratha ruling houses with the Sringeri Mutt began during the reign of this Pontiff. The Maratha rulers, Shivaji II, Shambu Chatrapathi of Kolhapur line, Peshwa Baji Rao Ballal Pradhan were all great devotees of the Acharya and were firmly enforcing the supremacy of the Guru in all socio-religious matters.
Sri Krishna Raja Wodeyar II of Mysore sent from Srirangapatnam elephants, silk cloth and other offerings to the Acharya, whom he described as 'the ruler of the Yoga empire seated on the jewelled throne of Sringapura'. The Acharya founded a Mutt at Belur.
The Acharya had a marked devotion to Sri Mahabaleshwara of Gokarna and to Sri Mookambika of Kollur, who was also the tutelary deity of the Keladi Nayaks. His 'Mookambika stotra' and his 'Sharada stotra' commemorating a Navaratri celebration are two gems of poetry. He conducted festivals in the Sringeri temples on a lavish scale, to which, among other chiefs, the Sethupati of Ramanathapuram also sent offerings. He had a linga, by name Vidyashankara, installed in Rameshwaram.
The benign influence of 'The jewelled throne of Dharma' in Sringeri was shed on all alike. Visiting scholars were lavishly rewarded. By their personal conduct and teachings the Acharya lessened the acerbities born of the conflict of contending philosophies and sects.
The pilgrimage of the Acharya and the temple festivals afforded opportunities for all classes of people to approach the Jagadguru for guidance and instruction for their spiritual betterment. The Samsthanam was only an ancillary to the Sharada Peetham, the primary aims of which it was meant to subserve. The resources of the Samsthanam also helped to maintain yatis , temples, Annadana and other charities as well as support sadhakas and scholars in their endeavours.
Sri Abhinava Sacchidananda Bharati I (1741 - 1767)
सच्चिदानन्द भारत्यै नव्यायास्तु नमोऽनिशम् ।
भव्यात्मज्ञाननिर्धूताविद्याकार्योपलब्धये ॥
By radiating blessed Self-knowledge
He annuls ignorance in all beings
Abhinava Sacchidana Bharati
Him I adore as my Master Supreme
When the new Swami ascended the Vyakhyana Simhasana, Basavappa Nayak II was on the throne of Bidanoor. After him Channa Basavappa ruled for two years and was succeeded by Rani Virammaji. The Rani invited the Acharya to her capital, offered him a Spatika Linga and an image of Krishna set in rubies and lands valued at three hundred pagodas. Later the King Somasekhara Naik in 1762 exempted from taxation all articles that were taken to Sringeri for the Navaratri festival of Sri Sharada Devi.
Krishna Raja Wodeyar II was the then ruler of Mysore with his capital in Srirangapatnam. He invited the Acharya with the belief that his presence in his State would bring in the much-needed rains for the country and granted Belavadi and its hamlets.
His government rendered the necessary help to the Sringeri Samsthanam in the collection of dues and contributions, in the maintenance of order in the villages and in the achara vicharas . Lands granted to the Samsthanam by private parties were also ordered to be treated as sarvamanyam (taxes were not levied).
Venkatadri Nayak of Belur sent offerings to the Acharya. Veerappa Udeyar, ruler of Coorg, granted the village of Kodalimande and bore the expenses of the Puja on the Vijayadasami day in the temples at Sringeri.
Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao Pradhan (1740 - 1761) sent from his camp on the banks of the Krishna, valuable offerings to Goddess Sharada and the Acharya.
Peshwa Madhava Rao Ballal Pradhan instituted an annual grant for agrapuja (first puja to be offered) to the Jagadguru. In response to an invitation from the Peshwa's uncle Ragunatha Rao, the Acharya went to Poona in 1760-1761. From Poona, the Acharya went to Nasik where he attained Videha mukti.
Sri Nrisimha Bharati VII (1767 - 1770)
मारमातङ्गपञ्चास्यं मदसर्पद्विजर्षभम् ।
नृसिंहभारतिं वन्दे जिताक्षतुरगं सदा ॥
The elephant that quells vital passions
The eagle that kills the snake of mental pride
He is also the one who controls the seeds of wild senses
I always adore that seer, Nrisimha Bharati!
In 1766, Peshwa Madhava Rao and Nizam Ali were at war with Hyder. A brief respite helped Hyder to regain his lost territories. Notwithstanding troubles at home caused by Ragunatha Rao, the Peshwa again made war with Mysore, and both sides being exhausted, peace was arrived at only in 1770. Under such circumstances Sri Nrisimha Bharati VII could not take charge of the Mutt in Sringeri. Hyder, however, wrote to the Acharya assuring that his officers would see to the proper maintenance of the charities and the protection of the Samsthanam’s lands. The Acharya attained Videha mukti in Nasik.
For about ten years, Nasik was the centre from which the Jagadgurus of Sringeri propagated the message of Dharma. Between 1761 and 1772, Madhava Rao gradually enhanced the annual State grant to Sringeri Mutt from two hundred rupees to fifteen hundred rupees.
Sri Sacchidananda Bharati III (1770 - 1814)
तत्त्वमस्यादिवेदान्तवाक्यार्थज्ञानवारिधेः ।
पूर्णचन्द्रमसं वन्दे सच्चिदानन्दयोगिनम् ॥
He is the sea of knowledge that expounds
Vedanta's essence which is Thou art That
His visage beams with wisdom like the Moon
I bow to Sacchidananda Yogi!
Hyder demonstrated his profound respect for the new Jagadguru by directing his ministers to render all assistance to the Mutt.
Tipu, who succeeded Hyder, was opposed by the Marathas, the Nizam and the British. In the course of the campaigns of the Third Mysore War (1790 - 1792), Parasuram Bhau marched on Bednur. His hosts commanded by a Patwardan foolishly plundered Sringeri. In the letter commiserating the Acharya, Tipu wrote, “People who sin against such a holy place will at no distant date suffer the consequences of their misdeeds. Treachery to the Gurus will lead to all round ruin of the family.” He aided in the restoration of the temple and the re-consecration of the image of Sri Sharada.
On several occasions Tipu sought the blessings of the Acharya. He once wrote that he depended upon three sources of the strength - God's grace, the Jagadguru's blessings and the strength of his arms. He requested the Acharya to perform Satachandi and Sahasrachandi japa and homa. In the subsequent letter the Sultan acknowledged the miraculous effects of the Yaga that led to success in his enterprise and how rains poured and the land flourished.
The Acharya decided to go to Poona to seek redress for the spoliation of the Mutt. Tipu invited him to Srirangapatnam before proceeding to Poona. Not having heard from the Acharya for a long time after he reached Poona, Tipu requested in a letter expressing his conviction that wherever a godly personage like Acharya stayed, there was sure to be prosperity. After returning to Sringeri, the Acharya set out on a pilgrimage to Tirupati, and other holy places. While the Acharya was at Kanchi, Tipu requested him to bless his charities to the temples there and work of renovating the temples partly destroyed during his father's campaigns.
Tipu even desired to make a pilgrimage to Sringeri, but the desire was not fulfilled. Between 1791 and 1798 Tipu wrote twenty-nine letters to the Acharya, and every one of them breathed the high veneration he had for the latter.
It is remarkable that Tipu's enemies also sought the blessings of the Acharya. Nizam-Ul-Mulk, the founder of the Asaf Jahi dynasty in Hyderabad, evinced very high respect for the Sringeri Guru and issued several special privileges on the Mutt. In 1800 Peshwa Baji Rao II communicated his decision that agrapuja should be paid to the Sringeri Sharada Peetham in all religious assemblies. He further declared himself a disciple of the Mutt. During 1785–86, Basavappa Nayak of Jugali (Anekal taluk), Basavappa Nayak of Santebennur and Chamaraja Wodeyar of Mysore conveyed their respects to the Acharya with presents and grants.
After Tipu's death, the rightful sovereign Krishna Raja Wodeyar III was placed on the throne. During his minority (1799-1811) Diwan Purnaiya carried on administration as regent. A Madhava Brahmana by birth, Purnaiya had a prejudice against Advaitins and their Acharyas. He thought that the Sringeri Acharya was leading a life of indolence in the midst of plenty and waited for an opportunity to bring about his discomfiture. When the Acharya was in the capital, he proposed a polemical contest between the Acharya and the ablest of the Pandits in Mysore. The Acharya accepted the challenge on the condition that a curtain was laid between him and all others assembled. Discussions began and soon reached a high intellectual level. To Purnaiya it appeared that he heard the voice of a woman from behind the curtain. Unable to restrain his curiosity, he slightly pushed the curtain and peeped in. What a wonderful vision he had! He saw the figure of Sri Sharada discoursing, and slowly it transformed itself into the Acharya. He fell at the Acharya's feet for pardon, vowed to serve him to the best of his ability. He indeed did serve the Acharya during his tenure as the regent of Mysore.
Thirty-eight letters written by the regent to the Acharya are on record. In 1805, the Acharya was on pilgrimage for which the regent afforded all facilities. While at Madras, the Governor met the Acharya and paid his respects. The East India Company provided an armed retinue for the Acharya's safety with instructions to the officers to offer all facilities during the Acharya's pilgrimage. After visiting Tirupati, Kanchi, Kalahasti, Madurai, Rameshwaram, Thiruvananthapuram and other holy places, he went to Srirangapatnam and returned to Sringeri.
The regent strictly enforced on his officers the duty of seeing that the rights and privileges of the Acharya and Samsthanam were respected. The regent held that no other Swami could be taken out in the Adda Pallakki. In 1811, the regent Purnaiya handed over the reins of the Government to Maharaja Krishna Raja Wodeyar III on his attaining the age of majority. The Maharaja lost no time in extending a respectful invitation to the Acharya to visit his capital.
The Acharya then went to Harakeri, which the Maharaja had declared a sarvamanya village belonging to Sringeri Samsthanam, for the Chaturmasya vows for the year and there cast off his mortal body. Thus passed away from this world an eminent sage, whose spiritual greatness commanded the veneration of the Muslim and Hindu rulers of Mysore, Peshwas Madhava Rao and Baji Rao II, Mahadji Sinde, Nizam Ali Khan, and last but not least the governors of the East India Company.
Sri Abhinava Sacchidananda Bharati II (1814 - 1817)
अभिनवपदपूर्वान् सच्चिदानन्द संज्ञान् निगमशिखरवेद्यान् नित्यकल्याणरूपान् ।
त्रिभुवनजनवन्द्यान् सर्वलोकैकहृद्यान् हृदयकमलमध्ये भावयाम्यम्बुजास्यान् ॥
The sage aloft the peak of Vedic lore,
Auspicious One, Eternal Bliss Divine
Adored by great men of the three worlds,
Gladdening the heart of good devotees
That lotus-faced effulgent saint
Abhinava Sacchidananda Bharati
Is always held with reverence in my lotus heart!
This was a short reign of three years. The Maharaja wrote to the Agent Venkatachala Bhatta, “The spiritual throne of Sringeri being pre-eminent and Swami new to his charge, he should manage its temporal affairs in such a way to safeguard its property and maintain its prestige.”
When the Swami felt his end was approaching, he ordained a young Brahmachari, a native of Sringeri Agrahara, and six days later, passed away.