Sri Nrisimha Bharati VIII
प्रह्लादवरदो देवो यो नृसिंहः परो हरिः । नृसिंहोपासकं नित्यं तं नृसिंहगुरुं भजे ॥ He is Hari who protected Prahlada The lion that quells the foes of faith and truth. The worshipper of the Supreme Lord Nrisimha I offer my salutations to Sri Nrisimha Bharati!
The Divine Advent and Early Spiritual Quest
Sri Nrisimha Bharati was born in 1798 within the sacred precincts of Sringeri itself, as if destiny had ordained that this future luminary would emerge from the very heart of Advaitic tradition. Even as a young boy, His extraordinary spiritual yearning manifested in an unprecedented manner—He undertook the perilous pilgrimage to Kashi not once, but twice, through routes where many pilgrims perished due the treacherous conditions and the complete absence of modern transportation. His successful completion of these death-defying journeys to learn from the most accomplished pandits of that holy city demonstrated both extraordinary divine protection and an unwavering spiritual resolve that foreshadowed the greatness to come. Upon His return from these transformative journeys to Kashi, the then Peethadhipati—Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Sachchidananda Bharati Mahaswamiji, the 31st Acharya of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham—was profoundly moved by the young seeker's luminous spiritual radiance and immediately resolved to accept Him as His chosen successor.
In a divinely orchestrated sequence of events, the Acharya initiated Him into sannyasa in 1817, and within a mere fortnight, attained videha mukti, as if His sole remaining purpose had been to pass the sacred torch to this destined heir of the tradition.
Tapas-Chakravarti: The Emperor of Austerities
Upon ascending the hallowed Peetham, the young Acharya embarked upon a life of extraordinary discipline that would earn Him recognition as a sovereign among practitioners of spiritual austerity. While diligently mastering various branches of sacred learning and absorbing the intricate responsibilities of Math administration, He simultaneously pursued a path of yogic perfection that defied ordinary human limitations.
As a consummate yogi, He achieved complete mastery over the fundamental needs of hunger and sleep. By the time He reached fifty years of age, His spiritual discipline had reached such sublime heights that He renounced ordinary food entirely, sustaining His physical form solely on a handful of boiled bitter gourd (Momordica charantia). This extraordinary feat of self-control demonstrated not mere asceticism, but the complete transcendence of bodily consciousness through divine absorption.
The Jagadguru devoted the predominant portion of each day to meditation and elaborate worship of the Divine. His unwavering devotion and austere lifestyle became legendary, attracting the attention even of British colonial administrators. In 1858, L. Bowring, a distinguished civil servant who later became Chief Commissioner of Mysore, sought to personally verify the remarkable reports he had received about the Jagadguru's divine way of life.
One night at 1:00 a.m., Bowring quietly entered the Acharya's camp in Bangalore and gently drew aside the curtain before the puja hall. The sight that greeted him filled his heart with profound reverential wonder: he found the Acharya completely absorbed in worship, His head bent in deepest devotion, offering flowers to Sri Chandramoulishwara, utterly oblivious to His surroundings and the material world. This transformative encounter left such an indelible impression on Bowring that his subsequent letters to the Jagadguru stand as eloquent testimonies to the deep reverence and spiritual recognition that this divine personality inspired even among those of different faiths.
The Perfect Balance: Firm Resolve and Infinite Compassion
The Acharya embodied a rare synthesis of indomitable spiritual strength and tender maternal compassion. He possessed an unwavering will that never deviated from righteous decisions once taken, yet this firmness was never expressed through aggression or impatience. Instead, He moved with gentle persistence toward His goals, achieving them through the quiet power of dharmic conviction.
From His constant meditation upon Lord Narasimha, His consciousness had absorbed a stern sublimity that naturally inspired awe and reverence in all who approached Him. Yet beneath this majestic bearing dwelt a heart of infinite tenderness—one that would immediately melt at the slightest glimpse of another's suffering, revealing the perfect compassion of a realized soul.
The Koti Tirtha Incident at Rameshwaram: A Lesson in Dharmic Humility
One of the most illuminating episodes demonstrating the Acharya's perfect balance of firmness and compassion occurred during His Vijaya Yatra to Rameshwaram in 1838. The Jagadguru had chosen to halt in the third corridor of the magnificent Ramanathaswamy temple, and when He proceeded to Koti Tirtha—traditionally regarded as the most sacred among the numerous holy wells surrounding the shrine—for His ritual ablutions, an unexpected challenge arose.
When the Acharya instructed His personal attendants to draw water from the well, the temple staff objected with stubborn arrogance, claiming exclusive rights to draw water and serve pilgrims. Their behavior was marked not merely by rigid adherence to protocol, but by a shocking lack of reverence toward the visiting Jagadguru. Perceiving their conduct as fundamentally disrespectful and unbecoming of those entrusted with serving in a sacred space, and recognizing an opportunity to impart a profound lesson in humility and dharmic service, His Holiness made a momentous decision.
Rather than engage in argument or assert His spiritual authority, the Acharya simply turned away from Koti Tirtha with quiet dignity. Instead, He chose to perform His sacred ablutions at Sarva Tirtha, another well located south of the inner sanctum. After completing His bath with characteristic grace, He made a public declaration that would resonate through the decades: henceforth, pilgrims could appropriately conclude their ritual baths using water from Sarva Tirtha.
The consequences of this divine intervention were swift and decisive. Devotees gradually abandoned Koti Tirtha, and over time, its waters became neglected, polluted, and entirely unfit for sacred use—a powerful demonstration of how divine displeasure manifests through natural consequences.
The Grace of Forgiveness and Restoration
The story's conclusion, however, reveals the Acharya's infinite capacity for forgiveness and restoration. In 1872, during His second tour of the southern districts, the Jagadguru arrived at Madurai. There, the very priests who had previously acted with such inexcusable insolence approached Him in genuine repentance, earnestly seeking His divine forgiveness. The Acharya, embodying the perfect compassion that flows from spiritual realization, graciously accepted their contrition.
Demonstrating that divine grace can restore what divine justice had withdrawn, the Acharya undertook another pilgrimage to Rameshwaram in 1873. There, He personally supervised the complete draining of the long-neglected Koti Tirtha. In a ceremony of profound spiritual significance, He poured sanctified water from His own kamandalu into the well, thereby purifying and restoring the Koti Tirtha to its former sacred status. He then proclaimed that pilgrims could once again draw water from this holy well for their ritual ablutions.
This extraordinary incident stands as one of many wherein the Acharya, with gentleness perfectly balanced by unwavering resolve, corrected deviations from dharma and guided sincere souls back to the righteous path, demonstrating that true spiritual authority manifests not through force, but through the irresistible power of divine grace working through perfect wisdom and compassion.
Royal Recognition and Sacred Journeys
The Acharya's spiritual eminence attracted recognition from rulers across the subcontinent. In 1822, Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III of Mysore extended a reverent invitation for the Acharya to visit his kingdom. The Maharaja's deep respect for the Math manifested in several significant royal orders: exempting all articles brought to the Math from taxation, and formally affirming the Math's legal right to inherit property from disciples who passed away without heirs.
Following Mysore's transition to British administration, the Acharya embarked upon an extensive pilgrimage throughout northern India. In 1842, Collector Alexander Nisbet received Him at Dharwar with full honors, arranging a substantial escort to accompany the Acharya during His sacred journey through hallowed sites including Nasik, Dwaraka, Kurukshetra, Kashi, Badarikashrama, and Jagannath Puri.
His progress through northern India became a triumph of spiritual recognition. The Gaekwad of Baroda issued special instructions ensuring smooth passage for the Acharya's entourage. Multiple rulers offered annual contributions to the Sringeri Math, including Jayaji Rao Scindia of Gwalior (1848–1849), Shaji Raja Bhonsle of Akkalkot, Narasing Rao Sitole Deshmukh, and the Raja of Kutch.
Throughout this period, the Maharaja of Mysore maintained correspondence with the traveling Acharya, sending letters to His various camps in the north and earnestly requesting His return. In response, the Acharya honored Mysore with a second visit in 1854, during which He graciously initiated the Maharaja into the profound study of the Shiva Gita.
Imperial Recognition in Hyderabad
The Acharya's chaturmasya observance at Bhavnagar in 1855 was followed by an extraordinary three-year sojourn in Hyderabad State, marked by unprecedented acknowledgments of His exalted spiritual stature. The Nizam's Prime Minister issued a proclamation describing it as an auspicious tour of "the most holy personage who could dispense blessings from where He stayed, but in the fullness of His grace had condescended to tour the kingdom of Hyderabad."
The Nizam's Government demonstrated remarkable reverence by issuing comprehensive proclamations directing officials throughout the Deccan to extend every possible assistance to the Acharya's entourage and ensure the smooth progress of His sacred tour throughout the State—a recognition that transcended religious boundaries and acknowledged pure spiritual greatness.
The Selection and Training of a Successor
Upon returning to Sringeri after His transformative northern tour, the sixty-year-old Acharya recognized the importance of selecting and training a worthy successor. Having identified a promising youth through divine insight, He traveled to Mysore where the boy, eight year old Shivaswami, lived under the guardianship of his elder brother, Lakshmi Narasimha Sastri, a respected pandit at the Mysore court.
Young Shivaswami was duly initiated into sannyasa and ordained as Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati Mahaswamiji, beginning an intensive period of spiritual and administrative training under the Jagadguru's personal guidance.
The Great Twelve-Year Pilgrimage
The Jagadguru and His successor-designate then embarked upon an extraordinary twelve-year pilgrimage that would become legendary for its scope and spiritual impact. Departing from Srirangapatna, They traversed an extensive circuit including Nanjangud, Chamarajanagar, and the districts of Coimbatore, Salem, Tiruchirapalli, Madurai, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Thiruvananthapuram, Chingleput, Madras, North Arcot, Cuddapah, and Kurnool.
This monumental journey was marked by elaborate arrangements made by the Governments of Mysore, Madras, and British India to receive the Acharyas with appropriate honors and provide comprehensive support throughout Their sacred tour. Commissioner Bowring, in a memorandum to all officers, expressed his desire that the Acharya receive receptions befitting His revered position.
In a remarkable letter to the Government of India, Commissioner Bowring provided an assessment that stands as historical testimony to the Acharya's unparalleled spiritual influence:
"The Sringeri Guru is the acknowledged spiritual director not only of the greater proportion of the Hindus of southern India but also of leading Marathas, such as Holkar and the former Peshwas. It may be said that His influence is far greater than that of any spiritual guide in India, and I presume that it is for this reason that He is regarded with such unlimited respect. The Guru Nrisimha Bharati is a venerable man of 72, who has been a great traveler and has a considerable reputation for learning. He is deservedly respected, being very unassuming in manner and having a well-established character for benevolence and wisdom."
The Final Chapter
During these twelve transformative years of travel, the Jagadguru ensured the complete preparation of His successor, Jagadguru Sri Sachchidananda Shivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati Mahaswamiji. The great Acharya returned to Sringeri in 1877, having fulfilled His earthly mission of preserving and propagating the sacred tradition while inspiring countless souls across the subcontinent.
In 1879, Sri Vruddha Nrisimha Bharati attained mahasamadhi, leaving behind a legacy of perfect spiritual discipline, infinite compassion, and unwavering dedication to dharma that continues to inspire generations of seekers on the path to liberation.
