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Sringeri was discovered by Sri Sankaracharya as a place where even natural animosities did not exist, as he saw a frog in labour protected from the scorching rays of the sun by a raised hood of a cobra. He installed at that place the Goddess of learning, Sri
Sharada.
He also established a Matha for the propagation of Advaita philosophy, and his first sishya Sri Suresvaracharya was made the head of the
Matha. From then onwards, Sringeri has become famous as a center of learning, philosophy and sublime spirituality. It is one of the holy places of India and it attracts many pilgrims.
Birth place of Sankara
Sankara was a Nambudri Brahmin who took sanyasa at the age of eight and went all over India. He had many marvelous achievements before the age of 32 when he disappeared from this world of mortals. His village home was Kaladi on the outskirts of
Travanacore. He had promised his mother that at the time of her death, she had only to think of him, and he would be there at her bedside. The tragic day came and the mother prayed for her son's return.
Sankara was there as if by a miracle. Then the old woman died. His fellow Nambudris would not help in the disposal of the dead. That was because they mistakenly thought that sanyasa amounted to heterodoxy. So Sankara by his own hands removed the corpse of his mother to the backyard of the house. There was no fuel available. So he cut a plantain tree and arranged its sheaths to cover the body.
A sanyasin is not permitted to make use of fore. So by his yogic power, he produced fire which burnt the plantain tree and the corpse. He could not, however, suppress his anger. So he cursed the Nambudris that thereafter, as in his mother's case, their house and crematorium would be identical.
The Nambudris who had by now realized the mystic powers of
Sankara, repented their original impudence and begged of him not to curse them. Tradition says that Sankara promised the Nambudris that in a later incarnation as the high pontiff of
Sringeri, he would release them from their curse.
Sachindananda Sivabhinava Narashima Bharati, who in 1911 visited Kaladi and installed the image of Sankara on the very spot where he was born, released the surrounding Nambudri villages of the curse that had overtaken them.
Treasure of Gold
Perumbavur is a village on the opposite bank of the Purna river. Once Sankara as a young mendicant went to a Brahmin house at Perumbavur to beg his food for a day. The lady of the house was in tears. Sankara appeared to her as Lord Shiva himself. But she had nothing to give him to appease his hunger. "Why, mother, why do you cry ?", Sankara asked. The poor woman explained. Then he told her to search her earthen wares for anything, however small in size that might be.
The Brahmin woman discovered a small dry piece of gooseberry which she shyly and apologetically gave to the young sanyasin who, putting it into his mouth, addressed
Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth.
He recited a few verses on the spur moment appealing to her to remove the poverty of the devoted woman. Immediately afterwards, the poor woman and her husband discovered a treasure of gold.
Their successors had only known of the tradition but had not seen
Sankara. So when Sachindananda Sivabhinava Narashima Bharati went to install Sankara's image, they spontaneously ran to him and worshipped his feet with golden coins.
The verses mentioned here are known as the Kanakadhara
Satvam. Even now those who desire legitimate wealth are advised by learned scholars and saints to repeat this set of verses to invoke the blessings of the Goddess of wealth.
Rishyasringa Hill
Sringeri is the first of the four pithas established by Bhagavan Sri
Sankaracharya. Sringeri is the modern rendering of Sringa Giri or the Mountain of
Rishyasringa, a great rishi whose tomb is still preserved, and thousands of pilgrims brave the hard path and repair there worship at the holy shrine.
It is said in Ramayana that a 12-year drought and famine had reduced the kingdom of Anga to a scorching and uninhabitable desert. The reigning monarch, King
Romapada, did everything to alleviate the suffering of his people but in vain. Men, woman and children died in hundreds being unable to get a morsel of food or even a handful of water. Cattle perished by thousands.
Somebody suggested to the king that, if he could but persuade sage Rishyasringa to visit
Anga, the rain God would automatically make his appearance to worship the lotus feet of the sage. Romapada sent a deputation to
Sringeri. By the employment of a stratagem the deputationists succeeded in persuading the rishi to visit
Anga.
The moment he set foot on the territory, it poured in torrents. The people were happy; Romapada was so pleased with the rishi's grace and blessings that he willingly gave his daughter, Santa, in marriage to the peerless saint.
Afterwards Rishyasringa officiated in King Dasharatha's sacrifice. Later he returned to his mountain abode along with his spouse.
Selection of Sringeri
the reason why Sankara chose Sringeri to establish his first university or Vidyapitha is related in detail by Vidyaranya in his Sankara
Vijaya. Along with Mandana Misra and his wife Bharati, both of whom he had vanquished in a debate, Sankara was going towards south.
Bharati, who was none other than Goddess Sarasvati, stipulated that at the spot where Sankara looked back at the divine pair, she would take her abode.
It so happened that Sankara and the divine pair reached Sringeri on an exceptionally hot noon. As they proceeded to the river Tunga for their ablutions, they saw a frog struggling in the blazing sun to be delivered of its offspring. A cobra, the natural enemy of frog, raised its hood to provide the frog with shelter and protection from the ravages of the tropical sun.
Sankara was greatly moved by the sight. If there was paradise on earth, here it was, where the lion and the lamb, the tiger and the cow, the cobra and the frog lived in mutual amity and peace. He just turned round when, as she had already stipulated,
Bharati, known also as Sarada, decided to stay for good at Sringeri on the banks of the sacred
Tunga.
Mandana Misra, assuming the name of Suresvaracharya, was installed here as the successor of Sankaracharya before the latter resumed his tour to found his three pithas at
Puri, Dwaraka and Badrinath.
From the time of Sankaracharya to this day, the Sringeri Gurus have been noted for their scholarship and saintliness. From the available records, it is possible to write a connected story of the spiritual ministry of each pontiff. But that would be beyond the scope of this account. Even so a few interest would not be irrelevant.
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