--- In [email protected], akasha_108 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > --- In [email protected], "sparaig" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], Vaj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > On Jun 17, 2005, at 9:17 PM, akasha_108 wrote: > > > > > > > Regardless, as I have understood it, Shantananda was asked to > step down due to his lack of qualifications. Which he did. And his > successors have been banned from using the title Shankaracharaya. > > His linneage does not appear to have much power or respect other > than from the TMO. > > > > I believe what you describe is accurate. The letter from one of > the Kaplans also mentions that M. had a particular Shankaracharya-- who > was not the real Shankaracharya-- > > > Who says? No-one disputes that Shantananda was Gurudev's oldest and > > most favorite student amongthe Sanyasi. > > I think people do dispute that. Swararoopa (sp) for one. >
Well, yes, but he wasn't one of Brahmananda's on-going students. He left Swami Brahmanada for a different guru years earlier. > Dana Sawyer -- a prof of Asian Studies, fluent n Hindi, and former > TMer, is a good, if not definitive source on this. He has interviewed > many directly on these issues, and had dug through original court > documents. He has had some of his comments posted here -- and they > should be in the archives. Perhaps Rick has copies in his personal > archives and can repost. > > > that he sent students to. I am assuming he > > > was referring to Shantananda and possibly his successor. So there > > was some deception going on regarding this trip. > > > > I see, so the courts agreeing that Swami Shantanada was the genuine > > Shankaracharya should be ignored? > > The current courts have rejected the current head of Shantananda's > lineage and have denied him use of the term Shankaracharaya. So your > reference to the courts I believe goes back to the 50's and is not > current. I believethat you are incorrect. Also: http://www.hindu- religion.net/showflat/cat/hinduism/31454/53/collapsed/5/o/1 Divided Lineage - Because of the controversy over Brahmananda's will and Santananda's succession, the organizations involved in reviving Jyotirmath in 1941 considered other nominations for the Sankaracharya post. These efforts were blessed by Swami Abhinava Sacchidananda Tirtha, the then Sankaracharya of Dwaraka. In 1953 itself, one Swami Krishnabodha Asrama was appointed as the new Jyotirmath Sankaracharya, contesting Santananda's claim. Krishnabodha Asrama was not a direct disciple of Brahmananda Saraswati, but given the nature of Jyotirmath's revival in 1941, this was not necessarily a disqualification. The new appointment also had the support of the Puri matha, but it must be noted that this matha was to have a few succession problems of its own, within a decade. [4] When Krishnabodha Asrama passed away in 1973, he nominated Swami Swarupananda Saraswati to the title. Swarupananda is a direct disciple of Brahmananda Saraswati, but he has also studied under both Krishnabodha Asrama and Abhinava Sacchidananda Tirtha of Dwaraka. [5] Meanwhile, Santananda had not relinquished the Sankaracharya seat, so that by this time, the two major claimants of the title were Swarupananda and Santananda. In the year 1980, Santananda stepped down from the title, in favor of Swami Vishnudevananda Saraswati, another disciple of Brahmananda. However, Vishnudevananda Saraswati passed away in 1989/90, while Santananda Saraswati was still alive. Following this, one Swami Vasudevananda Saraswati was named as the successor. Santananda passed away in late 1997, and Vasudevananda Saraswati is currently the sole representative of this lineage. Vasudevananda was present at the appointment of a Mahamandaleswara of the Mahanirvani Akhada in 1995 (according to Hinduism Today, August 1995). Adding to the complexity of this dispute is the fact that according to the terms of Brahmananda's contested will, one Swami Dwarakesananda Saraswati was supposed to have been the second choice after Santananda. There is no indication that Dwarakesananda ever claimed the Sankaracharya title, or that it was ever formally offered to him. A similar situation obtains with a Swami Paramatmananda Saraswati, who was also named in the will, but as the next choice after Vishnudevananda. [6] > > (And as i remember vaguely, the ealier court ruling was not as black > and white as you indicate. The will was in dispute in that SBS never > had it registered. It suddently appeared after his death. Suspicion > was that it was created or doctored up after the fact. Can you cite > the specific ruling you are referring to -- all its parts. ) > > None of the other Shankaracharayas will sit with the current personage > representing that linneage. And I believe they would not sit with > Shantananda or Vasu ... Not being able to sit with the "quarum" of > Shankaracharayas is viewed as the ultimate rejection, in my > understanding. > > > > > > > > > > But he was I sweet man I hear. > > > > > > Yeah I heard many good stories and his writings are very nice. > > > > So what is YOUR problem with Shantananda's "qualifications" if you > > like what he writes? That he supprted MMY? > > Lots of people can be very sweet, write nice things, but that does not > necessarily qualify them to be Shankaracharaya. My understanding that > Shantananda was never viewed as qualified, but took on the seat, > similtaneously while another "candidate" also took over the seat, and > they fought it out in the courts for decades, with the recent decision > being the definitive one: denying the validity of the Shantananda > lineage. And in time Shantananda agreed that he was not qualifed and > stepped down. Indeed he was alive for some years after he stepped down. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
