Marek Reavis wrote: > Perhaps that was Shantanand's story, too; and if so, would help > explain some of the older disciples', like Karpatri Swami and > others, discomfort with the favoritism shown Shantanand (and > some of the other new chelas) and his quick ascent in what was > had become the Shankaracharya's Organization (the "SO"). > It's probably much simpler than that - according to what I've heard the real issue was upholding the teaching and keeping the Adwaita tradition pure. Apparently Swami Brahmanand Saraswati wasn't very supportive of the Vaishnava-leaning pundits down in Kashi. That's a good thing too, because it would be a tragic mistake to elect a dualistic psychopomp to the Shankaracharya Gaddi up in Joshi. A Swami that lives near here, supposedly a direct desciple of Guru Dev, claims to have been offered the Jyotirmath seat at one time - he's a quasi-dualist fer sure (bheda-bheda).
>From the Hindustan Times: Meanwhile, Swami Shantanand had gone and taken over the property donated by the people of Joshimath to the Shankaracharya. Swami Swaroopanand, on being consecrated, proceeded to Joshimath and with his lathi-wielding followers tried to take over the property, which included a large building called Math and a fruit garden around it. Fights broke out with guns and lathis, in which Swami Shantanand and his men won and he remained in control. Swami Swaroopanand bought some land a little below the original seat area and built a larger Math of his own on it. In early 1980s Swami Swaroopanand became the Shankaracharya of the Dwarakapeeth also. Soon afterwards, the Parishad and others asked him to choose to remain the Shankaracharya of only one of the peeths and give up the other. He did not do so, and in 1993, the Council of Learned Men in Varanasi made Swami Madhavashram the Shankaracharya of Jyotipeeth. Read more: Subject: The Fighting Ascetics of India Thread: An attack by some naked Naga sadhus in Haridwar Forum: alt.meditation.transcendental Author: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: 04/07/2002 http://tinyurl.com/yazjv5
