Krishnashram
Encyclopedia
His Holiness Swami Krishnāshram (Devanagari
: कृष्णाश्रम्, ) was the seventh guru
of the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin community. He was the seventh mathādhipati (head of the community or guru). His reign lasted for 24 years from 1839 to 1863.
He was an able administrator and a learned Sanskrit scholar. Under his reign several infrastructural developments were brought about which included construction of temples and the renovation of existing ones. He added several land assets to the Chitrapur Math
. It was under his regime that the Rathōtsav ("Car Festival") was introduced. (See topic below.)
Krishnāshram was succeeded by his disciple Pandurangāshram
as the head of the community after he attained mahā-samādhi (died) in 1863. He was considered as the "Patron Saint" of the of Shirali
and its adjoining villages. His samādhi (shrine) is located at Shirali
.
Swami Vāmanāshram
attained mahā-samādhi (died) on the 9th day of the month of kartik
in 1839. Thus he became the seventh Guru Parampara
.
He was a learned Sanskrit
scholar who had gained mastery over the scriptures while under his guru. Devotees flocked from different parts of the country to hear the āshirvachans (spiritual discourses) of Krishnāshram. He was able to bring around many devotees from their Dvaita
Vaishnava practices.
After Vāmanāshram gave up the administration of the matha over to his shukla bhat managers (See Relinquishing responsibilities), the affairs of the matha were in disarray. The administration of the matha was taken care of Krishnāshram who was an able administrator. With the help of his trusted assistant Lajmi Venkatarāmanayya, the affairs of the matha were set right. Many reforms regarding the collection of vantiga (donations), the allocation of funds for developmental projects etc. were introduced.
s and renovating already existing ones. Under his leadership, the Shri Subramanyeshwar Temple at Nilekani (Sirsi) and the Shri Anantēshwar Temple at Vitthal were some of the temples that were renovated.
The Umā-Maheshwar Temple at Mulki
was constructed after the residents of that panchayat requested Krishnāshram for a temple. Krishnāshram himself installed the Umā-Maheshwar deity in the temple.
Under Krishnāshram's auspices, the Charriot or Car Festival known as Rathōtsav was introduced, the first in 1862. In this week-long festival, Lord Bhavānishankara adorns the ratha (charriot) which hundreds of devotees pull around the entire village. The mathādhipati (head of the community or guru) sits on the ratha. An integral part of the festival is the pālki utsav (Palanquin festival) where the Lord Bhavānishankara adorns the pālki (palanquin) and travels a different route every day to "visit" his devotees. Devotees offer their prayers and seek blessings from the Lord on these days. Each day, the Lord takes a different route. The route taken is always marked by glowing lights and crackers to welcome the Lord.
This festivity is marked by chanting of Vedic
mantrās (hymns) along with bhajans (devotional songs). Prasād
bhojan (food served as prasad
) is served to each and every devotee. This food is prepared by the voluntary work of the devotees, including the cutting and chopping of vegetable to the serving of the food. Any small work done towards the betterment of the festival is considered as seva (selfless service
) to Lord Bhavānishankara. The Rathōtsav is the time when the entire community unites to take part in the festivity.
In the traditional way, this idol was installed near the shrine (samādhi) of Ādi Parijñānāshram Swamiji
at the Bhandikeri Math (Ādi Matha) in Gokarn.
at Shirali
, the people ignored the festival. They did not light lamps nor offer flowers and ārtis
to the Lord. They shunned and turned their backs onto Lord Bhavānishankara.
Krishnāshram wanted the people to believe that whatever they offer to the Lord was not theirs but belonged to the Lord in the first place. The good life that people enjoyed were because of the grace of the Lord and selfishness and ignorance does not play any role in success. So that night, as if by divine will, a devastating fire swept across Shirali that resulted in wanton destruction. How much ever the people tried, the fire would not extinguish. The people realized their folly and sought forgiveness at the Krishnāshram's feet. As if by divine intervention, the fire was extinguished and further losses were prevented.
. Krishnāshram graciously accepted. So the search was on to find a suitable successor to Krishnāshram.
The successor was found in Kālappa Shāntapayya, a smart and intelligent boy from Mangalore
. So on the auspicious Shuddha Poornima day (15th day) of the month of Kārtik
in 1857, Krishnāshram ordained his shishya and named him Pāndurangāshram
. Thus another link was added to the Guru Parampara
. Pāndurangāshram would go on to learn under his guru
for a period of 6 years.
of the community. The samādhi (shrine) of Krishnāshram is located at the Chitrapur Math
in Shirali
between the samādhis of Swami Parijnanashram II
and Swami Keshavashram
.
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: कृष्णाश्रम्, ) was the seventh guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
of the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin community. He was the seventh mathādhipati (head of the community or guru). His reign lasted for 24 years from 1839 to 1863.
He was an able administrator and a learned Sanskrit scholar. Under his reign several infrastructural developments were brought about which included construction of temples and the renovation of existing ones. He added several land assets to the Chitrapur Math
Chitrapur Math
Chitrapur Math is the central Math for the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin sect. This Math is located in Shirali in North Kanara area of Karnataka and has been there since 1757. The other Maths of this community are located in Gokarn, Karla, Mangalore and Mallapur...
. It was under his regime that the Rathōtsav ("Car Festival") was introduced. (See topic below.)
Krishnāshram was succeeded by his disciple Pandurangāshram
Pandurangashram
His Holiness Swami Pāndurangāshram was the EIGHTH guru of the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin community. He was the guru for a period of 52 years from 1863 to 1915...
as the head of the community after he attained mahā-samādhi (died) in 1863. He was considered as the "Patron Saint" of the of Shirali
Shirali
Shirali is a village in the located in the Bhatkal subdistrict of Uttara Kannada district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Shirali is home to two prominent temples: the Chitrapur Matt and the Maha Ganapathi Mahammaya Temple...
and its adjoining villages. His samādhi (shrine) is located at Shirali
Shirali
Shirali is a village in the located in the Bhatkal subdistrict of Uttara Kannada district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Shirali is home to two prominent temples: the Chitrapur Matt and the Maha Ganapathi Mahammaya Temple...
.
Taking charge
Krishnāshram was born Paramēshwar Nāgar in the tiny hamlet of Vitthal in Karnataka. He took charge of the affairs of the community after his guruGuru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
Swami Vāmanāshram
Vamanashram
Swami Vāmanāshram was the Sixth guru of the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin community. His period of reign was for 16 years from 1823 to 1839....
attained mahā-samādhi (died) on the 9th day of the month of kartik
Kartik
Kartik may refer to:* Kartika , a month in the Indian national calendar and Bengali calendar* Kartik * Karttikeya, the brother of Ganesha in the Hindu mythology...
in 1839. Thus he became the seventh Guru Parampara
Chitrapur Guru Parampara
The Chitrapur Guru Parampara or Guru Heritage of the Chitrāpur Sāraswat Brahmins is the lineage of spiritual teachers , also known as Mathadhipatis who have led the community throughout its history.These teachers are viewed as the torch-bearers of the rich culture and heritage that the community has...
.
He was a learned Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
scholar who had gained mastery over the scriptures while under his guru. Devotees flocked from different parts of the country to hear the āshirvachans (spiritual discourses) of Krishnāshram. He was able to bring around many devotees from their Dvaita
Dvaita
Dvaita is a school of Vedanta founded by Shri Madhvacharya....
Vaishnava practices.
After Vāmanāshram gave up the administration of the matha over to his shukla bhat managers (See Relinquishing responsibilities), the affairs of the matha were in disarray. The administration of the matha was taken care of Krishnāshram who was an able administrator. With the help of his trusted assistant Lajmi Venkatarāmanayya, the affairs of the matha were set right. Many reforms regarding the collection of vantiga (donations), the allocation of funds for developmental projects etc. were introduced.
Infrastructural development
Krishnāshram was keenly interested in establishing temples and mathaMatha
A matha ) is a term for monastic and similar religious establishments of Hinduism and Jainism. A matha is usually more formal, hierarchical, and rule-based than an ashram.-Advaita Mathas:...
s and renovating already existing ones. Under his leadership, the Shri Subramanyeshwar Temple at Nilekani (Sirsi) and the Shri Anantēshwar Temple at Vitthal were some of the temples that were renovated.
The Umā-Maheshwar Temple at Mulki
Mulki
Mulki is a panchayat town in Dakshina Kannada district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is on the banks of Shambhavi River. It was earlier known as Moolikapur, turned to Mulki. A small town with people of diverse religions, it is 10 km north of Suratkal. Karnad is a locality within...
was constructed after the residents of that panchayat requested Krishnāshram for a temple. Krishnāshram himself installed the Umā-Maheshwar deity in the temple.
Rathōtsav ("Car Festival")
See RathotsavUnder Krishnāshram's auspices, the Charriot or Car Festival known as Rathōtsav was introduced, the first in 1862. In this week-long festival, Lord Bhavānishankara adorns the ratha (charriot) which hundreds of devotees pull around the entire village. The mathādhipati (head of the community or guru) sits on the ratha. An integral part of the festival is the pālki utsav (Palanquin festival) where the Lord Bhavānishankara adorns the pālki (palanquin) and travels a different route every day to "visit" his devotees. Devotees offer their prayers and seek blessings from the Lord on these days. Each day, the Lord takes a different route. The route taken is always marked by glowing lights and crackers to welcome the Lord.
This festivity is marked by chanting of Vedic
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
mantrās (hymns) along with bhajans (devotional songs). Prasād
Prasad
Prasād is a mental condition of generosity, as well as a material substance that is first offered to a deity and then consumed...
bhojan (food served as prasad
Prasad
Prasād is a mental condition of generosity, as well as a material substance that is first offered to a deity and then consumed...
) is served to each and every devotee. This food is prepared by the voluntary work of the devotees, including the cutting and chopping of vegetable to the serving of the food. Any small work done towards the betterment of the festival is considered as seva (selfless service
Selfless Service
Selfless service is a commonly used term to denote a service which is performed without any expectation of result or award for the person performing it.-Religious significance:...
) to Lord Bhavānishankara. The Rathōtsav is the time when the entire community unites to take part in the festivity.
Miracles
There are famous stories about miracles that Swami Krishnāshram has been attributed to.Un-earthing Umā-Maheshwar
Once Krishnāshram had a dream in which the Lord Bhavānishankara guided him to the jungles of Gersappe in Shimōga. There he was shown an idol of Umā-Maheshwar hidden in the deep jungle. Krishnāshram guided his followers to the place as shown in his dream. At exactly the same location as in the dream, an exquisite sculpture of Umā-Maheshwar was unearthed.In the traditional way, this idol was installed near the shrine (samādhi) of Ādi Parijñānāshram Swamiji
Parijnanashram I
Swami Parijnanashram I or Adi Parijnanashram was the first guru and Mathadhipati of the Chitrāpur Sāraswat Brahmins...
at the Bhandikeri Math (Ādi Matha) in Gokarn.
Fire at Shirali
One year during the pāliki utsav (Palanquin festival: See Pālki Utsav) in the month of KārtikKartik
Kartik may refer to:* Kartika , a month in the Indian national calendar and Bengali calendar* Kartik * Karttikeya, the brother of Ganesha in the Hindu mythology...
at Shirali
Shirali
Shirali is a village in the located in the Bhatkal subdistrict of Uttara Kannada district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Shirali is home to two prominent temples: the Chitrapur Matt and the Maha Ganapathi Mahammaya Temple...
, the people ignored the festival. They did not light lamps nor offer flowers and ārtis
Aarti
Aarti , also spelled arathi, aarthi is a Hindu religious ritual of worship, a form of puja, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee or camphor is offered to one or more deities...
to the Lord. They shunned and turned their backs onto Lord Bhavānishankara.
Krishnāshram wanted the people to believe that whatever they offer to the Lord was not theirs but belonged to the Lord in the first place. The good life that people enjoyed were because of the grace of the Lord and selfishness and ignorance does not play any role in success. So that night, as if by divine will, a devastating fire swept across Shirali that resulted in wanton destruction. How much ever the people tried, the fire would not extinguish. The people realized their folly and sought forgiveness at the Krishnāshram's feet. As if by divine intervention, the fire was extinguished and further losses were prevented.
Shishya Sweekār
The devotees of Krishnāshram asked him to accept a shishya (disciple) so as to continue the holy Guru ParamparaChitrapur Guru Parampara
The Chitrapur Guru Parampara or Guru Heritage of the Chitrāpur Sāraswat Brahmins is the lineage of spiritual teachers , also known as Mathadhipatis who have led the community throughout its history.These teachers are viewed as the torch-bearers of the rich culture and heritage that the community has...
. Krishnāshram graciously accepted. So the search was on to find a suitable successor to Krishnāshram.
The successor was found in Kālappa Shāntapayya, a smart and intelligent boy from Mangalore
Mangalore
Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...
. So on the auspicious Shuddha Poornima day (15th day) of the month of Kārtik
Kartik
Kartik may refer to:* Kartika , a month in the Indian national calendar and Bengali calendar* Kartik * Karttikeya, the brother of Ganesha in the Hindu mythology...
in 1857, Krishnāshram ordained his shishya and named him Pāndurangāshram
Pandurangashram
His Holiness Swami Pāndurangāshram was the EIGHTH guru of the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin community. He was the guru for a period of 52 years from 1863 to 1915...
. Thus another link was added to the Guru Parampara
Chitrapur Guru Parampara
The Chitrapur Guru Parampara or Guru Heritage of the Chitrāpur Sāraswat Brahmins is the lineage of spiritual teachers , also known as Mathadhipatis who have led the community throughout its history.These teachers are viewed as the torch-bearers of the rich culture and heritage that the community has...
. Pāndurangāshram would go on to learn under his guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
for a period of 6 years.
Mahā-Samādhi
Swami Krishnāshram fell ill in 1863. On the ashtami (eighth day) of the month of mārghashīrsha that year, Krishnāshram attained mahā-samādhi(died), after being at the helm of the community for a dynamic period of 24 years where the community faced a lot of changes. His shishya pandurangāshram succeeded him as the next guruGuru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
of the community. The samādhi (shrine) of Krishnāshram is located at the Chitrapur Math
Chitrapur Math
Chitrapur Math is the central Math for the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin sect. This Math is located in Shirali in North Kanara area of Karnataka and has been there since 1757. The other Maths of this community are located in Gokarn, Karla, Mangalore and Mallapur...
in Shirali
Shirali
Shirali is a village in the located in the Bhatkal subdistrict of Uttara Kannada district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Shirali is home to two prominent temples: the Chitrapur Matt and the Maha Ganapathi Mahammaya Temple...
between the samādhis of Swami Parijnanashram II
Parijnanashram II
Swami Parijnanashram II was the third Guru and Mathādhipati of the Chitrāpur Sāraswats whose reign was between 1757 to 1770. He was ordained as the guru by the elders of the community after Swami Shankarāshram I died without selecting a shishya...
and Swami Keshavashram
Keshavashram
His Holiness Swami Keshavashram was the fifth guru of the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin community,that is, the Fifth Mathādhipati of the community. His reign was from 1785 to 1823, a period of 38 years...
.