Bengaluru January 17, 2016: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) expressed deep condolences on the demise of Poojaneeya Sri Sudhindra Theertha Swamiji (90years), Poojya Mathadipathi of the reputed Kashi Math Samsthan Guru Parampara. Sri Sudhindra Theertha Swamiji attained moksha on 17.01.2016 at Kashimath Haridwar at 1.10 am.
RSS Kshetreeya Sanghachalak V Nagaraj expressed deep condolences on demise of Poojaneeya Sri Sudhindra Theertha Swamiji. “Parama poojya Sri Sudhindra Theertha Swamiji was an eminent spiritual leader and his demise is a great loss to Hindu Society and humanity at large”, said V Nagaraj in his condolence message.
Statement by RSS Akhil Bharatiya Sah Prachar Pramukh J Nandakumar:
“The Mahasamadhi of Srimad Sudheendra Tirtha Swamiji of Shree Kashi Math Samsthan, Varanasi, at Haridwar, has been a great loss to the Hindu society as a whole, and particularly to the Gowd Saraswath Community. During his pontificate of over seven decads, the swamiji had guided the community very efficiently, both in the spiritual and temporal matters. If the community, in spite of the ill-effects of globalisation, is holding steadfast to the time-old traditions and customs peculiar to it, the whole credit for it goes to His Holiness. The Swamiji’s stand vis-à-vis the Ram Temple issue, caste distinctions, etc., was very categorical and he was in favour of the construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya and was against any form of distinction and discrimination on the basis of caste. He was also highly supportive of every move to unite the Hindu society above all divisive tendencies.”
We place on record our deep sense of grief over the Mahasamadhi of His Holiness and pray to the almighty God to give enough strength to His disciple-community to bear the loss with equanimity and hold steadfast to the values dear to Him, and pay our respectful obeisance to His hallowed memory.
J Nandakumar,
RSS Akhil Bharatiya Sah Prachar Pramukh
About Swamiji:
Srimad Sudheendra Teertha swamiji, the present Mathadhipati of Shree Kashi Math Samsthan, is the twentieth Swamiji in the Guru Parampara. In the Poorvashram (before being initiated into sanyasa by the previous Swamiji), he was known as Shri Sadashiva Shenoy, son of Shri Ramadas Shenoy, a trustee of Shri Venkataramana Temple in Ernakulam. He was born at Ernakulam on 31st March, 1926. He completed his Pre-University education in Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam and selected Natural Science, Physics and Chemistry as his main subjects. From an early age he had shown inclination towards a religious life.
The noble traits of his character, his devotion to God, his desire to serve his fellow men, his honesty, his integrity and his love for Hindu Dharma were remarkable. When Shrimath Sukrateendra Thirtha Swamiji was camping at Ernakulam, this young boy attracted his attention. The Swamiji had the intuition to choose the right man and was divinely inspired to select this boy to be his fittest successor, later to head Shree Kashi Math Samsthan. The father’s consent was obtained for the transformation of the college student into a Sanyasi, eventually to lead a sizeable portion of Vaishnava Goud Saraswath Brahmin community in the righteous path of Vaishnava Dharma.
The Guru-Swami took him to Mulki and on Wednesday, 24th May 1944 (Karka Lagna, Jeshta Shuddha Dviteeya of Tarana Samvatsara, Shalivahana Shaka 1866) initiated him into Sanyas in the divine presence of Lord Sri Venkataramana, Sri Ugra Narasimha and Sri Bindu Madhava in Mulki (KA IN) and renamed him as Srimad Sudhindra Theertha, who then severed the family connections and took to his new duties earnestly and enthusiastically and led an austere life.
He felt the need of equipping himself with all the knowledge of the Dharma Shastras. He mastered Sanskrit at the Bhuvanendra Sanskrit College, Karkala near Mangaluru in Karnataka. The scholarly teachers of the college were appointed to impart the necessary education in Dharma Shastras. He was camping in Shrinivasa Ashrama in the College premises. In those days he was very fond of animals. There were many pets including a deer and a tiger cub in Shrinivasa Ashrama.
After taking the vow of celibacy in 1944 and preserving it since then, the Swamiji strives day in and day out for the welfare and uplift of the community as a whole. Endowed with excellent grasping power, wonderful memory and extraordinary intelligence and plenty of God’s grace and Guru’s blessings, he completed his study in a short time. The Brahma Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads (Prasthana Traya) and other works were studied in great detail. He became a great scholar in Dwaita philosophy, as propounded by Shri Madhvacharya. He learnt the methods of worshipping God according to Agama Shastra. He travelled with the Guru to various places and picked up his duties well. He sat at the feet of the Guru and learnt the traditions of Shree Kashi Math.
His Holiness had taken charge of the Samsthan in 1949 after the Mukti of his Guru Shrimath Sukrathindra Thirtha Swamiji in Kochi. He bore the loss of his Guru with courage and took over the reigns of the spiritual chariot of the followers of Shree Kashi Math Samsthan in his able hands and has been leading the chariot since then.
He traveled widely from Kanya Kumari to Badrinath, meeting his disciples, exhorting them to lead a life of morality and religion, conducting the pujas to Shri Vyasa-Raghupati with unbounded devotion and single-pointed concentration and praying at all times for the welfare of the community. Kindness, compassion, generosity and breadth of vision are the strong traits of his way of work. He visited many places of pilgrimage including Nashik, Ujjain, Kurukshetra, Mathura, Ayodhya, Prayag, Kashi, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Badri, Tirupati, Srirangam, Madurai, Palani, Kumbhakonam, Rameshwaram and Kanya Kumari.
Shrimath Sudhindra Thirtha Swamiji, like his predecessor Swamijis, performed many installation and re-installation ceremonies in various temples. Thus he performed the third renovation/ reinstallation ceremony of Shri Venkataramana Temple, Kundapura on Vaishakha Shuddha Trayodashi of Vikari Samvatsara, Sh. Sh. 1881 (Wednesday, 20-5-1959). The reinstallation ceremony at Shri Lakshmi Venkatesha Temple at Hosdurg was performed by him on Chaitra Shuddha Navami, Sharvari Samvatsara, Sh. Sh. 1882 (Monday, 4th April, 1960).
The installation of idol of Shri Venkataramana in Balaji Mandir, Kurla, Mumbai was performed by him on Tuesday, 20th March, 1973. Among the temples renovated and the idols reinstalled by the Swamiji are :
Shri Venkataramana Temple, Kasaragod, Shri Varadaraja Venkataramana Temple, Gurupura, Shri Venkataramana Temple, Mangalore, Sri Krishna Mandir, Mangalore etc. In addition, he installed various idols at different temples, such as Shri Venkataramana and Mahalasa Temples at Konchady Shri Kashi Math, Shri Muralidhara Krishna at Kota, Shri Narasimha at Shri Ramanjaneya Temple, Vile Parle (Mumbai), Shri Narasimha at Shri Venkataramana Temple, Uppinangadi and Shri Lakshmi Venkatesha Temple at Moodbidri.
Sri Sudhindra Theertha Swamiji attained moksha on 17.01.2016 at Kashimath Haridwar at 1.10 am.
