NIRGOSH GAUDE | NT NETWORK
A spiritual leader dedicated to social service is beyond all honours for he is committed to the sole objective of “Sarve jana sukhino bhavantu” (May all live happily) and does not long for worldly distinctions. It is a matter of great happiness and satisfaction for the devotees, though, when the country recognises the seer for his benevolent deeds.
Param Pujya Brahmeshanandacharya Swami Maharaj of Tapobhooomi, located at Kundaim here, has been honoured by the Government of India with the fourth highest civilian title, Padma Shri, for his work in the field of spiritualism. Brahmeshanandacharya Swami Maharaj is the ‘peethadhishwar’ – supreme authority – of the religious organisation, Shree Datta Padmanabh Peeth, which has been following the “guru shishya parampara”, the master-disciple tradition, for thousands of years.
“It is the first Padma Shri award for Goa in the field of spirituality and it’s really amazing,” Swami Maharaj says. “Goa had earlier received Padma awards in other fields like art and literature, but this time the government has recognised the spiritual field too. By doing so, the government has recognised Goa as a spiritual place.”
He adds: “I never had such expectations but it is a very high civilian award and the government considering me for the honour is a great feeling. It is a honour to the state, and I am happy with it.”
The seer was born in Sirsaim, North Goa, and was attracted to meditation and spirituality from childhood. His predecessor Brahmanandacharya Swami, the then chief of the Datta Padmanabh Sampradaya, took him under his wings. At the age of 21, Brahmeshanandacharya Swami Maharaj was appointed the fifth ‘peethadish’ of the Padmanabh Shishya Sampradaya to succeed Brahmanandacharya Swami. He took over the reins of the Sampradaya on May 24, 2002.
Brahmeshanandacharya Swami Maharaj displayed various qualities by the age of seven. He could play the harmonium, and read as well as recite the Bhagavad Gita with confidence. When in school, he was attracted to asceticism and aspired for a life of ‘dhyan’, ‘sadhana’ and ‘tapasya’. Finally, he left home and adopted the life of an ascetic, dedicated to the study and practice of rigorous spiritual paths.
The seer says the people fought the Portuguese and liberated Goa in 1961 to gain freedom as also to protect our culture. “But after the Liberation movement, over the years we as a society have been divided on various fronts, not just as a religion. As Hindus, we are divided on caste and creed basis, and there is a need to unite all. People who are striving for a temple culture in the state need to be united, and I have been working on it since long,” he says. “Along with that, taking the teachings of rishi-munis (saints) and our culture to the people will be my focus in the coming years.”
“Eradicating drug and addiction issues in the state would also be my focus,” Brahmeshanandacharya Swami Maharaj says. “Finally, I have a vision to establish a Sanskrit University at Kundaim, where education on Sanatan Hindu Dharma would be imparted and people across the world will visit Goa to attend the same.
Besides being an educationist, yoga master, Sanskrit scholar, social leader, humanitarian, philanthropist and Vedic researcher, Brahmeshanandacharya Swami Maharaj is also an erudite scholar of Hinduism, having excelled in the study of ‘upanishadas’, ‘nyaya shastra’, ‘ashtanga yoga shastra’, ‘purva mimamsa’, ‘uttar mimamsa’, ‘vedanta shastra’, ‘yadnya-yagas’, ‘karmakand’, ‘pourohitya’, ‘kavya shastra’ and ‘naradiya kirtan shastra’. He is also a ‘Rigveda Samhita Parangat’, and an ‘acharya’ in Sanskrit and ‘visharad’ in ‘sangeet shastra’.
The seer is also interested in classical music, and his discourses on the deeper aspects of religion and spirituality have a mesmerising effect on the audience.
Brahmeshanandacharya Swami Maharaj heads 21 institutions active in spiritual, educational, social and cultural fields, and shoulders the work of the Padmanabh Sampradaya in India and abroad. A strong proponent of inter-faith dialogue for conflict resolution and progress, he is a regular speaker at various international inter-religious peace meets. He was recently invited as a peace convener for Hindu-Buddhist congregations in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
A large number of followers, especially the youth, see Brahmeshanandacharya Swami Maharaj as a pillar of strength and a lighthouse of knowledge. An ambassador of peace, the seer wants to deliver the message of unity and universal integrity, and has dedicated his life for uniting the world as one family, following the adage ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.
In his message to Goans, Brahmeshanandacharya Swami Maharaj says: “I feel we as Goans should give importance to our culture and also to God. We should stay away from anything that divides us or spreads differences in society, be it money or politics. We should focus on living in harmony and brotherhood, without differentiating
against each other.”