Dharm samrat swami Hariharanand Saraswati (1907–1980) popularly known as Swami Karpatri (so called because he would eat only what would come in his palm 'kara', as the bowl 'pātra'), was born as Hari Narayan Ojha into a Saryupareen Brahmin family of a village called Bhatni in Pratapgarh,

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, India. He was a

sannyasi ''Sannyasa'' (Sanskrit: संन्यास; IAST: ), sometimes spelled Sanyasa (सन्न्यास) or Sanyasi (for the person), is life of renunciation and the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' A ...

in the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

Dashanami

monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

tradition.

Childhood

As a child, Swami Karpatri had no interest in worldly matters. He was married to Srimati Mahadevi at the age of 9 in the year 1916. Even after his marriage, he tried to leave his home in search of truth but failed. His father said "I would allow you to leave home only if you become father of child and give us a grandchild"; a girl child was born, and Karpatri left his home at the age of 19.

Education

He went to Sangved Vidyalaya and started his Sanskrit grammar education in 1926. After this, he studied

Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, t ...

and other darshanas from Swami Vishveshvarashrama. After his years of learning, including three years in icy caves in the Himalaya, he was ordained as a

Dharm Sangh

On the day of Vijayadashmi, He established Dharm Sangh in the year 1940. He travelled through all parts of India and established many branches of Dharm Sangh. The Slogan was: He revived the lost traditions of

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

. Dharm Sangh under leadership of Swami Karpatri helped the

Noakhali Noakhali ( bn, নোয়াখালী, , New canal), historically known as Bhulua ( bn, ভুলুয়া), is a district in southeastern Bangladesh, located in the Chittagong Division. It was established as district in 1821, and officia ...

victims of 1946 riots and provided them land, food and financial aid. He re-converted Hindus who were forcibly made Muslims and gave them initiation under Rama-Nama. He and his group was the first one to be jailed in Independent India. Even before Independence, In the year 1947, he started protests and meetings from the month of April. On the night of 14 August 1947, the members of Dharm Sangh were raising the slogans of "Bharat Akhand Ho" (May Bharat be united), All of them were jailed.

Later life

He was a disciple of

Shankaracharya Shankaracharya ( sa, शङ्कराचार्य, , " Shankara-''acharya''") is a religious title used by the heads of amnaya monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. The title derives from Adi Shankara; te ...

Jyotir Math Uttarāmnāya Śrī Jyotish Pītham or Jyotir Math is one amongst the four cardinal pīthams established by the 820 CE philosopher-saint Śrī Ādi Śaṅkara to preserve and propagate Sanātana Dharma and Advaita Vedānta, the doctrine o ...

Swami Brahmananda Saraswati. He spent most of his life at

. Swami Nishchalananda Saraswati, the 145th Govardhan Peeth Shankaracharya of

Puri Puri () is a coastal city and a municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is also known as '' ...

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

, is an eminent disciple of Swami Karpatri. He initiated

Alain Daniélou Alain Daniélou (4 October 1907 – 27 January 1994) was a French historian, Indologist, intellectual, musicologist, translator, writer, and notable Western convert to and expert on the Shaivite sect of Hinduism. In 1991 he was awarded the ...

, a noted French Historian into Shaivite Hinduism under the name, Shiv Sharan.

Politics

Other than DharmSangh, In 1948, Swami Karpatri founded the Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad, A traditionalist Hindu party. He led a movement against the

Hindu Code Bill The Hindu code bills were several laws passed in the 1950s that aimed to codify and reform Hindu personal law in India, abolishing religious law in favor of a common law code. Following India's independence in 1947, the Indian National Congress ...

. He was also a prominent agitator in

1966 anti-cow slaughter agitation On 7 November 1966, a group of Hindu protestors, led by ascetics, naga sadhus and backed by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Bharatiya Jana Sangh (aka Jan Sangh), approached the Indian Parliament to protest to criminalize cow slaughter. The incid ...

. On 18 April 1948, he founded the newspaper ''Sanmarg'' which promoted Sanatan Dharma and also advocated against the Hindu Code Bill and voiced opposition on cow slaughters.

Death

On the day of his demise in the year 1980 “Magh Shukla Chaturdashi”, he asked his disciples to sing the "Ayodhya Tyaga" story of

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...

for him; he himself did the recitation of Sri Sukta and at the end by keeping the idol of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

on his chest, he died by reciting "Shiva Shiva Shiva" thrice.

Debates

Swami Karpatri maintained no-compromise policy with regards to Hindu laws and

Shastras ''Shastra'' (, IAST: , ) is a Sanskrit word that means "precept, rules, manual, compendium, book or treatise" in a general sense.Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on 'zAstra'' The wo ...

. He was called Dharmasamrata(English: The Emperor of Dharma) by the masses. In 1932, when he was in his late 20s, he debated

Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Madan Mohan Malaviya ( (25 December 1861 — 12 November 1946) was an Indian scholar, educational reformer and politician notable for his role in the Indian independence movement. He was president of the Indian National Congress four times and ...

on the topic Pranava (ॐ). Unable to Answer Swami Karpatri's arguments, Malaviya accepted his defeat. This incident was later published in the book "Mananiya Prashnottara". A debate took place in 1964; this one was between Sanatani Pandits and Arya Samaj. Swami Karpatri was just a viewer in the debate, but he later joined the debate with Yudhisthir Mimansak. Another debate took place in 1965 between Swami Karpatri and Madhvacharya Sri Vidyamanya Teerth. Sri Vidyamanya challenged people to defend

Advaita ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' (l ...

Siddhanta. Swami Karpatri accepted the challenge, The debate went on for 2 days. In the end, the mediator "Sri Bhagvatananda" declared Swami karpatri ji victorious.

Books

Marxwad Aur Ramrajya: Criticism of Modern Ideologies such as Marxism, Feminism etc. Vichar Piyush: A Summary of Swami Karpatri's Thoughts. Bhakti Sudha: An anthology of various articles written by Swami Karpatri on importance of Bhakti. Bhagwat Sudha: Explaining the Essence of Srimad Bhagvat Puran. Sri Radha Sudha: A record of Swami Karpatri's speeches on Radha Sudha Nidhi. Bhakti Rasarnava: A Unique work on Bhakti. Pibata Bhagvata Rasamalaya: A Book dealing with Rasa of Srimad Bhagvata Purana. Kaal Mimansa: A work dealing with the chronology in context of the Pauranic and Other Hindu Epic literature. Kya Sambhog se Samadhi: A Simple Refutation of Osho's interpretation of Samadhi. Capitalism, Socialism and Ramrajya: Refuting Osho's shallow understanding on these Ideologies. Ramayana Mimansa: A Book with systematic analysis of the Hindu Epic Ramayana. Ved Ka Swaroop Aur Pramanya: The epistemological significance and Structure of the Vedas. Veda Pramanya Mimansa: Establishing the supreme authority of Vedas. VedaSwarupVimarsh: A Short book defining the swarupa of Vedas while refuting the claims of Social Reformers and Modern day Scholars Like Swami Dayanand. Samanvaya Samrajya Samrakshanam:A work dealing with coordination between various schools of Hinduism. Ahamartha aur Parmartha Sara: A commentary on Patanjali's work "Parmarth Sara" with the refutation of Vishishta Advaita View. Nastika-Astika Vaad: A point to point refutation of Nastika Arguments used against Astikas. Videsh Yatra Shastriya Paksha: The Views of Hindu Shastras on Travelling Abroad. Sankirtan Mimansa evam Varnashrama Dharma: A text Describing the maintenance of Varnashrama Dharma along with Holy Enchanting. Rss aur Hindu Dharma: Deals with Structural criticism of Sangh-Sponsored Anti-Shastra ideology. Gau - Ek Samagra Chintan: The importance of Cow within Hinduism and Humanity as a whole. Vedartha Parijata: Explaining the True Essence of the Vedas along with Commentary. Kumbha Tithyadi Nirnaya: A treatise dealing with the astrological conclusions in context of Tithis and Kumbha Parva. Yajurveda Commentary: Bhashya (Commentary) of Shukla Yajurveda by Swami Karpatri in eight parts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karpatri, Swami 1907 births 1982 deaths Advaitin philosophers 20th-century Hindu philosophers and theologians People from Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh Scholars from Varanasi People from Gorakhpur district 20th-century Indian philosophers Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad politicians Indian Hindu religious leaders