Sadasiva Brahmendra (17th Century) was a
saint
In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
,
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and def ...
of
Carnatic music
Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and southern Odisha.
It is o ...
and
Advaita philosopher and Sishya of the great saint Shri Paramasivendra Saraswati (57th
Shankaracharya of Moolamnaya Sarvajna Shri
Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham), who lived near
Thiruvenkadu,
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
, during the 15th/16th century. Even Today, many saints from big and small mathas come and prostrate at his adhisthanam to pay their respects to him and his guru parampara. Unfortunately only a few of his compositions have survived, but they are recognized as great compositions of Carnatic music.
Life
Sadasiva was born in 17th Century into a Telugu Brahmin couple Moksha Somasundara Avadhaani and Parvati. His initial name was Sivaramakrishna.
Sadasiva lived in
Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum), or Kudanthai, is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the hea ...
, in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
in the 17th to 18th century. He went to learn vedas and other various subjects in Sanskrit in Thiruvisanallur. His contemporaries such as
Sridhara Venkatesa Ayyaval and Sri Bhagvan Nama Bodendral (59th
Shankaracharya of Moolamnaya Sarvajna Shri
Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham) lived in the nearby areas at that time.
Sivaramakrishna left his home in search of Truth. He took Sanyasa from a very Old Saint near
Thiruvisanallur and reached
Thiruvenkadu and in-turn became the sishya of Sri Paramasivendra Saraswati (57th
Shankaracharya of Moolamnaya Sarvajna Shri
Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham) who was staying there. He studied under his guidance for 18 years and attained knowledge comparable only to the
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedanga, Vedic scholar, Hindu philosophy, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and h ...
Himself. After leaving the
Thiruvenkadu, he is said to have wandered around, naked or semi-naked, and often in a
trance
Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...
-like state. He was reclusive and often meditated, and was described as being in a "supremely intoxicated state". He is said to have performed many miracles whilst alive, some of the most prominent are provided below. His jiva samadhi site is briefly mentioned in 'Autobiography of a Yogi', Chapter 41 by
Paramahamsa Yogananda.
On the river banks of
Cauvery in Mahadhanapuram, he was asked by some children to be taken to
Madurai
Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...
, more than 100 miles away, for an annual festival. The saint asked them to close their eyes, and a few seconds later they reopened their eyes and found they were in Madurai.
He also wrote the ''Atma Vidya Vilasa'', an
advaitic work.
There is an epilogue to this story. The next day, another youth, incredulous at hearing this story, asked Sadasiva to take him also to this festival. It is said that the youth immediately found himself in the distant city. When it was time to return, Sadasiva was nowhere to be found. The youth had to make his way back on foot.
Whilst relaxing near a heap of grains, he began meditating. The farmer who owned the land mistook Sadasiva for a thief, and confronted him. The farmer raised his stick to hit the saint, but became a
statue
A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or Casting (metalworking), cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to ...
. He remained in this state until the morning, when Sadasiva finished meditating and smiled at the farmer. The farmer was restored to his normal state, and asked the saint for forgiveness.
At another time, while meditating on the banks of the
Cauvery river, he was carried away by a sudden flood. Weeks later, when some villagers were digging near a mound of earth, their shovels struck his body. He woke up and walked away.
Temple service
He is said to have met the
Raja Thondaiman of Pudukottai and initiated him into the Dakshinamurthy Mantra. He is said to have written the mantra on sand. This sand was picked up by the king and it is in the worship of the royal family till now in the Dakshinamoorthy temple inside the Pudukottai palace in
Pudukottai.
He was responsible for installing the deity
Punnainallur Mariamman
The Punnai Nallur Mariamman Temple, temple of goddess Mariamman, is a Hindu temple located at Punnainallur near Thanjavur in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Situated on the outskirts of Thanjavur, Punnainallur popularly known as Thanjavur Maria ...
near
Thanjavur
Thanjavur (), also known as Thanjai, previously known as Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the 12th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of southern Indian religion, art ...
and guided the installation at
Devadanapatti Kamakshi temple. He was also involved in the
thanthonimalai Kalyana Venkatesa Perumal temple at Karur.
He also installed the
Hanuman
Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...
Murthi in the
Prasanna Venkateswara temple at Nalu Kal Mandapam in
Thanjavur
Thanjavur (), also known as Thanjai, previously known as Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the 12th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of southern Indian religion, art ...
. He instructed king of Tanjore to start the
Saraswathi Mahal Library which runs till date.
He also installed Lord Ganesh and a powerful Ganesh Yantra at the Thirunageshwaram
Rahu Stalam temple at Kumbakonam. An inscription in the temple bears testimony to this fact. The shrine can still be seen at the entrance to the temple.
There is a shrine for him in the
Nandrudayan Vinayaka Temple, Trichy.
He has five
samadhis :
*
Nerur (Tamil Nadu)
*
Manamadurai
*
Omkareshwar
*
Kashi
*
Karachi
Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
- Details about this Samadhi are not much known. But it was active and there were visitors from India before Partition. It was supposed to be located close to the
Indus
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans- Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northwest through the dis ...
river
Every year in Nerur and Manamadurai, music festivals are conducted in his honor. In Manamadurai his samadhi is located at the Somanathar temple
Sri
Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Nrusimha Bharati, (fondly referred to as "Abhinava Shankara"), the 33rd Jagadguru of the Dakshinamnaya
Sringeri Sharada Peetham had visited Nerur and composed two slokas in praise of Sri Sadasiva Bramhendra - Sadasivendra Stava and Sadasivendra Pancharatna
Sri
Vasudevanand Saraswati ,known as Tembe swami, a great saint of Maharashtra visited Nerur in the year 1907 and composed a hymn on Sadasiva Brahmendral. This incident is mentioned in his biography.
Books

He is the author of several works. The following works have been printed/published.
# Brahmasūtra-vṛtti or brahma-tattva-prakāśikā - A commentary on Brahma Sutras
# Yoga-sudhākara which is a commentary on the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali.
# Siddhānta-kalpa-valli
# Advaita-rasa-mañjari
Kaivalya Amrita Bindu based on teachings of upanishads
# ātmānusandhānam
# ātma vidyā vilāsa
# Shiva mānasa pūjā
# Dakshinamurtty Dhyanam
# Swapnoditam
# Navamanimala
# Navavarnaratnamala
# Swanubhuti prakashika
# Mano niyamana
# Paramahamsa charya
# Shiva yoga Dipika
# Suta Samhita Sangraha
# Manisha Panchaka Vyakhyana (Tatparya Dipika)
The following works are ascribed to Sri Brahmendral but no printed version is available.
# Bhagavata sara
# Saparya paryaya stavah
# Atmanatma viveka prakashika
# Gita ratnamala - A Commentary on Bhagavat Gita
Songs
He also wrote several Carnatic compositions to spread the advaita
philosophy
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
among common people. These songs are renowned for depth in content as well as brevity of expression. His compositions are quite popular and can be heard frequently in
Carnatic music
Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and southern Odisha.
It is o ...
concerts though they are not always rendered in the same raga since the same song has sometimes been set to music by various artists. Some of these are
# Ananda Purna Bodhoham Sachchidananda -
Shankarabharanam
# Ananda Purna Bodhoham Satatam -
Madhyamavati
# Bhajare Gopalam -
Hindolam
# Bhajare Raghuviram -
Kalyani
# Bhajare Yadunatham - Peelu
# Brahmaivaham - Nadanamakriya
# Bruhi Mukundethi -
Gowla, Navaroju, Kurinji, Senchurutti
# Chetah Sreeramam - Dwijavanthi / Surati
# Chinta Nasti Kila - Navroj
# Gayathi Vanamali - Gavathi, Yamuna Kalyani
# Khelathi Brahmande - Sindhubhairavi
# Khelathi Mama Hrudaye -
Atana
# Kridathi Vanamali - Sindhubhairavi
# Krishna Paahi - Madhyamavati
# Manasa Sanchara Re -Sama
# Nahi Re Nahi Re - Gavathi
# Pibare Rama Rasam - Ahir Bhairav or Yamunakalyani
# Poorna Bodhoham - Kalyani
# Prativaram Varam -
Todi
# Sarvam Bramha Mayam - Mishra Sivaranjani
# Smaravaram - Jog or Sindhubhairavi
# Sthiratha Nahi Nahire -
Amruthavarshini
# Tatvat Jeevitham -
Keeravani
# Tunga Tarange Gange -
Hamsadhwani
In the movies
Character of Sadasiva Bramhendra is portrayed in the Tamil movie Mahashakti Mariamman
In popular culture
Sivan Sar, a great saint and younger brother of Kanchi Mahaperiyava Shri
Chandrashekarendra Saraswati (68th Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham) has written a detailed life history of Sri Brahmendral and venerated in his magnum opus book
Yenipadigalil Manithargal
Tamil writer
Balakumaran
Balakumaran (5 July 1946 – 15 May 2018) was an Indian Tamil language, Tamil writer and author of over 200 novels, 100 short stories, and dialogue/screenplay writer for 23 films. He also contributed to Tamil periodicals such as ''Kalki (magazi ...
has written a novel Thozhan based on the life of Sri Sadasiva Brahmendra.
Printed Sources
Sadasiva Brahman, the Silent Sage, Cuttān̲anta Pāratiyār, 1967
References
Further reading
*
External links
Sri Kailasha Ashramam
Santa Shreshta Sadasiva Bramhendra and his miracles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brahmendra, Sadasiva
Carnatic composers
18th-century Hindu religious leaders
People from Thanjavur district
Scholars from Tamil Nadu
17th-century Indian philosophers
18th-century Indian philosophers
1755 deaths
Advaita Vedanta
Advaitin philosophers
Indian Hindu monks
1630 births