Swami Vāmanāshram (

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; in script: , , ) is an Indic script used in the Indian subcontinent. It is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental systems: alphabets, writing system), based on the ancient ''Brāhmī script, Brā ...

: वामनाश्रम्, '), also called ''Swamiji'', was the sixth

guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

of the

Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin Chitrapur Saraswats are a small Konkani-speaking community of Hindu Brahmins in India. They are traditionally found along the Kanara coast and call themselves ''Bhanaps'' in the Konkani language. Susan Bayly says that they were formed from c ...

community (6th in the '' Guru Parampara''). He reigned for 16 years from 1823 to 1839. He was considered a ''Bramha-jñāni'' (All knowing one).

Life

Swami Vāmanāshram was from the ''Shukla Bhat'' family from Mangalore. He was ordained as the successor to Swami Keshavāshram in 1804 and was under the tutelage of his guru Swami Keshavāshram for a period of 19 years. During this time he gained mastery over the

Vedas FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...

Upanishads The Upanishads (; , , ) are late Vedic and post-Vedic Sanskrit texts that "document the transition from the archaic ritualism of the Veda into new religious ideas and institutions" and the emergence of the central religious concepts of Hind ...

and other

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

scriptures. Swamiji was formally ordained as the Guru of the community after Swami ''Keshavāshram'' died on the 9th day of '' Mārgha'' month in 1823.

Shishya Sweekar

Upon the insistence of his devotees to accept a disciple to help him with the affairs of the community, Swamiji consented in accepting a '' shishya'' (disciple). His successor, Parameshwar Nagar, was found in the hamlet of ''Vitthal'' in

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

when Swamiji visited. The priest of the Shri ''Vishweshwar Vitthal'' temple had told Swamiji about Nagar, telling him the young boy radiated with energy and potential. In the month of '' Jyēshta'' in 1836, Swamiji formally ordained his ''shishya'' as ''Krishnāshram''.

Tyāga Tyāga (Sanskrit: त्याग) is a Sanskrit word that means "sacrifice, giving up in generosity, forsaking, resigning" anything of value, as well as "renunciation" depending on the context. It is an ethical concept in Hinduism, Buddhism an ...
: The Sacrifice

Swamiji was a man who was deeply involved in spiritual pursuits, but the administration of the ''matha'' and its treasury was materialistic pleasures that the Swamiji denounced. Since he could not concentrate on both the administration affairs of the ''matha'' and the affairs of the community in general, he gave total responsibility of the administration to his ''shishya'' and the ''Shukla Bhat'' managers.

Death

Swamiji went to visit his devotees in

Mangalore Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the st ...

in 1839. It was during this visit that he became seriously ill. His health was rapidly deteriorating. Swami Vāmanāshram died on the 9th day of the month of '' Kārtik'' in 1839. He was succeeded by his ''shishya'' Krishnashram. The devotees of Swamiji constructed his ''samādhi'' (shrine) in the ''matha'' at Mangalore. Devotees offer ''seva'' (service) as ''Shiyala Abhisheka''. Tender coconut water is poured on the shrine as

abhisheka Abhisheka () is a religious rite or method of prayer in which a devotee pours a liquid offering on an image or murti of a deity. This is common to religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Hinduism An abhiṣeka is conducted by pries ...

References

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Notes