Nonduality

Swami Veda Bharati

An Invitation...

Look what you're going to be able to attend!

By the Grace of Gurudeva Swami Rama of the Himalayas you are cordially
invited to participate in the consecration (pattabisheka) of Shri
Swami Veda Bharati ji to the position of Maha-mandaleshvara in the Niranjani
Akhara of the Swami Order presided over by the Acharya Maha-mandaleshvara Shri 108
Swami Punyanandaji Maharaj on the 15th of March 1999 at Taponidhi
Panchayati Niranjani Akhara Mayapur, Haridwar---INDIA
Phone: 91-133-427-804

PROGRAM:
10.00 am Worship: Rudra-abhisheka given by other Maha-mandaleshvaras
11.15 pm Bhandara-feeding the sadhus

What is a Maha-mandaleshvara?
The position is somewhat paralleled to that of PHRA MAHA (Head Monk) in
the Thai Buddhist monastic orders. The title means the Head of a Circle
(Mandala) of the Swamis, however without any defined regional or
administrative boundaries.

The Swami Order is divided into two different parallel structures. The
structure established by Shankaracharya divided the Swamis into:
a) Dasha-namis (those of ten names), Bharati, Saraswati, etc
b) Four regional seats, with a fifth one in the Holy City of Kanchi-puram,
together with their subordinate Sects.

The other, the Akhara System, was consolidated for historical reasons by
Shri Vidyaranya Muni, who is historically the most important name in
Vedanta and in the Swami Order after Shankaracharya. He was not only a
great yogi, philosopher, savant, holding the position of Shankaracharya
in Shringeri (? 13th Century A.D.), he was also the founder and spiritual
guide of the Vijayanagar empire.

Nowadays, the Shankaracharyas remain the influential guides in the
Southern regions of India. The system weakened in the North many
centuries ago, again, for historical reasons. The seven Akhara sub-orders
hold sway in the North, guided by their maha-mandaleshvaras. The largest,
the Niranjani Akhara, to which Gurudeva Swami Rama also belonged, is one
of the two oldest and largest. It has at present 16 maha-mandaleshvaras.

Among themselves they also have a head (acharya maha-mandaleshvara). As
stated above, there are no territorial or administrative divisions.
Frequently the maha-mandaleshvaras meet and confer, and agree upon
matters of common interest. The maha-mandaleshvaras of the Niranjani
Akhara are the most learned; still passing on different areas of
knowledge, composing original philosophical Sanskrit texts, establishing
and guiding institutions. They also maintain financial support for the
Akhara of their Order.

Absolutely unsolicited, Swami Veda Bharati is being conferred the
position and thereby joins a peer group of the highest leading Swamis of
India.
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Swami Veda was totally surprised when he was approached with an offer of
the position, repeatedly asked, and finally decided to accept in the hope
that thereby he may have another instrument at his disposal to serve his
Guru's mission.