The chief of Pejavara Matha Sri Sri Vishwesha Teertha Swamiji passed away due to multiple organ failure on Sunday at Udupi. The 88-year-old Sri Sri Vishwesha Teertha Swamiji was the seer of Pejavara Matha, one of the the ‘Ashta’ (Eight) Mathas of Udupi.
Earlier, Swamiji was hospitalised on December 20 after he developed breathing difficulty. He was in the ICU since then. Later, he was shifted to Udupi Sri Krishna Matha from KMC Hospital.
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, who was touring the coastal region, had rushed to the hospital Saturday. Former Union Minister Uma Bharti arrived at Udupi Sri Krishna Matha early morning today to see Pejavara Matha Seer Vishwesha Teertha Swami. The senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Uma Bharti was a disciple of Vishwesha Teertha Swamiji.
Sri Sri Vishwesha Theertha Swamiji was born on the 27th of April, 1931 as the second child of Sri Narayanacharya and Srimati Kamalamma, a devout couple from Ramakunja. The parents named the child as Venkataramana.
Venkataramana, the then head of the Pejavara Matha, Sri Sri Vishva Manya Teertha Swamiji initiated him as a Sanyasi when he was eight years old. The initiation happened on the 3rd of December 1938 at Chakratheertha, near Hampi. Upon initiation, Venkataramana became Sri Sri Vishwesha Teertha.
For the head of any eight Udupi Mathas, the Paryaya and consequent responsibility to worship Lord Krishna for two years is a crown of honour. Such an auspicious duty was bestowed upon Sri Vishwesha Teertha Swamiji for the first time in the year 1952.
Sri Swamiji’s first Paryaya was unmatched in history for its grandeur in spiritual, social and scholarly activities. It was during this Paryaya that the proud torchbearer of Madhva culture, the Akhila Bharata Madhva Maha Mandali (ABMMM) was founded. The ABMMM held its first conference under the Presidency of His Highness the Maharaja of Mysore.
During Sri Swamiji’s second Paryaya in 1968 A.D, the entire region of Udupi was literally revitalized. During this Paryaya, on the occasion of the regional summit of the Vishva Hindu Parishat, the slogan given by Sri Swamiji – “Hindavaha Sodaraaha Sarve Na Hinduhu Patito Bhaveth” became a mantra for all workers of the Parishat. During his second Paryaya in 1968, he got the Badagumalige in Udupi repaired.
Even during the third Paryaya of Sri Swamiji in the year 1984, lady luck smiled on Udupi. The entire spiritual, cultural and physical landscape of Udupi has undergone a revolutionary transformation during the three Paryayas of Sri Swamiji. In his third tenure as Paryaya Swamiji in 1984, he has got a new hall built at Udupi called Krishna Dhama.
He has completed five Paryayas and only one to complete five Paryayas after Shri Vadiraja Swamiji of Sodhe Matha. He started his fifth Paryaya on January 18, 2016, and completed it on January 18, 2018.
