Jagadguru Shankaracharya Sri Sri Vidhu Shekhar Bharati Mahaswami Arrives in Nepal

Kathmandu. The 37th Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Shringeri Sharada Peeth, Sri Sri Vidhu Shekhar Bharati Mahaswami, has arrived in Nepal. He arrived in Kathmandu on Thursday via a charter flight. 

He has come to Nepal for the 'Dharmik Vijay Yatra 2083' taking place in Kathmandu. Religious leaders have stated that Bharati's visit to Nepal, who is recognized as the successor of Swami Bharati Tirtha Mahaswami, who leads one of the four major Peeths (Shringeri Sharada Peeth in Karnataka), can be considered important from a religious, cultural, and diplomatic perspective.

Born on July 24, 1993, in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, his name before initiation was Kuppa Venkateswara Prasad Sharma. Bharati, who is a fluent speaker in Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi, had mastered Krishna-Yajurveda and various scriptures at a young age.

In addition to participating in the historic religious victory journey, which runs from Jestha 8 to 14, his main program includes special darshan and puja of the beloved deity Lord Pashupatinath and the famous religious site Muktinath. 

He will perform Nitya Chandramawleshwar Puja, special Anugraha Pravachan, visit Veda Pathshalas, and give blessings to devotees in and around the Pashupatinath Temple complex. The four major monasteries established by Adi Shankaracharya in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of India continue to play a central spiritual role today in the preservation of Vedic knowledge and the guidance of religious practice. 

These monasteries are traditionally associated with the four Vedas and are located in the four directions of India. The Govardhan Math in Puri, Odisha, in the east, is associated with the Rigveda and is led by Swami Nischalananda Saraswati. The Sharda Peeth in Dwarka, Gujarat, in the west, is associated with the Samaveda and is led by Swami Sadananda Saraswati. 

The Jyotirmath in Joshimath, Uttarakhand, in the north, is associated with the Atharvaveda and is led by Swami Abhimukteshwarananda Saraswati, while Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswami leads the Shringeri Sharada Peeth in Karnataka in the south. This monastery is associated with the Yajurveda. 

Bharati, who has arrived in Nepal, is recognized as the successor of Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswami. All these four monasteries of India collectively represent the living continuity of Shankaracharya's philosophical heritage and continue the Advaita Vedanta tradition throughout India.

On Saturday, he also performed puja and darshan at the Budhanilkantha temple. In Kathmandu, he is scheduled to visit the Kalbhairav in Basantapur and observe the heritage sites of that area this afternoon.

He will also visit the Krishna Mandir in Patan and its heritage sites. The visit management secretariat has stated that there is also a program to inaugurate the Bhatbhateni Temple and Kioch Children's Hospital. Photos: Nishchal Chapagain