Bharathi Tirtha | |
Order: | Vedanta (Sringeri Math) |
Honorific Prefix: | Jagadguru Shankaracharya |
Honorific-Suffix: | Sri Mahasannidhanam |
36th Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Sringeri Sharada Peetham | |
Religion: | Hinduism |
Philosophy: | Advaita Vedanta |
Ordination: | 11 November 1974 |
Birth Name: | Seetharama Anjaneyalu |
Birth Date: | 11 April 1951 |
Birth Place: | Machilipatnam, Madras State (present-day Andhra), India |
Nationality: | Indian |
Predecessor: | Abhinava Vidyatirtha |
Successor: | Vidhushekara Bharathi |
Bharathi Tirtha Mahaswamiji (alternative spellings: Bharati, Teertha), (Purvashrama name Seetharama Anjaneyalu) (born 11 April 1951), is an Indian religious leader who is the current and 36th Shankaracharya of Sringeri Sharada Peetham, an important Hindu monastery in the tradition of Advaita Vedanta established by Sri Adi Shankara.[1] [2]
Jagadguru Sri Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji was born 11 April 1951 to a Telugu Smarta family from Machilipatnam. His family later moved to Narasaraopet, Andhra Pradesh.
He was a religiously minded child. His upanayana ceremony was performed when he was seven years of age. In addition to schooling, he spent his time studying Sanskrit and took lessons in the Vedas from his father who himself was a Vedic scholar.[3]
In the year 1966, at the age of 15, Anjaneyalu approached the 35th Jagadguru of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamiji, seeking religious guidance from him. Jagadguru Sri Sri Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamiji accepted Brahmachari Seetharama Anjaneyalu as the disciple.
Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamiji appointed Brahmachari Seetharama Anjaneyalu as the successor-designate on the 11 November 1974, when Anjaneyalu received saffron robes, a staff, and a kamandalu (water pot).[4] The newly initiated sannyasi was given the title of Yogapatta Sri Bharati Tirtha in line with the Dashanami Sampradaya of Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankaracharya.[5]
As part of the tradition, Jagadguru Sri Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji undertakes tours to different places in order to offer guidance to the devotees. The most recent tour took place in 2017 and spanned Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.[6] [7] [8]