Tumakuru (Karnataka)

Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Wednesday said that the ideals of Sri Shivakumara Mahaswami, the late pontiff of Siddaganga Math, have found institutional expression through governance.

He also said that the pontiff’s spiritual and cultural tradition is a guiding force in achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of Viksit Bharat (developed India).

Speaking on the occasion of the seventh death anniversary of Shivakumara Mahaswami, the Vice President said the Siddaganga Math played a crucial role in the spiritual development of the citizens as well as the various social sectors such as health, education and social integration.

The Mahaswami died on January 21, 2019 at the age of 111.

According to Radhakrishnan, India’s spiritual and cultural tradition sustained society through the values of Dharma and Seva, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and respect for nature.

"In recent years, his (Shivakumara Mahaswami’s) timeless ideals have found institutional expression through governance on international platforms," Radhakrishnan said.

He said the pontiff’s emphasis on the heritage, conservation, promotion of Sanskrit and traditional knowledge system and recognition of saints, seers and spiritual institutions reflect a governance model that respects faith while serving all citizens equally.

"Importantly, the revival of Hindu consciousness under PM Modi's leadership is about the dignity of knowing who we are, where we come from and what the values guide us to march forward. It affirms that the nation rooted in its civilisation stands taller than the modern world and it is confident, compassionate and inclusive," the Vice President said.

"Today India has an organised ‘Vikas’ and ‘Virasat’, that is development with heritage, so that we progress materially while remaining spiritually anchored," he explained.

Remembering Shivakumara Mahaswami on his seventh death anniversary, Radhakrishnan said the life of the "walking God" (as he was reverentially addressed) was a living message of compassion, sacrifice and service to the poor.

Seven years have passed since the Mahaswami attained Samadhi. Yet time has not diminished his presence. If anything, his relevance has only grown stronger and stronger, the Vice President said.

"In an age of uncertainly and restless ambitions, Mahaswami’s life stands before us as a moral compass, silently asking us to choose humanity over self interest," he said.

Radhakrishnan told the audience that the Mahaswami became the head of the 500-year-old Math in 1941 and started ‘Trividha Dasoha’, the three-fold commensality, where food, education and shelter were provided to the people at a time when food was scarce in the country.

The pontiff was not confined to rituals and sermons but was a saint of action, he said, adding that the seer transformed spirituality into service and devotion into duty.

The Mahaswami’s life reaffirmed an eternal Indian philosophy of ‘Seva is Sadhana’ and humanity is the highest form of worship, the Vice President said.

"For more than a century, the Mahaswami lived a life of extraordinary simplicity and discipline. Even as he was getting aged, his young spirit never got tired. At an age when most seek comfort, he chose commitment. At a time when many seek recognition, he chose humility and in a power chasing world, he chose compassion," Radhakrishnan said.

He underlined that the Siddaganga Math has become more than just a spiritual centre.

"It has become a great social movement. Education, food, shelter, job and knowledge are offered by the Math not as a charity but as the right with the dignity and love," the Vice President said.

Lakhs of children from the poorest families from every caste, every community and every region found a home in the Siddaganga institution, he said.

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According to him, Math has played a crucial role in the overall development of our country, where children get education along with modern thoughts and spirituality.

"Shivakumar Mahaswami has taught us that true spirituality embraces everyone. Nobody is superior by birth, but everybody is equal by birth but they become saints only by serving the poor people," Radhakrishnan said.