Sri Sri Jagadguru Shankaracharya Mahasamsthanam, Dakshinamanaya Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri



Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri

The Amnaya Peethams


Of the large number of disciples who had the rare and inestimable privilege of serving the great Acharya Sri Shankara Bhagavatpada, four stand out prominent. Each one of them was unrivalled in his own way: Padmapada for intense devotion, Totaka for exemplary service, Hastamalaka for supreme self-realisation and Sureshwara for deep learning

It is well-known that Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankaracharya established four Maths in the four corners of India for the sustenance and propagation of Sanatana Dharma in the country. Each of these Amnaya Peethams had their divinities, tirthas, sampradaya, so on all of the details of which are given below.

The four disciples of Sri Adi Shankaracharya were later on installed as Acharyas of the four Maths by Sri Adi Shankaracharya himself as follows.

The fact that all these Maths function to this day shows the vigour of the movement started by Shankara for the propagation of Advaita Vedanta and Sanatana Dharma as a whole.

The Amnaya Peethams

EastSouthWestNorth
Name of the PeethamGovardhana MathSringeri MathKalika MathJyotir Math
Place of LocationPuri (Orissa)Sringeri (Karnataka)Dwaraka (Gujarat)Badrikashrama (Uttaranchal)
DivinitiesJagannatha
(Purushottama, Shakti-Vrsala Vimala)
Malahanikara Linga,
Varaha, Shakti-Sharada
Siddheshwara
Shakti-Bhadra Kali
Narayana
Shakti-Purnagiri
TirthaMahodadhi
(Bay of Bengal)
River TungabhadraRiver GomatiRiver Alakananda
VedaRig VedaYajur VedaSama VedaAtharva Veda
SampradayaBhogavalaBhurivalaKitavalaNandavala
Mahavakyaप्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म
(Prajnanam Brahma)
अहं ब्रह्मास्मि
(Aham Brahmasmi)
तत्त्वमसि
(Tattvamasi)
अयमात्मा ब्रह्म
(Ayamatma Brahma)
Titles to the Pontificial SeatAranya, VanaAll the titles, particularly, Saraswati, Puri, Bharati, Aranya, Tirtha, Giri, AshramaTirtha, AshramaGiri, Parvata, Sagara
First Acharya of the PeethamSri HastamalakacharyaSri SureshwaracharyaSri PadmapadacharyaSri Totakacharya
 
  • The Self (Atma) is never born nor does It ever die; neither does It cease to exist after having once existed nor does the Self come into existence, like the body, having not existed before. Unborn, eternal, It undergoes no change whatsoever and is primeval; It is not destroyed when the body is destroyed. Bhagavan Sri Krishna on Significance of God
  • A person who hears about the condemnation of another incurs sin. What need be said about the sin incurred by a man who actually engages in nit picking? Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada on Prabodha Sudhakara
  • If you pray with faith and devotion, the Lord will certainly listen to your earnest prayers. Jagadguru Sri Chandrashekhara Bharati Mahaswamigal on Significance of God
  • Our nation and its culture have a hoary past and we should all be proud of it. Mere aping of the West is not beneficial for us. For example, care of aged parents is something that has come down to us traditionally and we must never neglect this duty by imbibing concepts of some free societies, wherein concern for one’s own parents is at low ebb. Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha Mahaswamigal on Significance of God
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