Sri Sri Vidhushekhara Bharati
Swamiji was born as Sri Kuppa Venkateshwara Prasada Sharma on the auspicious
Naga Panchami day — July 24, 1993 — in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. Born as the second son of Sri Kuppa
Shivasubrahmanya Avadhani and Smt. Seetha Nagalakshmi, He belonged to the
Kaundinya Gotra and is a native of Anantavaram, Guntur District in Andhra
Pradesh. Kuppa Kaundinya Sharma is elder
brother of Kuppa. KrishnaPriya is his sister. His family has a long lineage of illustrious
Vedic Pandits who were all ardent disciples of the Sringeri Jagadgurus.
Family Background
In 1961, when the 35th Jagadguru
of Sringeri, Sri Abhinava Vidya Tirtha Mahaswamiji visited the Anantavaram
village, the Sri Prasada Sharma’s grandfather’s elder brother, Sri Bhairagi
Shastri welcomed the Jagadguru with sincere devotion, performed Pada Puja and
received His blessings. In 1985, Sri Shastri also had the good fortune of
welcoming and serving the present Jagadguru of Sringeri. Sri Prasada Sharma’s
grandfather’s elder brother, Sri Kuppa Venkatachalapati Somayaaji, embraced
Sannyasa in 2002 with the permission of the Sringeri Jagadguru. He received
Sanyasa Patta as Brahmananda Theertha and stayed in Vijayawada.
Sri Prasada Sharma’s grand father,
Sri Kuppa Ramagopala Vajapeya-Yaaji is an eminent Vedic Pandit of the Krishna
Yajur Veda and has performed the Shrauta Yaga of Vaajapeya. Deeply devoted to
the Jagadgurus of Sringeri, Sri Vajapeya-Yaaji has participated in many Vedic
ceremonies at Sringeri Sharada Peetham.
Sri Prasada Sharma’s father, Sri
Kuppa Shivasubrahmanya Avadhani studied at the Jagadguru Abhinava Vidya Tirtha
Shastra Samvardhini Pathashala in Hyderabad, that was established by Jagadguru
Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji. He became an eminent Pandit in Veda and
Veda Bhashya with great devotion to the Jagadgurus of Sringeri. He is presently the Principal of the TTD Veda
Vigjnana Peetham in Tirumala and Project Officer, S.V. Institute of Higher
Vedic Studies, TTD.
Childhood
From a young age, Sri Prasada
Sharma developed a deep devotion towards Lord Krishna and visited the Krishna
temple near his home, every day. Seeing his son’s devotion, Sri
Shivasubrahmanya Avadhani performed his Upanayana (sacred thread ceremony) at
the age of five. His first lessons in
Krishna Yajurveda were taught by his grandfather, Sri Kuppa Ramagopala
Vajapeya-Yaaji. Showing rapid progress, Sri Prasada Sharma continued his
studies up to Krishna Yajur Veda Krama under his father.
He grew up in an environment
steeped in devotion to God and adherence to a Vedic way of living. Hamsaladeevi
is a holy place in Andhra Pradesh where the Krishna river meets the ocean.
There, on the banks of the river, is a beautiful temple dedicated to Venugopala
Swamy. For the last 95 years, without a break, his family has conducted an
annual Bhagavata Saptaha at this temple. Sri Prasada Sharma attended this
sacred event from an early age. He also accompanied his father on pilgrimages
to holy places such as Ayodhya, Haridwar, Hrishikesh, Kashi, Kalady, Madurai,
Mathura, Pashupathinath (in Nepal), Rameswaram and Ujjain.
Education in Sringeri
Starting in 2006, when he was 13
years old, Sri Prasada Sharma began to accompany his father and grandfather who
were participating in the Dharmic events at Sringeri Sharada Peetham. During
his first visit, the Darshan of the present Jagadguru, Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha
Mahaswamiji had a profound impact on him. He visited Sringeri again in 2008,
and during his subsequent visit in early 2009, he expressed to the Jagadguru
his desire to study Shastras under Him. Touched by the young boy’s sincerity
and impressed with his intelligence, the Jagadguru blessed him and Sri Prasada
Sharma took refuge under the Lotus Feet of the Jagadguru in June 2009.
Under the guidance of the
Jagadguru, he rapidly gained mastery in written and spoken Sanskrit. Sringeri
Vidwan Sri Tangirala Shivakumara Sharma taught him Sanskrit poetry and
literature. He also learned the basics of Vyakarana Shastra under Sringeri
Vidwan Sri Krishnaraja Bhat.
Observing his Guru Bhakti,
humility, intelligence and dedicated application to his studies, the Jagadguru
was pleased and decided to personally teach him the Shastras. The Jagadguru
began to teach him the Tarka Shastra in 2011. Sri Prasada Sharma grasped the
teachings quickly and the lessons moved at an intense pace. Even during the
hectic Vijaya Yatra of 2012-13, the Jagadguru continued to teach him without
missing even a single day. The Jagadguru soon transformed him into a great
Tarka scholar. When he spoke at Sringeri Sharada Peetham’s prestigious Ganapati
Vakhyartha Vidwat Sadas, an annual conference of the nation’s foremost Shastric
Pandits, the attendees were taken by surprise at the young man’s scholarship.
Under the guidance of the
Jagadguru, Sri Prasada Sharma also studied Mimamsa Shastra. He regularly
attended the nightly Chandramoulishwara Puja performed by the Jagadguru. During
this Puja, he also chanted the entire Krishna Yajur Veda Moola and the entire
Yajur Veda Krama. Sri Prasada Sharma always had a
pleasing and helpful demeanor. Stories about his intelligence and learning
capabilities spread quickly. Soon, other students started seeking his help.
While pursuing his own learning, he also began teaching the Vedas, Sanskrit
literature and Tarka Shastra to other students. He subsequently began his
studies in Vedanta under the Jagadguru.
Through these five and half years
of intense study (2009-15) under the direct tutelage of the Jagadguru, Sri
Prasada Sharma became steeped in the Vedic tradition and blossomed in many ways
as a student, scholar, teacher and devotee. The Jagadguru was pleased by his
Guru Bhakti, devotion to God, deep immersion in his studies, scholarship and
respect towards elders. He was beloved by all and had developed a strong inner
core of dispassion and discrimination for pursuing a spiritual path.
Very good information. Thanks for sharing. It helps to teach the students what is guru bhakti, how sincere and curious one should be to seek knowledge from gurus. Thanks again
ReplyDeleteIt highlights Guru Sishya parampara and
ReplyDeletealso the gurukula system. It also portrays how he has genetically evolved.
Jai Gurubhyonamaha,
ReplyDeletePranamas to lotus feet of Shri Shri this is absolute intelligence n dedication of both Shri Shri.. Vande Jagadguru bharathi tirthebhyonamaha
Jaya Jaya Shankara Hara Hara Shankara
ReplyDelete