>Joshua Jonathan at 12:22, 7 July 2021

2021-07-07T12:22:21Z

New page

{{short description|Religious institution in Hinduism}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Govardhan Math
| image = Goverdhana matha.jpg
| caption = Govardhan Math Entrance Gate
| logo = Govardhan Math Logo.png
| logo_caption = Govardhan Math logo
| motto = Prajñānam brahma (Consciousness is supreme being)
| formation =
| founder = [[Adi Shankara]]
| type = Religious
| location = [[Puri]], Odisha, India
| leader_title = First Shankaracharya
| leader_name = [[Padmapadacharya]]
| leader_title2 = Present Shankaracharya
| leader_name2 = Swami Nischalananda Saraswati
| website = https://govardhanpeeth.org/
}}
[[File:Puri Shankracharya Eyes close shot.jpg|thumb|H.H. Jagadguru Swami Shri Nischalanada Saraswati, The ''Shankaracharya'' of Govardhan Peetham, Puri, Odisha]]
'''Purvamnaya Sri Govardhana Peetham''' or Govardhan Math is one amongst the four cardinal [[Matha|peethams]] established by the philosopher-saint Bhagwan [[Adi Shankaracharya]] to preserve and propagate [[Sanatana dharma|Sanatana Dharma]] and [[Advaita Vedanta]], the doctrine of [[Nondualism|non-dualism]]. Located in [[Dwarka|Puri]] in [[Gujarat|Odisha]], [[India]], it is the Eastern Āmnāya Pītham amongst the four Chaturamnaya Peethams, with the others being the [[Sringeri Sharada Peetham|Sringeri Śārada Pīṭhaṃ]] (Karnataka) in the South, [[Dwarka Sharada Peetham|Dvārakā Śāradā Pītham]] (Gujarat) in the West, and [[Jyotir Math|Badari Jyotirmaṭha Pīṭhaṃ]] (Uttarakhand) in the North.<ref name="Melton2014p574">{{cite book|author=J. Gordon Melton|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bI9_AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA922|title=Faiths Across Time: 5,000 Years of Religious History|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2014|isbn=978-1-61069-026-3|pages=574–575}}</ref> It is associated with the [[Jagannath]] temple.<ref name="Advaita Vedanta"/> Their Vedantic mantra or [[Mahāvākyas|Mahavakya]] is ''Prajñānam brahma (Consciousness is supreme being) and'' as per the tradition initiated by Adi Shankara it holds authority over [[Rigveda|Rig Veda]].

The deities here are Jagannath (Lord Vishnu) and the devi is [[Vimala Temple|Vimala]] (Bhairavi). The mahavakya is ''Prajnana Brahma''. There are Shri Vigraha of ''Goverdhananatha Krishna'' and '''Ardhanareshwara Shiva''' installed by Adi Shankara.<ref name="The great fire">{{cite news|last1=Sahu|first1=Monideepa|title=The great fire|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/532849/fire.html|access-date=6 March 2016|publisher=Deccan Herald|date=6 March 2016}}</ref>

The whole of the Eastern part of the Indian subcontinent is considered as the territory of Sri Govardhan Peeth.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Vaidya|first1=Dhananjay|title=Poorvamnaya Sri Govardhan Muth, Bhogavardhan Peetham, Puri|url=http://organiser.org/archives/historic/dynamic/modules45ae.html?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=250&page=18|access-date=16 November 2015|publisher=Organiser|date=17 August 2008}}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> This includes the Indian states of [[Bihar]], [[Jharkhand]], [[Chhattisgarh]], [[Andhra Pradesh]] till Rajamundry, [[Orissa, India|Odisha]], [[West Bengal]], [[Assam]], [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Manipur]], [[Sikkim]], [[Meghalaya]], [[Tripura]], [[Mizoram]], and [[Uttar Pradesh]] till Prayag. The countries [[Nepal]], [[Bangladesh]] and [[Bhutan]] are also considered spiritual territory of the math . [[Puri]], [[Prayagraj]], [[Gaya, India|Gaya]] and [[Varanasi]] are some of the holy places under this Math.

==Background==

Govardhana matha is one of four cardinal institutions established by [[Adi Shankara]] (c. 8th century CE), regarded by later tradition as the reviver of Vedic [[Sanatana Dharma]].<ref name="Real Thing">Pasricha, Prem C. (1977) The Whole Thing the Real Thing, Delhi Photo Company, p. 59-63</ref> Shankara's four principal disciples, [[Padmapāda|Padma-Pada]], [[Hastamalakacharya|Hasta-Malaka]], [[Sureśvara|Vartika-Kara]] and [[Totakacharya]] were assigned to these four learning centers in the north, south, east and west of India.<ref name="God, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi p. 9">Love and God, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Age of Enlightenment Press, 1973 p. 9</ref> The subsequent leaders of each of these four monasteries are known as Śaṅkarāchāryas in honor of the math's founder, Adi Shankara.<ref name="Indology">Unknown author (2005) [http://indology.info/papers/sundaresan Indology] The Jyotirmaṭha Śaṅkarācārya Lineage in the 20th Century, retrieved 4 August 2012</ref> As such they are the leaders of the Daśanāmī Saṃnyāsins who are considered to have custody of Advaita Vedānta<ref name="Indology"/> These four principle seats of learning are located in Purī (Odisha), Śṛṅgeri (Karnataka) and Dvārakā (Gujarat) with<ref name="Indology"/> the northern (Uttarāmnāya) monastery being located in the city of Jyotirmaṭh (also known as Joṣīmaṭh).<ref name="Indology"/>

==History==
[[Padmapadacharya]] became the first leader of the matha. The matha has historical connections with the Jagannath temple, which is also located in Puri.<ref name="Advaita Vedanta"/> It is called the Govardhanathatha, and has sub-location called the Sankarananda Math.

[[Swami Bharati Krishna Tirtha]], who was then the leader at the Dvaraka matha, assumed the leadership position at the Govardhana matha in 1925; Shankara Prushottama Tirtha supervised the Matha on his behalf while he visited the [[Self Realization Fellowship]] in the USA.<ref name="Advaita Vedanta"/> After Bharati attained Mahasamadhi in 1960, Yogeswaranda Tirtha succeeded him who also attained Mahasamadhi a year later in 1961. In 1964, after a "period of uncertainty" Niranjana Deva Tirtha, a disciple named in Bharati's will, was installed by Aghinava Saccindananda Tirtha of Dvarka.<ref name="Advaita Vedanta"/>
Nirnjana Deva Tirtha became known for his unpopular political views affecting the Hindu people.<ref>http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/aug/28sankra.htm</ref> In 1992, he stepped down after nominating Niscalananda Saraswati as his successor.<ref name="Advaita Vedanta">Unknown author (5 May 1999) archived [https://web.archive.org/web/20110706131203/http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/ad-today.html here] (Accessed: 2012-08-30) or [https://www.webcitation.org/6AJjmU7Tn?url=http://web.archive.org/web/20110706131203/http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/ad-today.html here] The Monastic Tradition Advaita Vedanta web page, retrieved 28 August 2012</ref><ref>(1994) SUNY Press, A Survey of Hinduism By [[Klaus K. Klostermaier]]</ref>

[[File:Jagadguru_Shankaracharya_Swami_Nischalananda_Saraswati_Ji_Maharaj_with_a_Calf.jpg|thumb|H.H. Jagadguru Swami Shri Nischalanada Saraswati, The ''Shankaracharya'' of Govardhan Peetham, Puri, Odisha with ''Gau Mata''(Mother Cow)]]
Niscalananda Saraswati was born in Darbhanga in 1943, the son of the raj-Pandita of [[Raj Darbhanga|Maharaja of Darabhanga]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://govardhanpeeth.org/shankarachrya-matha/%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%81-%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%99%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE/ |title=जगतगुरु शङ्कराचार्य स्वामी निश्चलानंद जी महाराज, Biography, Govardhan Matha |access-date=12 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180922115625/http://govardhanpeeth.org/shankarachrya-matha/%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%81-%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%99%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE/ |archive-date=22 September 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He decided to enter sanyasa while being a student in the [[Tibbia College]] and spent time studying the shastras at Kashi, [[Vrindavan]], [[Naimisaranya]], [[Shringeri]] etc. In 1974, he took diksha from [[Swami Karpatri]] who gave him name Niscalananda.

On 11 February 2018 silver jubilee (25th anniversary) of the pattabhisheka of Swami Nischalananda Saraswati was celebrated in Puri in the presence of chief minister [[Naveen Patnaik]], former Nepal king [[Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev]] and [[Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb]] of Puri.<ref>[https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/odisha/temple-shut-for-king-s-visit-207653 Temple shut for king's visit], The Telegraph, 11 February 2018</ref>

A person named Swami Adhokshyananda has sometimes claimed to be the Sankaracharya of Puri<ref>[https://www.rediff.com/news/2000/jul/17puri2.htm Rival Puri shankaracharya arrested, secures bail, Rediff, 17 July 2000]</ref><ref>[https://www.thehindu.com/2000/09/06/stories/14062195.htm Orissa HC allows seer to enter Puri, The Hindu, 6 September 2000]{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> He is known for having been invited by the American Federation of Muslims of India (AFMI) and by Shankersinh Vaghela in 2002.<ref>[Shankaracharyas multiply, so do legal tangle, The Times of India]</ref><ref>[http://archive.indianexpress.com/oldStory/8116/ Shankaracharya is Cong’s weapon for BJP’s Hindutva war, Indian Express, 23 August 2002]</ref>

==Samudra Arti==
[[File:Puri Shankracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati Ji Maharaj at Samudra Aarti.jpg|thumb|H.H. Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Shri Nischalanada Saraswati at ''Samudra Arti'' (The Worship of Sea).]]
The Samudra [[Arti (Hinduism)|Arti]] is a daily tradition started by the present Shankaracharya 9 years ago.<ref name="The great fire"/> The daily practise includes prayer and fire offering to the sea at Swargadwara in Puri by disciples of the matha. On Paush Purnima of every year the Shankaracharya himself comes out to offer prayers to the sea.

==See also==
* [[Adi Shankara]]
* [[Shankaracharya]]
*[[Kalady|Kalady, Kerala - the holy birth place of Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya]]
*[[Dvaraka Pitha|Dwarka Sharada Peetham (West), Dwarka, Gujarat]]
*[[Jyotir Math|Jyotirmath Peetham (North), Badrikashram, Uttarakhand]]
*[[Sringeri Sharada Peetham|Shri Sringeri Sharada Peetham (South), Sringeri, Karnataka]]
*[[Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham|Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu]]
*[[Shri Gaudapadacharya Mutt]]
*[[Gaudapada]]
*[[Govinda Bhagavatpada]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQgYH0jzHqHFWLKvzcgCmWw YouTube Channel]
*[https://twitter.com/govardhanmath?s=09 Twitter]

{{Shankara mathas}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Govardhana Matha}}
[[Category:Hindu pilgrimage sites in India]]
[[Category:Hindu organisations based in India]]
[[Category:Shankaracharya mathas in India]]
[[Category:Puri district]]
[[Category:Mathas in Puri]]
[[Category:Adi Shankara]]
[[Category:Advaita Vedanta]]

Govardhan Math - Revision history

>Joshua Jonathan at 12:22, 7 July 2021