Epitome of knowledge

The reigning deity Sharadamba, consort of Lord Brahma, epitomises supreme knowledge. She is seated on top of the Sri Chakra consecrated by Adi Shankara who established four maths to carry forth his teachings — Sringeri in the south, Puri in the east, Dwarka in the west and Joshir Math Badri in the north. Sri Bharathi Theertha, the present pontiff is the 36th acharya.

Many festivals are celebrated with pomp here but the Sharannavarathiri is an important one. Marking the victory of the goddess Mahakali over Mahishasura, the festival occurs in September-October. The goddess emerged victorious in her fight on the 10th day, which signifies the victory of righteousness. This festival has been celebrated from the time of sage Vidyaranya in the 14th Century.

On Amavasya, the goddess is decked out as Jagat Prasutika or the Universal Mother. During the next nine days, she is decorated and placed on a different vahana (vehicle) showing her in various forms - Brahmi on the swan, Maheshwari on the bull, Mayuri on the peacock, Vaishnavi on Garuda, Indrani on the elephant, Chamundi on the lion, Aswavahini on the horse and as Mohini and Rajarajeshwari.

The acharya has a rigid schedule during the Navarathiri festival. After the daily Anushtanam, he performs the ganga puja on the banks of the Tungabhadra and visits other shrines. Around midday he performs an elaborate puja to Saradamba that includes the "Lalita Sahasranamam", gaja puja and paduka puja. At night he performs the regular puja to lord Chandramouleshwara and Ratna Garba Ganapathy.

After this, the acharya is dressed in silk and proceeds to the temple. He carries the paraphernalia of a customised decorative umbrella to the temple. He is bedecked with the crown styled in the Mughal form presented by the former Nizams of Hyderabad as a token of reverence.

Many royal families presented various ornaments to the Jagadgurus of the Sringeri math. The muthina hara is a gold pendant showing a mythical bird that is the insignia of Mysore dynasty. Tipu Sultan gave the makara kanthi — a necklace of emeralds and diamonds shaped like a crocodile. The Jama Khandi kanthi was given by the raja of Jama Khandi.

On entering the temple, the guru performs three circumambulations along with the goddess seated in a golden chariot. He moves towards the sanctum sanctorum walking backwards always facing the goddess. He is seated on a silver throne called the Saraswati Simhasana or the seat of transcendental wisdom. He faces the goddess and the proceedings begin with recitation of the "Devi Mahatyam" by the chief priest. The mangalarathi, chanting from the vedas, reading of the panchanga (lunar calendar), sangeeta seva, and sarva vadya seva follow. These complete, the priest in the sanctum performs the shodashopachara with a mirror, a fan and an umbrella. The day's proceedings end with the mahamangalarathi.

The navarathiri festival essentially celebrates three aspects of the goddess — kriya shakti (action) as Durga on the first three days; ichha shakti (desire) as Lakshmi on the next three days and jnana shakti (knowledge) as Saraswati on the last three days. The 10th day — Vijayadasami — indicates triumph of good over evil and the achievement of the final purushartha of the unity of jeevatman into paramatman through the wisdom and knowledge bestowed by the grace of the goddess.

The celebration of this festival shows the importance given to tradition in our religion. In these troubled times it also stresses the level of religious tolerance. This can be seen in the fact that the jagadguru wears necklaces given by Tipu Sultan and the nizams of Hyderabad. The concept of durbar reveals the jagadguru's benevolence for the welfare and well being of the devotees who participate to gain the acharya's blessings.