Ashrama Name: Shri Sadashivendra Sarasvati (1)
Appellations: Gauda Sadashiva, Bala Guru Sadashiva
Birth Place: Banks of the River Sindhu
Purvashrama Father’s Name: Deva Mishra was father by birth; but one Bhurivasu of Pushpapura was adoptive father
Sannyasa: at age 17
Years as Pithadhipati: 8
Siddhi: 3475 Bhava Jyeshtha Shukla Dashami (CE 0374-May-08)
Siddhi Place: Cave near Tryambakeshvara
Other:
This Acharya was the son of one Deva Mishra who was the minister to the Kashmir King. This Deva Mishra had become infatuated with the Jaina religion and hence rejected all Vaidika Anushthana-s. But his son even as a child was an illuminated soul and advised the father to embrace the Vedic tradition. (Hence the appellation Bala Guru.)
Seeing the child reject the Jaina religion, the Jains influence the father to give up his son and throw Him into the Sindhu. But the Sindhu River Goddess bore the divine child on lotus leaves without harm. Further downstream, a native of Pushpapura by name Bhurivasu was observing vows to obtain a child and had at the time entered the river for bath. The river took the child to him and a formless voice was heard: “Pleased by your penance, I give this son unto you”.
Bhurivasu took the child joyfully, brought him up as his own son, and performed His upanayana. Being enlightened at birth, immediately after upanayana the youth set about teaching people the Vaidika dharma and Advaita. Upon meeting with Shri Ujjvala Shankara during the latter’s tour around the country, at the age of seventeen He took to sannyasa.
By instructions of His Guru He took a golden palanquin and a varied entourage along with Him (probably courtesy of the kings who were most impressed with the Guru as well). He arranging for the daily maintenance of one thousand Vedic scholars (who probably had suffered from the anti-Vedic troubles that had been raging through the nation at the time of His Guru which His Guru set right). He travelled to all parts of Bharata (from his native Kashmir) until all the sea coasts, and ensured that the work done by His Guru in eradicating anti-Vedic tendencies was not subverted.
On the academic/philosophical side He also ensured the continuity of the Advaita tradition by teaching the Shankara Bhashya-s forty-eight times.
All this He did in a short period of eight years. After establishing His disciple Shri Surendra Sarasvati on the Peetham, He entered a cave which was known as Samadhi Sthali at Tryambakeshvara near Nasikapuri, and was seen no more.
His appellation of “Gauda” Sadashiva probably results from (or itself indicates) that the other later (53rd) Acharya by name Sadashivendra Sarasvati was from Dakshina Bharata. Hence this Acharya originating in one of the Pancha Gauda desha-s constituting Uttara Bharata was called “Gauda” Sadashiva.
श्रीसर्वज्ञसदाशिवबोधेन्द्रकृता पुण्यश्लोकमञ्जरी
विप्राच्छ्रीदेवमिश्राद् अजनि जनित एवाप्तविद्याप्रकाशः
संस्कारैः प्राक्तनैर्यः समगिरत गिरं सर्वम् आत्मेति सत्यम्।
तन्नो मृष्यद्भिरर्हज्जिनयुगभिजनैः पातितः सिन्धुवेण्यां
त्रातः प्रेम्णैव सिन्ध्वाऽप्यविलयम् अमुया पद्मपत्रे निवेश्य॥३४॥
सूनुः सोऽयं तपोभिस्तव मुदितधिया दीयतेऽद्येति वाचा
सार्धं दत्तो द्विजाय स्थिरनियमयुजे यस्तयैवोह्यमानः।
पुष्टस्तेनाथ पुष्पाभिधपुरजनुषा भूरिवस्वाह्वयेन
त्रात्रा पित्रोपनीतः समयम् अयम् अधाद् अद्वयं निर्द्वयत्वे॥३५॥
आचार्यम् उज्ज्वलमहायतिशङ्करार्यम् आराध्य संयमम् अवाप्य तदाज्ञयैव।
श्रीमान् सदाशिवगुरुर्व्यधिताऽऽऽब्धि यात्रां सान्दोलिकं सुविहिताश्रमवर्णधर्मः॥३६॥
नित्यं ब्रह्मसहस्रपोषणपरः सर्वत्र भाष्यं गुरोः
सञ्चार्य द्विविवर्जितान् सनियमं वारांश्च पञ्चाशतः।
अध्यास्याष्ट जगद्गुरोरधिमठं वर्षान् समाधिस्थलीं
जीवन्नेव सदाशिवः समविशत् कृत्वा सुरेन्द्रं पदे॥३७॥
भवे भवाकृतिः सोऽच्छे ज्येष्ठे ज्येष्ठस्तपस्विनाम्।
दशम्याम् आप दशमीं सिद्धिं सिद्धः सदाशिवः॥३८॥
॥ श्रीसदाशिवेन्द्रसरस्वतीश्रीचरणविरचिता जगद्गुरु-रत्न-माला ॥
अथ गौड-सदाशिवेन्द्र-पादान् प्रथितान् न्यक्कृत-बाह्लिक-प्रवादान् ।
जनन-क्षण एव जात-बोधान् जगद्-आचार्य-पदान् श्रये विबाधान् ॥ ४६ ॥
॥ पञ्चषष्टितमैः पीठाधिपतिभिः श्रीमत्सुदर्शनमहादेवेन्द्रसरस्वतीश्रीचरणैः प्रणीतः श्री-काञ्ची-कामकोटि-पीठ-जगद्-गुरु-परम्परा-स्तवः ॥
(१७) चतुस्समुद्री-क्रोड-स्थ-वर्णाश्रम-विचारकान् ।
श्रित-विप्र-व्रज-स्कन्ध-सुवर्णान्दोलिका-चरान् ॥ २५ ॥
प्रत्यहं ब्रह्म-साहस्र-सन्तर्पण-धृत-व्रतान् ।
सदाशिव-समाह्वानान् स्मरामः सद्गुरून् सदा ॥ २६ ॥