Rambhadracharya | |
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 Jagadguru Rambhadracharya delivering a sermon on 25 October 2009 inMoradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Giridhar Mishra (1950-01-14)14 January 1950 (age 75) Sachipuram earlier known as Shandikhurd,Jaunpur district, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Honours | Dharmacakravartī,Mahāmahopādhyāya,Śrīcitrakūṭatulasīpīṭhādhīśvara,Jagadguru Rāmānandācārya,Mahākavi,Prasthānatrayībhāṣyakāra, and others |
| Signature |  |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Founder of |
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| Philosophy | Vishishtadvaita Vedanta |
| Sect | Ramanandi sect |
| Religious career | |
| Guru |
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| Successor | Acharya Ramchandra Das |
Disciples
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Humanity is my temple, and I am its worshiper. The disabled are my supreme God, and I am their grace seeker.[3]
 Rambhadracharya |
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Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya[α][4] (bornPandit Giridhar Mishra on 14 January 1950)[β] is an IndianHindu spiritual leader, educator,Sanskrit scholar, polyglot, poet, author,textual commentator, philosopher, composer, singer, playwright andKatha artist based inChitrakoot, India.[5] He is one of four incumbentJagadguru Ramanandacharya,[γ] and has held this title since 1988.[6][7][8]
Rambhadracharya is the founder and head ofTulsi Peeth, a religious and social service institution in Chitrakoot named after SaintTulsidas.[9][10] He is the founder and lifelong chancellor of theJagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University in Chitrakoot, which offers graduate and postgraduate courses exclusively to four types of disabled students.[5][11][12][13][14] Rambhadracharya has been blind since the age of two months, had no formal education until the age of seventeen years, and has never usedBraille or any other aid to learn or compose.[15]
Rambhadracharya can speak 22 languages[16] and is a spontaneous poet and writer in Bhojpuri, Sanskrit,Hindi, and several other languages.[17][18] He has authored more than 240 books and 50 papers,[11][19][20] including four epic poems,[δ] Hindi commentaries on Tulsidas'Ramcharitmanas andHanuman Chalisa, a Sanskrit commentary in verse on theAshtadhyayi, and Sanskrit commentaries on thePrasthanatrayi scriptures.[21][22] He is acknowledged for his knowledge in diverse fields includingSanskrit grammar,Nyaya andVedanta.[23] He is regarded as one of the greatest authorities on Tulsidas in India,[24] and is the editor of acritical edition of the Ramcharitmanas.[25] He is aKatha artist for theRamayana and theBhagavata. HisKatha programmes are held regularly in different cities in India and other countries, and are telecast on television channels like Shubh TV,Sanskar TV and Sanatan TV.[26][27] He is also a leader of theVishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).[28]
Rambhadracharya was born to Pandit Rajdev Mishra and Shachidevi Mishra in aSaryupareen Brahmin family of theVasishthaGotra (lineage of the sage Vasishtha) in Shandikhurd village in theJaunpur district, Uttar Pradesh, India.[29] He was born onMakara Sankranti day, 14 January 1950.[11][14][30][31] He was namedGiridhar by his great aunt, a paternal cousin of his paternal grandfather, Pandit Suryabali Mishra. The great aunt was a devotee ofMirabai, a female saint of theBhakti era in medieval India, who used the nameGiridhar to address the godKrishna in her compositions.[17][32]
Giridhar lost his eyesight at the age of two months. On 24 March 1950, his eyes were infected bytrachoma. There were no advanced facilities for treatment in the village, so he was taken to an elderly woman in a nearby village who was known to cure trachoma boils to provide relief. The woman applied a paste ofmyrobalan to Giridhar's eyes to burst the lumps, but his eyes started bleeding, resulting in the loss of his eyesight.[14][30][31] His family took him to the King George Hospital inLucknow, where his eyes were treated for 21 days, but his sight could not be restored.[30] VariousAyurvedic,Homeopathic,Allopathic, and other practitioners were approached inSitapur, Lucknow, andBombay, but to no avail.[32] Rambhadracharya has been blind ever since. He cannot read or write, as he does not useBraille; he learns by listening and composes by dictating to scribes.[15]
In June 1953, at a juggler's monkey dance show in the village, the children—including Giridhar—suddenly ran away when the monkey began to touch them. Giridhar fell into a small dry well and was trapped for some time, until a teenage girl rescued him.[30] His grandfather told him that his life was saved because he had learned, that very morning itself, the following line of a verse in theRamcharitmanas (1.192.4), from the episode of the manifestation of the godRama:[30][33]
यह चरित जे गावहिं हरिपद पावहिं ते न परहिं भवकूपा ॥
yaha carita je gāvahı̐ haripada pāvahı̐ te na parahı̐ bhavakūpā ॥
Those who sing this character (of Rama), they attain to the feet of Hari (Vishnu) and never fall into the well of birth and death.
Even after he fell into the well, Giridhar was confident that Rama will somehow rescue him from this "kupa" (well). Thereafter, Giridhar's grandfather asked him to recite the verse always, and from then on, Giridhar has followed the practice of reciting it every time he takes water or food.[30]
Giridhar's initial education came from his paternal grandfather, as his father worked in Bombay. In the afternoons, his grandfather would narrate to him various episodes of the Hindu epics Ramayana andMahabharata, and devotional works likeVishramsagar,Sukhsagar,Premsagar andBrajvilas. At the age of three, Giridhar composed his first piece of poetry—inAwadhi—and recited it to his grandfather. In this verse, Krishna's foster motherYashoda is fighting with aGopi (milkmaid) for hurting Krishna.[30][32]
Devanagari | IAST |
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At the age of five, Giridhar memorised the entireBhagavad Gita, consisting of around 700 verses with chapter and verse numbers, in 15 days, with the help of his neighbour, Pandit Murlidhar Mishra. OnJanmashtami day in 1955, he recited the entire Bhagavad Gita.[14][30][32][34][35] He released the first Braille version of the scripture, with the original Sanskrit text and a Hindi commentary, at New Delhi on 30 November 2007, 52 years after memorising the Gita.[36][37] When Giridhar was seven, he memorised the entire Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas, consisting of around 10,900 verses with chapter and verse numbers, in 60 days, assisted by his grandfather. OnRama Navami day in 1957, he recited the entire epic while fasting.[14][30][32][35] Later, Giridhar went on to memorise theVedas, theUpanishads, works of Sanskrit grammar, theBhagavata Purana, all the works of Tulsidas, and many other works inSanskrit andIndian literature.[32][34]
Giridhar'sUpanayana (sacred thread ceremony) was performed onNirjala Ekadashi (the Ekadashi falling in the bright half of the lunar month ofJyeshtha) of 24 June 1968. On this day, besides being given theGayatri Mantra, he was initiated (givenDiksha) into themantra of Rama by Pandit Ishvardas Maharaj ofAyodhya. Having mastered the Bhagavad Gita and Ramcharitmanas at a very young age, Giridhar started visiting theKatha programmes held near his village once every three years in theintercalary month ofPurushottama. The third time he attended, he presented aKatha on Ramcharitmanas, which was acclaimed by several famous exponents of theKatha art.[32]
When Giridhar was eleven, he was stopped from joining his family in a wedding procession. His family thought that his presence would be a bad omen for the marriage.[30][31] This incident left a strong impression on Giridhar; he says at the beginning of his autobiography:[38]
I am the same person who was considered to be inauspicious for accompanying a marriage party. ... I am the same person who currently inaugurates the biggest of marriage parties or welfare ceremonies. What is all this? It is all due to the grace of God which turns a straw into avajra and avajra into a straw.
Although Giridhar did not have any formal schooling until the age of seventeen years, he had learned many literary works as a child by listening to them. His family wished him to become aKathavachak (Narrator ofHindu literature, Epics and stories) but Giridhar wanted to pursue his studies. His father explored possibilities for his education inVaranasi and thought of sending him to a special school for blind students. Giridhar's mother refused to send him there, saying that blind children were not treated well at the school.[31] On 7 July 1967 Giridhar joined the Adarsh Gaurishankar Sanskrit College in the nearby Sujanganj village of Jaunpur to study SanskritVyakarana (grammar), Hindi, English, Maths, History, and Geography.[39] In his autobiography he recalls this day as the day when the "Golden Journey" of his life began.[40] With an ability to memorise material by listening to it just once, Giridhar has not used Braille or other aids to study.[15] In three months, he had memorised and mastered the entireLaghusiddhāntakaumudī ofVaradaraja.[39] He was top of his class for four years, and passed theUttara Madhyama (higher secondary) examination in Sanskrit with first class and distinction.[35]
At the Adarsh Gaurishankar Sanskrit College, Giridhar learnt the eightGanas of Sanskrit prosody while studyingChandaprabhā, a work on Sanskrit prosody. The next day, he composed his first Sanskrit verse, in theBhujaṅgaprayāta metre.[39]
Devanagari | IAST |
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In 1971 Giridhar enrolled at theSampurnanand Sanskrit University in Varanasi for higher studies inVyakarana.[39] He topped the final examination for theShastri (Bachelor of Arts)[41] degree in 1974, and then enrolled for theAcharya (Master of Arts)[41] degree at the same institute.[15] While pursuing his master's degree, he visited New Delhi to participate in various national competitions at the All-India Sanskrit Conference, where he won five out of the eight gold medals—inVyakarana,Samkhya,Nyaya,Vedanta, and SanskritAntakshari.[6][15]Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India, presented the five gold medals, along with theChalvaijayanti trophy for Uttar Pradesh, to Giridhar.[35] Impressed by his abilities, Gandhi offered to send him at her own expense to the United States for treatment for his eyes, but Giridhar turned down this offer, replying with an extemporaneous Sanskrit verse.[15][42]
Devanagari | IAST |
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In 1976 Giridhar topped the finalAcharya examinations inVyakarana, winning seven gold medals and the Chancellor's gold medal.[35] In a rare achievement, although he had only enrolled for a master's degree inVyakarana, he was declaredAcharya of all subjects taught at the university on 30 April 1976.[15]
After completing his master's degree, Giridhar enrolled for the doctoralVidyavaridhi (PhD)[43] degree at the same institute, under Pandit Ramprasad Tripathi.[15] He received a research fellowship from theUniversity Grants Commission (UGC), but even so, he faced financial hardship during the next five years.[15] He completed hisVidyavaridhi degree in Sanskrit grammar on 14 October 1981.[15] His dissertation was titledAdhyātmarāmāyaṇe'pāṇinīyaprayogānāṃ Vimarśaḥ, orDeliberation on the non-Paninian usages in theAdhyatma Ramayana.[44] The thesis was authored in only thirteen days in 1981.[44] On completion of his doctorate, the UGC offered him the position of head of theVyakarana department of the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University. However, Giridhar did not accept; he decided to devote his life to the service of religion, society, and those with disabilities.[15]
On 9 May 1997, Giridhar (now known as Rambhadracharya) was awarded the post-doctorateVachaspati (DLitt)[41][43] degree by Sampurnanand Sanskrit University for his 2000-page Sanskrit dissertationPāṇinīyāṣṭādhyāyyāḥ Pratisūtraṃ Śābdabodhasamīkṣā, orInvestigation into verbal knowledge of everySūtra of the Ashtadhyayi of Panini.[39] The degree was presented to him byK. R. Narayanan, then President of India.[45] In this work, Rambhadracharya explained each aphorism of the grammar of Panini in Sanskrit verses.[39]
In 1976 Giridhar narrated aKatha on Ramcharitmanas toSwami Karpatri, who advised him not to marry, to stay a lifelongBrahmachari (celibate bachelor) and to take initiation in aSrivaishnavaSampradaya (a sect worshipping Vishnu, Krishna, or Rama as the supreme God).[46][47] Giridhar tookvairagi (renouncer) initiation orVirakta Diksha in theRamananda Sampradaya on theKartika full-moon day of 19 November 1983 from Shri Ramcharandas Maharaj Phalahari. He now came to be known asRambhadradas.[47]
Following the fifth verse of theDohavali composed by Tulsidas, Rambhadradas observed a six-monthPayovrata, a diet of only milk and fruits, at Chitrakoot in 1979.[47][48][49]
Devanagari | IAST |
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In 1983 he observed his secondPayovrata beside theSphatik Shila in Chitrakoot.[47] ThePayovrata has become a regular part of Rambhadradas' life. In 2002, in his sixthPayovrata, he composed the Sanskrit epicŚrībhārgavarāghavīyam.[50] He continues to observePayovratas, the latest (2010–2011) being his ninth.[51][52]
In 1987 Rambhadradas established a religious and social service institution calledTulsi Peeth (The seat ofTulsi) in Chitrakoot, where, according to the Ramayana, Rama had spent twelve out of his fourteen years of exile.[10] As the founder of the seat, the title ofŚrīcitrakūṭatulasīpīṭhādhīśvara (literally,the Lord of the Tulsi Peeth at Chitrakoot) was bestowed upon him bySadhus and intellectuals. In the Tulsi Peeth, he arranged for a temple devoted to Rama and his "Patni"Sita to be constructed, which is known asKanch Mandir ("glass temple").[10]
Rambhadradas was chosen as theJagadguru Ramanandacharya seated at the Tulsi Peeth by the Kashi Vidwat Parishad in Varanasi on 24 June 1988.[8] On 3 February 1989, at theKumbh Mela in Allahabad, the appointment was unanimously supported by theMahants of the threeAkharas, the four sub-Sampradayas, theKhalsas and saints of the Ramananda Sampradaya.[53] On 1 August 1995 he was ritually anointed as theJagadguru Ramanandacharya in Ayodhya by the Digambar Akhara.[6] Thereafter he was known asJagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya.[54]
In July 2003 Rambhadracharya deposed as an expert witness for religious matters (OPW 16) in Other Original Suit Number 5 of theRam Janmabhoomi Babri Masjid dispute case in theAllahabad High Court.[55][56][57] Some portions of his affidavit and cross examination are quoted in the final judgement by the High Court.[58][59][60] In his affidavit, he cited the ancient Hindu scriptures including the Ramayana,Rāmatāpanīya Upaniṣad,Skanda Purana,Yajurveda,Atharvaveda, and others describing Ayodhya as a city holy to Hindus and the birthplace of Rama. He cited verses from two works composed by Tulsidas which, in his opinion, are relevant to the dispute. The first citation consisted of eight verses from a work calledDohā Śataka, which describe the destruction of a temple and construction of a mosque at the disputed site in 1528 CE byMughal rulerBabur, who had ordered General Mir Baqui to destroy the Rama temple, considered a symbol of worship by sanatana dharmi.[56] The second citation was a verse from a work calledKavitāvalī, which mentions a mosque.[58] In his cross examination, he described in some detail the history of the Ramananda sect, itsMathas, rules regardingMahants, formation and working ofAkharas, and Tulsidas' works.[58] Refuting the possibility of the original temple being to the north of the disputed area, as pleaded by the pro-mosque parties, he described the boundaries of theJanmabhoomi as mentioned in theAyodhya Mahatmya section of Skanda Purana, which tallied with the present location of the disputed area, as noted by Justice Sudhir Agarwal.[58] However, he stated that he had no knowledge of whether there was aRam Chabootra ("Platform of Rama") outside the area that was locked from 1950 to 1985 and where theChati Poojan Sthal was, nor whether the idols of Rama, his brotherLakshmana, and Sita were installed atRam Chabootra outside theJanmabhoomi temple.[56]
Rambhadracharya is a scholar of 14 languages and can speak 22 languages in total,[17][18][23] including Sanskrit, Hindi, English, French,Bhojpuri,Maithili,Oriya,Gujarati,Punjabi,Marathi,Magadhi, Awadhi, andBraj.[14] He has composed poems and literary works in many Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, and Awadhi.[5][14] He has translated many of his works of poetry and prose into other languages. He deliversKatha programmes in various languages, including Hindi, Bhojpuri, and Gujarati.[61]
On 23 August 1996 Rambhadracharya established the Tulsi School for the Blind in Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh.[10][13] He founded the Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University, an institution of higher learning solely for disabled students, on 27 September 2001 in Chitrakoot.[13][14] This is the first university in the world exclusively for those with disabilities.[62][63] The university was created by an ordinance of the Uttar Pradesh Government, which was later passed as Uttar Pradesh State Act 32 (2001) by the Uttar Pradesh legislature.[64][65] The act appointed Swami Rambhadracharya as the lifelong chancellor of the university. The university offers graduate, post-graduate, and doctorate degrees in various subjects, including Sanskrit, Hindi, English, Sociology, Psychology, Music, Drawing and Painting, Fine Arts, Special Education, Education, History, Culture and Archeology, Computer and Information Sciences, Vocational Education, Law, Economics, andProsthetics andOrthotics.[65] The university plans to start offering courses in Ayurveda andMedical Sciences from 2013.[66] Admissions are restricted to the four types of disabled students—visually impaired, hearing impaired, mobility impaired, and mentally impaired—as defined by the Disability Act (1995) of theGovernment of India. According to the Government of Uttar Pradesh, the university is among the chief educational institutes for Information Technology and Electronics in the state.[67]
Rambhadracharya also founded an organisation called Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Viklang Seva Sangh, headquartered inSatna, Madhya Pradesh. Its goal is to create community awareness and initiate child development programmes in rural India. Its primary objective is to supplement the education programmes of Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University by helping disabled children get a good education. Aid is generally given in the form of facilities which enable easier access to education.[68] Rambhadracharya also runs a hundred-bed hospital in Gujarat.[13]
The Ramcharitmanas was composed by Tulsidas in the late sixteenth century. It has been extremely popular in northern India over the last four hundred years, and is often referred to as the "Bhagvad gita of northern India" by Western Indologists.[69] Rambhadracharya produced a critical edition of the Ramcharitmanas,[70] which was published as the Tulsi Peeth edition. Apart from the original text, for which Rambhadracharya has relied extensively on older manuscripts,[70] there were differences in spelling, grammar, and prosodic conventions between the Tulsi Peeth edition and contemporary editions of the Ramcharitmanas.[71][72]
In November 2009, Rambhadracharya was accused of tampering with the epic,[70][73] but the dispute died down after Rambhadracharya expressed his regret for any annoyance or pain caused by the publication.[74] A writ petition was also filed against him but it was dismissed.[19] This edition was published in 2005 by Shri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas.[22][75]
In November 2007 someone claiming to be anal-Qaeda member sent Rambhadracharya a letter telling him and his disciples either to acceptIslam or to be prepared to die.[76] Police superintendent Kamal Singh Rathore said that this letter had been sent fromHaridwar, that Rambhadracharya's security arrangements had been increased and that an intensive investigation of the letter had been carried out.[76] Gita Devi, secretary of JRHU, said that Rambhadracharya had been threatened by al-Qaeda, asRam Janmabhoomi Nyas president Nrityagopal had been in the past.[76]
In November 2014, Rambhadracharya received another assassination threat with a demand of "terror tax" over JRHU operations.[77]
On 25 August 2013, Rambhadracharya arrived at theChaudhary Charan Singh Airport in Lucknow along with VHP leaderAshok Singhal.[28][78] He was going to Ayodhya to take part in the84-kosi yatra, a 12-day religiousyatra which was banned by the state government citing law and order reasons. It is alleged that the ban was due to opposition from Muslim organisations or vote-bank politics.[28][79][80] Rambhadracharya's participation in the yatra was kept secret.[81] Rambhadracharya was put underhouse arrest at the home of R C Mishra, his disciple and friend.[82][83]
On 26 August 2013, a local lawyer Ranjana Agnihotri filed ahabeas corpus petition in the Allahabad High Court's Lucknow bench, on which judges Imtiyaz Murtaza and D K Upadhayaya passed the release order for Rambhadracharya, along with Singhal andPraveen Togadia.[28] The petitioner's advocate H S Jain said that even though Rambhadracharya and other leaders were arrested under the section 151 of the1973 Criminal Procedure Code, which permits an arrest to prevent commission of cognisable offences, the custody period cannot exceed 24 hours unless any other section of the code or any other law is applicable.[28] After his release, Rambhadracharya said that the government had been creating misconceptions about theyatra.[84]
Two days after the incident, Rambhadracharya was givenY-category security cover by the Uttar Pradesh government since he had reported security threats.[78]Hindustan Times reported that this grant could be a possible attempt to "build bridges with the sadhus after the Sunday showdown."[78] Government officials said that a high-powered committee will decide on the continuation of the security cover.[78] JRHU vice-chancellor B Pandey said that Rambhadracharya met Uttar Pradesh chief ministerAkhilesh Yadav in Lucknow and invited him to be the chief guest in a University function, and Yadav accepted the invitation.[78] However, Yadav did not attend the function due to difficult circumstances, but sent the Energy Minister of StateVijay Mishra and Secondary Education Minister of StateVijay Bahadur Pal.[85] Rambhadracharya was disappointed that Yadav could not "come for even 15 minutes for disabled children," and said that he will have atone for this.[85]
Rambhadracharya has authored more than 250 books and 50 papers, including published books and unpublished manuscripts.[11][19][20] Various audio and video recordings have also been released. His major literary and musical compositions are listed below.[22][75]
Rambhadracharya composed Sanskrit commentaries titledŚrīrāghavakṛpābhāṣyam on thePrasthanatrayi scriptures – the Brahma Sutra,[86]: 107 the Bhagavad Gita,[86]: 178 and eleven Upanishads.[86]: 21, 27, 43, 59, 67, 100, 128, 129, 140, 158, 170 These commentaries were released on 10 April 1998 byAtal Bihari Vajpayee, then Prime Minister of India.[22][96] Rambhadracharya composedŚrīrāghavakṛpābhāṣyam onNarada Bhakti Sutra in 1991.[86]: 82 He thus revived the tradition of writing Sanskrit commentaries on the Prasthanatrayi. He also gave the Ramananda Sampradaya its second commentary on Prasthanatrayi in Sanskrit, the first being theĀnandabhāṣyam, composed by Ramananda himself.[97][98] Rambhadracharya's commentary in Sanskrit on the Prasthanatrayi was the first written in almost 500 years.[97]
Rewa Prasad Dwivedi writes in his Sanskrit poem dedicated to Rambhadracharya that he is an encyclopaedia of learning whose literature is like numerousNarmadā rivers flowing out simultaneously, and in whose literary worksShiva andParvati delight while performingTandava andLasya.[104]
Devarshi Kala Nath Shastry writes in his review of Rambhadracharya's works that Rambhadracharya is an accomplished and eloquent poet who is the foremost among scholars and is also well-versed in all scriptures, and who even talks in extemporaneously composed poetry with Sanskrit scholars, usually inUpajāti metre. Rambhadracharya uses with great effect theDaṇḍaka style with Sanskrit adjectives in his speeches. Shastry recounts a use of a long sentence in theDaṇḍaka style at a speech in Jaipur in July 2003 by Rambhadracharya, in which one sentence with multiple adjectives lasted around seven minutes and was "replete with poetic beauty". Shastry writes that among Sanskrit poets, only Śrīharṣa (poet ofNaiṣadhīyacaritam) has been described as having such wonderful command over Sanskrit as Rambhadracharya has.[105]
Shastry critiqued the workŚrībhārgavarāghavīyam in the January 2003 issue of the Sanskrit monthlyBhāratī. Shastry writes that the work has poetic excellence, variety of meters and dexterity of language which has not been seen hitherto in Sanskrit epics. Shastry finds the twentieth canto of the epic to be an excellent illustration of Sanskrit poetry in Prakrit verses, a style which was pioneered by Shastry's father.[105]
Dr. Brajesh Dikshit, Sanskrit scholar from Jabalpur, says thatŚrībhārgavarāghavīyam combines the styles of three previous Sanskrit epics – it has two leading characters like inBhāravi'sKirātārjunīyam, the poetic excellence and variety of prosodic metres is like in Śrīharṣa'sNaiṣadhīyacaritam, while the length and extent of the work is like theŚiśupālavadham ofMāgha.[106]
Shastry also critiqued the workBhṛṅgadūtam, about which he says that it has many new usages (Prayogas) not seen earlier in Sanskrit poetry. As per Shastry, new dimensions in Sanskrit literature are seen in the playŚrīrāghavābhyudayam where there are songs in theGīti style, andGītarāmāyaṇam which is an epic poem in theGīti style ofGītagovindam byJayadeva.[105] Dikshit writes thatKubjāpatram is a revival of the letter-poem (Patrakāvya) genre in Sanskrit after 2000 years, and is the first work in Sanskrit literature whose lead character is disabled.[106]
Shastry says that rhyme (Antyānuprāsa) is a distinguishing feature of Rambhadracharya's Sanskrit poetry. Shastry notes that another feature of Rambhadracharya's works is the devotion to motherland and patriotism, which is most evident in the poetic workĀjādacandraśekharacaritam on the life ofChandrashekhar Azad. Shastry says that this strong feeling of love towards motherland is reminiscent of old Sanskrit literature including Prithvi Sukta ofAtharva Veda, various Puranas including Bhagavata Purana, and also in the Sanskrit works of Swami Bhagavadacharya, a former Jagadguru Ramanandacharya.[105] Dikshit says that the nationalistic playŚrīrāghavābhyudayam establishes Rambhadracharya as a successful playwright at a young age. Dikshit praises the aesthetics of the workŚrīsītārāmakelikaumudī saying that it represents all the sixSampradāyas of Indian literature (Rīti,Rasa,Alaṅkāra,Dhvani,Vakrokti andAucitya), and that it is a unique work of Rambhadracharya when it comes to figures of speech. Dikshit says that this work places Rambhadracharya in the league ofRitikavya poets likeRaskhan,Keshavdas, Ghananand and Padmakar; but observes the distinction that while the works of all these poets are primarily in theŚṛngāra Rasa,Śrīsītārāmakelikaumudī is a work which has Vātsalya Rasa as the primary emotion, which is augmented by Śṛngāra Rasa.[106]
Dinkar notes that in the poems of Rambhadracharya, the three poetical styles ofPāñcālī (secondary figurative sense with short and sweet-sounding compounds),Vaidarbhī (with compounds and soft contexts and without many figures of speech) andLāṭī (with precise contexts and without many figures of speech) are dominant.[107]
Rambhadracharya is widely popular in Chitrakoot.[70]Atal Bihari Vajpayee considered Rambhadracharya to be an "immensely learned person well versed in Vedic and Puranic literature besides the grammar", and commended his intelligence and memory.[108] Dr.Murli Manohar Joshi said of Rambhadracharya that the "intense knowledge of the most revered is indeed adorable".[109]Nanaji Deshmukh called Rambhadracharya "an astonishing gem of the country".[110]Swami Kalyandev considered Rambhadracharya to be "an unprecedented intellectual and speaker, and an Acharya with great devotion".[111]Somnath Chatterjee called him a "celebrated Sanskrit scholar and educationist of great merit and achievement".[5] He is considered one of the greatest scholars on Tulsidas and Ramcharitmanas in India, and is cited as such.[24][112][113]Ram Prakash Gupta andKeshari Nath Tripathi have stated that Rambhadracharya has enriched society with his contributions and will continue to do so.[114]Swami Ramdev considers Rambhadracharya to be the most learned person in the world at present.[115] Rambhadracharya was a member of a delegation of saints andDharmacharyas which met the then presidentA.P.J. Abdul Kalam and the then union Home MinisterShivraj Patil in July 2005 to hand over a memorandum urging to strengthen the security arrangements for important religious places in the country.[116]Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra said that Rambhadracharya is of a high-mind, has a stupendous grip on the Indian literature, and "his soul feels the true pleasure in serving oppressed disabled people".[117] Mata Prasad Pandey, the Speaker ofUttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, said that Rambhadracharya has opened a door of development for those with disabilities in India, and that he has achieved what eminent industrialists and the government cannot do.[118][119] Energy Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Uttar PradeshVijay Mishra termed Rambhadracharya as "most revered", whereas Uttar Pradesh's Secondary Education Minister of StateVijay Bahadur Pal called him the "chancellor of the utterly unique handicapped university."[120] Rambhadracharya is also a member of the 51-membersAkhil Bharatiya Sant Ucchadhikar Samiti (Empowered Committee of the All India Saints).[121] In November 2014, Rambhadracharya was one of the nine people nominated by theIndian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi for theClean India Campaign.[122] In September 2014, Rambhadracharya adopted five villages of Chitrakoot, with an aim to construct toilets in all the households.[123] Rambhadracharya was one of the guests in the inauguralInternational Yoga Day event in New Delhi.[124]
In 1992 Rambhadracharya led the Indian delegation at the Ninth World Conference on Ramayana, held in Indonesia.[13][125] He has travelled to several countries, including England, Mauritius, Singapore, and the United States to deliver discourses on Hindu religion and peace.[13][126] He has been profiled in theInternational Who's Who of Intellectuals.[127] He was also one of the key figures of theDharma Prachar Yatra at Detroit.[128]
Rambhadracharya was one of the spiritual and religious Gurus from India at the Millennium World Peace Summit, organised by the United Nations in New York City from 28 to 31 August 2000. While addressing the gathering, he gave Sanskrit definitions for the wordsBharata (the ancient name of India) andHindu, and touched upon theNirguna andSaguna aspects of God. In his speech on Peace, he called for developed and developing nations to come together to strive for the eradication of poverty, the fight against terrorism, and nuclear disarmament. At the end of his speech, he recited theShanti Mantra.[126][129]
In 2015, Rambhadracharya was awardedPadma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour.[130] Rambhadracharya has been honoured by several leaders and politicians, includingA. P. J. Abdul Kalam,Somnath Chatterjee,Shilendra Kumar Singh, andIndira Gandhi.[5][11][131] Several state governments, including that of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, andHimachal Pradesh have conferred honours on him.[17][132][133] In 2021, he was also awarded withKendra Sahitya Academy Fellowship.[134] On 17 February 2024 Rambhadracharya was named a recipient (along withGulzar) of the 58th Jnanpith Award (for 2023).
नित्यानन्दमिश्रः ... स्वामिरामभद्राचार्यस्य शिष्यो हि अयं ...
मानवता ही मेरा मन्दिर मैं हूँ इसका एक पुजारी ॥ हैं विकलांग महेश्वर मेरे मैं हूँ इनका कृपाभिखारी ॥
Swami Rambhadracharya ... is a celebrated Sanskrit scholar and educationist of great merit and achievement. ... His academic accomplishments are many and several prestigious Universities have conferred their honorary degrees on him. A polyglot, he has composed poems in many Indian languages. He has also authored about 75 books on diverse themes having a bearing on our culture, heritage, traditions and philosophy which have received appreciation. A builder of several institutions, he started the Vikalanga Vishwavidyalaya at Chitrakoot, of which he is the lifelong Chancellor.
{{cite news}}:|last= has generic name (help){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)ఆయన శతాధిక గ్రంథకర్తా (He is the author of more than 100 books).
व्याकरणवेदान्तन्यायादिविविधशास्त्रपारदृश्वनां कविसार्वभौमानां विद्वत्कुलचक्रवर्तिनां महामहोपाध्यायानां जगद्गुरुश्रीरामभद्राचार्याणां ... जगद्गुरुरामभद्राचार्या न केवलं संस्कृतेऽपि तु चतुर्दशभाषासु विलक्षणमधिकारं बिभ्रति।
{{cite news}}:|last= has generic name (help)प्रख्यात राम कथावाचक स्वामी रामभद्राचार्य महाराज ने कहा कि ... [Famous Ramkatha artist Swami Rambhadracharya said that ... ]
{{cite news}}:|last= has generic name (help)श्री लक्ष्मी नारायण मन्दिर में सुप्रसिद्ध मानस मर्मज्ञ जगतगुरु रामभद्राचार्य जी राकेश के मानपत्र देके सम्मानित कइले [In the Shri Lakshminarayan temple, the renowned and insightful expert of Ramcharitmanas Jagadguru Rambhadracharya honoured Rakesh with a certificate]
{{cite news}}:|last= has generic name (help)मिश्रवर्याः विद्यावारिधि (पी.एच्.डी) इत्युपाधये शोधप्रबन्धमपि लिखितवन्तोऽनुसन्धानविधया केवलैस्त्रयोदशभिरेव दिवसैः "अध्यात्मरामायणेऽपाणिनीयप्रयोगाणां विमर्शः" इतिनामानम् [Mr. Mishra also authored a thesis titled "Adhyātmarāmāyaṇe'pāṇinīyaprayogānāṃ Vimarśaḥ" in the research style for the Vidyavaridhi (PhD) degree in only thirteen days.]
तुलसीदास ने माना है कि यदि कोई व्यक्ति छह मास तक पयस्विनी के किनारे रहता है और केवल फल खाकर राम नाम जपता रहता है, तो उसे सभी तरह की सिद्धियां मिल जाती हैं। [Tulasidasa has admitted that if one stays on the banks of Payasvini river for six months, chanting the name of Rama and subsisting only on fruits, they obtain all types of powers or accomplishments.]
{{cite news}}:|last= has generic name (help){{cite news}}:|last= has generic name (help){{cite news}}:|last= has generic name (help)रामभद्राचार्य को गिरफ्तार ही नहीं किया गया था। वह अपने एक मित्र के घर प्रवास लिए हैं। (Rambhadracharya was not arrested, rather he was staying at a friend's home).
हरिद्वार से आये आचार्य चंद्र दत्त सुवेदी ने कहा कि प्रस्थानत्रयी पर सबसे पहले भाष्य आचार्य शंकर ने लिखा और अब वल्लभाचार्य के छह सौ [sic] साल बाद जगद्गुरु स्वामी राम भद्राचार्य जी ने लिखा। [Acharya Chandra Dutt Subedi from Haridvar said that the first commentary on Prasthanatrayi was composed by Shankaracahrya, and now Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracahrya composed a commentary six hundred [sic] years after Vallabhacharya.]
{{cite web}}:|last= has generic name (help)... Acharya Giridhar Mishra, a blind Tulasi scholar of uncanny critical insight, ...
उन्होंने कहा कि मौजूदा दौर में जगद्गुरु रामभद्राचार्य से बड़ा विद्वान पूरी दुनिया में कोई नहीं है। भौतिक आँखें न होते हुए भी वे दिव्य दृष्टि से पूरी दुनिया को देख रहे हैं। [He said that in the current age there is none who is more learned than Jagadguru Rambhadracharya in the world. Despite being bereft of physical vision, he sees the whole world from his divine eyes.][dead link]
यह बात विधान सभा अध्यक्ष माता प्रसाद पांडेय ने विकलांग विवि के स्थापना दिवस के अवसर पर कहीं। उन्होंने कहा कि ... जगद्गुरु रामभद्राचार्य ने देश के विकलांगों के लिए विकास का द्वार खोला है। ... जगद्गुरु ने वह कार्य किया है जो बड़े-बड़े उद्योगपति और सरकार नहीं कर सकती।
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| Preceded by | Recipient of theSahitya Akademi Award winners for Sanskrit 2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Recipient of theVachaspati Award 2007 | Succeeded by Harinarayan Dixit |
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