Abhinava Vidyatirtha
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Abhinava Vidyathirtha (born Srinivasa Sastri; 1917 – 1989) was the Jagadguru Shankaracharya (ecumenical pontiff) of one of the most important Hindu Advaita Mathas in India, the Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham. A "matha" is a seminary and monastery for followers of the Hindu religion.
Srinivasan was born in Basavanagudi, Bangalore to Venkatalakshmi Ammal and Rama Sastry on November 13, 1917. The family was an extremely pious Telugu-speaking smartha brahmin family belonging to the Mulukanadu subcaste. Even as a young boy, Srinivasan exhibited extreme dispassion, a hallmark of great ascetics. When offered the opportunity to stay in Sringeri and study the Hindu scriptures under the tutelage of the then Jagadguru, Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati, he quickly accepted and settled without ado into a life of austerity and scholarship.
Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati eventually announced that Sri Srinivasan would succeed him as the next Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Sringeri. The sacred initiation ceremony was held on May 22, 1931. The Acharya named his holy successor designate "Abhinava Vidyateertha". Srinivasan was only thirteen years old at the time of his initiation into Sannyasa (Asceticism).
From then until his mukti in 1989, Sri Abhinava Vidyathirtha navigated the affairs of the Sringeri Matha with sagacity and immense dignity. Under his supervision, the activities of the Matha expanded all over India. Apart from offering spiritual guidance to the throngs of the faithful, he also expanded the charitable actions of the mutt, including the construction of a state-of-the-art medical facility, the "Sharada Dhanavantari Charitable Hospital", to serve the population of Sringeri and surrounding areas.
Sri Abhinava Vidyateertha attained Mukti in 1989. His cenotaph stands in the Narasimha Vanam at Sringeri.
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| Preceded by: Chandrashekhara Bharati III |
Jagadguru of Sringeri Sharada Peetham 1954 – 1989 |
Succeeded by: Bharati Tirtha |
