Acharya Narendra Bhooshan

Last updated

(Acharya) Narendra Bhooshan
TitleVedic Scholar
Personal
Born22 May 1937
Chengannur
Died16 November 2010(2010-11-16) (aged 73)
Kochi
Religion Hinduism
SpouseD. Kamala Bai
ChildrenN. Vedaresmi, N. Vedaprakash

(Acharya) Narendra Bhooshan (Acharyaji) was an Indian linguist, Vedic Scholar, orator, writer, translator, journalist and publisher. He was a scholar in Sanskrit, Malayalam, Hindi and English.

Contents

Early life

Narendra was born at Chengannur, in central Travancore area, a hundred kilometers west of the famous Sabarimala temple to Krishna Pillai and Thankamma. He completed his school education in Kallissery High School, Chengannur in the year 1952 and joined NSS Hindu College, Changanasserry for higher studies.

Education

Later, he accepted various jobs before reaching the temple of learning, Dayananda Brahma Mahavidyalaya Hissar, Haryana. Returning from Hissar to his home state, he took up the cause of Vedic literature in India. Acharya Narendra Bhooshan started as an office assistant in an Export Company in Thiruvananthapuram in 1957. He also worked as a teacher and a journalist for brief periods. He served as the Kulapathi of Saraswathi Vaidika Gurukulam- Chenganoor and Upakulapathi of Maharshi Dayananda Vaidika Gurukulam in Vaikkom.

The Acharya is also the founder-editor of Arshanadam Magazine, which is exclusively devoted to the studies related to the Vedas and Upanishads. He admitted all Hindus irrespective of their caste, in his Gurukulam . Moreover, he initiated them to the world of Vedic knowledge by presenting them with the sacred thread (janayu[ what language is this? ]) and the sacred Mantra, hitherto viewed as exclusive birthrights of Brahmins. The Acharya has so far delivered about 5000 discourses on various topics mainly on Vedas and Vedic practices. He continued his life's mission while ignoring health problems. It was Acharya Narendra Bhushan who for first time in Kerala introduced postal tuition classes for Sanskrit. He established the 'Veda Press' (Akshara Bodhini) in Chengannur in 1978 mainly for publishing materials and books related to Vedic studies in Malayalam.

Published works

He has to his credit a large number of books - translations, commentary and his original works. There are more than one hundred books by (Acharya) Narendra Bhushan, out which around fifty were published, on Vedas, Upanishads, Hindu philosophy and ancient wisdom. He also contributed to the welfare of the society by conducting two brihat (large) 'Yajnas' Atharva veda Yajna and Chathurveda Yajna at the Mahadeva temple Chengannur in Kerala during 1995. Perhaps his magnum opus is the "Chathurveda Samhitha", [1] [2] transcriptions of the entire chants and mantras of the four Vedas in the Malayalam alphabet along with a profound commentary, along with original Devanagari script. Acharya Narendra Bhooshan's commentaries on all major Upanishads are proof of his profound knowledge in that sphere. These commentaries are in Malayalam. His interpretation (in Malayalam) of 10 major Upanishads are compiled as Dashopanishad Shruthipriya Bhasha Bhayam [3] He has also done Lokamanya Tilak's "Geetha Rahasyam" [4] Justice Ganga prasad's Origin of Religions "Mathangalute Uthbhavakatha", [5] Swamy Sathyapathi Parivrajaka's "Yogameemamsa" into Malayalam. "Yogameemamsa" explain the true meaning of Yoga dispelling all superstitions of about the practice of Yaga. The contribution of Swami Dayananda Saraswati and Arya samaj were made familiar to the people of Kerala mainly through Acharya's work of "Sathyartha Prakasham" which was originally written in Hindi. Other work in Sanskrit by Swami Dayananda Saraswathy like, "Veda Paryatanam", "Vedageethamrutham" "Achara Bhanu" "Aryabhivinayam" "Aryodhesha Ratnamala" were brought into Malayalam by Acharya Narendra Bhushan. [6] Another very important- work is a commentary on "Harinama Keerthanam" [7] explaining the Upanishad and Vedic dimensions of this simple yet very popular Keerthanam. "Mahamrithumjayam" [8] is another work by the author which is a commentary on the inequitable problem of conform by death and the method of talking it by detachment. "Upasana" [9] is another Malayalam work by Acharya Narendra Bhooshan giving in details the Pancha Mahayajna's to be practical in daily life. This book serves as a practical guide for the layman in conducting his life.

He has also contributed to the field of literature by translating BHASA's famous Sanskrit dramas "Abhisheka" and "Ooru Bhanga" to Malayalam. The Malayalam work Yogesweranaya Sree Krishna [10] gives a picture of the life Sreekrishna as a Yogi. "Ayodhyayile Sree Raman" [11] is yet another work that render proof for the author's mind "Yaga Parichayam" [12] is a work in Malayalam that attempts to give details regarding the Yaga. Another book "Paralokavum Punarjanmavum" [13] serves is a book on Acharya Narendra Bhooshan's thoughts on vedic tradition, religion and spirituality. This book emphasizes the link between spirituality and scientific thought and dismissed some religious practices when they act as obstacles to the development of the self. This book also attempts to unveil the mysteries concerning life after death.

Awards and honours

Acharya Narendra Bhooshan is also the recipient of many awards and recognitions. The Arya Sama Centenary puraskar 1983, Maharshi Dayanand Puraskar both from Ajmer, the Vedopadesha Puraskar Bombay in 1992 presented by the then President of India, Dr Gyani Zail Singh, are a few to name. Another award, the first Amrita Keerthi Puraskaram (award) [14] was also bestowed to Acharya Narendra Bhooshan. He also received Veda Ratna award in 2007 from Kashyapa Veda Research Institute, Kozhikode, Kerala. [15] He was among the panel of scholars to prepare the History of Vedic literature in 1988 for the Kerala Sahitya Academy. The work was published by the Academy in 1991. He also served as a member in the selection committee for Academy Award of Kerala Sahitya Academy. He was entrusted by the Kerala state language institute to prepare the history of the three reformation movements of the 19th century, the Arya Samaj, the Brahma Samaj and Prarthana Samaj. [6] Another work by Pt. Vedabandhu Sarma is under the process of publication under his editorship entitled the Nirukta Pravesika of Yaskka Muni. In 2009 he decided to reject the title ACHARAYA.

Related Research Articles

Dayananda Saraswati Indian philosopher,social leader and socio-religious reformer

Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati was an Indian philosopher, social leader and founder of the Arya Samaj, a reform movement of the Vedic dharma. He was the first to give the call for Swaraj as "India for Indians" in 1876, a call later taken up by Lokmanya Tilak. Denouncing the idolatry and ritualistic worship, he worked towards reviving Vedic ideologies. Subsequently, the philosopher and President of India, S. Radhakrishnan called him one of the "makers of Modern India", as did Sri Aurobindo.

Arya Samaj Vedic reform organisation

Arya Samaj is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas. The samaj was founded by the sannyasi (ascetic) Dayanand Saraswati on 10 April 1875.

Dayananda Saraswati (Arsha Vidya)

Swami Dayananda Saraswati was a renunciate of the Hindu order of sannyasa, a renowned traditional teacher of Advaita Vedanta, and founder of the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam and AIM For Seva.

<i>Gurukula</i> Ancient Indian education system

A gurukula or gurukulam is a type of education system in ancient India with shishya living near or with the guru, in the same house. The guru-shishya tradition is a sacred one in Hinduism and possibly appears in other dharmas in India, such as Jainism and Buddhism. The word gurukula is a combination of the Sanskrit words guru and kula. The term is also used today to refer to residential monasteries or schools operated by modern gurus. The proper plural of the term is gurukulam, though gurukulas and gurukuls are also used in English and some other Western languages.

Gayatri Mantra Mantra of the Vedic tradition

The Gāyatrī Mantra, also known as the Sāvitri Mantra, is a highly revered mantra from the Rig Veda, dedicated to the Vedic deity Savitr. Gāyatrī is the name of the Goddess of the Vedic Mantra in which the verse is composed. Its recitation is traditionally preceded by oṃ and the formula bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ, known as the mahāvyāhṛti, or "great (mystical) utterance". The Gayatri mantra is cited widely in Vedic and post-Vedic texts, such as the mantra listings of the Śrauta liturgy, and classical Hindu texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, Harivamsa, and Manusmṛti. The mantra and its associated metric form was known by the Buddha, and in one sutra the Buddha is described as "expressing their appreciation" for the mantra. The mantra is an important part of the upanayana ceremony for young males in Hinduism, and has long been recited by dvija men as part of their daily rituals. Modern Hindu reform movements spread the practice of the mantra to include women and all castes and its use is now very widespread. It is considered one of the most important and powerful Vedic mantras.

Yajurveda Scripture of Hinduism

The Yajurveda is the Veda primarily of prose mantras for worship rituals. An ancient Vedic Sanskrit text, it is a compilation of ritual-offering formulas that were said by a priest while an individual performed ritual actions such as those before the yajna fire. Yajurveda is one of the four Vedas, and one of the scriptures of Hinduism. The exact century of Yajurveda's composition is unknown, and estimated by Witzel to be between 1200 and 800 BCE, contemporaneous with Samaveda and Atharvaveda.

Arsha Vidya Gurukulam

Arsha Vidya Gurukulam is a set of Vedic teaching institutions founded by Swami Dayananda Saraswati. A gurukulam is a center for residential learning that evolved from the Vedic tradition. Arsha Vidya translates to knowledge of rishis (sages).

Bannanje Govindacharya Indian philosopher, and scholar

Bannanje Govindacharya was an Indian philosopher and Sanskrit scholar versed in Veda Bhashya, Upanishad Bhashya, Mahabharata, Puranas and Ramayana. He wrote Bhashyas or commentaries on Veda Suktas, Upanishads, ShataRudriya, BrahmaSutra Bhashya, Gita Bhashya and was an orator. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009.

Arya Samaj in South Africa

Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform movement in South Africa. Like other parts of the world where people of Indian origin are settled, the teachings of Swami Dayananda Saraswati, founder of the Arya Samaj, made their way to South Africa during the beginning of the twentieth century. The Arya Samaj encouraged Indian South Africans to take pride in their heritage and culture and promoted education and social reform.

<i>Satyarth Prakash</i>

Satyarth Prakash is an 1875 book written originally in Hindi by Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati, an influential religious and social reformer and the founder of Arya Samaj. It is considered one of his major scholarly works. The book was subsequently revised by Swami Dayanand Saraswati in 1882 and has now been translated into more than 20 languages including Sanskrit and several foreign languages like English, French, German, Swahili, Arabic and Chinese. The major portion of the book is dedicated to laying down the reformist advocacy of Swami Dayanand with the last three chapters making a case for comparative study of different religious faiths.

Advaita Guru Paramparā Traditional list historical teachers of Advaita Vedanta

The Advaita Guru-Paramparā is the traditional list (parampara) of divine, Vedic and historical teachers of Advaita Vedanta. It begins with the Daiva-paramparā, the gods; followed by the Ṛṣi-paramparā, the Vedic seers; and then the Mānava-paramparā, with the historical teachers Gaudapada and Shankara, and four of Shankara's pupils. Of the five contemporary acharyas, the heads of the five Advaita mathas, four acharyas trace their lineage to those four pupils and one to Adi Shankara himself.

Shripad Damodar Satwalekar was a polymath with interests in painting, social health, Ayurveda, Yoga, and Vedic literature. He was also the founder of the Swadhyay Mandal - A Vedic Research Institute.

The Chathurveda Samhitha is a set of the four books making up the Chatur Veda Samhita, a compilation of all four Veda Mantras with many detailed studies in Malayalam.

Kottiyoor Vysakha Mahotsavam

Kottiyoor Ulsavam or Kottiyoor Vysakha Mahotsavam is a 27-day annual pilgrimage observed by Hindus commemorating the Mythology of Daksha Yaga. The pilgrimage is similar to the Kumbh Mela of Prayag, where ablutions are performed. The temple and grounds are also known as Dakshina Kasi.

Prajña or Pragya as प्रज्ञा, प्राज्ञ and प्राज्ञा is used to refer to the highest and purest form of wisdom, intelligence and understanding. Pragya is the state of wisdom which is higher than the knowledge obtained by reasoning and inference.

The Somayajna or Somayaga or Soma sacrifice is a Hindu ritual. It is a type of yajna performed to appease celestial entities to promote the well-being of all humanity.

Bhadreshdas Swami Indian monk and Sanskrit scholar (born c. 1966)

Bhadreshdas Swami is a Sanskrit scholar and an ordained monk of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). In 2007 he completed the Swaminarayan Bhashyam, a five-volume classical Sanskrit commentary on the Prasthanatrayi. This commentary on Hinduism's three canonical texts: the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and the Brahma sutras, forms the interpretive foundation of the philosophy of Akshar Purushottam darshana, also known as Swaminarayan darshana, illuminating the Vedic roots of the Akshar Purushottama philosophy, which was propagated by the 19th-century Hindu leader, Swaminarayan and later by Shastriji Maharaj.

Acharyasri Rajesh Indian spiritual guru and Vedic Educator

Acharya M. R. Rajesh,, better known as Acharyasri Rajesh is an Indian Spiritual Guru, Vedic Educator, and Author. As he was born in an orthodox Namboodiri family, he was able to learn Vedas from his father Subramanyan Namboodiri himself. It was from V.S. Harshavardhanan he learnt Vyakarana and Nyaya. Later he joined Acharya Narandra Bhooshan, a renowned Vedic scholar in Kerala, and learnt to interpret Vedas according to the Nirukta, ancient Vedic etymology from him. By pointing out the egalitarian view of the Vedas, he started teaching Vedas and Vedic rituals to all irrespective of caste, creed, or gender. For the propagation of Vedas, he founded Kasyapa Veda Research Foundation, a charitable trust, headquartered at Kozhikode, Kerala.

Atmaprajnananda Saraswati

Atmaprajnananda Saraswati is a published author of books on the Vedas, Upanishads and Sanskrit. She is a traditional Dashanami Sannyasini of Acharya Sankara-Bhagavatpada Order. After a gurukula study of around 12 years, she took sannyasa in March 2008 from her spiritual guru Swami Dayananda Saraswati(Arsha Vidya).

Sanātanī (सनातनी) is a term used to describe Hindu duties that incorporate various teachings from The Vedas, The Upanishads, and other Hindu texts such as The Ramayana and The Bhagavad Gita, which itself is often described as a concise guide to Hindu philosophy and a practical, self-contained guide to life. Followers of Sanatana Dharma are also called Sanatanis.

References

  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Vijay Kumar's review of Chatur Veda Samhita". www.goodreads.com.
  3. "Dasopanishathu Sruthipriyabhashabhashyam". onlinestore.dcbooks.com.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Mathangalude Uthbhavakatha". onlinestore.dcbooks.com.
  6. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 2011-09-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Mahamrityunjayam". onlinestore.dcbooks.com.
  9. "Upasana". onlinestore.dcbooks.com.
  10. "Yogeswaranaaya Sreekrishnan". onlinestore.dcbooks.com.
  11. "Ayodhyayile Sreeraman". onlinestore.dcbooks.com.
  12. "Yagaparichayam". onlinestore.dcbooks.com.
  13. "Paralokavum Punarjanmavum". onlinestore.dcbooks.com.
  14. "Amrita Keerti Puraskar".
  15. "Narendra Bhushan bags Veda Ratna award". news.webindia123.com.

External sources