Rambhadracharya

Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya is a Hindu religious leader. He is also an educator, composer, skilled public speaker, and philosopher. He was born on 14 January 1950. His birth name was Giridhar Mishra (IAST: Giridhara Miśra). He can speak 22 languages. He lives in Chitrakuta, Uttar Pradesh, India.

In 1988 he became one of the four Jagadguru Ramanandacharyas, the leaders of the Ramananda order. He is the founder of Tulsi Peeth which is a religious and social service organization. It is in Chitrakuta. It is named after the saint Tulsidas. He is the founder and lifelong chancellor of the Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University. It is a university in Chitrakuta and it gives graduate and postgraduate courses entirely to the four types of disabled students, having a poor physical or mental ability. Jagadguru Rambhadracharya became blind at the age of two months. He has never used Braille or any other help to learn or compose. He can speak 22 languages, and he is a self-produced poet (Ashukavi). He is a composer in Sanskrit, Hindi, Avadhi, Maithili and many other languages. He has written more than 80 books, which include four story telling poems (two in Sanskrit and two in Hindi), a Hindi series of comments on the Ramcharitmanas, a Sanskrit series of comments on the Ashtadhyayi, and a Sanskrit series of comments on the Prasthanatrayi religious books (the Brahma Sutra, the Bhagavad Gita and the main Upanishads). He is seen as one of the greatest sources of information on Tulsidas in India, and he is the editor of a critical edition of the Ramcharitmanas. He is a famous Katha artist for the Ramayana and the Bhagavata. His Katha programmes are held regularly in different cities in India and in other countries. They are shown on many television channels like Sanskar TV and Sanatan TV.

Birth and early life

Jagadguru Rambhadracharya was born in Shandikhurd village of Jaunpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. His family was a Saryupareen Brahmin family of Vasishtha Gotra. His birth time was 10:34 pm and he was born on the Makar Sankranti day of Saturday, January 14, 1950 (Magha Krishna Ekadashi). His mother was Shachidevi and his father was Pandit Rajdev Mishra. His name Giridhara was named by his father's aunt, a cousin of his grandfather Pandit Suryabali Mishra. His father's aunt was an admirer of Mirabai, a female saint of the Bhakti age in middle India, who used the name Giridhara for Krishna in her compositions.

Blindness
Giridhara became blind in March 1950 when he was aged two months. When he got the eye disease trachoma, there was no medical care in his village. He was taken to a local woman who was known to cure Trachoma. She dropped a hot medicine into his eyes to break the Trachoma lumps, but his eyes started bleeding and he became blind. His family took him to many Ayurvedic, Homeopathic, Allopathic and medical doctors in Sitapur, Lucknow and Mumbai, but there was no help. He cannot read or write, as he does not use the Braille system, but learns by listening and composes by dictating to secretaries.

First musical work

As Giridhara's father used to work in Bombay, his early learning was at home from his grandfather. During afternoons, his grandfather used to tell him various parts of the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and other books like Vishramsagar, Sukhsagar, Premsagar, and Brajvilas, etc. When he was of 3 years, Giridhara made his first poem in Hindi (Avadhi), which was the following pada. He spoke it to his grandfather. In this poem, Yashoda is fighting with a Gopi for causing pain to Krishna.
Devanagari
मेरे गिरिधारी जी से काहे लरी । 
तुम तरुणी मेरो गिरिधर बालक काहे भुजा पकरी ॥ 
सुसुकि सुसुकि मेरो गिरिधर रोवत तू मुसुकात खरी ॥ 
तू अहिरिन अतिसय झगराऊ बरबस आय खरी ॥ 
गिरिधर कर गहि कहत जसोदा आँचर ओट करी ॥ 

IAST
mere giridhārī jī se kāhe larī । 
tuma taruṇī mero giridhara bālaka kāhe bhujā pakarī ॥ 
susuki susuki mero giridhara rovata tū musukāta kharī ॥ 
tū ahirina atisaya jhagarāū barabasa āya kharī ॥ 
giridhara kara gahi kahata jasodā āŉcara oṭa karī ॥

Learning Gita and Ramcharitmanas

Having a great memory, Giridhar learnt all 700 verses of Bhagavad Gita at in 15 days when he was 5 years old. His neighbour, Pandit Murlidhar Mishra, helped him. On the Janmashtami day in 1955, he read out the whole Bhagavad Gita. By accident, 52 years after the day he learnt the Gita, he released the first ever Braille form of Gita at New Delhi on November 30, 2007, with the real Sanskrit text and a Hindi series of comments. When Giridhara was seven years old, he learned the whole Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas (close to 10,900 verses) in 60 days. His grandfather helped him. On Ram Navmi day of 1957, he spoke the whole book while not eating food because of religious reasons. After that, Giridhara went on to learn the Vedas, Upanishads, books on Sanskrit grammar, the Bhagavata Puran, all books of Tulasidas and many other books.

Upanayana and Kathavacana
His Upanayana (A sacred thread ceremony) was done on the Nirjala Ekadashi day of June 24, 1961. On this day, he got the Gayatri Mantra, and he was given Diksha into the Mantra of Rāma by Pandit Ishvardas Maharaj of Ayodhya. After learning Gita and Ramcharitmanas to high level of skills at a very young age, Giridhara started visiting the Katha programmes held one time in 3 years (in the Purushottama month) near his village. When he went to the third event, he showed a Katha on Ramcharitmanas which was highly respected by many famous representers of the Katha art.

Official Learning

Schooling
On 7 July, 1967, Giridhara Miśra joined the Adarsh Gaurishankar Sanskrit College in Jaunpur to study Sanskrit Grammar as well Hindi, English, Maths, History and Geography. As he has the ability to memorize everything by just listening it one time, he never used Braille or other help to learn. In three months, he had learned the whole Laghusiddhāntakaumudī of Varadarāja to a high level. He was the best student and got most marks in tests in his class for four years, passing the primary to secondary tests in Sanskrit with best grades and a thing which makes him better than others.

First composition in Sanskrit
When Girihara was in Adarsh Gaurishankar Sanskrit College, he learnt the eight Gaṇas while learning Chandaprabhā, a book on Sanskrit poetic metre. On the next day, he made his first Sanskrit poetic form, in the Bhujaṅgaprayāta metre.
Devanagari
महाघोरशोकाग्निनातप्यमानं 
पतन्तं निरासारसंसारसिन्धौ । 
अनाथं जडं मोहपाशेन बद्धं 
प्रभो पाहि मां सेवकक्लेशहर्त्तः ॥ 

IAST
mahāghoraśokāgninātapyamānaṃ 
patantaṃ nirāsārasaṃsārasindhau । 
anāthaṃ jaḍaṃ mohapāśena baddhaṃ 
prabho pāhi māṃ sevakakleśaharttaḥ ॥

Higher Learning
In 1971, Giridhara Miśra entered at the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University in Varanasi for higher learning of Vyākaraṇa. He got most marks in the final test for the Śāstrī (three years' first degree) in 1974. He then registered for a Master's degree at the same university. While trying to get the master's degree, he went New Delhi to take part in many national contests at the Akhila Bhāratīya Sanskrit Adhiveśana (All-India Sanskrit Conference). There he won five gold medals in Vyākaraṇa, Sāṅkhya, Nyāya, Vedānta and Sanskrit Antyākṣarī out of eight. Then the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, gave the five gold medals with the Calavaijayantī prize for Uttar Pradesh to Giridhara. Surprised by his abilities, Indira Gandhi gave him the offer to send him to the United States of America for medical care of his eyes, but Giridhara Miśra did not accepted this offer. In 1976, he got most marks in the final Ācārya (two years' Master's degree) tests in Vyākaraṇa, he also won seven gold awards and the Chancellor's gold award. In an uncommon achievement, though he had registered for a master's degree in Vyākaraṇa only, he was made Ācārya of all subjects which were taught at the university for his all-round qualities on April 30, 1976.

Highest degree and post-doctorate

Giridhara began studying for a PhD also at Sampurnanand Sanskrit University. Pandit Ramprasad Tripathi supervised his studies. Giridhara got a scholarship from the University Grants Commission (UGC) by passing an examination. However, he had money problem for several years. He completed his PhD  in Sanskrit grammar on October 14, 1981. He wrote about the language of the poet Pāṇinī in the Ramayana. UGC then offered him a job as head of the Vyākaraṇa department of the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University. However, Giridhara Miśra did not take the job. He decided to give his life to the service of his religion, the world, and the disabled.

In 1997 he was awarded the post-doctorate Vācaspati (DLitt) degree by Sampurnanand Sanskrit University for his lecture called Search into spoken knowledge of every Sūtra of the Aṣṭādhyāyī in English (Original title: Aṣṭādhyāyyāḥ Pratisūtraṃ Śābdabodhasamīkṣaṇam). He described each phrase of the sutra carefully. He told about Pāṇinī's grammar and use of Sanskrit poetic forms.

Later life

Virakta Diksha
In 1976, Giridhara Miśra said aloud a Kathā on Rāmcaritamānasa to Svāmī Karapātrī. Svāmī Karapātrī advised him not to marry, to live a lifelong Brahmacārin, and to take start in a Vaiṣṇava Sampradāya. Giridhara Miśra took Vairagi start (Virakta Dīkṣā) in the Rāmānanda Sampradāya (monastic order) on the Kārtika full-moon day of November 19, 1983 from Śrī Śrī 1008 Śrī Rāmacaraṇadāsa Mahārāja Phālāhārī. He now came to be known as Rāmabhadradāsa.

Six-month fasts

Rambhadradas had a six month Payovrata, which is a diet only of milk and fruits, at Chitrakoot in 1979 per the following fifth verse of the Dohavali made by Tulsidas.

Tulsi Peeth

In 1987 Rambhadradas established a religious and social service institution in Chitrakoot, where, as per the Ramayana, Rama had spent twelve out of his fourteen years of exile. Its name is Tulsi Peeth (the seat of Tulsi). As he is the founder of the institution, Sadhus gave him the title of Śrīcitrakūṭatulasīpīṭhādhīśvara (which means the God of the Tulsi Peeth at Chitrakoot). In the Tulsi Peeth, there a temple of Rama and Sita, and its name is Kanch Mandir ("glass temple").

Title of Jagadguru Ramanandacharya

Rambhadradas was made Jagadguru Ramanandacharya seated at the Tulsi Peeth by the Kashi Vidwat Parishad in Varanasi on 24 June 1988, and this order was supported by the Mahants of three Akharas, the four sub-Sampradayas, the Khalsas and saints of the Ramananda Sampradaya on 3 February 1989, at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad. On 1 August 1995 he was anointed as the Jagadguru Ramanandacharya in a ritual manner in Ayodhya by the Digambar Akhara. After that he is known as Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya.

Institutes for the disabled

Swami Rambhadracharya started the Tulsi School for the Blind in Chitrakoot on 23 August 1996. He also started the Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University in Chitrakoot on 27 September 2001. This is the first university in the world entirely for disabled students. It was created by a local law of the Uttar Pradesh Government, which was afterwards accepted as the Uttar Pradesh State Act 32 (2001) by the Uttar Pradesh legislature. This act assigned Jagadguru Rambhadracharya as the chancellor of this university for his entire life. The university offers graduate, post-graduate and doctorate degrees in many arts and sciences. The university is planning to give courses in Ayurveda and Medical Sciences from 2013. The permission to enter into the university is limited to only four types of disabled students – those who are blind, or have difficulty in hearing, having difficulty in walking or having some mental illness, as defined in the Disability Act (1995) of the Government of India. According to the Government of Uttar Pradesh, the university is one of the main education institutes for Information Technology and Electronics in the state. Various degrees were given to 354 disabled students in the second graduation ceremony of the university which was held in March 2010. In the third graduation ceremony which was held in January 2011, 388 disabled students were given degrees.

Rambhadracharya also founded an organisation. Its name is Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Viklang Seva Sangh. Its based in Satna, Madhya Pradesh. Its mission is to make community awareness and to start child development programs in Indian villages. Its main aim is to support the education programs of Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University. It helps disabled children get a good education by making access to education easier. Rambhadracharya also runs a hundred-bed hospital in Gujarat.

Rambhadracharya's edition of Ramcharitmanas

Tulsidas wrote the epic poem Ramcharitmanas in the late sixteenth century. It has been very popular in northern India ever since. Some Western scholars have called it the "Bible of northern India". Many different poets have created their own versions of the poem.

Notes

References

Other websites

 Official website of Jagadguru Rambhadracharya
 Very important edition of Ramcharitmanas edited by Jagadguru Rambhadracharya, with a Hindi series of comments 
 Unofficial website of Jagadguru Rambhadracharya on Google Pages
 Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University
 Youtube channel with information and discourses of Jagadguru Rambhadracharya

1950 births
Religious leaders
Living people
Hindu gurus
Sanskrit
People from Uttar Pradesh