CHENNAI: A never-ending stream of people thronged the Kanchi mutt near here on Wednesday following the demise of the senior pontiff Sri Jayendra Saraswati, and paid their last respects. Among the motley crowd were Muslims from the neighbourhood. To his devotees and scores of Hindus who venerated him, his name brings them victory. “Most of us believe that ‘Jayendrar vantha jayam.’ His demise was very shocking. We feel that we have lost a good spiritual guru,” says V. Subramanian, secretary, Jan Kalyan. He had been to Kancheepuram for his darshan but could not even get a glimpse before the seer was rushed to the hospital.
Sri Jayendra Saraswati is known to be outspoken and never minced words in expressing his views nor wasted a minute to consolidate the acharyas across the country to protect the Hindu dharma.
His views on contentious issues like the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute were unambiguous. In an interview in 2002, he had referred to Babri Masjid as “just a vijayastambham” (a mere victory pillar). The Ayodhya dispute could only be resolved outside court, he had said .It is only during his tenure as mathadhipathi from 1994, the Kanchi mutt established hospitals, educational institutions and even launched an outreach programme to embrace the oppressed. The grief-stricken Kanchi mutt is readying a spot in the Brindavan of the Kanchi Maha Periyava (Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati Swamy) to lay to rest the 69thAcharya on Thursday. The junior Pontiff Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamy will succeed Sri Jayendrar and he would name his successor, sources said.
