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Swami Karpatri

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Swami Karpatri
Swami in his ashram in Varanasi.
Founder of Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad
In office
1948–continued
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byShankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati elected as first president
Personal
Born
Har Narayan Ojha

11 August 1907 (1907-08-11)[1]
Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh
Died7 February 1982(1982-02-07) (aged 74)
Varanasi
ReligionHinduism
DenominationDashanami Sampradaya
Known forHindu revivalism and activism
Organization
Founder ofAkhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad
PhilosophyAdvaita Vedanta
Religious career
TeacherBrahmananda Saraswati

Swami Karpatri (1907–1980) born as Har Narayan Ojha was a Hindu saint and revivalist, who founded Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad. He was also a writer and lead many pro-Hindu movements such as cow protection movement. He was a sannyasi in the Hindu Dashanami monastic tradition and was of conservative branch of Hinduism.

Early life and education

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He was born in a Saryuparin Brahmin family in a small village of Bhatni in Pratapgarh, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India (now modern-day Uttar Pradesh). From early childhood he had no interest in worldly matters and was married to Srimati Mahadevi at the age of 9 in the year 1916.[1] He planned to leave home in order to attain Sannyasa, though his father insisted him to give them a child before leaving. After which a girl child was born to him, after which he left his home at the age of 19.[2]

Sometime after leaving home, he took vow of Brahmacharya (initiation into celibacy) from Swami Brahmananda Saraswati. After initation, he was renamed Harihar Chaitanya and went to study in a gurukul in Narwar, Bulandshahr.

He stayed there for two years studying Vyakarana, Vedanta and 6 Darshanas (six schools of Hindu Philosophy) among other things. In 1927, he left the Gurukula and walking along the Ganga river, reached Uttarakhand where he spent the next three years in solitude that ended with him attaining Atmagyana or self-realisation.[3]

He returned back to his gurukul where he was welcomed as a Paramhansa (one who has self-realisation). It was during this period that he got his most popular name “Karpatri” as he used to receive alm of food in his cupped hands resembling a bowl. (Kar-hands, Patra-bowl, hence Karpatri literally means a man who receives alm in his cupped hands).[3]

Sometime during 1931-32, at the age of 24, he formally accepted the Danda from the hands Swami Brahmananda Saraswati near Durga Kund, Varanasi. He was given Sanyasa Deeksha (initiation into monkhood) name of Swami Hariharananda Saraswati.[3]

Dharm Sangh

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On the day of Vijayadashmi, He established Dharm Sangh in the year 1940. He travelled through all parts of India and established many branches of Dharm Sangh. The Slogan was:

Dharma ki Jaya Ho

Victory to Dharma!

Adharma ka Nash Ho

May Adharma Perish! [4]

He revived the lost traditions of Varanasi.[5]

Dharm Sangh under leadership of Swami Karpatri helped the Noakhali victims of 1946 riots and provided them land, food and financial aid.[5]

He re-converted Hindus who were forcibly made Muslims and gave them initiation under Rama-Nama.[6][7]

He and his group was the first one to be jailed in Independent India. Even before Independence, In the year 1947, he started protests and meetings from the month of April. On the night of 14 August 1947, the members of Dharm Sangh were raising the slogans of "Bharat Akhand Ho" (May Bharat be united), All of them were jailed.[5]

Later life

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He was a disciple of Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math Swami Brahmananda Saraswati.[8] He spent most of his life at Varanasi.

Swami Nishchalananda Saraswati, the 145th Govardhan Peeth Shankaracharya of Puri, Odisha, is an eminent disciple of Swami Karpatri.[9]

He initiated Alain Daniélou, a noted French Historian into Shaivite Hinduism under the name, Shiv Sharan.[10]

Politics

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Other than DharmSangh, In 1948, Swami Karpatri founded the Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad (RRP),[11] A traditionalist Hindu party. The RRP won three Lok Sabha seats in the 1952 Lok Sabha election and two in 1962.[12] He led a movement against the Hindu Code Bill. He was also a prominent agitator in 1966 anti-cow slaughter agitation.[13] On 18 April 1948, he founded the newspaper Sanmarg which promoted Sanatana Dharma and also advocated against the Hindu Code Bill and voiced opposition on cow slaughters.[14]

Death

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Statue of Swami in a temple.

On the day of his demise in the year 1980 “Magh Shukla Chaturdashi”, he asked his disciples to sing the "Ayodhya Tyaga" story of Ramayana for him; he himself did the recitation of Sri Sukta and at the end by keeping the idol of Krishna on his chest, he died by reciting "Shiva Shiva Shiva" thrice.[5]

Debates

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Swami Karpatri maintained no-compromise policy with regards to Hindu laws and Shastras. He was called Dharmasamrata[15][7](English: The Emperor of Dharma) by the masses.

In 1932, when he was in his late 20s, he debated with Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya on the topic Pranava (ॐ).[16] Unable to Answer Swami Karpatri's arguments, Malaviya accepted his defeat. This incident was later published in the book "Mananiya Prashnottara".[17]

A debate took place in 1964; this one was between Sanatani Pandits and Arya Samaj. Swami Karpatri was just a viewer in the debate, but he later joined the debate with Yudhisthir Mimansak.[18]

Another debate took place in 1965 between Swami Karpatri and Madhva sampradaya sanyasi Sri Vidyamanya Teerth. Sri Vidyamanya challenged people to defend Advaita Siddhanta. Swami Karpatri accepted the challenge and the debate went on for 2 days.[19] As Vidyamanya Tirth Swami Ji posed insightful questions, Karpatri Maharaj Ji resorted to logical reasoning of vedanta. The flaws in the arguments of Vidyamanya Tirth Swami Ji became evident, leaving him with no substantial counterpoints. Eventually, Swami Karpatri Ji's logical reasoning prevailed, marking his victory in the debate.[20]

Books

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Marxwad Aur Ramrajya: Criticism of Modern Ideologies such as Marxism, Socialism, Utilitarianism, Liberalism, Progressivism, Democratism, Feminism etc.[21][22]

Vichar Piyush: A Summary of Swami Karpatri's Thoughts.[23]

Bhakti Sudha: An anthology of various articles written by Swami Karpatri on importance of Bhakti.[24]

Bhagwat Sudha: Explaining the Essence of Srimad Bhagvat Puran.[25]

Sri Radha Sudha: A record of Swami Karpatri's speeches on Radha Sudha Nidhi.[26]

Bhakti Rasarnava: A Unique work on Bhakti.[27]

Pibata Bhagvata Rasamalaya: A Book dealing with Rasa of Srimad Bhagvata Purana.[28]

Kaal Mimansa: A work dealing with the chronology in context of the Pauranic and Other Hindu Epic literature.[29]

Kya Sambhog se Samadhi: A Simple Refutation of Osho's interpretation of Samadhi.[30]

Capitalism, Socialism and Ramrajya: Refuting Osho's shallow understanding on these Ideologies.[31]

Ramayana Mimansa: A Book with systematic analysis of the Hindu Epic Ramayana.[32]

Ved Ka Swaroop Aur Pramanya: The epistemological significance and Structure of the Vedas.[33]

Veda Pramanya Mimansa: Establishing the supreme authority of Vedas.[34]

VedaSwarupVimarsh: A Short book defining the swarupa of Vedas while refuting the claims of Social Reformers and Modern day Scholars Like Swami Dayanand.[35]

Samanvaya Samrajya Samrakshanam:A work dealing with coordination between various schools of Hinduism.[36]

Ahamartha aur Parmartha Sara: A commentary on Patanjali's work "Parmarth Sara" with the refutation of Vishishta Advaita View.[37]

Nastika-Astika Vaad: A point to point refutation of Nastika Arguments used against Astikas.[38]

Videsh Yatra Shastriya Paksha: The Views of Hindu Shastras on Travelling Abroad.[39]

Sankirtan Mimansa evam Varnashrama Dharma: A text Describing the maintenance of Varnashrama Dharma along with Holy Enchanting.[40]

Rss aur Hindu Dharma: Deals with Structural criticism of Sangh-Sponsored Anti-Shastra ideology.[41] Gau - Ek Samagra Chintan: The importance of Cow within Hinduism and Humanity as a whole.[42]

Vedartha Parijata: Explaining the True Essence of the Vedas along with Commentary.[43]

Kumbha Tithyadi Nirnaya: A treatise dealing with the astrological conclusions in context of Tithis and Kumbha Parva.[44]

Yajurveda Commentary: Bhashya (Commentary) of Shukla Yajurveda by Swami Karpatri in eight parts.<[45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52]

Further reading

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  • Lutgendorf, Philip (1991). The Life of a Text: Performing the Rāmcaritmānas of Tulsidas. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-06690-8.
  • Swami, Vedanti (1999). Sri Karpatri Ji Sankshipt Jeevani [Detailed Biography of Swami Karpatri] (in Hindi).

References

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  1. ^ a b Swami 1999, p. 1.
  2. ^ Swami 1999, p. 2.
  3. ^ a b c Kumar, Pramod (30 April 2019). "Swami Karpatri Ji: The forgotten Dharma SamarAt". Pragyata.
  4. ^ "करपात्री महाराज ने दिया धर्म की जय, अधर्म के नाश का मंत्र".
  5. ^ a b c d "Sri Karpatri Ji Sankshipt Jeevani Vedanti Swami Ji".
  6. ^ Ramesh Kutticad. Abhinav Shankar Smriti Granth Swami Karpatriji Maharaj Poor Scan Vol 1.
  7. ^ a b "Swami Karpatri Ji: The forgotten Dharma SamarAt". 30 April 2019.
  8. ^ Rama, Swami (1999) Himalayan Institute, Living With the Himalayan Masters, page 247
  9. ^ @govardhanmath (4 August 2019). "Dharma Samrat Swami Karpatri Ji Jayanti.Puri Shankaracharya ji's Pravachan on his Guru Maharaj's 112th Jayanti.ध…" (Tweet). Retrieved 23 July 2020 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ Swami Karpatri The Linga and the great goddess Indica bolls, ISBN 818656988X
  11. ^ "Akhil Bhartiya Ramrajya Parishad - Contribution Reports Year 2009-10 - Election Commission of India". Archived from the original on 13 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  12. ^ "Biographical sketches of Third Lok Sabha". National Informatics Centre, Government of India. Archived from the original on 19 May 2006. Retrieved 14 August 2006.
  13. ^ Irfan Ahmad, Pralay Kanungo (24 December 2018). The Algebra of Warfare-Welfare: A Long View of India's 2014 Election. Oxford University Press. p. 103. ISBN 9780199097531.
  14. ^ Mahila Patrakarita (in Hindi). Prabhat Prakashan. 2012. p. 73. ISBN 9789350481189. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  15. ^ @govardhanmath (10 August 2021). "#गौ_रक्षा_दिवससर्वभूतहृदय धर्मसम्राट स्वामी श्रीकरपात्रीजी की अद्भुत देन" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ^ "Sri Karpatri Ji Sankshipt Jeevani Vedanti Swami Ji".
  17. ^ "Mananiya Prashnottara" – via Internet Archive.
  18. ^ "Sri Karpatri Ji Sankshipt Jeevani Vedanti Swami Ji".
  19. ^ "Sri Karpatri Ji Sankshipt Jeevani Vedanti Swami Ji".
  20. ^ "Swami Karpatri vs Swami Vidyamanyatirtha 1965" – via Internet Archive.
  21. ^ "मार्क्सवाद और रामराज्य markswad or ramrajya".
  22. ^ "मार्क्सवाद और रामराज्य (Marksvad Aur Ramrajya)".
  23. ^ "Vichar Piyush ( 305to 308 512to 519miss)". 5 April 2018.
  24. ^ "Bhakti Sudha - Sri Karpatri Swami".
  25. ^ "Bhagavata Sudha - Sri Karpatri Swami" – via Internet Archive.
  26. ^ "Radha Sudha - Sri Karpatri Swami".
  27. ^ "Bhaktirasarnava - Sri Karpatri Swami".
  28. ^ "Pibata Bhagavata Rasamalaya Karapatriji Maharaj" – via Internet Archive.
  29. ^ "Kala Mimansa - Sri Karpatri Swami" – via Internet Archive.
  30. ^ "Kya Sambhog Se Samadhi - Swami Karpatri" – via Internet Archive.
  31. ^ "1960 Around -Punjivad Samajvad Aur Ramrajya". 1960.
  32. ^ "Ramayan Mimansa - Sri Karpatri Swami" – via Internet Archive.
  33. ^ "Ved Ka Swaroop Aur Pramanya Part 1 Shri Swami Karpatri Ji Maharaj".
  34. ^ "Veda Pramanya Mimansa - Sri Karpatri Swami".
  35. ^ "Veda Swaroop Vimarsha - Sri Karpatri Swami" – via Internet Archive.
  36. ^ "Samanvaya Samrajya Samrakshanam - Sri Karpatri Swami".
  37. ^ "Ahamartha Aur Paramartha Sara - Sri Karpatri Swami".
  38. ^ "Nastika Astika Vada - Sri Karpatri Swami".
  39. ^ "Videsh yatra - karpatri ji विदेश यात्रा (करपात्री जी महाराज )".
  40. ^ "Sankirtana Mimansa Evam Varnashrama Maryada - Sri Karpatri Swami".
  41. ^ "Rss और हिन्दू धर्म स्वामी करपात्री जी" – via Internet Archive.
  42. ^ "Gau - Ek Samagra Chintan - Sri Karpatri Swami" – via Internet Archive.
  43. ^ "Vedartha Parijata - Sri Karpatri Swami (Total 23 Files)".
  44. ^ "Kumbha Tithyadi Nirnaya - Sri Karpatri Swami".
  45. ^ "Yajurveda Bhashya 01 - Sri Karpatri Swami" – via Internet Archive.
  46. ^ "Yajurveda Bhashya 02 - Sri Karpatri Swami" – via Internet Archive.
  47. ^ "Yajurveda Bhashya 03 - Sri Karpatri Swami" – via Internet Archive.
  48. ^ "Yajurveda Bhashya 04 - Sri Karpatri Swami" – via Internet Archive.
  49. ^ "Yajurveda Bhashya 05 - Sri Karpatri Swami" – via Internet Archive.
  50. ^ https://archive.org/details/yajurvedakarpatrabhashya06 [dead link]
  51. ^ "Yajurveda Bhashya 07 - Sri Karpatri Swami" – via Internet Archive.
  52. ^ "Yajurveda Bhashya 08 - Sri Karpatri Swami" – via Internet Archive.
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