Chanting of the four Vedas, Ashtothram and a violin recital marked the 120th Jayanthi celebrations of Kanchi Sage Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi, organised by Veda Pata Nidhi Trust and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan here on Sunday.
The function began with a pooja to a large smiling portrait of the saint followed by music student S Kanaga’s splendid recital of the Ashtothram, which was composed by the junior pontiff of the Kanchi Mutt Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi on the Paramacharya himself. Kanaga’s flawless diction and mellifluous delivery of the Sanskrit verses was a treat to the ears.
“My family has a long association with the Kanchi Mutt,” she said. “The Paramacharya’s kanakabhishekam (100th birthday) coincided with my 11 th day naming ceremony and hence, he named me Kanaka,” she proudly pointed out.
The music graduate has also brought out a CD ‘Guru Vandana’ as a tribute to the saint.
A robust recital of the Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharvana Vedas by a group of pundits was followed by a musical tribute violin recital by brothers’ duo Ganesh and Kumaresh. Prasada was distributed to devotees at the end of the function.
A trustee of the Veda Pata Nidhi Trust said that the trust was born out of the paramacharya’s concern about the decline in Vedic traditions and plight of the Vedic pundits. “In accordance with his wishes, the Veda Pata Nidhi Trust was created on March 31, 1983,” he said.
The trust honours Veda Pandits and provides a monthly honorarium for their lifetime, he added.
