
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For Swami Anandavanam Bharathi who was recently anointed as a Mahamandaleshwar of Juna Akhara, the country’s largest monastic order, the journey over the years has been quite distinctive. Once a rebellious leader of the SFI, the student wing of the CPM, his spiritual ascent from the land of Adi Shankaracharya has now reached a culmination point in Sanatan Dharma.
Juna Akhara head Swami Avdheshanand Giri had anointed him Mahamandaleshwar, the highest level of monks in the order, on January 26. He is the third Keralite to reach this position and the first in Juna Akhara. The previous Malayali seers to earn the title did so around half a century ago. Shankaracharya is believed to have established the akhara system in northern India to train warrior monks to protect Hinduism.
According to Swami Anandavanam, he is now able to accept everyone and everything as equal but with a detachment that was impossible earlier.
Born to Madhavan, an employee of Madura Coats, and Anandavalli, a teacher, in Chalakudy in Thrissur district, he was named P Salil. He entered student politics through SFI while pursuing Pre-Degree at the Christ College in Irinjalakuda.
After joining the Sree Kerala Varma College in Thrissur, he became the SFI unit secretary, area president, and later the district office-bearer while a degree and post-graduate student. Salil went on to become the SFI district vice-president.
“I studied politics. I had close relations with current Ministers P Rajeeve and M B Rajesh and other left politicians like P K Biju and T V Rajesh,” Anandavanam told TNIE. He said he first went to see Kumbh Mela, in 2001, as he had some police cases against him. “While applying for anticipatory bail, I was advised to stay away for some days.
The Kumbh Mela was quite an experience for me. For six days, I stayed on the banks of the Ganga. At night, I would buy two bundles of grass to be used as a mat and two dried dung to escape from mosquito bite,” he recalled.
While his elevation as Mahamandaleshwar was an occasion to celebrate for his friends, he received some criticism too. One snub he received was from Minister R Bindu. A former teacher with the Sree Kerala Varma College, Bindu commented under a social media post, “If we consider the history of Swamiji, his chances of staying there are low.”
But the seer said his actions did not cause any controversy in the SFI or the CPM at the time. After passing out from the Press Academy with a first rank, Salil joined the Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi as a journalist.
“That was the time I travelled frequently to Haridwar, Varanasi, Rishikesh, and parts of Himalaya. I used to stay in ashrams, and gradually, I developed an interest in spirituality as I wanted to know more than we read and knew,” Anandavanam said.
According to him, spirituality is rational. “When we can understand things reasonably and rationally, we call it spirituality. Sasthra means something that protects through correction. My journey to spirituality progressed after I associated with Sandeepananda Giri to edit the ashram’s magazine. None of my old comrades interfered in my decision as everyone knew that I wouldn’t succumb to any pressure. In my family either,” he said.
Salil also entered the grihasthashram for a short period, when he was working as a journalist. “We can become a seer from any of the four ashrams. There is no prohibition,” he said.
It was during the 2013 Kumbh Mela that Salil became closely attached to Juna Akhara. Then, he was guided by a sadhu. “I went through difficult sadhanas and training. I was asked to stand in the icy Himalaya, in the forest and undertake pilgrimage throughout Bharat. In 2018, I received Naga Deeksha from Juna Akhara which has around four lakh sannyasi members. As Naga Sannyasis, we are bound to protect the Hindu dharma. We can see everyone as equal,” Anandavanam said.
As a Mahamandaleshwar, he will work in south India from the Avadhootha Ashram in Kottarakkara.