Pujyasri Swami Omkarananda, Vedic scholar and authority on Thirukkural passes away

Pujyasri Omkarananda Swami passed away on Monday. He was recently reported to be COVID positive and attained maha samadhi at 5:40 PM on Monday.

He was the founder of Sri Swami Chidbhavananda Ashramam, Theni and was also the pontiff of Sri Bhuvaneswari Avadhuta Vidyapitham at Pudukottai.

Swamiji came from a culturally rich family.  He was born as Manoharan alias Goshteswara Sharma to Vaidyanatha Ganapadi and Alamelu Ammal near Perur, Coimbatore in the year 1956.

He was attracted to the Bhagawad Gita, Upanishads, and other Hindu scriptures from a very young age. He was also a follower of Swami Vivekananda’s works. He adopted the Vedic lifestyle from an early age and emerged as an erudite scholar well versed in Vedas. His mastery in both Tamil and Sanskrit, have earned accolades from across the counrty.

He was ordained as a monk by Swami Chidbhavananda of Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam, Tirupparaithurai, Trichy. Later, he learnt the Vedas from Paramarthananda, a disciple of Swami Dayananda Saraswati. He became very famous for his speeches on the Sanatana Dharma and his videos were a goldmine for those who followed the school of philosophy of Sri Sankara.

He was also in great connection with both the Kanchi and Sringeri Mutt heads. He was highly revered by both of them and has shared many a conversation and discourse with them.

His discourses about the Bhagavad Gita as well as other branches of the Sanatana Dharma were quite famous back in the day, and sabhas like the Narada Gana Sabha in Chennai would be swamped with crowds waiting to hear him talk. Videos of the same are even today played in many devotional channels like the Shankara.

The seer’s mortal remains were laid to rest in front of his Ashramam at Theni as per the Shastras on Monday night due to Covid-19 restrictions. Reportedly, Swami ji had chosen the place for his Samadhi and had given directions to his disciples on how he should be laid to rest before.

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