Jagadguru Divas (January 14th)

Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj accepting the title of "Jagadguruttam"
from Mahamahopadhyay Shri Giridhar Sharma Chaturvedi,
President of Kashi Vidvat Parishat, on Jan 14, 1957

January 14th is celebrated as "Jagadguru Divas". On Jan 14, 1957, Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj was honored with the unprecendented title of Jagadguruttam - the Supreme among all Jagadgurus by Kashi Vidvat Parishat, a body of 500 scriptural scholars, in Varanasi, India. The complete title was -

Shrimat-padavakyapraman-paravarin
Ved-marg-pratisthapanacharya
Nikhil-darshan-samanvayacharaya
Sanatan-vaidik-dharm-pratishthapan-satsampradaya-paramacharaya
Bhakti-yog-rasavatar Bhagavadananta-shri-vibushit
Jagadguru 1008 Swami Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj

In 1957, Jagadguru Shri Kripaluji Maharaj was invited by the Kashi Vidvat Parishat to speak for nine consecutive days on scriptural philosophy. During His speeches, Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj quoted thousands of verses from hundreds of scriptures and spoke in fluent Sanskrit. He revealed His profound and unparalleled scholarship of the Vedas, Shashtras, Puranas and other scriptures that belied his age at that time of only 34 years.

Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj accepted and proved true the existing philosophies of all the previous Jagadgurus and to the utter amazement of the scholars He also miraculously reconciled their seeming contradictions. In addition, he proved the significance, importance and supremacy of bhakti (devotion) as the essence of all the Hindu path for this age. To this end, he also explained the practical form of nishkam bhakti, or selfless devotion, which could be followed by anyone.

Recognizing that only the greatest of Divine personalities could have revealed such knowledge, the scholars of Kashi Vidvat Parishat unanimously bestowed on Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj the title of Jagadguruttam, or The Best of all Jagadgurus. Prior to Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj, only four Saints have been acknowledged as Jagadguru: Jagadguru Shri Shankaracharya, Jagadguru Shri Ramanujacharya, Jagadguru Nimbarkacharya and Jagadguru Shri Madhavacharya. So charmed were they by His personality, suffused with the nectar of devotion and divine love, that they also declared Him to be Bhakti-yog-rasavatar, the Descension of Divine Love and Bliss.

Subsequent to his receiving the title of Jagadguru, Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj revealed thousands of verses of devotional literature explaining the form, virtues, names, leelas and abodes of Radha Krishna, and in particular, He revealed the supremacy of Shri Radha as the absolute supreme form of the Divine existence.

Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj ascended to the divine abode Golok on Nov 15, 2013. We are all truly blessed to have known such a great Jagadguru who was also a Rasik Saint. All glories to Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj!!!