Living Spirit and Mastermind of Vidyapeetha

Panditraj, Panditratna, Pandityanidhi,
Shastraratnakara, Sanskritratna,
Pravachana Kesari, Vidyaratnakara,
Vidyarnava,Mahamahimahopadhyaya,
Nyaya Vedanta Vidwan,
Founder, Kulpati Late Paramapujya

SRI MAHULI R. GOPALACHARYA,M.A.(1909-1984)

"A BEAUTIFUL BLEND OF THE GOOD AND THE GREAT" Parampoojya M.R. Gopalacharya , founder of the Vani Vihar Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya and the moving spirit behind Satyadhyana Vidyapeetha , Mumbai needs no introduction.

Born on December 15 1909, Shri Gopalacharya belongs to the well known "Mahuli" family of Vaishnavas of Jayantinagara (Ainapur) whose scions have been reputed for generation for their Sanskrit education, in particular vedic lore and literature. His traditional Sanskrit education did not suffer in the least, although he had his English education simultaneously. In fact the two proceeded together untill he took his M.A. degree in both Sanskrit and English literature imbibing the best in both oriental and occidental learning.

With this high acedemical equipment. He could have got a professors job in any university for mere asking. But he was not the type to be tempted by such cheap materialistic rewards. Instead he sedulously strove and consolidated what he already learned from others at the feet of His Holiness Sri Satyadhyana Tirtha Swamiji. of hallowed memory and acquired proficiency in every branch of Sanskrit lore.

One can not be truly erudite in this lore without plumbing all its branches Nyaya, Vedanata and Alankara and also the vast expanse of literature , Vedic and Classical. Learned Gopalacharya owes this all as he never misses to maintain, to that illustrious leader of philosophical thought , His holiness Sri Satyadhyana Teertha Swamiji. He has brought out innumerable monographs and edited more than two scores of old Vedantic works. But for his indefatigable effort and assiduous application , these valuable works could not have seen the light of the day. The most outstanding of his work to-date acknowledged by eminent foreigners as a great contribution to our vedic literature, however, has been "The Heart of the Rigveda".

It was Shri Acharya's ardent desire and firm determination to start and run a Sanskrit Pathashala on our ancient Gurukula lines. In furtherance of this desire, he founded as far back as in 1937 Vani Vihar Sanskrit Maha Vidyalaya. The vidyalaya of which he is the kulpati, has been rendering the signal service by imaprting free learning in all branches of sanskrit.

A noteworthy feature of this unique institute has been that people not only from all parts of India but from all parts of the world as well - the USA , GERMANY, The U.K. AUSTRALIA, FRANCE to mention only the more important countries , have been availing from the historic institutions. It is of interest to recall here the experience of an american lady Mrs. Ramshele Harriet , Bar-at-law , who came to this country in search of spiritual fare. After some effort she felt disappointed and was about to return to her country. She was brought to acharya, and the lady was not only impressed but has remained anardent admirer and desciple of the acharya to this day. She was continued to keep in touch with vidyalaya ever since.

Shri Gopalacharya's educational activities are by no means confined to Vidyalaya and Vidyapeetha. A monumental service of his to the society at large takes the form of his lucid and learned discourses on the Bhagavad Gita and the Bhagavata in Mumbai adn Else where in india. The cultured people of this country can not be to grateful to the late Sri Satydhyana Tirtha Swamiji who discovered and nurtured this gem of purest ray serene and bequeathed it to our generation and to posterity.

Truly the founder has been a sibling of his master and was a perfectionist.