Sanskrit scholar passes away

Noted Sanskrit scholar and Bhagavatham exponent, Malliyoor Sankaran Namboothiri passed away at his residence at Kuruppanthara near here on Tuesday morning.

Sankaran Namboothiri (90) was keeping indifferent health for the past few months. He had devoted his life to rendering and exposition of Bhagavatham.

Born as the first child of Parameswara Namboothiri and Arya Antharjanam on February 2, 1921, Sankaran Namboothiri’s spiritual quest was marked by long years of illness and suffering. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he didn’t receive formal education, but was trained to take up the spiritual path shown by his father. However, the turning point came when Sankaran Namboothiri, on a visit to Guruvayoor, met Padappa Namboothiri the eminent Sanskrit scholar and was admitted as his ‘shishya’.

On the advice of his ‘guru’ he took up the rendering of Bhagavatham in total surrender to Lord Guruvayoorappan. Things started turning for the better and Sankaran Namboothiri never left the path shown to him by his guru.

His Bhagavathm rendition, known for its lucidity and erudition, attracted devotees in thousands, all over the country. He was awarded the title ‘Bhagavathahamsom’ after his successful completion of 2500 ‘Bhagavatha Sapthaham’. He was bestowed with Poonthanam Puraskaram by Akhila Bharatheeya Guruvayoorappan Bhaktha Samithy. He had focussed his activities during the last few years at the Malliyoor Mahaganapathy Temple, the name of which had become synonymous with the saintly Bhagavatham exponent.

The mortal remains of Sankaran Namboothiri will be cremated at his residential premises at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.