Devotees are presently thronging the Hari Hara Bhajana Samaj's Ganpati Temple at Rasta Peth for a special reason. Sankaracharya Sri Krishnananda Teertha Mahaswamiji of the Sri Sakatapuram Mutt in Bhandigadi in Karnataka has made a stop-over here. This halt is part of his Vijay Yatra which began five years back, to spread the message of goodwill and spirituality amongst people in all parts of the country.He will be in Pune upto February 9 and is available for darshan from 9.00 am to 11.00 am daily.Sankaracharya believes that money has to be a means of one's livelihood but should not be the end. Running after money and earning it by unjust means can be harmful and can take you away from living a fulfilled life. He also believes that when you are full-fledged into a family life, you must fulfill the relevant duties. ``You cannot give an excuse that you want to meditate and therefore have no time for the family. It is essential that after fulfilling your family duties, you find time for yourself for spiritual activities.'' Similarly, he says, there is a time for everything and as years pass by, family responsibilities become lesser. Although, as in ancient years, one cannot go off to a forest for meditation, one can definitely turn to such spiritual activities in the very modern home that you live in.He urges today's youth to come back to their roots and not ape the western traditions. For this, he believes that parents have a prime role to play, by inculcating in their children, the rich cultural heritage of our country and religion. This should begin from everyday habits and lifestyles at home which reflect the Indian tradition.Sankaracharya is the present pontiff (the 33rd one) of Sri Jagadguru Badari Sankaracharya Samasthanam of Sakatpuram. He ascended the peetham at the age of 13 and is a Sanskrit scholar, well-versed in Vedanta. He has composed various hymns in Sanskrit and is working towards setting up educational institutions to impart education based on Indian culture and also establish Vedas and Sanskrit colleges.
