How he became the 68th pontiff

“ In the beginning of the year 1907, when I was studying in a Christian Mission School at Tindivanam, a town in South Arcot District, I heard one day that the Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam who was amidst us in our town in the previous year, attained siddhi at Kalavai, a village about 10 miles from Arcot and 25 miles from Kanchipuram. Information was received that a maternal cousin of mine who, after some study in Rig Veda, had joined the camp of the Acharya offering his services to him, was installed on the Peetam.”

“He was the only son of the widowed and destitute sister of my mother and there was not a soul in the soul in the camp to console her. At this juncture, my father who was a supervisor of schools in the Tindivanam taluk, planned to proceed with his family to Kalavai, some 60 miles from Tindivanam, in his own bullock cart. But on account of an educational conference at Tiruchirapalli, he cancelled the programme.”

“My mother with myself and other children started to Kalavai to console her

sister on her son assuming sannyas ashram. We travelled by rail to Kanchipuram, and

halted at Sankaracharya mutt there. I had my ablutions at the Kumara-koshta Tirtha. A

carriage of the Mutt had come there from Kalavai with persons to buy articles for the

Maha Pooja on the 10th day after the passing away of the late Acharya Paramaguru. But

one of them, a hereditary Maistri of the mutt, asked me to accompany him. A separate

cart was engaged for the rest of the family to follow me.”

“During our journey, the maistri hinted to me that I might not return home and

that the rest of my life might have to be spent in the mutt itself. At first I thought that my

elder cousin having become the head of the mutt, it might have been his wish that I was to

live with him. I was then only 13 years of age and so I wondered as to what use I might

be to him in the institution.”

“But the maistri gradually began to clarify as miles rolled on, that the Acharya,

my cousin in the poorvashram had fever which developed into delirium and that was why

I was being separated from the family to be quickly taken to Kalavai. He told me that he

was commissioned to go to Tindivanam and fetch me, but he was able to meet me at

Kanchipuram itself. I was stunned by this unexpected turn of events. I lay in a kneeling

posture in the cart itself, shocked as I was, repeating Rama Rama, the only spiritual

prayer I knew, during the rest of the journey.”

“My mother and the other children came some time later only to find that instead

of her mission of consoling her sister, she herself was placed in the state of having to be

consoled by someone else.”

“My robes of sannyas were not the result of any renunciation on my part, nor had

I the advantage of living under a Guru for any length of time. I was surrounded from the

very first day of sannyas by all the comforts and responsibilities of a gorgeous court.”

The above is an excerpt from “Pujya Sri Mahaswamy Divya Charitram” by Sri Sambamoorthi Shastrigal, Sri Kuppuswamy Iyer, “Sollin Selvan” P. N. Parasuraman – 1957

Vijaya Yatra

The peetathipathis of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam had taken upon themselves as part of their pontifical duties, traveling around, giving audience to people, giving them advice and encouraging their spiritual growth.

Our Swamigal also wanted to take on such a journey after becoming the Peetathipathi.