1. Birth – Youth – Education
Ancestors
The holiest of holy days was heralded in the year of Jaya, on the eighth day of the
lunar month of Vaikasi, on Sunday (20th May, 1894), when the constellation Anusham
was shining in the sky. This day was the blessed day when Srimad Chandrashekarendra
Saraswathi Jagadguru Sri Sankaracharya, the 68th Acharya Swamigal of Sri Kamakoti
Peetam, established by Sri Adi Sankara, was born into this world. This auspicious event took place in the house of Govindarayar, located in the southern tip of an agraharam in Nawab Thoppu, in the town of Vizhuppuram in South Arcot district. A Brahman named Subramania Shastrigal and his devout wife Mahalakshmi Ammaiyar had the good fortune of bringing this holy man into this world, as their second son.
Sri Swamigal, in His purvashramam, belonged to the Hoysala Karnataka Smartha
Brahmin community. This community had migrated from Karnataka and settled in the
Chola kingdom, near Cauveri during a time when a prominent member of the
community, Govinda Deekshithar was a minister to the Tanjore Nayak kings. One of the
branches of this community settled in the holy place of Thiruvidaimaruthur. It is from this branch that our Swamiji’s ancestors hailed. Some of the family members held
prominent posts in the court of Maratha King Amarasimha Maharaja (Sarabhoji
Maharaja’s uncle), who ruled over Thiruvidaimaruthur. In this glorious family, was born Ganapathi Shastrigal, our Swamiji’s grand father.Grandfather Ganapathi shastrigal.
Ganapathi Shastrigal was well versed in Shastras and trained in Rig Veda at an
early age. He was fluent in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada Maharashtram as well as being an
able administrator. The 64th Acharya Swamy of Kamakoti Peetam, Sri
Chandrashekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal, discovering his efficiency, appointed him as
the Chief Executive Officer of the mutt in 1835. He occupied this post for more than 50 years during the tenure of 64th and 65th Peetathipathi.1 The 64th Acharya Swamiji
performed the kumbabhishekam of the Kancheepuram Kamakshi Amman temple in 1840
and the Thatanga prathishtai of Sri Akhilandeswari Amman in 1848. Ganapathi
Shastrigal helped to conduct these two events successfully and obtained Swamiji’s
blessings. Moreover, he was instrumental in effecting important events that were
beneficial to the mutt in the long term. Let’s take a look at one of the key events here:The 64th Acharya Swamy, Srimad Chandrashekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal
camped in Thiruvanakaval between 1844 and 1848 at Kanchi Sankara mutt in North
(To be Continued)
Ancestors
The holiest of holy days was heralded in the year of Jaya, on the eighth day of the
lunar month of Vaikasi, on Sunday (20th May, 1894), when the constellation Anusham
was shining in the sky. This day was the blessed day when Srimad Chandrashekarendra
Saraswathi Jagadguru Sri Sankaracharya, the 68th Acharya Swamigal of Sri Kamakoti
Peetam, established by Sri Adi Sankara, was born into this world. This auspicious event took place in the house of Govindarayar, located in the southern tip of an agraharam in Nawab Thoppu, in the town of Vizhuppuram in South Arcot district. A Brahman named Subramania Shastrigal and his devout wife Mahalakshmi Ammaiyar had the good fortune of bringing this holy man into this world, as their second son.
Sri Swamigal, in His purvashramam, belonged to the Hoysala Karnataka Smartha
Brahmin community. This community had migrated from Karnataka and settled in the
Chola kingdom, near Cauveri during a time when a prominent member of the
community, Govinda Deekshithar was a minister to the Tanjore Nayak kings. One of the
branches of this community settled in the holy place of Thiruvidaimaruthur. It is from this branch that our Swamiji’s ancestors hailed. Some of the family members held
prominent posts in the court of Maratha King Amarasimha Maharaja (Sarabhoji
Maharaja’s uncle), who ruled over Thiruvidaimaruthur. In this glorious family, was born Ganapathi Shastrigal, our Swamiji’s grand father.Grandfather Ganapathi shastrigal.
Ganapathi Shastrigal was well versed in Shastras and trained in Rig Veda at an
early age. He was fluent in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada Maharashtram as well as being an
able administrator. The 64th Acharya Swamy of Kamakoti Peetam, Sri
Chandrashekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal, discovering his efficiency, appointed him as
the Chief Executive Officer of the mutt in 1835. He occupied this post for more than 50 years during the tenure of 64th and 65th Peetathipathi.1 The 64th Acharya Swamiji
performed the kumbabhishekam of the Kancheepuram Kamakshi Amman temple in 1840
and the Thatanga prathishtai of Sri Akhilandeswari Amman in 1848. Ganapathi
Shastrigal helped to conduct these two events successfully and obtained Swamiji’s
blessings. Moreover, he was instrumental in effecting important events that were
beneficial to the mutt in the long term. Let’s take a look at one of the key events here:The 64th Acharya Swamy, Srimad Chandrashekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal
camped in Thiruvanakaval between 1844 and 1848 at Kanchi Sankara mutt in North
(To be Continued)
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