Brahmananda Saraswati

His Holiness Jagadguru Shankaracharya
Svāmī Brahmānanda Sarasvatī
Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Shree Svāmī Brahmānanda Sarasvatī ji
Personal
Born
Rajaram Mishra

21 December 1871 (1871-12-21)
Surhurpur, near Ayodhya, North-Western Provinces, British India (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India)
Died20 May 1953 (1953-05-21) (aged 81)
Calcutta, West Bengal, India
ReligionHinduism
Organization
PhilosophyAdvaita Vedanta
Religious career
GuruSvāmī Krsnānanda Sarasvatī
SuccessorJagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Shree Swaroopanand Saraswati
Disciples
Ordination1 April 1941
HonorsShankaracharya of Jyotir Math

Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (IAST: Svāmī Brahmānanda Sarasvatī) (21 December 1871[1] – 20 May 1953), also known as Guru Dev (meaning "divine teacher"), was the Shankaracharya of the Jyotir Math monastery in India.[2][3] Born into a Saryupareen Brahmin family, he left home at the age of nine in search of a spiritual master. At age fourteen, he became a disciple of Svāmī Kṛṣṇānanda Sarasvatī. At the age of 34, he was initiated into the order of Sannyas and became the Śaṅkarācārya of Jyotir Math in 1941 at age 70, the first person to hold that office in 150 years.[4][5][6] His disciples included Swami Shantanand Saraswati, Transcendental Meditation founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Svāmī Swarūpānanda Sarasvatī and Swami Karpatri. According to the partisans of Shantānand Saraswati, Brahmānanda made a will five months before his death in 1953, naming Shantānand as his successor.[5][7]

  1. ^ Birthdate of Shankaracharya Swami Brahmanand Saraswati, Paul Mason. Retrieved 28 November 2011
  2. ^ Love and God, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Age of Enlightenment Press, 1973 pp.5-9
  3. ^ Leigh, Spencer (7 February 2008). "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: Spiritual leader who introduced millions, including the Beatles, to transcendental meditation". The Independent (London). p. 44.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Real Thing was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Vidyāśaṅkar Sundareśan (2005) Indology Archived 12 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine The Jyotirmaṭha Śaṅkarācārya Lineage in the 20th Century, retrieved 4 August 2012
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Advaita Vedanta was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ The Whole Thing the Real Thing, Prem C. Pasricha, Delhi Photo Company, 1977 p. 71