Anant Shri Vibhushit Yati Chakra Chudamani Jyotishpeethadhishwar Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Shri Brahmanand Saraswati Ji Maharaj

Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (21 December 1871 – 20 May 1953), was the Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath in India. Born into a Saryupariṇa Brahmin family, he left home at the age of nine in search of a spiritual guru. At the age of fourteen, he became a disciple of Swami Krishnananda Saraswati. At the age of 34, he was initiated into sannyasa and became the Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath in 1941 at the age of 70, the first to hold that position in 150 years. His disciples included Dharmasamrat Swami Karpatri Ji, Transcendental Meditation founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Swarupananda Saraswati Ji. In 1941, at the age of 70, after repeated requests over a period of twenty years, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati accepted the position of Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, a position that had been vacant for over 150 years. His disciple, Swami Karpatri, was the person who requested Swami Brahmananda to take up the position after the Dharma Maha Mandal began searching for a suitable candidate. Brahmananda is reported to have responded to this request by saying: “You want to put in chains a lion that roams freely in the jungle. But if that is what you want, I respect your words and am ready to take up the responsibility of the Peetha (monastic) management. By taking up this responsibility, I will serve the purpose for which Adi Shankaracharya stood up. I dedicate myself completely to this mission.” Swami Brahmananda Saraswati was appointed on 1 April 1941 by a group of saints, sanyasis and pandits based in the city of Varanasi with the support of the Shankaracharya Swami Bharati Krishna Tirtha of Puri and the Shankaracharya Swami Chandrasekhara Bharati of Sringeri. Swami Brahmananda Saraswati was also considered to be the embodiment of the qualities described in the Vedic texts, and this helped in his seamless ascension to the position at the age of 70.