Jagadguru Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Mahaswamigal also known as the Sage of Kanchi or Mahaperiyava was the 68ᵗʰ Jagadguru Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. Mahaperiyava’s discourses have been recorded in a Tamil book titled “Deivathin Kural”.
Mahaswami Chandrashekarendra saraswathi was born into a Kannadiga Smartha Hoysala Karnataka Brahmin family in Viluppuram, South Arcot District, Tamil Nadu as Swaminatha. The child was named Swaminatha, Swaminatha began his early education at the Arcot American Mission High School at Tindivanam, where his father was working. He was an exceptional student and excelled in several subjects. Swaminathan used visit Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham with his father regulatly and the Acharya was deeply boyimpressed by the young boy. After sudden death of 67 th Acharya, Swaminathan was immediately installed as the 68th head of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam on February 13, 1907,at age of 13. He was given Sanyasa Asramam and was named Chandrasekharendra Saraswati. Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati spent several years in the study of the scriptures and dharma shastras and acquainted himself with his role as the Head of the Math. Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati was the head of the Mutt for eighty-seven years
During this period, the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Pitam acquired new strength as an institution that propagated Śankara’s teachings. The devotion, fervour, and intensity with which the Paramacharya practiced what Śankara had taught are considered to be unparalleled by his devotees.[citation needed] Throughout his life, the focus of his concern and activities was rejuvenating Veda adhyayana, the Dharma Sasthras, and the age-old tradition, which had suffered decline. “Veda rakshanam” was his very life breath, and he referred to this in most of his talks. Providing support through Veda Patashalas (schools teaching Vedic lore) through the Veda Rakshana Nidhi which he founded and honouring Vedic scholars, he reinvigorated Vedic studies in India. He organised regular sadhas (‘conferences’) which included discussions on arts and culture—these led to a renewed interest in Vedic religion, Dharma sasthras, and theSanskrit language. His long tenure as Pitadhipathi is considered by many to have been the Golden Era of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.[citation needed] He attained Mukti (died) on January 8, 1994 and was succeeded by Jayendra Saraswati. He repeatedly preached about the importance of following the Dharmic path. His various discourses are available in a pack of six books . Rajaji and Mahatma Gandhi met the Acharya in a cow shed. It was a practice in the mutt to wear silk clothes. But Acharya was the first one to do away with them and shifted to Kadhi robes at Rameshwaram. He requested his devotees to do away with foreign/ non natural clothes some time earlier at Trichy.
As a Jagadguru, he was popular with[vague] dignitaries including the King and Queen of Nepal, the Queen Mother of Greece, the Dalai Lama, Sathya Sai Baba, Mahatma Gandhi, C. Rajagopalachari, M. S. Subbulakshmi, Indira Gandhi, R. Venkataraman, Subramanian Swamy, Shankar Dayal Sharma, MGR, Jayalalitha, Karunanidhi, Kalki Krishnamurthy, Sivaji Ganesan, Ilaiyaraaja, Rajinikanth, Kamalhassan, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Prannoy Roy, Amitabh Bachchan, R. P. Goenka, Birla Family, JRD Tata and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.