Mahadevendra Saraswati V

Mahadevendra Saraswathi V was the 67th Peethadishwar of the Kanchi matha.

Life and times

Saraswathi was born as Lakshmikanthan to Narasimha Sastri and Lakshmi in 1889. It is also said that he was named Lakshminarasimha (combining his parents' names).

He was given the title Mahadevendra Saraswathi and made the Shankaracharya in 1907. He occupied the post for a brief period of seven days and died in 1907. He was succeeded by his first cousin, Swaminathan, a boy of thirteen, who became the sixty-eighth Shankaracharya with the title Chandrashekarendra Saraswati VIII.

He was in the service of his guru Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati VII who was the pontiff of the mutt from 1891. When he was offered the position of next Acharya after Chandrashekharendra Saraswati VII, Lakshmikanthan who incidentally was a native of Thiruvisainallur, refused to become the Acharya, but preferred to be in the service of his guru wherever he goes. On hearing this, the guru was moved by his devotion and told that as his life coming to an end, let him accept the position till Swaminathan comes from Villupuram. After that, "I will call you to whichever place I will be in". Coincidentally, the moment Swaminathan entered Kalavai, Lakshmikanthan, now known as Mahadevendra Saraswathi V, attained siddhi and died of delirium, only 1 week after ascending the position as the Shankaracharya.

Sri Mahadevendra Saraswathi's Samadhi is located in Kalavai, next to his Guru, Sri Chandrasekahrendra Saraswathi VII's samadhi. He was also struck by the same disease that caused the Siddhi of his Guru. He died within seven days of ascending the throne of the mutt. But before he died, he had sent word for Swaminathan to be his successor.