BHOPAL: Shankaracharya of Jyotish, Dwarka and Sharda Peeths, Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, passed away after prolonged illness at his ashram in Narsinghpur district of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday.
He was 99.
His ‘Samadhi’ (symbolic funeral) will take place at 4pm on Monday near the hillside ashram.
Born in 1924 as Potiram Upadhyaya in Dighori village of Seoni district, he left home when he was nine. He was a direct disciple of Shankaracharya Brahmananda Saraswati of Jyotir Math and of Shankaracharya (disputed) Krishnabodha Ashrama of Jyotirmath.
In 1950, his Guru Brahmananda made him a Dandi Sanyasi. He became the president of Akhil Bhartiya Ram Rajya Parishad established by Swami Karpatriji.
On Krishnabodha Ashrama’s demise in 1973, the title of Shankaracharya (disputed) of Jyotir Math, Badrinath passed to Swami Swaroopanand. Nine years later in 1982, he also became the Shankaracharya of Dwarka Peeth.
At 18, he became a part of the country’s freedom movement and was known as “Revolutionary Sadhu” for taking part in the Quit India Movement.
He was also jailed for around a year-and-half. He had a strong opinion on various issues, including Ganga pollution, the Uniform Civil Code, the Abrogation of Article 370, cow slaughter, etc.
He will be given a “bhoo samadhi” (burial) on the campus of the Ashram around 3 to 4 pm on Monday, an ashram release said.
“His bhoo Samadhi in sitting position which is given to ‘sanyasis’ will take place around 3-4 pm at his Paramhansi Ganga Ashram, Jyoteshwar, in Gotegaon in Narsinghpur on Monday,” it said.