Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati dies at 99

Prominent seer Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati passed away in Narsinghpur city in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday. He was 99.

Bhopal:Prominent Dwarka seer Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati (99) passed away in Narsinghpur city in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday, his aide said. Swami Swaroopanand, who was the Shankracharya of Dwarka, Sharda, and Jyotish Peeth, was not keeping well for over a year, he said. He passed away at his Ashram in the Narsinghpur district around 3:30 PM, Swami Sadanand Maharaj, second-in-command (known as Dandi Swami) of the Dwarka Peeth, told the media.

Swaroopanand Saraswati was born Pothiram Upadhyay in 1924 at Dighori village of Seoni district, Madhya Pradesh He had left his home in pursuit of God at the age of 9. He was incarcerated during the freedom struggle. He became Shankracharya in 1981, his followers said, adding Shankaracharya's 99th birthday was celebrated recently.

He was a direct disciple of Shankaracharya Brahmananda Saraswati of Jyotir Math (1941–1953), in 1950 his Guru Brahmananda made him a Dandi Sannyasi. Swami Swaroopanand became president of the Akhil Bharatiya Ram Rajya Parishad, established by Swami Karpatri. "Deeply saddened to learn about the demise of Jagat Guru Shankaracharya Swami Shri Swaroopanand Saraswati ji maharaj. Such great saints illuminate the earth. The moment of receiving blessings and knowledge of spirituality by sitting at his feet will always be remembered. Om Shanti," Baghel tweeted.

He along with a picture in which he is seen seeking the blessings of Swami Swaroopanand. Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo and the state BJP unit also took to Twitter to pay tribute to Shankaracharya.