13th February - Periyavaa

Today is the Day on 13 February 1907 - Swaminathan was consecrated  as Sri CHANDRASHEKHARENDRA SARASWATHI SWAMIGAL (Mahaperiyavaa) 

During the childhood of the Acharya, his father consulted an astrologer who, upon studying the boy's horoscope, is said to have been so stunned that he prostrated himself before the boy exclaiming that "One day the whole world will fall at his feet".

In the first week of February 1907, the Kanchi Kamakoti Math had informed Subramanya Sastrigal that Swaminathan's first cousin (son of his mother's sister) was to be installed as the 67th Peetathipathi. The presiding Acharya was then suffering from smallpox and had the premonition that he might not live long. He had, therefore, administered upadesa to his disciple Lakshminathan before he attained Samaadhi. Sastrigal being away in Trichinopoly on duty arranged for the departure of Swaminathan with his mother to Kanchipuram. The boy and his mother started for Kalavai (where Lakshminathan was camping) to console his aunt who, while also being a widow, had just given up her only son to be an ascetic. They traveled by train to Kanchipuram and halted at the Sankara Math. By then, Lakshminathan had fallen ill.

I had a bath at the Kumara Koshta Tirtha. A carriage of the Math had come there from Kalavai with the people to buy articles for the Maha Puja on the tenth day of the passing of the previous 66th Acharya. One of them, a hereditary maistry (mason) of the Math, asked me to accompany him. A separate cart was engaged for the rest of the family to follow me. During the journey the maistry hinted to me that I might not return home and that the rest of my life might be spent in the Math itself. At first I thought that my elder cousin having become the Head of the Math, it was his wish that I should live with him. But the maistry gradually clarified matters as the cart rolled on. The acharya had fever which developed into delirium and that was why I was being separated from the family to be taken to Kalavai... I was stunned by this unexpected turn of events.

I lay in a kneeling posture in the cart, shocked as I was, repeating "Rama... Rama," the only prayer I knew. 

My mother and other children came some time later only to find that instead of her mission of consoling her sister, she herself was placed in the state of having to be consoled.

The 67th Acharya also attained Samaadhi, after reigning for a brief seven days as the head of the Math. Swaminathan was immediately installed as the 68th head of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam on February 13, 1907, the second day of the Tamil month of Maasi, Prabhava year. He was given Sanyasa Asramam at the early age of 13 and was named Chandrasekharendra Saraswati.

JAYA JAYA SANKARA HARA HARA SANKARA.