66th Acharya
In the Guru Parampara of Sri Adi Sankaracharya comes the 66th Jagadguru Puja Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Swamy of Kanchi Kamakoti Peethadhipati. The 66th Acharya was born in Udayambakkam Village in Chengelpet District in Tamilnadu. He visited Chaturveda Narayana Mangalam Village (Kalavai) Parimala Kshetra on the orders of Gramadevata village deity Sri Sri Sri Ankala Parameshwari.
The reason for his visit was due to the extensive mysterious kshudra pooja worship in the village of Kalavai because of which the powers of Goddess was waning and the entire village was affected with scarcities and small-pox disease. Goddess Ankala Parameshwari appeared in the dream of the Acharya and told him to come down to village with Sri Maha Tripura Sundari Devi and Sri Chandramouliswara Swami.
To overcome the situation the Goddess informed Swamiji to perform Chaturveda Parayanam, Purana Itihasa Pravachanam, Durga Saptashati Parayanam, Dhanvantari Maha Sudarshana Japam which will remove the curse and increase the wealth and health of the village. As the time passed the village of Kalavai developed with all the wealth and prosperity. The smallpox disease in the village got reduced. The 66th Peethadhipati Swamy was visited by the people of the village regularly and the devotees used to observe Chandramouliswara Pooja and receive Tirthaprasada from Swamiji.
In the year 1906 when 66th Acharya while observing Chathurmasa pooja in village Perumukkal in South Arcot District, Swaminathan (Maha Periyava) and his parents went to have Acharya darshan. It was then our 66th Acharya saw Swaminathan (Maha Periyava) for the first time and saw him as a great soul destined to adorn the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam after him because 66th Acharya was a great sage who could foresee the future. The Acharya made detailed enquiries about Swaminathan and met the boy frequently. Acharya was happy to listen to the appropriate answers that Swaminathan gave to many of his questions. From that day, the Acharya asked that Swaminathan be brought to the Mutt and in this way Swaminathan got more attached to the Mutt and was able to obtain the blessings of the 66th Acharya in a greater measure.
In the first week of February 1907, a telegram arrived from Kalavai where the Acharya was camping, addressed to Subramania Sastri. The message required Subramania Sastri to take his son Swaminathan immediately to Kalavai. The officials at the Mutt at Kanchi took Swaminathan in a horse-drawn carriage (Jutka) to Kalavai. As the 66th Acharya was suffering from smallpox knowing that he might not live longer, decided to appoint Swaminathan as head of the Mutt to succeed him. But the Acharya attained samadhi before Swaminathan could reach Kalavai. As our Guruparampara says no Petham should be left empty without a Peethadhipati so the Acharya had named his successor a cousin of Swaminathan (son of Mahalakshmi Ammal’s sister) Lakshmikanthan who was 18 years old.
67th Acharya
Lakshmikanthan was a disciple of Acharya, he served his guru with devotion although knowing about smallpox effect on him. He was appointed as the 67th Peethadhipati Sri Sri Mahadevendra Saraswathi Swami and adorned the Peetam for only eight days but he attained samadhi due to effect of smallpox at his Guru Charanam. Before he attained samadhi, the 67th Acharya had decided to name Swaminathan as his successor which was also the desire of his own guru (66th Acharya).
68th Acharya
Procedural rituals relating to the appointment of Swaminathan as the successor to the 67th Acharya were completed quickly as soon he reached Kalavai. Young Swaminathan barely thirteen years old assumed charge as the 68th Acharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam with the Deeksha Naamam Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi (Maha Periyava) on 13th February 1907.