Maharajashri was born on July 25,1911, in the village of Maharai in Varanasi. During his childhood he was called by the name of ‘Shantanuvihari’. But astrologers of that time predicted that the child would die at the age of 19.
The fear of death led Maharajashri to the path of spirituality. After sometime he became aware of the fact that death is unavoidable but one can destroy the fear of death through spiritual knowledge. Later he was initiated as Brahamanand Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of the Jyotishpeeth. However, prior to this, Maharajashri was a member of the editorial board of the ‘Kalyana’ in Gorakhpur.
From his childhood he was fond of Shrimed Bhagvata Purana which remained his best companion throughout his life. He established an Ashram at Prayag where the celebration of his birth anniversary is part and parcel of different activities organised at Ashram. He died on November 19,1987.