The history of the world is but the biography of great men-so said a wise man of the West. Geographically a nation is made of mountains and rivers, plains and forests. But rivers and mountains do not make history. It is only men and women that make history by their thoughts and deeds. Although the rank and file are indirectly connected in the process of making a nation's history they are always to be inspired and spurred into thinking nobler thoughts and performing nobler deeds by a few master-minds among them, who have the capacity to arouse them to heights of idealistic thinking and acting.

To qualify for this laudable role, these master-minds, first and foremost, should embody in themselves the best of the nation's cultural and spiritual values and should be driven by a spirit of devotion and dedication to the up-liftment of their brethren. It is these master-minds that arrest the deterioration of standards in the cultural and spiritual norms of a nation under stress and strain, that prove the unfailing and inexhaustible sources of spiritual inspiration and strength to the nation goes through a crisis. With the appearance of every such master-mind on the scene, a new epoch is inaugurated in the life of the nation, new vistas of perception are unfolded and the nation throbs with a newly found energy and enthusiasm. As a sequel, marvels are wrought by the nation in different fields of its activity like Literature, Arts, Sciences, Philosophy, etc.

Once such master-mind is His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. He is a spiritual beacon light that is shedding its luster on Bharata Varsha in particular and on the world at large in general, dispelling the darkness of ignorance and a host of other evil forces from the hearts of millions. His spirituality is stainless. His erudition is boundless. His Tapasya is matchless. His dynamism is inexhaustible. His love of the people is all-consuming. His labours for the commonwealth are many-sided. He is a veritable spiritual colossus bestriding the length and breadth of Bharata Varsha, revolutionising the outlook of the people and rejuvenating ageless Sanatana Dharma. He has conferred a new lease of life on many a forlorn soul. He has cemented many communal differences and has brought about an over-all social cohesion and harmony among the caste-ridden people of South India. He has bestowed a refreshing touch to the hoary customs and traditions and has imparted a new dignity to the Hindu way of life. Vedic learning has received a shot-in-the-arm, and many languishing arts have received new block transfusion at his hands. He has broken the traditional aloofness and steel-like existence of the pontifical officer, which have done not a little harm to Vedic society, driving lakhs of people into the open arms of Christianity.

Like the Great Sankara, he has initiated a new era in the history of Hinduism. He is fully conscious of the threats to the great Vedic religion and his mind is ever contemplating further means of rejuvenating it. I express my profound respects and affections towards this Mahapurusha and offer my prayers at the foot of Divine Mother Parasakti to grant him a very long life.

The Kanchi Sankaracharya is working tirelessly for achieving the goal set for himself. He is an exemplary ascetic.