Ashrama Name: Shri Paramashivendra Sarasvati (1)
Purvashrama Name: Shrikantha
Purvashrama Father’s Name: Shivasamba Pandita
Years as Pithadhipati: 21
Siddhi: 4161 Sharvari Ashvayuja Shukla Saptami (CE 1060-Oct-10) at night
Other: The author of the well known compendium of stories Kathasaritasagara, by name Somaka Deva Bhatta, was the disciple of this Acharya. The Acharya would spend time mostly only in the caves near Shrishailam in tapas and samadhi. Somaka would continue to perform services to Him.
However, other people would cause obstruction in the tapas of the Acharya. The Acharya hence wished to be entirely alone, and instructed Somaka, after giving him Sannyasa and appointing him as His successor, to leave the place and travel around the country for the protection of Dharma.
After that, only if somebody by chance (i.e. Ishvarasankalpa) brought any food or performed any other services to the Acharya would the Acharya take bhiksha etc. He thus was following the “Path of the Python” i.e. by partaking only that food which by itself came in its path.
श्रीसर्वज्ञसदाशिवबोधेन्द्रकृता पुण्यश्लोकमञ्जरी
श्रीकण्ठः शिवसाम्बपण्डितसुतः सैकां समा विंशतिं बिभ्रत् स्वस्य पदे निवेश्य सुकविं सूर्यात्मजं सोमकम्। शार्वर्याश्विनसप्तमीनिशि गतः सिद्धिं स पक्षे सिते सन्न्यासात् प्रभृति क्षितिध्र-विवर-स्थायी परादिः शिवः॥८८॥
॥ श्रीसदाशिवेन्द्रसरस्वतीश्रीचरणविरचिता जगद्गुरु-रत्न-माला ॥
कवि-सोमक-कॢप्त-सेवन-त्यग् भवि-दूरोऽद्रि-गुहा-गृहेऽहि-कृत्यः ।
चिरम् आत्मनि सञ्चरन् प्रमत्तः परमाद्यः स शिवः शिवं विधत्ताम् ॥ ७१ ॥
॥ पञ्चषष्टितमैः पीठाधिपतिभिः श्रीमत्सुदर्शनमहादेवेन्द्रसरस्वतीश्रीचरणैः प्रणीतः श्री-काञ्ची-कामकोटि-पीठ-जगद्-गुरु-परम्परा-स्तवः ॥
(४५) वृत्त्याऽऽजगर्या श्रीशैल-गुहा-गृह-कृत-स्थितीन् ।
श्रीमत्-परशिवाभिख्यान् सर्वातीतान् श्रये सदा ॥ ४४ ॥