Ashrama Name: Shri Sureshvaracharya
Purvashrama Name: Mandana Mishra
Purvashrama Father’s Name: Himamitra, a Kanyakubja Brahmana who was serving as Rajaguru to the Kashmir King
Years as Protector of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham: 70
Note: The texts that Shri Sureshvara was not the Peethadhipati of any one Peetham but was appointed by Shri Shankara to supervise the functioning of all the Shankaracharya Peetha-s in general. However, He was given special responsibility at the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham as the successor to that Peetham was very young (less than age 10). Thus the period after Shri Shankara’s leaving His physical body until Shri Sureshvara Himself followed in that way is mentioned in texts as the reigning period of Shri Sureshvara.
Siddhi: 2695 Bhava Jyeshtha Shukla Dvadashi (BCE 407-May-17) at night
Siddhi Place: Mandanamishra Agrahara at Kanchipuram
Other:
In His purvashrama He was an extreme mimamsaka who believed that only karmanushthana-s would lead to Moksha. Thus at that time He rejected sannyasa which involves the renunciation of worldly ties and duties to family etc for the sake of wholly concentrating on the Paramatman which is beyond this world.
However, He took to sannyasa after having lost to Shri Shankara in a scholarly debate on this very topic. As a result He was initially considered by other disciples of Shri Shankara to be not wholly dedicated to Advaita, a misconception which He dispelled by His devotion to Shri Shankara and thereby composing various works on Advaita such as Vartika-s on Shri Shankara’s Bhashya-s, Naishkarmya Siddhi, etc.
He was a great Yogishvara and the teacher of many other junior/later Acharya-s in Shri Shankara’s Parampara. As noted above, He was appointed by Shri Shankara to supervise the functioning of all the Acharya Peetha-s descended from Shri Shankara due to His excellent administrative capability and worldly knowledge.
He is said to have completed His worldly existence at an especially holy area of Kanchipuram by name Punyarasa, which was later known as Mandanamishra Agrahara (after His purvashrama name), by entering into a high stage of Laya Yoga, and turning His body into a Shiva Linga.
श्रीसर्वज्ञसदाशिवबोधेन्द्रकृता पुण्यश्लोकमञ्जरी
गौडः काश्मीरजन्मा कलितपरिचितिः पूर्वतन्त्रे कुमाराद्
ब्रह्मण्यः सर्ववेदः स्फुटशपथपथं श्रीमदाचार्ययोधी ।
सन्न्यासं प्रापितस्तं तदनु परिचरन् योगभूमैकसीमा
तस्यादेशेन काञ्च्याम् अवसदथ समाः सप्ततिं कामपीठे ॥
वर्षे शुद्धतरे (2695) कलेरथ भवे ज्येष्ठे सितद्वादशी
रात्रौ चित्रितसर्वभूस्स यशसा श्रीमान् सुरेशः स्वयम् ।
श्रित्वा पुण्यरसां रसेन महता युञ्जन् लयाख्ये पथि
श्लक्षणश्रीशिवलिङ्गभूयम् अभजत् साक्षात् सतां पश्यताम् ॥
॥ श्रीसदाशिवेन्द्रसरस्वतीश्रीचरणविरचिता जगद्गुरु-रत्न-माला ॥
स्थिर-बोध-घन-प्रताप-दाम्नोर्गुरु-पृथ्वीधव-विश्वरूप-नाम्नोः ।
चिरम् अर्थनयोपतुङ्गभद्रं सरसः सौतु सुरेश्वरः स भद्रम् ॥ ३४ ॥
प्रणयन् लय-योगम् अक्षुद्-अञ्च्यं पुनराचार्य-मठे निपद्य काञ्च्याम् ।
भुवि यः शिवलिङ्गभूयमन्ते प्रविवान् सोऽस्तु सुखाय नः सुशान्तः ॥ ३५ ॥
॥ पञ्चषष्टितमैः पीठाधिपतिभिः श्रीमत्सुदर्शनमहादेवेन्द्रसरस्वतीश्रीचरणैः प्रणीतः श्री-काञ्ची-कामकोटि-पीठ-जगद्-गुरु-परम्परा-स्तवः ॥
(२) पवित्रितेतराद्वैत-मठ-पीठी-शिरो-भुवे ।
श्री-काञ्ची-शारदापीठ-गुरवे भव-भीरवे ॥ ७ ॥
वार्तिकादि-ब्रह्मविद्या-कर्त्रे ब्रह्मावतारिणे ।
सुरेश्वराचार्य-नाम्ने योगीन्द्राय नमो नमः ॥ ८ ॥