Draft:Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati

Umashankar Pandey was born on 15 August 1969 in Brahmanpur village, Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh, to Anara Devi and Pandit Ramsumer Pandey. He received his primary education in his village. According to local news sources, he is reported to have undergone preliminary religious initiation at the age of eight.{{Cite web |title=Shankaracharya avimukteshwaranand took initiation age eight |url=https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/pratapgarh/shankaracharya-avimukteshwaranand-took-initiation-age-eight |access-date=2024-06-10 |website=Amar Ujala |language=hi}}

Pandey later moved to Varanasi under the guidance of Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati. He continued his Sanskrit studies at Bajoria Sanskrit College and Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, where he obtained an Acharya degree in Navya Vyakarana (New Logic Grammar). During his time in Varanasi, he also assisted Swami Karpatri Maharaj during his final days, participating in daily rituals.{{Cite web |last=Tiwari |first=Anshuman |date=2022-09-13 |title=Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati: छात्र राजनीति से शंकराचार्य तक का सफर, प्रमुख धार्मिक आंदोलनों का किया नेतृत्व {{!}} News Track in Hindi |url=https://newstrack.com/india/biography-and-wiki-swami-avimukteshwaranand-saraswati-ji-from-dwaraka-journey-from-student-politics-to-shankaracharya-335658 |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=newstrack.com |language=hi}}

During his university years, he was involved in student politics, and was elected as Vice President of the Student Union as an independent candidate, and later as President of the Student Council.{{Cite web |title=MSN |url=https://www.msn.com/en-in/entertainment/southcinema/shankaracharya-avimukteshwaranand-saraswati-holds-a-march-toward-parliament-for-cow-protection/vi-BB1kBoV0 |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=www.msn.com}}

He has an elder brother, Girija Shankar Pandey, and six sisters. Two of his sisters have taken sanyas (monastic vows).{{cite news |last1=George |first1=Varghese K. |title=Of faith in gods and doubts in data |url=https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/of-faith-in-gods-and-doubts-in-data/article68246856.ece |access-date=16 March 2025 |work=The Hindu |date=3 June 2024 |language=en-IN}}

In 2000, Umashankar Pandey received initiation (diksha) into sanyasa (monastic life) from Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, becoming Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati. He spent many years under Swaroopanand Saraswati's tutelage, studying Vedanta and other Hindu scriptures, and assisting in the administration of the Jyotir Math.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

Following the death of Swaroopanand Saraswati in September 2022, Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati was formally appointed as the Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math.{{cite news |date=13 September 2022 |title=Uttarakhand: Swami Avimukteshwaranand new Jyotish Peethshankaracharya |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/uttarakhand-swami-avimukteshwaranand-new-jyotish-peethshankaracharya/articleshow/94183259.cms |newspaper=The Times of India}}{{Cite web |date=2022-09-12 |title=स्वामी स्वरूपानंद सरस्वती के उत्तराधिकारियों की घोषणा, दो नए शंकराचार्य बनाए गए |url=https://www.aajtak.in/india/uttar-pradesh/story/announcement-of-successors-of-swami-swaroopanand-saraswati-two-new-shankaracharyas-ntc-1535930-2022-09-12 |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=आज तक |language=hi}}{{Cite web |title=Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati's successors: TWO Shankaracharyas of two different Peeths now - DETAILS here |url=https://zeenews.india.com/india/uttar-pradesh/swami-swaroopanand-saraswati-s-successors-two-shankaracharyas-of-two-different-peeths-now-details-here-2509089.html |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=Zee News |language=en}} However, the Supreme Court temporarily halted his coronation ceremony after it had heard an application allegedly saying that Saraswati falsely claimed to be the successor of the late Saraswati.{{Cite web |date=2022-10-15 |title=SC stops coronation of Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati as Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/sc-stops-coronation-of-swami-avimukteshwaranand-saraswati-as-shankaracharya-8210568/ |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=PTI |date=2022-10-15 |title=SC stops coronation of Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati as Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sc-stops-coronation-of-swami-avimukteshwaranand-saraswati-as-shankaracharya-of-jyotish-peeth/article66014458.ece |access-date=2025-03-07 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}

Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati participated in the movement to purify the Ganges River, culminating in the government declaring it a national river in 2008.{{Cite news |date=2012-06-21 |title=Govt trying to obstruct Save Ganga Movement, says seer |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/govt-trying-to-obstruct-save-ganga-movement-says-seer/articleshow/14310801.cms |access-date=2025-03-08 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}

In 2018, he opposed the demolition of ancient temples during the construction of the Kashi Corridor, holding protests and padyatras.{{cite web | url=https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/varanasi/avimukteshwaranand-sitting-on-fast-due-to-opposed-breaking-temple-in-kashi | title=मंदिर तोड़ने के विरोध में अविमुक्तेश्वरानंद ने शुरू किया उपवास }}{{cite news | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/seers-frown-as-126-shivlings-found-from-debris/articleshow/67169945.cms | title=Seers frown as 126 Shivlings found from debris | newspaper=The Times of India | date=20 December 2018 }}

He has advocated for a nationwide ban on cow slaughter and the declaration of the cow as "Rashtra Mata." He has also urged political parties to pledge against cow slaughter ahead of elections.{{Cite web |last=Service |first=Statesman News |date=2024-02-12 |title=Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati urges political parties to pledge against cow slaughter ahead of LS polls |url=https://www.thestatesman.com/india/shankaracharya-avimukteshwaranand-saraswati-urges-political-parties-to-pledge-against-cow-slaughter-ahead-of-ls-polls-1503269092.html |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=The Statesman |language=en}}{{cite web | url=https://www.abplive.com/states/delhi-ncr/shankaracharya-avimukteshwaranand-saraswati-march-for-cow-protection-towards-parliament-2649334 | title=दिल्ली: अविमुक्तेश्वरानंद सरस्वती ने गोरक्षा के लिए संसद तक निकाला मार्च, जानें- क्या है मांग | date=27 March 2024 }}{{Cite news |date=2025-02-11 |title=Shankaracharya issues 33-day ultimatum to govt to ban cow slaughter, declare cow as 'Rashtra Mata' |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/shankaracharya-issues-33-day-ultimatum-to-govt-to-ban-cow-slaughter-declare-cow-as-rashtra-mata/articleshow/118145273.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2025-03-06 |work=The Economic Times |issn=0013-0389}}

He has been involved in the ongoing dispute regarding the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, advocating for Hindu rights to pray at the site. In 2022, he announced plans for a puja at the Gyanvapi Mosque site, leading to police intervention and a hunger strike.{{Cite news |title=Swami Avimukteshwaranand stopped from going to Gyanvapi, says 'won't eat…' |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/swami-avimukteshwaranand-stopped-from-going-to-gyanvapi-says-won-t-eat-101654319687527.html |work=Hindustan Times}}

He filed a defamation suit against Govindanand Saraswati for calling him a "fake baba".{{cite news |last1=Jha |first1=Prashant |title=Swami Avimukteshwaranand sues Govindananda Saraswati for calling him 'fake baba' supported by Congress |url=https://www.barandbench.com/news/shankaracharya-avimukteshwaranand-sues-swami-govindananda-defamation-delhi-high-court |access-date=16 March 2025 |work=Bar and Bench - Indian Legal news |date=13 August 2024 |language=en}}

In February 2025, a 10-year-old video of him being pursued by the police in Varanasi was falsely shared on social media as a recent incident.{{Cite web |title=Press Trust Of India |url=https://www.ptinews.com/fact-detail/pti-fact-check-10-year-old-video-of-swami-avimukteshwaranand-saraswati-facing-police-action-in-varanasi-falsely-shared-on-social-media-as-a-recent-incident/2292900 |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=www.ptinews.com}}

• Advaita Vedanta
• Adi Shankara
• Nischalananda Saraswati

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:Category:1969 births

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