Tradition accepts Lord Shiva as the Adi Guru and from him the teachings have passed down since time immemorial, with Shankaracharya as the beacon for the modern era.

In his revival of Hinduism, Adi Shankaracharya established the Dashanami Sannyasa Order, a monastic order with ten lineage names. Of these, Chinmaya Mission belongs to the lineage and traditions of the ‘Sringeri Matha’ in Karnataka, India. The first acharya of this noble institution was none other than Shri Sureshvaracharya.

In the Sringeri Matha tradition, the Lord is worshipped as Deva in the form of Lord Adi Varaha, and as Devi in the forms of Puri Devi, Bharati Devi, and Kamakshi Devi. The main pilgrimage centre, or dhama, is Rameshvaram and the worshipped holy river, or tirtha, is Tungabhadra.

In this Bhurivara lineage, or sampradaya, the primary Veda is Yajur Veda, which reveals the Mahavakya: “Aham Brahmasmi”. Sannyasis initiated into this lineage are bestowed with the title, or padavi, of “Saraswati” after their name (e.g., Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati).