Shankaran joined the Mysore centre as a novice in 1926 and worked hard at every type of work, studied hard and meditated hard. His was a life of intense selflessness and inspiration. He had to evacuate from Rangoon (Yagoon) and Karachi during the Japanese advance and partition of India respectively. He worked for the relief of those affected and was also later responsible of building up the Sangha's Hyderabad branch.
His memory was phenomenal and so was his grasp of Vedanta and every modern branch of secular and scientific learning and he used his oratorical skills effectively to become one of the most prolific speaker and thinker of his time both in the East and the West. His lectures and classes talks were so inspiring that for more than half a century he continued to inspire people of all walks of life, especially in India. Intellectuals and skeptics never had any chance to even marshal their arguments against him. National, International Governments and Non-Government organizations, Universities and Research institutions, feted and hosted him. In his personal life he always kept the ideal of sannyasa high never possessing anything, having no personal needs. He was elected a Vice President in 1989 and on the passing away Swami Bhuteshanandaji, became the President. His concern for the poor and especially women was remarkable. His life was one practical demonstration of practical Vedanta.
