Chandrashekhar Saraswati, the Shankaracharya at that time, was nearly a hundred years old and the grand old teacher of Hinduism. Fortunately I received his darshan twice before his death. He blessed the rudraraksha mala that is the main one that I use today. His work provides an excellent introduction to Hinduism, particularly in a Vedantic context.

A few years later through the intercession of the next Shankaracharya in the line, Jayendra Saraswati, I was able to visit the Kanchi Kamakshi temple and have a darshan of the Devi there, for which westerners were usually not allowed. Such teachers continue to uphold Hindu dharma and maintain millennial traditions for the benefit of future generations.