Pujya Dr. K.C.Vardachari was born at Munulapudi Agraharam, a small village near Tiruchanoor a temple town of Sri. Padmavathi Ammavaru on 14th August 1902, in the asterism of Moola and Vrschika Lagna. He had his early education at Tirupati and he moved to Madras for his collegiate education.  He did his F.A. at Christian College Madras. He participated in the Freedom movement for a span of few years and later joined the B.A.(Hons) course at Christian College, Madras. He graduated with a B.A. (Hons) Degree, in 1926 securing Gold medal from the University of Madras. In 1927 he worked as Research Scholar in the Andhra University. During this period he wrote his first book Metaphysics of Sri Ramanujas’ Sri Bhashya. He took his Ph.D. from the University of Madras in the year 1932. His Ph.D was the first in Visistadvaita awarded by the University of Madras. After occupying several important positions he ended his active professional life with the Vivekananda Professorship on comparative religion, ethics and philosophy at the University of Madras in 1966.

He has written profusely on the Visistadvaita system of philosophy of Vedanta, Sri Aurobindo and later on the System of Natural Path, the new system of Raja Yoga propounded by SriRamchandraji Maharaj of Shahjahanpur, U.P., India. Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh corresponded with him starting with the words “Salutations to the Atman” and thus recognizing his spiritual status. 

In the man who leaves a deep impression on the history of his race we invariably find rare qualities besides those of the mere intellect. All those who knew Pujya Dr. K.C.Varadachari, had seen in him the perfection of Intellect and Intuition coupled with impeccable Character. Pujya Dr. K.C.Varadachari’s compassion to other human beings in particular and all existence in general was something that every one wanted to acquire for himself. Pujya Dr. K.C. Vardachari was infectious and was carrying with him the seeds of Infinity wherever he went and many did acquire the symptoms of Divine Sickness due to separation from the Lord.
It is not all the certain that prizes of this world were got by him, perhaps he never bothered about it: but surely he got the gifts of the Beyond as was attested by Mahatma Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj of Shahjahanpur. U.P. The curvatures he feared that were developing in the method that is propagated by the Great Master Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj, slowly turned out into a reality where the stress on the spiritual path was over taken by the philosophies of love and unmindfulness in meditation. He has condescended to the prayers of the earnest seekers and has made himself available as a guide in the path leading to the Master.  A new order in spirituality has commenced in 1991 and is guiding the spiritual destinies of earnest seekers.

He was an ardent seeker of reality and had a pretty long journey in spiritual life. While more would be found in the section “Spirituality”, it may be said that he has moved from the traditional forms of worship to the most illumined path of Realisation in the system of Raja Yoga of Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj of Shahjahanpur. He answered the question of his development in the following manner.

“A question has been asked as to how it came about that I had taken to Sri Ramchandraji’s” method, preferring it to Sri Aurobindo and Sri Ramanuja. It is a question in autobiography.

I first awakened to spirituality through the reading of the life of Swami Vivekanada. Earlier I had soaked myself in the lives of all warriors of the world as well as the great travelers of my school days. I admired the great works of Burke and soldiers. Though this was so, I did a good lot of reading in the lives of the great discoverers in science. Proctor books and the book of knowledge I had read avidly. But the reading of the life of Vivekananda, which synchronized with the First Non- Cooperation movement, which had deep spiritual coloring, was the beginning of my interest in Yoga. Though Karma yoga was what was put forward by the Gandhian way, yet the jnana attracted me or rather the Raja yoga attracted me. Then after study of all the books concerned including quite a lot of books by Tolstoy and A.E (Whitehead) and others I found that the books of Swami Ramatirtha (Words of God Realisation) and the Arya volumes of Sri Aurobindo came to me. Though the first author did stir deep spirituality, it was Sri Aurobindo’s works that made me get the feeling that here indeed is the authentic voice of spirituality. I drank literally the works of Sri Aurobindo. I do not know how it was so easy for me to feel into. After the Arya, I subscribed for the Standard Bearer (Chandranagore). I felt that weekly food was invigorating and necessary. I had discontinued the studies after F.A (Intermediate) now I once again entered into the college-to study Philosophy. European Philosophy I studied and took interest in the problems. Bergson I had to study fortunately, and under Dr. A.G. Hogg. I was all along saturating myself with the Arya and the essays on the Gita.

I discovered that Sri Ramanuja’s thought was similar to Sri Aurobindo’s at least on the side of Bhakti. I began to work for my research on Sri Ramanuja’s major work and completed it. I then did another research project on Yoga Psychology in the Minor Upanishads and came to the conclusion about the major needs of spirituality and they agreed with that of Sri Aurobindo. Sri Aurobindo remained my pramana. However I did not make any effort to meet and get the personal guidance in my sadhana. In the meanwhile I studied Theosophical literature and Krishnamurthy and the skeptical modes and approaches. However though I had saturated myself with Visistadvaita the inner feeling that Sri Aurobindo was giving the right  direction never left me.

It was in 1936, however that my two reviews of Sri Aurobindo’s writings and life put me into touch with Sri Aurobindo. I had the first darshan of him on 24th Nov. 1936; I requested that I may be accepted as a sadhaka non resident. I was asked come in 1937 June, Aurobindo and the Mother saw me. I was asked to sit bare chested and on examination it was decided that I could not be accepted as a sadhaka. That was my first shock. However I continued devoting myself to a serious study of Sri Aurobindo.

In 1939, there was a call from the Devastanams at Tirupati which is avowedly a Visistadvaita shrine to join the Oriental institute as Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy to do work (Service ) for the Visistadvaita Philosophy. The offer was not good salary wise. Yet owing to the insistent demands of my father, Sri Rao Bahadur K.V. Rangaswami Iyengar and his uncle Rao Bahadur N.S Narasimhachariar, I accepted the offer. Since I was not accepted by Sri Aurobindo I did not consult him but joined. (I belong to the sect of Visistadvaita by birth and thought that I had perhaps to do and achieve my salvation through it alone) I had to face lot of persecution and within two years the fact became clear to me that Visistadvaita had no hope and place at this famous shrine and might get discarded slowly. This was my second shock-profoundly more than the first.

“It began to dawn on me whether after all the God worshipped on the Hills was partial to Sri Ramanuja , or whether it was after all a common enough God for all sects and persons …..The diversion of funds towards secular…. meanwhile gained momentum….. the Srinivasa Mission, expansion of the secular activities, the expanded provision of amenities for pilgrims, the gold-gilding and so on. These undoubtedly popularized God: more income and more expenditure and more pilgrim traffic. T.T. Devastanams began growing. I cannot say that there was a great wave of religiosity and interest. The summer school of Religion was a regular feature. But all was for making Sri Venkateswara more well known and popular.
We have been expanding and Tirupati became a really all- India centre of pilgrimage…. But in my inner thoughts one thing alone has been growing-a deep distrust and agony of an indescribable kind. There was perfect loss of hope about a renaissance in spirituality and growth of true philosophic evolution. More and more it became clear that institutions of religions can only lead to subtle corruption, and all sorts of persons take the shelter of religion for the furtherance of their own vanity and livelihood. God becomes the vehicle for individual adventure…Philosophy suffered an eclipse in this place when the University came and a professor who had hardly any belief in philosophy was appointed to it.

Thus Visistadvaita became non-grata and every attempt to improve it had failed. Thus I was forced to the conclusion that it is futile to resurrect it or attempt to waste one’s life over it. Its votaries were working against it: a suicidal affair. The philosophy is not obviously wrong-intellectually to me it has been fairly satisfactory. The Aurobindonian element of supra mental evolution was possible in terms of Visistadvaita according to me, but it was not so admitted by Sri Aurobindo. I had failed in both of my efforts. So I had to think again: perhaps a rejection of both was demanded of me by the Supreme Power that is beyond Venkateswara and Sri Aurobindo….. It was enough for me at this juncture to somehow get the grace of God and leave everything to it -to reveal or reject or illumine the great Vast of Being.

God indeed was kind to me also. I had experiences of the most vivid kind and almost certain times direct awareness….. It was at this juncture that two persons came into my life. One is Sri Swami Sivananda whose ability to catch men is as skillful as a master fisherman, who wrote to me a letter saying that my life was very important and offered to look after my body. This meant quite a copious supply of his literature and one tin of Chyavanaprasha and one of bottle of Brahmi Hair Oil every month. He made me a fellow of his Forest Academy also. But his teachings had not at all stimulated in me any serious spiritual vibrations. However Swami Sivananda considered him to be realised soul and has written as follows while conferring the Fellowship of the Forest Academy, Rishikesh “With disarming simplicity and effortless dignity that characterizes his written works Dr. K.C. Vardachari has consistently and persistently yoked the services of his philosophical acumen towards the errors of a purely intellectual approach of life and has sought to defend and advance with adequate persuasion and power the claims of higher and spiritual values both for the attainment of deeper philosophical insights into the nature of the individual, the Word and the Ultimate Reality as also for the perfection and integration of the individual personality in a scheme of living that results in the fullest enjoyment of the prizes of this world and the gifts of the world beyond”.
The other was also seeking to introduce his book to the Public. I received a book and a letter from one of his abhyasis for opinion. I read the book and asked for further particulars. I Reviewed the book for The Hindu, Madras and I found that some three gentlemen responded to it by getting into contact with its author Sri Ramchandraji. He then wrote to me offering to help me in spirituality. I thus entered into this sadhana because here was an offer to lead me, to accept me as a disciple and sadhaka- and not on my request but by himself. I felt that I was not accepted by Sri Venkateswara or Sri Aurobindo and to me only SriRamchandraji himself came in 1956, 57, 59, 60 and has led me to spiritual experiences. So, I was led to test these carefully and was made a Preceptor in 1957 so that I could myself see how the spiritual training is done.”
From 1966 till his last days he was fully engaged in the spread of the system of Rajayoga of SriRamchandra. He delivered many talks and many books on the system during this period. After a brief period of illness he attained Maha Samadhi on the auspicious day of Basanth Panchami on 30^th Jan. 1971