Born in 1905 at Polagam in Thanjavur District into a family known for proficiency in the Vedas, Pujyasri Devinatha (fondly called “Anna” by his disciples) lost his parents at a very early age. He always excelled among his fellow students and friends due to his astounding grasp of the Vedas. He was forthright in his views and had a factual understanding of the Vedas and rituals. He insisted that every woman be given due respect and equal rights as men, both socially and spiritually. After completing his Veda Adhyayanam at the Patasala of Kaveripoompattinam, he began teaching the Vedas at Vaideeshwaran Temple near Mayavaram.

One day, very early in the morning, while he was asleep, he had a vision of Goddess Choolikamba giving him Srividya Diksha. Shri Devinatha was guided to higher spiritual levels by Sri Matha herself. One day at Tiruvarur, while reading a book, he entered a deep Samadhi state wherein he realized that he could not distinguish between himself and the rest of existence. In this state, he went to the unfinished sanctum (which still exists today) near the Patala tree at Thiyagaraja Temple and began his Tapas, lasting three days. On the third day, which happened to be Akshaya Tritiya, he experienced himself as Thyagaraja performing puja to Kamalamba. From that moment, the kAmesvara bhAva was eternally enshrined in him, a state that many of his sishyas also experienced.

He authored a monumental research work called “sriShTi sahacaraM pArameshvaraM vedamArgaM” in the 1940s. This masterpiece explains the essence of the true Vedic/Hindu religion, emphasizes that the Vedas are common to humanity without any discrimination, and critiques how deviations from the Vedic path occurred due to the influence of various philosophies and practices.

He also authored “shrIvidyA sUtraM,” a treasure for Srividya Upasakas. This sutram explains the concept of creation and Srividya Shastram, guiding practitioners to the highest levels of spiritual evolution. As guided by Sri Matha, he married Pujyasri Devi and led an ascetic life like the Rishis in the dense forest near Injikuzhi, above the Bhaana Theertham in the Agastya Koota hills (a region so dense that human entry is not permitted even today), where they performed penance. In June 1955, he moved to the forests of Kailasa Konai (in Andhra Pradesh, about 100 km from Chennai) and established Siva Sakthi Ashramam.

People from various parts of the country came to him to become his disciples and received initiation into Srividya Upasana. Pujyasri Gurudeva Dampathy, who were Mahashakti Lalitha and Kameshwara themselves, established the Divya Parampara, the divine Mahathee Mandalam. Their divine forms as Lalitha and Kameshwara were experienced and realized by each of their sishyas.