Dear Sir ,
An excellent write up .I am glad and proud to be a descendant of the
same village of Poundarikapuram though I am indeed a "nir akshara
kukshi", nevertheless I do make it a point to visit the Ashramam to
pay my obeisances to The Acharyans ever since I visited the same way
back in the 'sixties', whenever I get the chance.
my thanks' to you for the
article , and my humble 'DaNDangal'to our Swami Srimath Gopaladesika
Mahadesikaya Namah:
Rajalakshmi Jagannathan-
-- In Oppiliappan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Madhavakkannan V
<srivaishnavan@...> wrote:
>
> SrI:
> SrImathE Goapladesika mahadesikaya namah:
> SrImathE Srinivasadesika Mahadesikaya namah:
> SrImathE Ranganathadesika Mahadesikaya namah:
> SrImathE Srinivasadesika Mahadesikaya namah:
> SrImathE Gopalarya Mahadesikaya Namah:
>
>
> Sri Narayana Yogindra Varadaarya Kripaasrayam /
> Rangesa Paada Vinatham Srinivaasa Munim Bhaje //
>
> (meaning)
> I hail Srinivasa Muni who obtained the full grace
> of Sri Narayana Yogindra Varadaarya, who always bowed
> at the feet of Lord Ranganatha.
>
> About this Great mahaan, there are two slokas composed
> by Sri RV Krishnamachariar: I am giving only the
> translation (Please forgive my translation as well):
>
> For those who take to sanyaas (renunciation), there
> could be many reasons. Poverty, disinterest in
> samsaaric afflictions, mental worries, non-cooperation
> from spouse etc. For this Swamy (Sri Poundarikapuram
> Andavan Swamy), lot of wealth (inherited), extremely
> cooperative Pathivratha dEvigaL (spouse),; a great
> vidwAn of the first kind. Simply due to his vairAgyam
> alone, he took to sanyaasaasramam.
>
> What kind of vidvathvam he has!
> He is PaNinI in vyAkaraNam.
> GaNAdhar in mImAmsA.
> Vedantha Desikan in Vedantha!
>
> Those vidwAns and scholars who acknowledge the above
> whole heartedly also do not speak in front of Him
> (with respect and fear- bhayam kalandha mariyAdhai)
>
> May He reside (as alwayts) forever in the hearts of
> such Great scholars and vidwAns! (in order to bless
> them as he does always!)
>
> This day about one hundred and fifty five years ago,
> our land witnessed the holy birth of a mahaan in
> Poundarikapuram; truly it was an avtaar of Sriman
> Narayanan Himself, who out of His benevolence, and
> sincere determination, Dhrida vratha, to save all
> human beings comes into this world. And the Lord also
> chooses the time, the place and the parents to take
> birth from. it is all preordained by Him.
>
> It was the day of days- Adi PoorAdam- Sowmya
> year, August 1847, a child-prodigy was born in
> Poundarikapuram village. This village with its sylvan
> surroundings is very near to the famous
> Oppiliappan Koil Divya Desam, whose praise has been
> sung by Peyazhwar, Nammazhwar and Thirumangai Azhwar.
> Enjoying, so to say, the Divya kataaksha of the
> Lord, this cozy village has been the birth of many
> great personages. Among them were the couple- Sri
> Singaperumal Ayyangar, an effulgent scholar and a
> man of unswerving principles of personal practice
> and conduct and Smt Senkamalam Ammal, his wife. No
> wonder that Sriman Narayanan chose to take His birth
> from this noble couple as their seventh son and
> was named after Lord Srinivasan. How so true this
> about Srimad Andavan Poundarikapuram Srinivasa
> Mahadesikan needs no elucidation to the
> Srivaishnava world, more so to those unnumbered
> beneficiaries. This multifaceted genius was a
> repository of erudite scholarship endowed with an
> uncommon acumen, which helped not only of acquisition
> of knowledge of Kaavyarthas, Saasthras,
> Vedanthaarthas, Granthachathushtayam, besides the
> Vedas and the Divya prabandhas but also in the
> exposition of these to an never ending chain of
> disciples who flocked to him all the year around and
> down the years.
>
> A quick review of his biographical details will inform
> us how great personages (in our Acharya parampara) are
> born great and tower far above the commonality!
>
> Young Srinivasan was given in adoption to his father's
> younger brother. After his upanayanam at 7, he
> promptly sought to learn Sanskrit from illustrious Sri
> Rangachariar Swami, father of reputed Tharka scholar
> Sri Narasimhachariar. Soon followed his higher
> education from mahavidwans like Ghattam Varadachariar
> Swamy, Sogathur Vijayaraghavachariar Swami, Perumal
> koil Thirupputkuzhi Swami, Kuricchi Rangachariar Swami
> at Mannargudi, and in matter of time, he became an
> accomplished scholar, a mahaa vidwaan himself., having
> mastered Alankaara saasthra, Tharkaam, vyAkaraNam, and
> mImAmsa besides the Vedas and Prabandhams. He had his
> Pancha samskaaram from Sri Ghattam Varadachariar Swami
> and Vedantha Grantha kaalakshepam and BharasamapraNam
> at the feet of Srimad Andavan VeliyanallUr Narayana
> Mahadesikan Swamy, an act indicating possibly things
> to come, as later he succeeded Sri Narayana Desika
> Mahadesikan Swamy.
>
> He undertook pilgrimages to all divya desas from
> Tirupathi to Thiruvananthapuram. In due time, he
> married Smt Komalavilli Ammal hailing from Vagarai, a
> nearby village and led his grihasthAsramam at
> Poundarikapuram in a manner that was remarkable for
> its simplicity and austerity in spite of belonging to
> a family as affluent materially as erudite in
> scholarship.
>
> When his (adopted) mother Srirangammal passed away, he
> migrated to Srirangam and settled down there. He led
> his life strictly as ordained by the elders,
> performing Pancha kaala kriyas, the observance of
> which gives no room for accepting any material gift
> whatsoever it be nor aspire of ill-gotten wealth. His
> scholarship and mastery in Sahithya, Alankara,
> Tharkka, mImAmsA, Sri Bhsahya and vyAkaraNa was
> legendary and little wonder that those who aspired to
> gain knowledge of these sought after him and learnt at
> his Feet.
>
> In good time, he heard the call, the divine call for
> taking up sanyaasa Ashramam and to become a "light
> house:, guiding the parched souls tossed about the
> samsaara saagara. It was a definite call and he went
> and prostrated repeatedly at the feet of Srimad
> Andavan Veliyanalloor Narayana Mahadesikan who after
> thorough scrutiny of his disciple's genuineness,
> offered him upadesa of Preksha mantra and Prapatti
> Prayoga and admitted him to Sanyaasa Asramam, more
> fittingly called ThurIya Asramam (the fourth stage).
>
> Thereafter he went to live in the Srimad Andavan
> Asramam at Srirangam hallowed by the footprints of
> Srimad PeriyANdavan and spent years there offering
> Samasrayanam, BharaNyAsam, and daily kaalskhepa
> Goshtis to the innumerable disciples thirsting
> spiritually. But as there were hindrances to the
> peaceful functioning of Asramam, he decided to move
> out of Srirangam itself so as to more effectively
> carry on with his spiritual mission. When the
> disciples came to know of this, they prevailed
> upon him to continue his stay at Srirangam.
>
> Through their efforts, a separate Asrama was set up
> and it came to be known as the "Sri Poundarikapuram
> Andavan Asramam", in the same line of Srimad
> Periyandavan Guruparampara, verily because Sriman
> Narayana willed it so there shall be another
> illustrious seat of munithraya Sampradayam, to cater
> to the spiritual needs of the ever growing
> Sishyavarga, ever seeking new nuances and creeping in
> to the crevices of the Sampradaya. And so from this
> center this great Acharya traveled on foot across
> South India at the request of countless disciples who
> considered that their places became sanctified by the
> very touch of the Acharya's feet. Eventually he stayed
> at Srirangam itself following the footsteps of
> Emeprumaanaar Sri Ramanujacharya.
>
> Thus started a great era, a Saga of monumental service
> to the Lord. Not a day passed without a Kaalakshepa
> Goshti in the Asramam. It became the confluence of
> great minds seeking more and more scholarship in
> Sribhashyam, Bhagavath vishayam, and all else with a
> thirst and enthusiasm as witnessed never before.
>
> Sri Poundarikapuram Swami had a large stock
> of affluence in his grahasthAsramam. He left off
> all in his supreme self-denial and became an ascetic
> by almost compelling his preceptor to grant him the
> saffron robe. He swayed, as spiritual king, the
> Srirangam town for almost five decades. He was no
> ordinary scholar, nor an ordinary ascetic, nor even an
> ordinary pontiff at that. He taught many; taught
> Sri Bhashya every day; believed that it was his chief
> goal and inaugurated the present headquarters of the
> Asramam on the banks of the Coleroon river, a
> few yards west of Sri Dasavatharam Sannidhi (of Sri
> Ahobila Mutt).
>
> A special kind of link between the Ahobila Mutt
> and Sri Poundarikapuram Andavan Asramam deserves
> mention in this connection. Down from 1750 to this day
> the Acharya hierarchy is unbroken, uniquely continuous
> in this Asramam. The Acharyas are also native to
> the school; inbred and brought up by Kalakshapam /
> invitation by earlier Pontiffs at some time. Once
> a gap occurred in the Ahobila Mutt; for some
> five years (1900-1905). The Poundarikapuram Andavan
> of this Asramam had proudly helped in securing a
> deserving candidate and giving him Sannyasa order
> and installing him as the Pontiff (the 38th). This
> happened in 1905.
>
> Thus, from Srirangam, he continued his mission. The
> Asramam under Sri Srinivasa Maha Desikan was a center
> of religious activities and philosophical
> discussions. The Acharya was an erudite scholar in
> Vedaanta Sastras; he possessed an extraordinary power
> of mind by which he could accurately recall any
> passage, sloka or Sutra with ease.
>
> Many learned scholars came to study Adhyatma Sastras
> under his feet.
> Apart from the saamaanya sishyas and countless
> extraordinary sishyas, mention must be made of a few
> outstanding sishyas who distinguished themselves by
> their startling mastery of the sampradaya granthas in
> all their facets and left an indelible mark in the
> form of permanent contributions to the growth and
> spread of the Munithraya sampradayam.
>
> And thus the three Acahrays who succeeded him after,
> Srimad Ranganatha Mahadesikan, Srimad ViNNaRRankarai
> Srinivasa Mahadesikan and Sri Gopaladesika Mahadesikan
> are manifestations of the Great AchArya Himself as
> they follow his footprints in the sands of time,
> offering spiritual succour to the ever growing
> disciples. In their succession lies the clue to great
> Acharya's prophetic gift, the Visionary that he was.
>
> In 1934, in the month of Vaikasi on Pornami day, the
> AchArya's look finally fell kindly on the great
> scholar disciple from Mannaargudi as he had decided
> that he should succeed him and carry forward the
> intellectual and spiritual service that he had so
> deftly given a new dimension to. Thus Sri Mannargudi
> Anadavan, (followed then by sri ViNNaaRRankarai
> Andavan) succeeded Sri Srinivasa Mahadesikan
> (Poundarikapuram Anadavan). And Prakritham Andavan is
> Srimad Andavan ParavaakkOttai Gopaladesika
> Mahadesikan, whose 81st Thirunakshathram is being
> celebrated.
>
> While this was the Great Acharya's work to keep the
> line of succession continuous, he did not rest content
> there; he knew the coming days would demand more than
> this. While this was the Great Acharya Srimad
> Poundarikapuram Andavan Sri Srinivasadesika
> mahadesikan's work to keep the line of succession
> continuous, he did not rest content there; he knew the
> coming days would demand more than this, that the
> future upkeep of our sampradaya would need not merely
> "ships" and "light houses", but also, pillars and
> foundation Structures. Among the many hundreds of
> Ashthikas/Sishyas, mention should be made of Sri A.V
> Gopalacharyar of Anbil, of Sri Krishna thathachariar
> Swamy of Bangalore, and of Sri C.M
> Vijayaraghavachariar Swamy also of Bangalore, not
> because others were less equal, but because these
> scholar disciples
> carved for themselves a unique position.
>
> Sri A.V Gopalacharyar was at the feet of this great
> Acharya for 42 years of his life, practically everyday
> learning the nuances of our sampradayam. A man of
> shrewd intellect, a lawyer matchless in his profession
> at Tiruchi and affluent, learned in Poorvapaksham
> forms of Advaita found full enlightenment from
> Acharya's responses and answers to his full load of
> doubts and questions.
>
> Srimad Andavan well versed in the intricacies of
> Advaita completely and fully satisfied the disciple's
> lurking doubts so well that Sri Anbil Gopalcharyar
> Swami was enabled to author many books in elucidation
> of Advaitha philosophy, - a contribution of very
> crucial importance for the very understanding of
> Greatness of unparalleled and unambiguous
> Visishtadvaita; he also brought out a few other
> granthas. He perpetuated the memory of this great
> mahan thus, in the form of granthas and idealized it
> by instituting the "Srinivasa Mahadesikan Vidhwath
> Sadhas", munificently endowing for its conduct. It is
> an annual feature since then, in this ashramam that
> brings in congregation scholars of repute for
> intellectual and philosophical discussion, disputation
> and authoritative assertion of our sampradaya Gnana.
>
> What Sri AV Gopalchariar had done ? the Granthas he
> brought out and the vidwath sadhas he instituted
> standing "concretized" in the form of an elegant front
> mandapa named after the great Savant, reverberating
> with the sonorous voices of the great scholars who
> congregate there- will for ages speak of the glory of
> his master ? Srimad Andavan Poundarikapuram Swamy.
>
> So was the great scholar from Bangalore, Sri Krishna
> Thathachariar who sat at the feet of the great Acharya
> for several years and in turn in multiplication of
> those years, imbibed with a sense of purpose and
> mission, he enthusiastically undertook the propagation
> of our Munithraya Sampradaya by teaching many
> disciples in and around Bangalore- a contrbution of
> great value requiring Bhashanthara Gnana to cater to
> the Spiritual well being of the Kannasa Desa
> sishyavarga so dear to Srimath Bhashyakarar and Swamy
> Desikan.
>
> Equally great was the life of Sri CM
> Vijayaraghavachariar of Bangalore. Itw as all a divine
> dispensation; how else could a retired police circle
> inspector who had casually gone to prostrate at the
> feet of this Acharya, get transformed, metamorphosed,
> so to say into an erudite scholar with such depth,
> thorughness and accuracy of knowledge as to be able to
> write and publish many of our sampradaya granthas in
> Kannada language for the invaluable benefit of the
> disciples in kannada desa.
>
> And you will be wonderstruck when known how did it
> happen. This Swami, after ten interesting and
> enlightening years of Gurukulavasam, at Srirangam
> Poundarikapuram Ashramam and gratified at the
> Acharya's commitment with which he taught him all
> these years right from Sanskrit alphabet to Vedanthas
> and Saathras in great depths, offered even in those
> days, an enticing Rs 10,000 as Guru dhakshiNa. Srimad
> Andavan looked up and asked him, "Is this what you
> have learnt and understood me?". The disciple
> persisited in offering it as a token of his gratitude.
> The Acharya consolingly told him, "If I accepted this
> from you, great harm will follow- in future, our
> disciples may stop coming to mearn from me unable to
> make a GurudhakshiNa; also this may incite me an
> expectation of the same too". The disciple knew that
> the Acharya was sincere but still he persisted. Now
> the Acharya spoke- "Think what one in my state can do
> with this money; with you perhaps, it may find immense
> use in making our Sampradayam Granthas so much needed
> for the future". This was the divine spark that
> impregnated in the mind of Sri CM Vijayaraghavachariar
> the passion and the spirit for writing many books in
> kannada language which are available even today as
> source books for reference and research in Karnataka ?
> something which Bhagawan Ramanuja would have approved
> of. Words do not suffice to extol the importance of
> this service to Srivaishnava community. Srimad Andavan
> was noted for his vairAgya ? inassailable spirit of
> total renunciation of worldly, material things. It was
> Bhagawath Sankalpa, that in this manner a whole range
> of our Samparadya Granthas should be born in Kannada
> language.
>
> It is pertinent to mention here of just two sweet
> anecdotes illustrating Srimad Andavan Poundarikapuram
> Swamy's depth of knowledge and a wealth of
> interpretations whether it be Swamy Desikan's
> Srisukthis or Bhagavath Bhashyakarar's Sri Bhashya or
> Gita Bhashya or any grantha whatsoever. The article
> will remain incomplete without recalling these
> incidents. One relates to Sri CM Vijayaraghachariar's
> personal experience. Late one night at Srirangam, East
> Utthara Veedhi Sri Vijayaraghavachariar ? while
> bringing back to his mind the explanation of Acharya
> Srimad Andavan on the Abheethi sthava sloka 7:
>
> ramaa dhayitha rangabhUramaNa? na thasya yamavasyathaa
> narakapaatha bhIthi krutha:
>
> It proclaims Swamy desikan's declaration of Lord
> Ranganatha's certain protection to Prapannas from
> falling into the clutches of Yamakinkaras if they
> chant this sloka. Sri CMV Swamy could not digest it.
> He found it difficult to understdnmand as to how one
> sloka could be so specific to Sri Ranganatha;s
> protection! Perhaps, swamy would have said this due to
> Bhagavath Abhimaanam and abhimaanam towards Swamy
> Desikan's abhIthis sthavam." ? thus, he was pondering
> and was having a sleepless night.
>
> Srirangam Divya Dampathi appeared in Acharya Srimad
> Andavan's dream and said, "Your sishya has got a doubt
> on SrI Vedantha Desikan's sthuthi on Us. Go and
> explain the greatness and speciality of this sloka.
> Within an hour, Srimad Andavan knocked at the dorr of
> Sri CM Vijayaraghavachariar and right there at the
> door step, explained the meaning of sloka and
> greatness of the compassion of Divya Dampathi with
> tears rolling down his cheeks. This is a proof of his
> depth and clarity and explains how Lord Himself was
> prathyaksham (visible to his eyes) to him. Swamy
> desikan has packed into this sloka all the
> Beejaaksharaas contained in the Praanaprathishta
> Manthra and Saannidhyaachana manthra ? installation of
> energizing mantras pertaining to Lord Ranganathan.
>
> Another famous anecdote: Srimad Andavan had tremendous
> Sri Hayagriva Mantrasiddhi. One there was a young Boy
> of five years walking in front of Swamy when the
> parents of the boy came to the Ashramam for offering
> their obeisance and dhaNdavath praNamams to swamy. The
> boy walked towards where Swamy was delivering his
> kaalakshepam. Swamy looked at the child, pausing the
> kaalakshepam and aksed him, "un peyar enna?" (what is
> your name?) The boy did not utter a word. The Father
> of the boy told Swamy that he is born dumb (mute).
> Immediately Srimad Andavan asked the boy to come near
> and asked him to sit in front of him. He taught him as
> kind of "aksharaabhyaasam," and recited:
>
> SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |
> vedAntAcArya-varyome sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||
>
> (May the glorious Venkatanatha, the greatest of
> teachers of Vedanta, and the lion among poets and
> debaters, reside forever in my heart.) and
>
> jnAnanda mayamdEvam nirmalaspaTikAkruthim |
> AdhAram sarva viganAnAm hayagrIvam upAsmahE ||
>
> The five year old boy repeated both slokas. The one
> who did not speak a single word in his past five years
> spoke due to swamy's merciful kataaksham. Today that
> boy has grown to His Holiness Sri Rangapriya
> Mahadesikan Swamy of Bangalore.
>
> The Great Sri Kozhiyaalam Raghavachariar Swami came
> to Srirangam and sought Sannyaasa Sweekaranam at the
> feet of Srimad Poundarikapuram Andavan who
> initiated him into the Sannyaasa Asrama in 1920 in
> the year Roudri- Aani- Pournami day. The Aasthaana
> Vidwan of Tirumalai Tirupati Devasthanam, Kapisthalam
> Desikaachaarya submitted to Swami for approval his
> Grantha "Adhikarana Ratna Maalai". The Swami accorded
> his approval.
>
> When the affluent devotees of Poundarikapuram
> village nevertheless not his disciples had arranged
> for renovation and consecration, It was H H Sri
> Poundarikapuram Andavan who was invited to lend the
> 'holy hand' for karasparsam (by a great man). With
> what results! All can see today how the small shrine
> of Oppiliappn has grown as Southern Thiruppathi, with
> gala and festivity, fund-flow and pomp and fame and
> attraction, all after 1928! The event has a
> precedent in Thirukkudanthai Desikan lending his
> 'kara-sparsam' to Araavamuthan some 200 years back!
>
> This was Srimad Andavan Poundarikapuram Srinivasa
> Mahadesikan, a creative genius, a perennial spring who
> made himself an institution and a legend with his many
> sided qualities. He was a great servant, a teacher
> unsurpassed, an organizer with an eye for protection,
> a missionary with a vision and a visionary with a
> mission. No wonder that he was known as Gnana Vairagya
> Anusntana Sampanna. A little known truth about this
> unassuming practitioner mentioned by Sri Navalpaakaam
> NS Devanathachar who got it authoritatively from
> Srimad Andavan ViNNARRankarai Swami.
>
> This mahaan made it a daily practice to chant praNavam
> even during brief leisure hours following the precepts
> of Upanishads, thereby experiencing the thrill of the
> union of JivAthmA with the ParamAthmA. That he was
> practicing this was not known to anybody. It was not
> necessary to inform anyone, it being the individual
> communion of Jivan with Sriman Narayanan. How did then
> others come to know of? It was the custom to invite
> four Srivaishnavas and feed them in the Ashramam on
> the completion of every one crore (ten millions) of
> PraNava japam. Such was his accuracy in keeping count
> of a small GREAT mantra. Sri VennaaRRankarai Andavan
> Swami chanced to notice this and humbly enquired and
> got to know the truth.
>
> Does this not testify to the unassuming nature and
> greatness of the AchArya, his gnAna, anushtAnam and
> VairAgyam?
>
> Whenever there were doubts on sri Bhashyam Grantham
> and its interpretations, Srimad Andavan was always the
> Judge to pass his final judgement as to who is right.
> - " was the statement of Srimad Azhagiyasingar (41st
> Pattam).
>
> What a wonder! He attained the everlasting Bliss of
> AchAryan Thiruvadi on 20th October 1934, a day after
> completion of one of the many Sri Bhashya Grantha
> saaRRumuRais, signifying Sri Bhashya Bhakti.
>
> Let us pay our obeisance to this Great Acharyan His
> Holiness Srimad Andavan Sri Poundarikapuram Swamy on
> His 160th Thirunakshathram, today.
>
> Acknowledgement:
> 1. Biography of Srimad Andavan Poundarikapuram
> Srinivasa Mahadesikan- by Prof. P.R. Srinivasan,
> Perugavazhndhan, Bangalore.
> 2. Sri Anbil Ramaswamy's write up.
> 3. Dr. Sri VN Vedantha Desikan Swamin's article
> 4. Sri Delhi Hari Nagar Rajagopachariar Swamy's
> article
>
> adiyEn places the head at the lotus feet of this
> Acharya saarvabhouman..
>
> asmadhAchArya paryanthAm vandhE Guru paramparaam..
>
> Regards
> namo Narayana
> dAsan
>
>
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