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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00183 Jan 2007

 
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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 always) 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 sixty 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 iscussions.
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 85th Thirunakshathram was
celebrated in last Panguni [March]

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
Kannada Desa sishyavarga so dear to Srimath
Bhashyakarar and Swamy Desikan.

Equally great was the life of Sri CM
vijayaraghavachariar of Bangalore. It was 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
?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 155th 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

AchAryan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Namo Narayana
Achaarya paadhaaangri rEnu:


 
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