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SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00038 Aug 2001

 
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SrI:
SrImathe Ramanujaya namah:
SrImathe Nigamantha mahadesikaya namah:
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.

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

I am continuing on my appeal and posts on Swamy Desikan and appeal for Thuppul mandapam kaimkaryam.

There has been an overwhelming response after my 6th post and there are many Bhagawathas pledging to contribute. Blessed are they with such generous hearts. May Acharya bless them, as He does always.

URL: http://www.geocities.com/lsriniva/thoopulappeal.html
It is my humble request to please contribute your mite towards this kaimkaryam, as remembering Acharyan, and talking alone will not suffice.

Let us continue to enjoy Swamy?s GREAT works.

Swamy Desikan wrote 12 works in Sanskrit which can be grouped under three heads.

Under the first group, are included seven independent works, all on philosophy of VisistAdvaita. Among these, the Tattvamuktakalapa, with his own commentary Sarvaartthasiddhi, bears the impress of the original thinker and untiring indicator of the system of Sri Ramanujcharya. The text contains five hundred stanzas in five chapters called rightly sara (strand) as they from part of the necklace of tattvas.

Of the philosophical treatises of Vedantha Desika, this Tattvamuktakalapa stands out as the most important work. This work, consisting of saras (strands) of five major topics, namely dravya (substance), jIva (individual self), Iswara (Gold), Buddhi (knowledge), and adravya (non substance), is compared to pearl necklace with all these strands (saras) combined, beautifully and coherently. This is an ornament (kalapa) of pearls (mutthu- muktha) of tattvas (philosophy). What a name chosen by Desikan, so apt and deep!

According to tradition (writes Sri SMS Chari in his book on Fundamentals of Visishtadvaita Vedantha -a study based on vedantha Desikan?s Tattvamuktha kalapa), this work was written and dedicated by Vedantha Desikan to Lord Ranganathan in the same way as an ornament is offered to God in devotion. This book is therefore referred to and described as a special ornament (bhUshaNam), comprising pearls in the form of Tattvas or metaphysical doctrines of the VisishtAdvaita Vedantha.

In Vishnu purana, the different tattvas such as individual soul, Prakariti, mahat, buddhi, mind, indriyas, etc., are described as different ornaments of Iswara (God). It is therefore justified to treat this book (Tattvamuktakalapam) as a SPECIAL ornament of God ? says Sri SMS Chari quoting from Introduction to Tattvamuktakalapam by Sri U Ve Uttamur Veeraraghabvchariar Swamy.

The main objective of Tattvamuktakalapa, as stated in one of the opening verses, is to establish the doctrines of Visistadvaita Vedantha on a sound basis through a critical evaluation of the corresponding doctrines advocated by rival schools of thought. It covers all the important philosophical, epistemological, cosmological and religious doctrines of the Visistadvaita Vedantha system. As Vedantha Desikan claims (says Sri SMS Chari in his book) there is no topic in philosophy which is not discussed in this work. What is not considered here can not be found elsewhere (yannaasmin kvapi naitat). This reflects the statement made by Sage Vyasa in Mahaabharatha: yad ihaasti tad anyatra; yan nehaasti na tat kvachit..

In the concluding potion of work, Swamy Desikan says: I have examined in this work, very carefully almost all topics relating to both pramaaNams and pramEyams at some place or the other. Until this day, the only source of authority for deciding any controversial philosophical and epistemological issue in Visistadvaita Vedantha is the views of Vedantha Desika as expressed in Tattvamukta kalapam and Sarvaartha siddhi. Truly Tattvamuktakalapam, is an important compendium of all topics in Visishtadvaita.

The schools of thought which come up for critical evaluation in tattvamuktakalapam are: NyAya and VaishEshika, Saankhya and Yoga, Poorva mImAmsa of both Prabhaakara and Kumaarila, Vedantha as presented by Bhaskara, Yaadava and Sankara, Buddhism covering the four schools of Vaibhashika, Sautraantika, Yogaachaara and Maadhyamika, Jainism and Chaarvaakam.

Only such of the theories of these schools as stand opposed to those upheld by the Visishtadvaitn are taken up for critical examination. The main objective of the criticism is to expand the doctrines of Visishtadvaita and reaffirm their soundness by exposing the defective nature of the corresponding theories held by the rival school of thought. The theories are subjected to critical analysis in a very systematic manner and their soundness is evaluated with reference to three accepted pramaaNaas ? perception, inference and revealed scripture. What is evident to perceptual experience is not rejected as invalid. In matters, which are outside the purview of perceptual experience, scriptural evidence is accorded greater importance than perception as well as logic while determining the validity of a theory.

As for inference, it is acknowledged that it has a limited role since logic cannot establish conclusively the supersensuous realities. However, logic is adopted to support the theories established by scripture.

NOWHERE in this work, does Vedantha Desikan adopt dialectical arguments to condemn a theory of the rival schools in a dogmatic manner, but rather he uses them to elucidate and establish the soundness of Sri Ramanuja Darsanam (the unparalleled VisishtAdvaita Vedantha) by pointing out the defects in the views of the opponents. (Readers are highly recommended to buy this book of Sri SMS Chari?s on Fundamentals of Visishtadvaita based on Swamy desikan?s Tattvamuktakalapa.- This is an excellent book and is lucidly written. )

Swamy Desikan Himself has written a commentary on Tattvamuktakalapam called ?Sarvaarthasiddhi?. As the title signifies, it contains all that is to be known by a student of philosophy. It is a very scholarly and comprehensive commentary, exhibiting author?s encyclopaedic knowledge of all systems of Indian philosophy. This is very much evident from the way he has stated succinctly the views of the other schools of thought by quoting the relevant statements from their original worksJ According to tradition, Swamy Desikan was conferred the title Sarvagnan- as one possessing comprehensive knowledge par excellence ? on the basis of his masterly work, Tattvamuktakalapa and Sarvaarthasiddhi.

Please donate according to your shakthi. The money can be sent to "Thuppul Trust" and the address is:

Thuppul Trust
Old No.20, New No.24, Thiruvengadam Street
West Mambalam, Chennai-600033, India
Phone No: 91-44-4741559 / 91-44-3715771

Please contact Sri. V.K. Sudharshan at vksudarsh@xxxx or Sri Lakshmi N Srinivasa lsriniva@xxxx (He can collect and send it as single amount in USA).

The address:

Lakshminarasimhan Srinivasa
3 Old Towne Road, #212
Ayer, MA-01432

For those in the South East Asia, please contact me at srivaishnavan@xxxx . Please pass on this kaimkaryam to as many people as possible in order to complete the same.

kavi-tArkika-simhAya kalyANa-guNa-SAline |
Srimate venkateSAya vedAntagurave namaH ||

Salutations to Sri Venkatesa, in whom all perfection resides, who is the teacher of Vedanta and the lion among poets and debaters!

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Narayana Narayana
NarayaNa dAsan madhavakkannan

_________________________________________________________________
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