Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
The Lost Treasures
A wealthy philanthropist built a palatial Dharmasaala (rest house) at
Srirangam, with the lofty purpose of accommodating all wayfarers who came to
worship Sri Rangaraja. The choultry provided all facilities for pilgrims, with
comfortable rooms to stay in, facilities for performing daily ablutions and
sumptuous food at appropriate intervals. All those who stayed at the
Dharmasaala were extremely grateful to the generous donor, who, in turn, was
pleased beyond measure at the opportunity for service to the Lord's devotees.
Word of this munificence and convenience spread and the Dharmasaala became the
favourite destination of all pilgrims to Srirangam. Countless were those who
benefited from its conveniences.
The philanthropist grew old and entrusted the management of the choultry to his
progeny, who too carried on their father's work sincerely. In time and in tune
with the general decline in standards of ethics and Dharma, the management of
the rest house became progressively indifferent, with the successors of the
philanthropist showing less and less inclination for altruistic activities,
resulting in the vast Dharmasala falling gradually into disrepair and becoming
dysfunctional. And one sad day, the last pillar supporting the once-magnificent
columns fell, marking the closure of an institution that had served thousands
in its hay day. As if waiting for the event, a building promoter moved in and
constructed an impressively ugly block of match-box-like tenements, where there
once stood the magnificent Dharmasala. Thus was lost to posterity a veritable
treasure house.
This narration is neither fable nor fairy-tale, but a true-life story which has
happened with deplorable regularity, not only at Srirangam, but at many other
holy places. Buildings in ruins, with washed-out sign boards hanging askew and
bearing the barely-visible name of some charity or the other, are a common
sight at almost all Divyadesams.
While this is one aspect of our losing bequeathed treasures due to indifference
and inattention, there is another and more precious genre of heirlooms which we
may well have lost forever. And what is more, most of us haven't even realised
the magnitude of the loss and continue to wallow in blissful ignorance about
its enormity.
The immaculate Vedas and their explanatory manuals like the Itihaasas, Puranas,
Dharma Shastras, etc. are glorious guidebooks designed to pilot us safely
through the mine-field of Samsara and to reach us safely at the portals of
Paradise. These works of worship, propagated by the Lord Himself or His chosen
messengers-Maharshis, Sages and Acharyas-- have been handed down from
generation to generation, serving as a bright beacon to all those floundering
in the interminable gloom of Samsara. They function too as guideposts amidst
the thorny and confusing mundane maze, steering us in the right direction
whenever we are confronted by bewildering crossroads of choice. It is these
which form the most precious treasure bequeathed to us by our elders, the most
valuable of heirlooms which generations of our forebears have protected,
preserved, propagated and passed on, for the benefit of posterity.
Due to inadvertence and indifference, already we have suffered quite a heavy
and irreparable loss, by way of disappearance of portions of Shastras,
particularly Vedas, from currency. For instance, the Atharva Veda was all but
lost a few decades ago and it is only due to the enthusiastic and energetic
efforts of a few Mahatmas that there is now a healthy rejuvenation in its
study. Even now, students and exponents of this fourth among Vedas are to be
found in a small number in Gujarat, though it is slowly spreading to other
places.
Though Vedas are reputed to be beyond numbers ("Anantaa vai Vedaa:"),we
understand from Scriptures that there were no less than 1180 Shaakhas of the
Shruti extant in the not too distant past, each with its own Samhita, Aaranyaka
and Upanishad components. And all these Shakhas had their own votaries, engaged
in study, propagation and preservation of the Vedas. However, what we have now
is pitifully small in comparison.
We know of the Taittireeya Shakha, with the Taittireeya Samhita, Taittireeya
Braahmanam and the Taittireeya Upanisad, all of which have been remarkably well
preserved. However, granting that the Upanishad generally forms the concluding
part of a particular Veda Shakha, many of the Upanishads we have now, must have
been part of independent Shakhas, though not a trace remains of the rest. The
Kousheetaki Upanishad, for instance, is the sole remnant of the Saankaayana
Shakha, which must have been a wide-ranging and voluminous body of Vedic
wisdom. Though the Katopanishad is still extant, its Aaranyakam is nowhere to
be found. The loss we have thus suffered is incalculable and irreparable. What
we have lost are not mere books, but treasure houses of wisdom.
Coming to more recent times, within the last thousand years, we have managed to
lose many more precious heirlooms. Sri Nathamuni was the first protagonist of
our Visishtaadvaita Sampradaya ("Naathopagyam pravrittam") in this Kali Yuga.
By all accounts, he is reputed to have been a repository of pure devotion,
selflessness, vairaagyam and other sterling virtues, endowed with divine
vision. Though he is remembered for all these accomplishments, the moment we
hear his holy name, what springs to our mind is his wonderful and painstaking
compilation of the Naalayira Divya Prabandam, which had, by his time, almost
vanished from currency. He also set them to music and arranged for their
recital at various temples. Had it not been for this great Acharya and his
Herculean efforts, we would have lost the priceless treasure of Aruliccheyal,
the ecstatical outpourings of enlightened Azhwars.
It is therefore extremely ironical that Sri Nathamuni's own great works,
Yoga Rahasyam and Nyaaya Tattvam, are no longer available to us. The former was
a treatise on Yoga, while the latter was a voluminous work involving
interpretation of the Nyaaya Shastra according to Visishtaadvaitic tenets,
criticising the Gautama Nyaaya Sutras in the process. We learn of these great
works, only from copious references thereto by Swami Desikan in his various
works like Nyaaya Siddhaanjanam and Nyaaya Parisuddhi. According to Sri
Sudarsana Bhattar, Sri Ramanuja too, in his Sri Bhashya, has quoted briefly
from Nyaaya Tattvam.
Another great loss Srivaishnavas have suffered is the disappearance of Sri
Alavandar's path-breaking works Maha Purusha Nirnayam (establishing the
supremacy of Sriman Narayana) and Kashmira Agama Praamaanyam, which is said to
validate the Pancharatra Agama and its Vedic source, the Ekaayana Shakha. That
these works definitely existed, is again to be derived only from Swami
Desikan's references and quotes. Our sense of loss is further compounded when
we learn that Sri Yamunacharya's Siddhi Trayam (consisting of the Atma Siddhi,
Isvara Siddhi and Samvit Siddhi) too is available only in portions. To quote
Dr.M.Narasimhachary, "It is a matter of regret that all these three Siddhis
suffer from gaps and the extant text is only a fragment of an originally larger
work".
We come next to the works of Swami Desikan, the most prolific author among
Srivaishnava Acharyas. While it is indeed our good fortune that the major
portion of Sri Venkatanatha's works is remarkably well preserved, it is
simultaneously a matter of deep regret that several of his works too have been
lost. Sri Vedanta Desikan is reputed to have composed a magnificent and
voluminous commentary on Tiruvaimozhi, named "Nigama Parimalam", and another
Tamizh work by name "Tirumudi Adaivu", which are no longer extant. A similar
commentary on Kanninunsirutthaambu, aptly named "Madhurakavi Hridayam", is also
no longer available, which fate is shared by a host of Tamizh Prabandams of
Swami, titled "Pandu, Kazhal, Ammaanai, Oosal and Esal", apparently addressed
to Sri Deivanayakan of Tiruvaheendrapuram. "Steyaa Avirodham", a work
justifying Sri Tirumangai Mannan's unorthodox ways of fund-raising for good
causes, is also lost, as also "Adhikarana Darpanam". Only portions of Tattva
Teeka (an elaborate commentary on Sri Bhashyam) are available, as also of the
"Sata Dooshani".
We hear too that Vyaakhyaana Chakkravartthi Sri Periyavaacchaan Pillai's
commentary on Periyaazhwar Tirumozhi is partially lost.
This, then, is a brief Status Paper on the priceless treasures of ancient and
unmatched wisdom that we have lost over the centuries.
In this context, we have to remember with gratitude Mahtamas who toiled hard
and spent whole lifetimes in searching for, restoring, editing and publishing
rare works of Acharyas. They were not endowed with unlimited supply of funds
nor had an army of supporters. Yet, with a missionary zeal for the protection
and preservation of Poorvacharya Sreesooktis, they sacrificed their all to
ensure that whatever works were available did not meet the same fate as the
ones lost. Two haloed names that spring to our mind in this regard are
Tarkaarnava Abhinavadesika Uttamur Sri Veeraraghavacharya Swamy and Prativaadi
Bhayankaram Sri Annangaracharya Swamy of Kanchi. Though both were prolific
writers, they displayed greater enthusiasm in publishing works of Poorvacharyas
than their own. The constant and continuing efforts of Sri Puttur
Krishnamacharya Swamy too merit special mention in this regard. The good work
of institutions like the Sanskrit Academy of Melkote (who have brought out
critical editions of Sri Bhashyam with various commentaries) also deserves
great appreciation and encouragement.
Though these Mahatmas' contribution is matchless, we can still endeavour to
emulate them to the extent possible, in identifying works of both Poorvacharyas
and later ones, for preservation. Many of these works are still unpublished,
especially numerous ones of various Srimad Azhagiasingars who adorned the
ascetic throne of Sri Ahobila Mutt and are currently available in the form of
manuscripts, many on palm leaves and similar perishable material. I am sure
similar works by distinguished Acharyas of Srimad Andavan Ashramam and Sri
Parakala Matam also exist, in similar need of preservation and publication.
Since use of paper for composition in our religious institutions is less than a
century old, earlier works must be on Taala Patram or Panai Olai, likely to
disintegrate anytime due to their age and disappear forever from our midst.
Even in respect of published works, though we come across quotes from several
old and hoary works like the commentary of Sri Govindaraja on Srimad Ramayanam,
that of Sri Veeraraghavacharya on Srimad Bhagavatam, the commentaries on Srimad
Rahasyatrayasaram like Sri Saaraasvaadini of Sri Tirukkudandai Desikan and Sri
Saarabodhini (of Injimedu Srimad Azhagiasingar) and that of Sri
Mahamahopaadhyaaya Chetlur Swami, we rarely get to set eyes on them. These
works need to be reprinted.
Against this rather bleak background of partial and total loss of the
accumulated fonts of wisdom, the recent efforts by inspired individuals to
identify, catalogue, preserve and publish hitherto unpublished manuscripts of
Acharyas, deserve all appreciation, encouragement and support. With the
advanced digital technology now available, scanning or even typing out these
works from their originals on palm leaf or ancient paper should be possible,
which would be the first step in preservation. Once the works are available in
electronic form, the possibilities are endless.
Most of these works may be in Sanskrit, many of them may be on esoteric or
subtle points of Shastra not of immediate interest to the common man-despite
all this, what we have to remember is that they emanated from erudite and
enlightened Acharyas who composed these works not as personal memorabilia, but
out of a fervent desire to inform and educate us. They are works of devotion
which would guide us on the right path by their mere presence in our home. (My
late, revered father, apart from his other sterling qualities and deep
attachment to Srimad Ramayanam, was an acknowledged authority both on shorthand
and Shakespeare. Though I have regrettably not inherited his enthusiasm for
either, I still preserve his books as their very sight reminds me of him and
his devotion. Similarly, works of our Acharyas too inspire us by their very
presence and sight, even if we are unable to profit from their wisdom
immediately.) Once these original works are preserved, translations to benefit
the scholar and layman alike, could be attempted.
As Srivaishnavas, it is hence our sacred duty to ensure that these bequests are
properly appreciated, treated with the veneration they deserve, protected
against the ravages of distortion and loss and preserved in all their pristine
purity, so that the generations that follow would also benefit from the ageless
wisdom.
What are the ways in which we can help?
We can search sincerely for such old and published/unpublished works of the
aforesaid kind, existing in our own library/those of institutions and
individuals likely to have such books or palm leaf manuscripts and make them
available to those who have undertaken the onerous task of converting them into
e-format.
Those among us who have the technical expertise can help in the above process
by offering consultancy/active participation.
Once the stage for publication comes, we can financially support the printing
of one or more works of Acharyas.
We can spread the word among our relatives/acquaintances about the need for the
entire endeavour and make them aware of the crying need for preserving our
heirlooms.
There can be no better tribute to Sri Hayagriva, who holds a book in His hand,
than to help in protecting works on religion and spirituality. And the
venerated authors of the unpublished manuscripts would definitely be gladdened
at their works getting published at long last, benefiting the entire
Vaishnavite community.
Come, let us help in this holy mission!
Sriamte Sri LakshmiNrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
dasan, sadagopan
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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