Article from THE HINDU ONLINE : Friday, May 30, 1997 (fwd)

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> Great scholar and guru

>

> 30-05-1997 :: Pg: 25 :: Col: e

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> Tribute to Navalpakkam Sri Nrisimha Thathayarya

> Mahadesikan on the occassion of his 120th

> Thirunakshatram.

>

> There is a tiny village by name Srothrium Navalpakkam in

> Thiruvannamalai Sambuvarayar District. This village was

> the abode of a number of eminent scholars and sages over

> the last five centuries, all descendants of the great

> sage Nathamuni. He was solely responsible for unearthing

> the treasure of Nalayira Divyaprabandham for the benefit

> of the humanity at large.

>

> The eminence and fame of the village was solely due to

> the illustrious Acharya Sri Ayya Kumara Thathadesikan

> who lived during the 16th century A.D. He became the

> Rajaguru of Sri Achutha Nayak, the Nayak ruler of

> Thanjavur. In that capacity, he organised kainkaryams in

> several Vaishnavite temples and also performed 100

> Yagams at Vennatrankari near Thanjavur. In view of that,

> himself and all his descendants are conferred with the

> prefix `Thirumalai Chaturveda Satakaratu' meaning `those

> who orginated from Thirumalai, mastered the four vedas

> and performed one hundred Yagams.'

>

> The unique distinction of the Acharyas of Navalpakkam

> was that with only one exception, all others were

> following Grihastashrama Dharma (the order of

> householder) meticulously, and also lived as great

> Acharyas. Even today, this tradition is continued in the

> village.

>

> In this illustrious heritage of Acharyas of Navalpakkam,

> Sri Nrisimha Thathayarya Mahadesikan occupies a unique

> place. He was born in 1877 (Tamil year Eswara - month

> Vaikasi - Star Rohini) in Navalpakkam to Sri

> Venkataranga Thathachariar and Smt. Lakshmi Ammal. At an

> early age, he completed learning of Vedas and then

> started the study of Sastras. He married Smt. Sringaram

> Ammal. Immediately after the marriage, he proceeded to

> Mysore to learn Nyaya Sastra from the reputed scholar

> Sri Kasturi Rangachariar. He also went to Benares for

> higher studies in Nyaya Sastra and attained thorough

> mastery of it.

>

> Then he went to Valayapettai village near Kumbakonam and

> studied Vishistadwaitha vedanta from the saint Sri

> Vedanta Ramanuja Mahadesikan who also hailed from

> Navalpakkam and later took to sanyasa. He learnt the

> nuances and various other works on Vishishtadvaita from

> Sri Thathacharya Swami of Navalpakkam. In addition to

> his mastery of Nyaya and Vedanta, he went to

> Thiruvisanallur village near Kumbakonam and studied

> Mimamsa sastra from Sri Ramasubba Sastri.

>

> Having quenched his thirst for knowledge from various

> sources, the Swami settled down at Navalpakkam and

> started teaching whatever he learnt to all the

> aspirants. In that process, he sowed the seeds, which

> sprouted and flowered in the form of a number of

> scholars and saints who eminently succeeded him and

> continued to uphold to this date the highest tradition

> ordained by the Swami.

>

> The most notable of his disciples were Somayaji Sri

> Narayana Thathayarya Mahadesikan and Sri Ayya Devanatha

> Thathayarya Mahadisikan both of whom by themselves were

> great acharyas.

>

> Swamy's proficiency of Sastras and Vedanta was

> extraordinary. He participated at Vidwat Sadas at

> Mysore, Mannargudi and other places and established his

> supremacy. It is told that once at Mannargudi, on the

> request of other scholars, he debated with a scholar

> from North India and won over him. Similarly, he also

> engaged in debate with the Maharaja of Kochi on Nyaya

> Sastra and gained his recognition.

>

> Apart from his scholarship, the Swami was very

> particular in practising the tenets of Vaishnavism in

> letter and spirit. He religiously performed all the

> rituals strictly in accordance with the procedures laid

> down by the sastras. He attended to his ailing mother in

> her old age with great affection and commitment. He

> taught Vedas and Sastras to various seekers. After

> residing at Navalpakkam for more than two decades, lured

> by his devotion to Varadarajaswami Temple, he shifted to

> Kancheepuram and lived there till his end. During his

> stay at Kancheepuram, daily he did Unchavritti (Seeking

> Biksha). He performed Vedaparayana Kainkaryam to Lord

> Varadaraja during all festival days. He even used to

> bear the torch during the procession of the deity to

> stress that all services to Lord are equal. Thus he

> lived the life of a true ``Paramaikanti'' (one who

> prayed Srimannarayana alone and did all acts and deeds

> only for the sake of Narayana) and thereby set a role

> model for all his contemporary and succeeding Acharyas.

>

> Swami's aversion to wealth and fame was legendary. As

> long as he was physically fit, he eked his livelihood

> only through Unchavritti. He shunned those who offered

> him material things or praised him. At the same time he

> was compassion personified to those who sought refuge in

> him. He was very kind and affectionate to vedic scholars

> and students. He offered solace and peace to those who

> came to him through ``Panchasamskara'' and

> ``Saranagati'' and put them on the right path. He used

> to chide his students and disciples, sometimes even

> vehemently, if they swerved from the right path. Thus,

> the Swami displayed and practised during his lifetimes

> all the qualities of a true Acharya enumerated by Swami

> Vedanta Desika in the first stanza of ``Sri Nyasa

> Vimsati''.

>

> The greatness of the Swami was hailed during his

> lifetime and thereafter by equally eminent scholars and

> Acharyas from all faiths. Hence he is very much

> ``Acharya Sarvabhauma''. His 120th Thirunakshatram is to

> be observed on June 5. It is a strange but happy

> coincidence that the same day happens to be the

> Thirunakshatram of Sri Thirukkottiyur Nambi (one of the

> Acharyas of Sri Ramanuja) and Sri Ayya Kumara

> Thathadesikan referred earlier.

>

> The Thirunakshatram celebrations are planned in a grand

> manner from June 1 onwards at Swami's residence at South

> Mada Street, Little Kancheepuram and also at his birth

> place at Srothrium Navalpakkam village.

>

> N. S. RAMANUJA THATACHARYA

>

 

 

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