Sri Ranganatha Temple and Srimad Bhagavad Geeta

[Guest guest]

To commemorate Sri Ramanuja Thirunakshatram, adiyen wishes to undertake

an 18 brick kainkaryam to support Sri Ranganatha Temple as well as make

a contribution to the English speaking Srivaishnava community of North

America. adiyen has obtained the blessings of Sri V. Sadagopan and Dr.

Venkat Kanumalla for the launching of this project. There is currently

a good book out in English on Srimad Bhagavad Geeta by Dr. V. N. Gopala

Desikan. However upon reading the Tamil book by the late Sri. U. Ve

Thirukullam Narasimharaghavachariar, adiyen found that the book was

divided into four sections for each chapter. One chapter is called the

Parama Saaram and presents that chapter in soap opera style dialogue

requiring no knowledge of in-depth philosophy. The philosophy is

conveyed through the emotions and words of the actors in the play

(Dhritarashtra, Sanjaya, Arjuna and Sri Krishna). It is this part that

adiyen wishes to translate in 18 postings on the Bhakti list. It will

be published as a booklet once the postings are completed. The other

section is an elaboration on Sri Alavandaar's Gitartha Sangarham. The

third section is a verse by verse commentary with emphasis on the main

points of each shloka as well as brief statements about Sankara and

Madhwacharya's interpretations. The last section deals with the

Puranas' narration of benefits of chanting each chapter.

 

About the author. Sri Thirukullam Narasimha Raghavachariar was born in

Thirukullam in 1924. He had his early education in Thirukullam, middle

education in Tirupati and finally obtained a Shiromani degree in

Sanskrit from Madhurantakam oriental college. He was one of its first

graduates. He later did Kalakshepam under Srimad Injemedu Azhagiya

Singar and spent the rest of His life specializing in lecturing on

Srimad Bhagavad Geeta alone. This book is the result of a lifetime of

such specialization.

 

After Srimad Mukkur Azhagiya Singar received instructions in a dream to

build the Raja Gopuram, simply by giving these lectures Sri

Narasimharaghavachariar raised two hundred thousand rupees for this

project at a time when people were still scoffing at the idea. adiyen

prays to Sri Thirukullam Narasimharaghavachariar Swamy who attained

Paramapadam in 1982, to bless this kainkaryam with an accurate portrayal

of the drama in English as well as the resources needed to construct the

temple. The first chapter will placed at the feet of Bhagawath Ramanuja

at Sri Ranganatha Temple on Saturday May 2, and will be posted to the

Bhakti list next week.

 

This translation will be useful for both those who have read the

philosophy and for those who are new to the subject and would like a

presentation in layman's language.

 

If anybody finds this translation useful and would like to give a

dakshina to the Acharyas who made this possible, then please visit,

 

http://dileepan.busi.utc.edu/ahboard.html

 

Finally for Sri Ramanuja Thirunakshatram, if anybody wishes to buy a

book on the life of Sri Ramanujacharya in English, it is available for

$15.00 Please make your check to Sri Ahobila Muth 1908 Preswood Drive,

Hixson, TN 37343.