Gurukulam

[Guest guest]

Srilakshminrisimha Parabrahmane Nama:

Srivan Satakopa Sri Vedanta Desika

Yatheendra Mahadesiaya Nama:

Srilakshminrisimha Dhivya Padhuka Sevaka

Srivan Satakopa Sri Narayana

Yatheendra Mahadeskaya Nama:

 

Dear Bhagavathas,

 

Some time back I posted an article by Sri. R.K.

Swamy regarding the upcoming 600th Anniversary

celebrations of Sri Ahobila Mutt in India slated for

October at Ahobilam. An ambitious target of Rs. 3

crores ($700,000) for fund raising has been

established. While much of it will be raised within

India itself, the target for outside India is $125,000.

 

Why do they need so much money? This is a legitimate

question. I will try to answer this as best as I can.

 

Many years ago a Mahan, HH the Injimedu Azhagiya

Singar the 42nd Jeeyar of Sri Ahobila Mutt, had the

foresight to establish the Oriental School at

Madhurandhagam for young students to study our

Sampradayam, the Vedas, and Prabhandham in a

systematic way. HH also recruited many bright young

lads for KalakshEbam. HH also initiated the

publication of Sri Nrisimha Priya. These efforts,

among many others, have had several long lasting

and profound impact upon Sri Vaishnavam in general

and Sri Mutt in particular.

 

But for the foresight of that Mahan, we would not

have Sri Nrisimha Prya through which we are able to

keep in touch with our Sampradayam. Many of us

are not in a position to see Acharyas even once a year,

let alone be able to study at their holy feet. Sri

Nrisimha Priya fills this void partially. Several

illuminating series are published, including, Srimad

Rahasya Thraiya Saram, Harivamasam, Srimad

Bhagavadam, Thiruvaay mozhi amudham, Sri

Vishnusahasranaama Bhashyam, Kamban Kavi

Amudham, ThirukkuRaL, a Vishnava Treatise, and

many more. I must confess that much of whatever

little I have picked up about our Sampradayam is from

reading this publication.

>From the Oriental School that the 42nd Jeeyar

established and the KalakshEbams HH initiated, many

eminent scholars have emerged including the present

Jeeyar. But for the foresightful efforts of HH the

already small circle of eminent Sri Vaishnava scholars

would have been even smaller. This group of scholars

is aging and unless the feat of the 42nd Jeeyar is

repeated, there will be an acute dearth of qualified

torchbearers of our faith in the near future. Without

learned scholars to defend and nurture our faith it will

slowly wither and die. With the brightest kids leaving

the Sampradayic way for the lure of lowkeekam this

danger is more real than what we may realize.

 

To meet this urgent need for the future HH the Jeeyar

is working to establish 5 gurukulams to teach the

important granthas to about twenty five bright

youngsters in the old fashioned way. The pupils will

live with teachers and learn. To be able to attract the

brightest among the 100s who live and study at the

Oriental School, the Sri Mutt is planning to

handsomely compensate both the teachers and the

taught. This is only fair. Look at all other faiths.

They don't expect their priests and scholars to live in

abject poverty. Ours must not either. These scholars

and would be scholars must be able to maintain a

standard of living that is at least comparable to a

"Gumastha" (clerk) in private or government

companies. This takes money. Much of the Rs. 3

Crores to be raised will go towards a corpus fund

the income from which will fund the Gurukulams.

This corpus fund will ensure the continuance of this

concept indefinitely into the future as well. This is

why we need to support this effort.

 

It is important that we support renovation of temples

and the publication of rare books, etc. But without a

vibrant foundation of scholars to defend our faith there

will soon come a time when all the temples we renovate

may not follow our Sri Sampradayam, and the books

we publish may not be of interest to anyone except

western researchers.

 

Some may ask, "This is a Ahobila Mutt project, why

should I support it?" For this I would like to say that

the Oriental School accepts pupils from all

Sampradayams, including Smarthas. While doing so,

 

they do not force anyone to change their practices.

For instance, Smartha kids are not asked to wear

thirumaN-srichoorNam. Sri Vaishnava kids are from

both kalais. They wear ThirumaN-srichoorNam

according to the sampradayam to which they belong.

Similarly, the proposed Gurukulam is not limited to

Sri Ahobila Mutt sishyas only. Students from other

Sampradayams will also participate. Thus, support for

this effort will support Sri Vaishnavam in general for

decades to come.

 

The target of $125,000 for us seems daunting. But

how much of it gets raised is really up to Sriman

Narayana. Let us try our best to reach the target.

Please contribute as much as you can. We in Sri

Ahobila Mutt will not come to you asking for money

again for a long long time. Remember, the fund you

contribute will continue to serve Sri Vaishnavam for

generations. The Jeeyar or Andavan that your

grandchildren and their grandchildren will go to may

come from the effort you will now support. Your

contributions are 100% tax deductible here in the U.S.

 

Please make your check out to Sri Ahobila Muth and

mail it to 1908 Preswood Dr., Hixson, TN 37343. All

the contributions in full will be forwarded to Sri

Ahobila Mutt Seva Samithi in India. You will receive

a receipt from Sri Ahobila Muth that can be used

for IRS purposes. Further, you will receive a personal

acknowledgment of your contribution as well as

Srimad Azhagiya Singar's blessings from India.

 

-- adiyEn raamanuja dhaasan