InjimEttu Azhagiya Singhar Vaibhavam : Part 3

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Dear BhakthAs :

 

In this posting , I will cover factual details

on the life and works of H.H. the 42nd Jeeyar

of Ahobila Matam to illustrate the greatness

of this MahA Purushan . It is important for us to

understand the power of the divine light that

guides and grooms these great AchAryAs in preparation

for the extraordinary role that they have to

play for fulfilling their assigned missions .

We have a great deal to learn from his life

devoted to Saasthra Grahanam , AchArya Bhakthi ,

Joy in performing AarAdhanam to Sri MalOlan,

his choice of sthOthrams for nithyAnusandhAnam ,

his four immense achievements to preserve

the SampradhAyam and selection of another

illustrious AchAryA a sa successor for

the Peetam (viz)., H.H. the DevanArviLAgam

Azhagiya Singhar .

 

1. Birth : January 21 , 1879 at Injimedu agrahAram

alias Narasimhapuram established by the great

6th Jeeyar of Ahobila matam , who entered the cave

of JwAlA Nrusimhan at Ahobilam in February , 1513,

some 366 years before his birth .His parents named

this great future AchAryA as Sri Ranganathan .

 

2.InjimEdu is the same village , where another great

Azhagiya Singar ( the 34th Jeeyar , the Atthippattu

Azhagiya Singhar ,Sri SatakOpa RaamAnuja YathIndhra

MahA Desikan )was born in 1813 ,three hundred years after

H.H. , the 6th Jeeyar entered the cave of JwAlA Narasimhan

to perform nithyAarAdhanam for the Lord .

 

3. The birth constellation of H.H , the 42nd Jeeyar was

UtthirAdam , which is shared by both AlawandAr and

the Atthipattu Azhagiya Singhar .

 

4. Pancha SamskAram at the age of Eight by KaLatthUr

(H.H. the 35th Azhagiya Singhar , Sri SatakOpa

Ranganatha yathIndhra MahA Desikan )in the year 1887 A.D.

 

5. Completion of the vedAdhyayanam by the age of Thirteen

(1892 A.D.).Completion of the studies of Kaavyam and the first

portion of NyAya Saasthram soon after ; this was continued

with the initiation and completion of the Tarka Saasthram

in Kaasi under Sri SithArAma Saasthri from MahArAshtrA .

 

6.Entering grahasthAsramam and the Conductance of

Deha YaathrA through unchavrutthi like Swami Sri Desikan ,

Approaching the 37th Azhagiya Singhar

(Sri VeerarAghava SatakOpa YathIndhra MahA desikan )

for Sri Bhaashya KaalakshEpam followed .

The Interruption to that effort occured due to

H.H , The 37th Jeeyar reaching Sri Lakshmi Nrusimhan's

PaadaadhAravindham before such a kaalakshEpam could

start. This Azhagiya Singhar adorned the throne for only

11 months. After he ascended paramapadham ,

the Ahobila matam throne had no occupants

for six long years(1899-1905).Sri Ranganathar

was 26 years now .

 

6. InjimEdu Sri RanganAthar was thus left without

the benefit of grantha ChAthushtya KaalakshEpam from

an Azhagiya Singar directly . Therefore , he approached

a great scholar by the name of SwarNam KrishNamAchAryar

of SrimushNam , a direct disciple of H.H ,the 37th Jeeyar .

The eager sishyar completed the KaalakshEpam undr

SwarNam Swami and performed Prapatthi at this

AchAryA's feet in front of Kaanchi VaradarAja PerumaaL.

 

7. VidvAn Sri InjimEdu Ranganathar spent 8 years with

SwarNam Swami engaged in sarvagrantha grahaNam

and pariseelanam .Thus a strong foundation was laid

for a great role as an AchAryan in his own right .

He was now Thirty Four years old and had a daughter.

He visited a number of divya desams -- Thirukkudanthai,

ThiruviNNagar , Nava Thiruppathis at ThirunAngUr ,

Thiruvananthapuram and MalainAttu Thiruppathis ,

Nava Thiruppathis of paaNdya Naadu , ThiruvEnkatam ,

Srirangam-- with his AchAryan and finally settled

down in Kanchipuram with him in Sannidhi Street of

Sri VaradarAjan .He was around 44 years of age

at that time . He had been deeply involved as an

examiner ( parIkshAdhikAri ) at many a Sadhas ,

a great upanyAsakar and a deeply respected grantha

karthA .His scholarship ,AchAram and devotion to his

AchAryA and Sri PerumdEvi samEtha Sri PeraruLALan

were recognized as exemplary .He was offered positions

with good remuneration potential and he turned them

down in the spirit of Swami Desikan's VairAgya

Panchakam ( asthi mE hasthi sailAgrE vasthu

paithAmaham dhanam ).

 

8.The year was 1923 A.D . InjimEttu Sri RanganathAchAr

Swamy's talents in giving most enjoyable upanyAsams ,

answering difficult questions about the fine points of our

SampradhAyam and skills in writing about granthams

( grantha lEkana chAthuryam ) were very well

recognized . InjimEttu Swamy was requested to become

the AasthAna VidwAn by the new Azhagiya Singhar

( Kaaraikkuricchi Azhagiya Singhar , H.H. the 41st

Jeeyar ). He accepted this offer rightaway and

served the 41st Jeeyar . Outstanding granthams

on SaraNAgathi were written during this time .

 

9. In 1929 A.D. the 41st Azhagiya Singar

asked Sri InjimEttu RanganathAchAr swamy

to succeed him and initiated latter into

sanyAsAsramam. Twelve years later , H.H.

The 41st Jeeyar reached the lotus feet of

MaalOlan and Sri InjimEttu RanganAthAchAr

became the next Azhagiya Singhar and

reined from 1941-1953. He was chinna

Azhagiya Singar from 1929-1941 .In 1951 A.D.,

Sri InjimEttu Azhagiya Singar iniitiated

Sri DevanArviLAgam Lakshmi NarasimhAchAr

Swamy as his successor and for two years ,

both the Azhagiya Singars blessed the matam

sishyAs .

 

10. InjimEttu Azhagiya Singhar took avow at

the time of his pattAbhishEkam in 1941 A.D.

to accomplish four things(karthavya Prathignai) :

 

(a) The Creation of a Veda PaatasAlai at

dhvayam viLaintha Thiruppathi: MadhurAnthakam.

For more than five decades , it has been

thriving and has produced great scholars and

AchAryAs .

 

(b) The holding of Sri MalOla Vidhvath Sathas

every year to provide a forum for the great scholars

of our darsanam to assemble and discuss

our Sri Sookthis and maintain the vitality

of our darsanam .VaakhyArthams are debated

in front of the Azhagiya Singar and this

tradition has been maintained for the past

50 plus years to protect our kula dhanams.

 

© The Creation of a new Journal to publish

articles about SampradhAya granthams , Sri Sookthis

and AchArya anugraha BhAshaNams . H.H. The 42nd Jeeyar

blessed this Journal with the celebrated name of

Nrusimha PriyA . The treasures that this journal

houses are too many to describe here .

 

(d) The construction of an Ahobila matam in

" the North ". That was completed in

the Jeeyar's life time at Bombay and is

a model for so may other thriving centers

elsewhere in " the North " now.

 

11. During his life time of 74 years , this great

AchArya Purushan has been a link in the chain of

the AchAryas of the Ahobila matam paramparai from

the 35th (KaLatthUr Azhagiya Singar ) to the current

45th Jeeyar , H.H. Sri NaarAyana YathIndhra MahA Desikan .

H.H, The 42nd Jeeyar had pancha SamskAram from

the KaLatthUr Azhagiya Singhar(35th ) and iniitated H.H.

the DevanAr ViLaagam Azhagiya Singhar(43rd Jeeyar)

in to SanyAsAsramam as his successor. The two AchAryAs

to be , H.H. the 44th and the 45th Jeeyars , served

the InjimEttu Azhagiya Singhar in different roles

in their pUrvAsramams and have been deeply influenced

by the InjimEttu Azhagiya Singhar.During his last

two years, he stayed at ThiruveLLUr and had

the mangaLAsAsanam of Sri Vasumathi SamEtha

Sri VeerarAghavan . His BrindhAvanam is at

this divya Desam . Next to his BrindhAvanam are

those of his illustrious predecssors , who adorned

the AchArya Peetam at the Ahobila Matam Paramparai:

 

A. The 32nd Jeeyar ( AathanUr Azhagiya Singhar )

B. The 33rd Jeeyar ( Great Kaimkaryas to ThiruveLLUr PerumAL)

C. The 34th Jeeyar( Atthippattu Azhagiya Singhar )

D. The 35th Jeeyar ( SamAsrayaNa AchArya for the 42nd Jeeyar)

 

Thus a span of 106 years (1847-1953) are covered

by these four AchAryAs between themselves as

PeetAdhipathis of AhObila SimhAsanam and AarAdhakars

of Sri MaalOlan.

 

12. The illustrious InjimEttu Azhagiya Singhar has written

profusely and blessed us with the following 8 Granthams :

 

NyAsa NishtA mImAmsA , Ukthi NishtAbharaNam ,

Ukthi NishtAbharaNOdhyOtham , GeethArtha Sangraha VyAkhyA ,

KritthikA Deepa Kaala NirNaya: , UpAkarma Kaala NirNaya: ,

Sri Saara BhOdhini ( Rahasya Thraya VyAkhyA ),

VisishtAdhvaitha VedAntha kOsa :

 

The Thirunakshathram of this avathAra Purushan

is being celebrated by the IdhAnim H.H. The 45th Jeeyar

at ThiruveLLUR for 10 days from Jan 13 . This is

his 120th Thirunakshathram that is being celebrated

in this BhaudhAnya Year . Please participate and

contact Sri Anand regarding your support .

 

I mentioned earlier about the greatness of BahudhAnya

year . One more important event associated with

the BahudhAnya Year is the one that happened at

MelkOte. It is there that Sri Brahma Tantra Svathanra

Swamy placed at the sacred feet of his AchAryA ,

Sri Swami Desikan , the celebrated Taniyan :

 

RaamAnuja DayA Paathram Jn~Ana VairAgya BhUshaNam

Srimath VenkatanAthAryam VandhE VedAntha Desikam .

 

Swami Desikan was in his 70th year ( 1338A.D.)

That was 660 years ago ; One hundred and twenty

years ago on another BahudhAnya Year , Our revered

InjimEttu Azhagiya Singhar was born for our upliftment.

This great AchAryan 's birth year , BhaudhAnyA ,

happens to be also the year in which Adhi VaNN

SatakOpa Jeeyar was initated by Sri MalOlan

Himself at AhObilam to become the First pontiff

of the Sri matam in the year 1398. We celebrated

the 600th anniversary of the founding of the Mutt

in 1998 . The second Jeeyar , Sriman NaarAyana

Yathindhra NahA Desikan (1458A.D.), the 17th Jeeyar , Sri

VeerarAghava YathIndhra MahA Desikan III (1698 A.D.),

the 23rd Jeeyar , Sri VeerarAghava Yathindhra MahA

Desikan IV (1758 A.D.)became the pontiffs in

the other BahudhAnya years .

 

Thus H.H. the 42nd Jeeyar of InjimEttu AgrahAram

gives aditional srEyas to BhaudhAnya years and

is a resplendent diamond in the Naayaka Haaram

of our illustrious AchAryAs .

 

AchAryan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam on this Pongal eve

and wish You all a delightful makara SankarAnthi ,

 

Oppiliappan Koil varadachAri SadagOpan