Abhinava DESIka and UttamUr Uttama SwAmi mAhAtmyam - By MadhurAntakam SwAmi

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SrI:

SrI PadmAvati SamEta SrInivAsa Para BrahmaNE namaha

 

SrImad abhinava dESika UttamUr VAtsya VeerarAghavArya -

mahAdESIkAya namaha

 

SrI Lakshminrusimha divya pAdukA sEvaka SrIvaN SatakOpa SrI -

nArAyaNa yateendra mahAdESIkAya namaha

 

Dear devotees,

namO nArAyaNa.

 

The following is the translated excerpts from two articles in

tamil by the famous SrI U.Ve. MadhurAntakam VeerarAghavAchArya

swAmi, who was one of the greatest vidvAns of the last century.

 

Recently the centenary of MadhurAntakam swAmi was celebrated

in a very grand manner at SrIrangam under the presidentship

of H.H. SrImad Poundarikapuram Andavan. H.H. Jeeyar of SrI -

ParakAla Mutt also graced the celebrations. The star event

was the 5 day Vidwat Sadas and pArAyana (recitations) of

all branches of vEdAs, Divya Prabandhas, SrI SUktIs of

AchAryas, IthihAsa - PurANas etc. adiyEn had the fortune of

being present there for all the five days and obtain the

blessings of all AchAryas including MadhurAntakam SwAmi,

apart from the Divya Dampatis at SrIrangam. The street

procession of SwAmi DESikan (arcA mUrti) and MadhurAntakam

SwAmi's photo was a great treat. It was an excellent

experience indeed, well attended by many devotees and adiyEn

has many new acquaintances now.

 

 

Kindly refer to the archives for the information about

the illustrious Life and Works of SrI MadhurAntakam SwAmi.

He was a classmate of SrI UttamUr swAmi in their younger

days. They didn't loose their contact and were good friends

when they later became accomplished scholars and addressed

each other as "brother" in their correspondence.

 

 

Article #1 "abhinava dESikar" :

-

This article in tamil by SrI MadhurAntakam SwAmi was published

in the souvenir released in commemoration of the SatAbhishEkam

(80th thirunakshatram ie. birthday) of SrI UttamUr swAmi on

10th Feb 1977.

 

Some excerpts :

 

 

ABHINAVA DESIKA

*********************

 

The article starts with a Sloka composed by SrI MadhurAntakam

SWami :

 

"abhinavadESika birudAnuguNa guNaSrENi bhUshNO bhAti |

sacchakravarti kulavidhurakalankO veerarAghavAcAryaha || "

 

 

" Being Uttama (noble) similar to the place (UttamUr ie.Noble

place) in which he took the avatAra, Being nallAn (good) to

us similar to his kulam (nallAn chakravarti lineage), Being

PaNdita Cakravarti (Emperor of PaNditas ie. Scholars), Being

vatsa (SrIvatsa gOtra) and Being vatsala (very affectionate)

-- These are the things which we experience from abhinava

dESika, for whom is the SatAbhishEkam being performed. There

are many special features of earlier DESika, that are present

in abhinava DESika ......."

 

 

MadhurAntakam SwAmi in his own anubhava, then contrasts the

lineage of AchAryas for SwAmi DESikan and Abhinava DESikan and

draws some parallels < Please refer to an earlier posting on

KOzhiyAlam swAmi viz. Nine Gems.... for the details on these

lines>. MadhurAntakam Swami then continues ....

 

" Moreover, earlier DESika was glorified as

 

'SAmskruteebihi drAmidIbhihi bahvIbhihi krutibhirjanAn |

yassamujjIvayAmAsa tasmai sEvyAya mangalam ||'

 

(ie. May Mangala <auspiciousness/prosperity> attain SwAmi

DESikan, who protected the world by his hundreds of works

in Sanskrit and Tamil -- 10th Verse of SrI VEdAnta DESika

Mangalam, composed by SrI KumAra VaradAchArya, foremost

disciple and son of SrI VEdAnta DESika).

 

We can also glorify abhinava dESIka like this, is it not ?

 

In accordance with 'sahasrEshu ca paNditaha', only one from

several thousands of people can attain the scholarship of

being a paNdita. Even then, the wealth of 'exposition'

(pravachana / delivering discourses) will be poor. 'vaktA

SatasahasrEshu' is the saying. Even if one is skilled in

both of these (ie.scholarship and ability to deliver

discourses), one will not have the skill in writing

extraordinary works. Also, in the war of debate, it will

happen for them to run by showing their back ; They will

only be in destitution of sAhitya ie. literary composition.

Even if all these exists, they will not have vinaya

(modesty/humility), AchAram (good conduct / observance of

dharmaSAstras etc, esp. rites of nitya and naimittika karmas

in accordance with VarNAshrama dharma), devotion to bhagavAn,

bhAgavatAs and AchAryas, kshamA (patience) and cAturyam

(amiableless). SrI VEnkatAdvari in VisvaguNAdarSana says

that, the earlier DESika had all of these viz. vEda-SAstra-

SAhitya-vinaya-AcAra-bhakti-kshamA-cAturya. Similarly are so

for abhinava dESika. ".

 

 

Article #2 "UttamUr Uttama SwAmi MAhAtmyam" :

------------------

This article in tamil by SrI MadhurAntakam SwAmi was published

in the souvenir released in commemoration of the 88th

thirunakshatram of SrI UttamUr swAmi on 25th Jan 1984. This was

the immediete thirunAkshatram after SrI UttamUr SwAmi attained

AchArya thiruvadi ie. Paramapadam.

 

Some excerpts :

 

-----------------

 

UTTAMUR UTTAMA SWAMI MAHATMYAM <GREATNESS OF NOBLE UTTAMUR SWAMI>

********************************************************************

 

"In SubhAshita NIvI, SwAmi DESikan starts with the following

verse for the MahApurusha-paddati :

 

'satAmEva khapushpatvam yEshAm yatsadasatvayOhO |

na jAtu tasya tattAbhyAmiti tEshAm sa viSvadruk || '.

 

Sun is an analogy for MahApurushAs (Great Men). When Sun is

there, the presence of stars will not be seen. The lustre

of stars will be very small. Even when the Sun is not there

during the nights, the stars will be present all over the

sky, like a scattered flower. Whether the stars are either

present Or absent, there is no loss(in lustre/superiority)

to the Sun. The lustre of Sun always reigns supreme.

Similarly, in the presence of mahApurushAs (greatest of men),

the presence of other Sat(s) <noble men/great scholars> will

not be seen. Even when that mahApurusha is absent, it will be

felt that, no other Sat is present. The import <of this

verse> is that, even when other Sats are either present or

absent, there will be no decrease in the prakASatvam (lustre

Or greatness Or superiority) of mahApurushAs. (satAm - For

Sats - Stars ; khapushpatvam - diminishment of lustre,

present as a flower in sky) -> UpamAna alankAra in SlEsha

is employed in the verse.

 

SrI UttamUr SwAmi was present as the best example to this

(as a mahApurusha). Even when swAmi graced the earth, the

greatness of other mahAns didn't get highlighted. Even when

the swAmi attained nitya-vibhUti (SrI VaikuNTham), it gives

the feeling as though there is no mahAn present in this

world now ! ".

------------------

 

When one of the stalwart AchAryas of the last century has

paid such laurel tributes, it goes without saying as to

what all other vidvAns would have felt about SrI UttamUr

swAmi.

 

 

SrI MadhurAntakam SwAmi, recalls the days of his youth with

SrI UttamUr SwAmi :

 

"For around 8 to 10 years <around 1908 to 1918>, we both

were classmates in the MadhurAntakam school. We studied

the fundamental texts of NyAya Philosophy under Swacchandam

swAmi (One of the greatest authorities in NyAya SAstra, of

those times). We studied kAvya-nAtaka-alankAra-campu etc

literary fields in sanskrit, starting from naishadam, under

SrI Garudapuram SwAmi (A great mahAn who later became a

sannyAsi; SrI MadhurAntakam swAmi's AchArya and underwhom

he studied the rest of NyAya and VEdAnta SAstra). We

studied VyAkaraNa (Sanskrit Grammar) texts like Kaumudi

and ashtadyAyi (4000 sUtras for grammar by PAnini) under

ThirukkaLLam VyAkaraNa MahAvidvAn, who was a classmate of

SrI KOzhiyAlam swAmi. We performed the vEda adhyayanam for

first khAndam together.

 

In the meantime, by the invitation of KuppuswAmy SAstri -

the principal of ThiruvaiyARu Sanskrit College, Swacchandam

swAmi had to go to that college. He wanted to take both of

us along with him. But, my father didn't allow for that.

UttamUr SwAmi alone got the permission of his father and

went there.

 

In those times, NyAya and mImAmsa (ie.pUrva mImAmsa) together

constituted one SirOmaNi degree. So, UttamUr swAmi had the

fortune of learning the whole of mImAmsa SAstra under the

Srauti-GanapAti-mImAmsa vallabha ChinnaswAmi SAstri (a great

authority in mImAmsa of those times). Since the two degrees

(SirOmaNi in NyAya and mImAmsa) got separated during the

time when UttamUr swAmi gave the examination, swAmi wrote

the exam for NyAya SirOmaNi and obtained the degree. In

PudukkOttai samsthAnam also, he passed the examination in

first class. I learnt the pancavAdAs in NyAya under my

AchArya (SrI Garudapuram SwAmi) at MadhurAntakam. After

three years, I went to ThiruvaiyARu and joined the (NyAya)

SirOmaNi class ; Obtained the degree by giving the exams.

In PudukkOttai exam also I passed in first class. ".

 

--------

 

Please go through the following chart to have an idea

of the KEtANDipaTTi SwAmi AchArya parampara, which belongs

to the Munitraya AchArya Parampara.

 

note : The (S) mark means that, the AchArya was a sannyAsi

and the (G) mark means that, the AchArya was a

gruhasta.

 

 

SAkshAt SwAmi(S)

|

|

Thirukkudanthai DESkan(G)

|

|

 

------------------

| | |

SrInivAsa Muni(S) VazhuttUr SwAmi(S) SeeyAlam

RanganAtamuni(S)

|

|

------------------------

| | |

|

LAdapuram aaNDikkADu SwAmi(S) | |

SwAmi (S) | NAvalpAkkam |

| | ANNayArya MahAdESikan(G)

EyuNNi

<rahasyas> | | SrInivAsa

| KEtANDipaTTi SwAmi(S) | RAmAnujaMuni(S)

| | |

|

Kapistalam SwAmi(G) | {NAvalpAkkam |

| AchArya Parampara} |

| |

| Peria

ANdavan

|

SrInivAsaMuni(S)

| |

| |

| ----------------------

| . .

| . .

| {PounDarIkapuram {PeriAshramam

| ANdavan Parampara} ANdavan Parampara}

|

-----------------------

| | | |

| DengaNikOttai swAmi(S) | Kapistalam

| | swAmi(G)

Tirupati SwAmi(S) ThiruvahIndrapuram

| SrI Chinna SwAmi(S)

| |

| |

|

KOzhiyAlam SwAmi(S) | | |

| | | |

| | | |

| Navaneetam SwAmi(G) Garudapuram SwAmi(S) |

| | | |

| | | ChEttalUr

UttamUr SwAmi(G) | | SwAmi(G)

| |

SrIrAmadESikAchArya(G) MadhurAntakam SwAmi(G)

 

 

 

 

Three SannyAsis viz. (1) SrInivAsa Muni, (2) VazhuttUr SwAmi

(VEdanta RAmAnuja Muni alias "VazhuttUr Andavan" alias

"SrIrangam SwAmi") and (3) SrI SeeyAlam RanganAtamuni

were disciples of SrI Thirukkudanthai GOpAladESikan, who

was a gruhasta. Because of these three Munis, the AchArya

Parampara that followed them came to be known as Munitraya

AchArya Parampara.

 

SrI Navaneetam KrishnamAchArya, SrI Garudapuram swAmi

(who later became a sannyAsi) and SrI ChEttalUr NrusimhachArya

(another very famous AchArya) were classmates while learning

under SrI ThiruvahIndrapuram (Chinna) swAmi <SrI SrInivAsa

RAmAnuja MahAdESIkan>.

 

 

SrI Kapistalam DESikAchArya was another great scholar of the

past. He learnt SrI BhAshyam under SrI KEtANDipaTTi SwAmi.

SrI Kapistalam swAmi, who was a Professor in the Tirupati

College, was instrumental in making UttamUr SwAmi join that

college as his (junior) colleague.

 

Since both UttamUr SwAmi and MadhurAntakam swami belongs to

the AchArya parampara of SrI KEtANDipaTTi swAmi, they

addressed themselves as brothers. Also, SrI UttamUr SwAmi

with MadhurAntakam SwAmi as a classmate, learnt Sanskrit

literature from SrI Garudapuram SwAmi.

------------------------------

 

Now, we have a good background in general regarding the

Life and Works of SrI UttamUr SwAmi. Lets get into the

quite detailed account on his Biography. adiyEn will post

them as a series. After this series, we shall again enjoy

the articles by other scholars on UttamUr SwAmi. Again,

adiyEn requests you all not to miss the previous postings

on UttamUr SwAmi. Please do go through them in your leisure.

Thanks.

 

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,

anantapadmanAbhan.

krishNArpaNam.