SrI UttamUr SwAmi - "mAl uganda aasiriyar" (The AchArya beloved to Lord VishNu)

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrI PadmAvati samEtha SrInivAsa ParabrahmaNE 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.

 

A small change in the plan of action : adiyEn would post this

article and a tribute in acrostic by the same author atfirst

and then (after few days/weeks) will start posting the

detailed series on the Biography of SrI UttamUr SwAmi.

 

The following is the translation of an article in tamil by the

vidvAn SrI U.Ve. Dindukkal RAmAswAmy Iyengar, which appeared

in the souvenir released during the SatAbhishEkam (80th birth

anniversary) of SrI UttamUr swAmi on 10th Feb, 1977.

 

 

A brief note about the author :

 

Late (SrI VaikuNThavAsi) SrI U.Ve. Dindukkal RAmAswAmy Iyengar

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

This swAmi (born 1899) was popularly known as "D.R." and was

well known for his deep humility and other aatma guNAs,

especially in moving with one and all, apart from his deep

devotion towards Lord VaradarAja of KAnchi and AchAryas like

SwAmi dESIkan. He used to recite SwAmi dESikan's taniyan as

"..sannidhattE sadA hrudi" instead of "..sannidhattAm sadA hrudi"

implying that SwAmi dESikan, the vEdAntAchArya is "ever residing

in my heart", instead of the implication, "May the VEdAntAchArya

reside in my heart". He was one of the key persons involved in

the grand celebration of SwAmi DESikan's 7th centenary

celebration. He has written good commentries in English on

many of SwAmi dESikan's stotras and tamil poems (pub. by SrI

ViSishtAdvaita PracArani Sabha). He was a regular contributor to

many magazines like SrI Nrusimha PriyA, SrI RanganAtha PAdukA,

(DESika) SEva, Saptagiri etc.

 

In the Introduction to SrI D.R.'s English commentary to SwAmi

DESIkan's "SaraNAgati Deepika", SrI O.V.AlagEsan,M.P. writes

(1974) :

 

"I happen to be a co-devotee with D.R. of Lord VaradarAja of

KAncheepuram. His infatuation for the Lord is well-known. In

every festival of the Lord, you can find him, standing with

bent frame, drinking deep at the fountain of His insatiable

beauty and matchless majesty. For me, enjoyment of any

festival of Lord VaradarAja is incomplete without the presence

of D.R. I used to feel that Lord also is disappointed if He

does not see His bhakta (D.R.) before Him. I see a Prapanna

in him. All that is said of Prapannas are fulfilled in him. "

 

Late (SrI VaikuNThavAsi) SrI U.Ve.PudukkOttai A.SrInivAsarAghavan,

another great scholar of the last century, writes about SrI D.R.

as "DESika Rasika" (D.R.) in the book on SrI D.R.'s English

commentary to SwAmi dESikan's NyAsa VimSati. It was published

after SrI D.R. attained Paramapadam. Few exerpts from it:

 

"D.R. was really another name for devotional non-pareil (without

an equal) to Lord VaradarAja....All who knew him would always

think and speak of him as the patron and protege of Lord

Varadaraja .......D.R. was known to and honoured by almost all

religious heads like H.H. SrI Azhagiyasingar of the Ahobila

Muth, HH SrI KOzhiyAlam swAmi of KAnchi and HH SrImad Andavan

of SrIrangam. He was held in great esteem by learned scholars

and eminent AchAryas like SrI GOshtipuram (SowmyanArAyanAchArya)

swAmi <alias thirukkOshtiyUr swAmi>, ayyA SrI KrishNa

TAtAchArya swAmi of KAnchi, UttamUr SrI VeerarAghavAchArya and

MadhurAntakam SrI VeerarAghavAchArya. HH SrI SankarAchArya of

KAnchi KAmakOti peetam, HH SrI SwAmi of Gaudiya Math,

SrI P.B.AnnangarAchArya of KAnchi and many such great men

admired his devotion and humility............In the past three

decades and more, there was no religious conference in which he

did not participate either as a President Or as principal

speaker. His discourses on the Alwars, the AchAryas, their

works and on the Lords of various Divya DEsas were cherished

by all and the articles he wrote were read with great avidity

and enthusiasm. "

 

Such was SrI D.R., a great admirer of SrI UttamUr Swami. Lets

relish the article on SrI UttamUr swAmi by SrI D.R.

 

 

On the title : "mAl uganda aasiriyar"

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

 

SwAmi DESikan, in a pAsuram in his chillarai Rahasyam

amrutAswAdini viz. "kAsiniyin maNi anaitthum ....." (27) says

that Just like how, all the Gems in the earth can't match the

greatness of Kowstubha Gem adorned by the Lord and how all

the kshEtras in the earth can't match the glories of

PEraruLALan's (Lord VaradarAja's) KAnchi kshEtra, the works

< Smrutis, IthihAsa-purANas etc> of sinless and clear/pure

minded Maharishis can't match even a word of "mAl uganda

aasiriar" (those who are most beloved to Lord SrIman nArAyaNa

and became the object of His abundant special mercy; They are

the likes of NammAzhwAr and other AzhwArs/AchAryas). SwAmi

DESikan adds "I am saying this <difference between the

glories of the works of Maharishis and the words of 'mAl

uganda aasiriyar'> after knowing the due differences present.

Oh People of the World ! Become Joyful by taking these things

<the points putforth> as your Treasure ".

 

Thus "mAl uganda aasiriyar" refers to those AchAryas like

NammAzhwAr, BhAshyakArar and others, whose divine words and

works has no parallel. This is the verdict of the Sarvaj~nya

and Sarva Tantra Svatantra, VEdAntAchArya, KavitArkika Simha

AchArya SArvabhouma SrI NigamAnta MahAdESikan alias VEdAnta

DESikan.

 

Hence, SrI D.R. refers to SrI abhinava dESika UttamUr SwAmi

as "mAl uganda aasiriyar".

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

 

SrI U.Ve. Dindukkal RAmaswAmy Iyengar on UttamUr SwAmi :

 

MAl uganda aasiriyar ( The AchArya beloved to Lord VishNu )

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

 

" maruLatRa dEsikar vAnugappAlinda vaiyamellAm

iruLatRi iRaivaniNaiyadi pooNduya veNNudalAl

theruLutRa sentamizhR selvam perugic chirandavar pAl

aruLutRa cindaiyinAl azhiyA viLakkEtRinarE "

 

(PAsuram of SwAmi dESIkan from AchAryakrutyAdhikAram <Chapter

on the Duties of an AchArya> of SrImad Rahasya Traya sAram)

 

(ie." Our great AchAryas, who were absolutely free from ignorance

and error, lighted (ie.performed the upadEsam of ) this undying

lamp (of knowledge on sampradAya viz. the meanings of the

three secret mantras) out of compassionate grace, in the minds

of worthy disciples filled with vivEka (ie.discriminatory

knowledge) who had grown rich in the true wealth of

performance of ordained rites (kainkaryas ie. services to

SrIman nArAyaNa and devotees) in a manner which would accord

with the knowledge. Such AchAryas who are longing for

paramapadam ie. SrI VaikuNTha, did so because they desired

that the whole world should become free from ignorance and

their (the people's) heads should be adorned with the Lord's

feet < ie.make the Lord's lotus feet as their upAya (means) in

attaining Him and thereby perform Prapatti >" ).

 

( By quoting this pAsuram, SrI D.R. implies that SrI UttamUr

SwAmi is such an AchArya enshrined in that pAsuram ).

 

Those mahAns who are prapatti vijitESwaras (*) by the grace of

a SadAchArya, due to their broad mindedness that everyone

should enjoy the great bliss obtained by them, are ever

steadfast in making others tread the good path. The important

amongst the methods used by them to achieve the above is

adyAtma grantha nirmANam (writing books on vEdAnta) and

regular/repeated teaching. Till this time, only our abhinava

dESika swAmi is the greatest among those who have employed

both of these. The number of adyAtma works written by our

swAmi is innumerous ; One can only say it to be in hundreds.

SwAmi's proficiency in not only our siddhAnta, but in also

other siddhAntas is evident from the various books written

on such siddhAntas and the way other siddhAntins shake their

heads well in appreciation of these works.

 

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

(*) : Prapatti vijitESwaras can refer to the mahAns who are

victorious in learning the intricasies of Prapatti ; Can

also refer to those mahAns who are victorious over samsAra

due to the deep knowledge and performance of Prapatti.

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

 

Our ViSishtAdvaita siddhAnta is a "ubhaya-vEdAnta" siddhAnta.

Only after clearly knowing the tamil poems (tamil vEda) sung

in ecstacy by AzhwArs, will the knotty issues in Sanskrit

vEda be understood clearly ("TheLiyAda maRainiLangaL

theLigindrOmE" - SwAmi DESIkan). The heart should also be

filled permanently with the inner meanings of the Sanskrit

vEdas. Only after learning both the vEdas (Sanskrit and Tamil)

can one be glorified as a "Ubhaya VEdAntin" (U.Ve.). This only

is glorified by Kamban, the king of poets, as "thensOR

kadanthAn vadasoR kadaRku yellai thErnthAn". Due to the

abundant training obtained by UttamUr swAmiin both the vEdas,

he could learn in and out of the vEda SAstras, purANas,

IthihAsas and Prabandhas in the languages viz. unfading

(ie.everlasting) Sanskrit - vAdAta vadamozhi - and honey

like Tamizh - thEn pOnRa then mozhi - and thus blessed us by

writing and publishing innumerous works in both of these

languages.If one aggregates all these works, it makes one

think as to how many hours the SaraNyan (Lord, the refuge)

created for UttamUr swAmi per day! In this midst are his

adherence to panca kAla prakriya and kAlakshEpams to sishyas.

If one thinks about swAmi's publication of the number of

independent works, commentries, tIkAs (notes) on the old

commentries to advanced works in vEdAnta, one should respect

(show reverence to) our uttamUr swAmi as an avatAra purusha

only.

 

 

Everyone knows that our swAmi was present as a teacher

in Pushkar, ThiruvaiyARu and Tirupati. To adiyEn's knowledge,

only after coming to Tirupati did swAmi obtained the excessive

blessings of Lord ThiruvEngadamudayAn and started writing

many excellent works. At first, he published the commentries

(by SrI RangarAmAnuja Muni alias Upanishad BhAshyakAra) on the

ten principal upanishads (dasOpanishad) alongwith his excellent

explanations/clarifications. After coming to chennai, many

mahAns further developed the "Ubhaya VEdAnta GranthamAlA" and

many works of swAmi in both the languages got published. The

key person for this organization is SrI U.Ve. (Police) G. -

RangaswAmy TAtAchArya swAmi. Under the title "Prabandha -

Rakshai", very lucid and rasa filled commentries for

Prabandhas were written. The commentries to the 4000 divya

prabandhas got over, with "VisishtAdvaita PrachArani Sabha"

taking over the publication of swAmi's commentries on the

pAsurams of most important of the AzhwArs viz. NammAzhwAr

and Thirumangai AzhwAr. The key person for this sabha is SrI

V.S. JagannAta IyengAr. Like this, UttamUr swAmi completed

the commentries to the 24 prabandhas in simple tamil named

"Prabandha Raksha", bringing out newer and newer insights on

the inner moods and philosophical teachings of AzhwArs.

adiyEn is horripulated while thinking about this.

 

.... Moreover, at the very same time, commentries and tIkAs

for each of advanced Sanskrit works and Tamil Divya

Prabandhams were written and fully proof read by swAmi

before publishing them in an elegant way. While thinking

about these services of swAmi, it makes one to only think

that these belong to the category of Super-human activities.

 

 

In the meantime, the festival on the eve of SwAmi DESikan's

seventh centenary was celebrated throughout the country (India).

In addition to participating in many of those festivals,

UttamUr swAmi accepted the requests from many devotees of SwAmi

DESikan and started to publish all the works of SwAmi DESikan

alongwith commentries in both Sanskrit and Tamil, wherever it

wasn't present. Within ten years, almost all of SwAmi DESikan's

advanced works have been published.

 

 

Knowing beforehand such acintya (inconceivable/incomprehensible)

and extrordinary mahOpakAram (great help) to be rendered by

UttamUr swAmi in the future, many devotees of SwAmi DESikan from

Tirupati, with the divine blessings of Lord ThiruvEngadamudayAn,

came to chennai and became happy by conferring the wonderful and

noble title "abhinava dESika" during a big function for

felicitating UttamUr swAmi, on the eve of his Sashtiaptapoorti

(60th birthday; 1957) mahOtsava (grand festival). Not only them,

but the devotees of SwAmi DESikan everywhere, having either

heard Or read, highly praised it. Then, like "Satyam vidhAtum

nija Bhruthya BhAshitam" (*), almarmEl mangaiuRai mArban (Lord

SrInivAsa, on whose chest resides His consort alarmEl manga)

made that title appropriate (ie. True to its sense) and now,

worldwide, "abhinava dESika" is not merely a title, but is also

shining as Samgn~yai (ie. Abhinava DESika is not a title that

can be given to anyone ; If one says "abhinava dESika", it

exclusively refers to *only* uttamUr swAmi and none other).

 

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

(*) : 'Satyam vidhAtum nija Bhruthya BhAshitam': This is a verse

from SrImad BhAgavatam (7.8.17) on SrI Nrusimha avatAram.

It says that, Lord appeared in that wonderful form at that

Pillar, to make the words of His devotee <Bhakta prahlada>

become true. SrI D.R. implies that, Lord SrInivAsa also

made true the words of mahAns who conferred the title of

"abhinava dESika" unto UttamUr SwAmi. This was by blessing

UttamUr SwAmi to publish almost all the works of SwAmi

DESIkan with clean readings and excellent commentries upon

it, after the title "abhinava dESIka" was being conferred.

By the way, it becomes clear that, even before writing

these outstanding commentries on SwAmi DESikan's works,

UttamUr SwAmi was well respected by contemporary scholars

as "abhinava dESika".

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

 

So far, I have somewhat said about the greatness of the

innumerous excellent books being written, published and released

by swAmi. To glorify even a little about the GAmbeeryam -

(profundity in meaning, unfathomable depth) and rasam in the

writings of swAmi, adiyEn is asaktan (incapable) and little

knowledged. When even SwAmi DESikan would feel delighted by

adorning UttamUr SwAmi with a crown <for the various

achievements>, who else, in what way and how can one glorify

< UttamUr SwAmi > ?. Mostly, for many general vaidikas and those

who are knowledged in SAstras, there exists a blame upon them

from the times of KAlidAsa that they are interested only in

jn~yAna (knowledge about tattvas etc) and not in rasa. This

blame will not stain our swAmi even for a small bit. In his

writings, its not only that the meanings of the original texts

are explained, but many new rasas involved in the originals are

very lucidly brought out by swAmi. This is one of the wonders

done by swAmi.

 

Two things(places) are coming to my memory now. One is in the

GOdOpanishad ThiruppAvai. The other can be seen in the commentry

to ThiruvAimozhi, the DramidOpanishad.

 

In the 22nd pAsuram of thiruppAvai occurs a beautiful

phrase "angaNirandum kondu engkaN mEl nOkkudiyEl". Here,

the sandhi in "engkaN mEl" has been explained for all these

years as "engaL mEl". SwAmi's rasa filled interpretation has

incarnated by keeping "em kaN mEl" itself. The meaning taken

is "Using Your(KrishNa's) eyes, You should see our (gOpis)

eyes". Having known that there is no more joy greater than this

in the rasa of love, the divine poet ThiruvaLLuvar in a kuraL

has written "kaNNOdu KaNNiNai nOkkokkin vAiccoRkaL yenna payanum

illai" (ie.If the eyes of the lovers see each other, there is

no need of words to be spelled by the mouth). Kavicchakravarti

Kamban also, didn't stop by saying "aNNalum nOkkinAn, avaLum

nOkkinAL" (*) and later finished <in the kAvya> by saying

"pirindavar koodinAl pEsal vEndumO" (If the separated lovers

meet, is there a need to talk ? ) and "iruvarum mARippukku

idayam eidinar" (exchange of hearts). In this way, the

excellent meaning that, a special rasa arises when the eye of

a lover falls over his partner, has struck our swAmi, who is a

parama Vaideeka-Uttama and a panca kAla parAyaNar (One adhering

to panca kAla prakriya - Five fold divisions of the day with

alloted kainkaryams in those periods). This is highly surprising

to me (in seeing swAmi's rasa filled interpretation).

 

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

(*) : "aNNalum nOkkinAn avaLum nOkkinAL" (ie.The hero/king also

looked, She also looked): This refers to the eye-to-eye

contact of Lord RAma ( who was near the palace of King

Janaka and moving alongwith Sage ViSwAmitra and Lakshmana,

to get into the palace ) and SIta pirAtti (from somewhere

like balcony), before the incident of breaking Lord Siva's

Bow, as per Kamba RAmAyanam.

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

 

 

The first half of the tenth pAsuram of "KOvaivAyAL"

ThiruvAimozhi(4.3) is as follows : 'yAnum yEtti yEzhulagum

mutRum yEtti, pinnaiyum tAnumEttilum tannai yEtta yEtta

yengaidum'. Here, for the word "pinnaiyum", "Afterwards",

"Moreover" etc meanings have been taken in all the

commentries so far. For our swAmi, by the blessings of

AzhwAr, the word "pinnaiyum", refers to pirAtti. The

great excellent and extraordinary meaning "Nappinai nangAi,

thiruvE!" has been obtained. Friends(Rasikas) should meditate

and meditate on how much the meaning of the pAsuram gets

elevated, and heart should be stirred with that emotion. In

the second verse of ALavandAr's StOtra Ratna, it is sung

that, even PerumAL does not know about the greatness/glories

of PirAtti as it is. KUrattAzhwAn, in his SrIstava sings

that the end of the glories of PirAtti is not known to

PerumAL as well as PirAtti. Thus (in this ThiruvAimozhi

pAsuram), if one interprets that, PerumAL can't glorify/sing

the praise of Himself (in full), a doubt may arise as to

whether PirAtti can do it. If that also is taken into

consideration and one interprets the pAsuram that, Either

PirAtti Or PerumAL as an individual Or together in Union

can't sing (fully) the glories of PerumAL, then rasikAs

should feel with great delight as to how much exaltedness it

has and how much Joy/delight it has.

 

 

If the writing of adyAtma granthas has so much greatness,

swAmi's anEkEshAmca bOdhanam (repeated/regular teaching)

exceeds even that. Everyone knows that swAmi has taught many

students at Pushkar in the North, ThiruvaiyARu in the South

and Tirupati in the middle. This greatness of SwAmi is spread

all over India. In the same time, at certain places, blessing

the qualified disciples with the meanings of SAstras and many

SiddhAnta prakriyas through kAlakshEpam is another aspect of

this (greatness). After coming to the city of Chennai, SwAmi's

exposition of exalted special meanings (of SAstras) through

kAlakshEpam and upanyAsas for many many respectful lowkikas

and others (full-time VaidikAs) is the greatest of all.adiyEn

is unqualified to speak even a little on this greatness of

SwAmi. Hence, I am stopping it with this.

 

 

Experiencing many a times in many a ways the Lord of

Tirumala, who gives the sEva (darSan) as Thirumala yemperumAn,

SwAmi has written SuprabAtha etc works as an overflow of such

experience. This is one among many greatness of SwAmi.

 

 

The peak of everything is our SwAmi's AchArya bhakti.

Everyone should follow our swAmi in this greatness of being

present with unfailing rememberance of himself as being a

dust at the feet of the great AchArya SrImad Parama(hamsa)

Pari(vrAjakAchArya) KOzhiyAlam SwAmi. Its not a wonder that

SwAmi DESikan's special greatness of AchArya Bhakti, is

present with "abhinava dESika".

 

iraittu mEnmakkanEtta yAnum yEttinEn adiyEn matRiyAdenbanE !

 

(ie. "adiyEn, <a humble self>, made these glorifications in the

midst of the roaring glorifications poured out by great

senior scholars <upon UttamUr SwAmi> ; What else can adiyEn

say". This can also mean that SrI D.R. glorified UttamUr

SwAmi as heard from what great scholars glorify him in a

roaring way. )

 

" yEtRi manaththu yazhil jn~yAna viLakkai iruLanaitthum

mAtRinavarku oru kaimARu mAyanum kANagillAn

pOtRi ugappadum punthiyil koLvadum pongu pugazh

sAtRi vaLarppadum satRallavO munnam petRadaRkE ".

 

(Often quoted PAsuram of SwAmi dESIkan from SishyakrutyAdhikAram

<Chapter on the Duties of a sishya> of SrImad Rahasya Traya

sAram)

 

(ie."Even the mAyan (Supreme Lord SrIman nArAyaNa) can not

see a way to requite (repay) the AchArya who destroyed

the ignorance in one's heart/mind by lighting the shining

lamp of knowledge/wisdom therein {What to speak about the

disciple who got benifited by the teaching of such an

AchArya ?}. Hence, acts by the disciple such as glorifying

the AchArya with delight, meditating upon him, extending

the AchArya's already present glories etc are only very

little (ie.nothing) in comparison with the help he/she has

received earlier from the AchArya - Is it not ? ").

 

( ie. SrI D.R. by quoting this verse implies that whatever he

has glorified about SrI UttamUr SwAmi is nothing in front

of what SrI UttamUr SwAmi, the mAl uganda aasiriyar has

done to him and SrI VaishNavas at large, through his

outstanding books,kAlakshEpams etc).

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

Hope that you enjoyed this posting on SrI UttamUr SwAmi as

being the 'mAl uganda aasiriyar'.

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,

anantapadmanAbhan.

krishNArpaNam.