Article sent from The Hindu on indiaserver.com

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs :

 

A friend of mine sent me a copy of this note.

You might be interested to know about the contributions

of two great stalwarts to our illustrious sampradhAyam .

 

Sriman Velukkudi Krishnan is organizing this

important celebrations at Chennai.

 

A few BhakthAs from here and Singapore have

contributed funds towards this celebration .

 

An inexpensive set of Dhivya prabhandham Text will

be printed and distributed to people in villages

besides scholarly upanyAsams by invited VIPs

at this sathas.

 

V.SatakOpan

>Source: The Hindu (http://www.the-hindu.com)

>

>Crusaders of Sri Vaishnavism

>The 81st birthday of two eminent Sri Vaishnavite scholars, Sri

>Velukkudi Varadacharya Swami and Sathabhishekam Govinda

>Narasimhacharya Swamy, will be celebrated on Jan. 21. A tribute.

>

>VELUKKUDI VARADACHARYA Swami was a star among the galaxy of

>Vaishnava scholars of the 20th century. His contribution to the

>growth of Sri Vaishnavism through his oration and writings during

>the post-Independence era is outstanding.

>

>Born in a traditional Sri Vaishnava family to Krishnamacharya and

>Lakshmiammal on January 31, 1921, in Velvikkudi, he had his early

>education at the S.V. Oriental College, Tirupati, and acquired

>Nyaya Vedanta Siromani from the University of Madras in 1941. He

>mastered ancient texts such as Sri Bashya, Vedanta, Gita Bashya,

>Sri Ramayana, Bhagavat Vishyam, Sri Vishnu Puranam, Sri Vishnu

>Sahasranama Bashya and so on under many erudite scholars such as

>H. H. Sadhu Ramanuja Pedda Jeer Swami, H. H. Sriranganarayana

>Jeer Swami and Karpangadu Venkatacharya Swami till 1953. As an

>ardent disciple of Karpangadu Venkatacharya, he began rendering

>discourses in 1946 and echoed his soothing voice that enthralled

>the audience on different subjects in Ubhaya Vedanta. He

>presented discourses on ``Tiruppavai'' more than 75 times;

>Bhagavat Vishyam 12 times; Sri Bashyam three times and other

>topics, through the length and breadth of India since 1948, till

>he breathed his last in 1990. A year-long discourse on ``Bhagavat

>Vishyam'' at the birth place of Nammalvar, Alwar Tirunagari,

>during 1973-74 and a non- stop discourse on ``Bhagavat Vishyam''

>for 24 hours at Chennai in 1985 were remarkable.

>

>The discourses or ``kalakshepams'' on different topics reveal his

>ideas in a methodical, simple and assimilable form. For his

>fluent and powerful use of language, the Bharatiya Purvasika Sri

>Vaishnava Sabha, Tiruchi, conferred the title `Vak Amruta Varshi'

>(orator of nectar like sweet words). His astute knowledge in

>Ubhaya Vedanta was acknowledged by conferring many more laurels

>like Adhyatmatatva bhoda Bhaskara, Ramanuja Siddanta Divakara,

>Ubhaya Vedantacharya, Dravidam naya Kamadhenu and so on, by

>reputed organisations such as the Academy of Sanskrit Research,

>Melkote.

>

>Besides being a voracious reader of ancient texts, he produced

>immortal works on Sri Vaishnavism. His works ``Sri Bashya

>Saram'', ``Arulicheyal Anubhavam'', ``Ingum Angum'', and ``Pancha

>Ratnam'' are a treasure for every Sri Vaishnava. His extensive

>commentary for Alagiya Manavala Perumal Nayanar's ``Arulicheyal

>Rahasyam'' (14th century) called ``Arulicheyal Rahasya

>Bhushanam,'' by quoting passages of rare Purvacharya Granthas, is

>a rare piece. His followers are bringing out audio cassettes of

>his discourses that were then recorded in a series of books.

>

>M. VARADARAJAN

>Master of words

>

>Sri Sathabhishekam Swamy, popularly known as he was, learnt the

>Sri Vaishnava Texts early in his childhood at Melkote and later

>obtained the Vyakarna Sironmani Title from the Vedha Patasala at

>Sriperumbudur. He had the benefit of studying the texts under the

>benevolent care of five Acharyas, namely, Sri Govindappangar

>Swamy of Sri Rangam (Pancha Samskara Acharya), Sri Elayavilli

>Sadagopachariar of Alwar Tirunagari, his elder brother

>(Arulicheyal), Sri Aasoori Ramanujacharya of Sri Perumbudur

>(Sanskrit Vedas), Sri Pratiwadhi Bhayankaram Annangaracharya of

>Kancheepuram (Rahasya Granthas), and Sri Karpangadu Venkatacharya

>of Tiru Mayilai (Bhagavad Vishayam and Sri Bashyam).

>

>Sri Sathabhishekam Swamy was conferred the title of ``Saratha

>Sookthi Sundarar'' (``sollazhagar'', in Tamil, meaning beautiful

>exponent of inner meanings of words and phrases). He would advice

>that one's intention should be good, unmindful of the

>difficulties and self-sacrifice he may face in executing a deed.

>When such a person raises the step to do that deed, then the Lord

>would take up the responsibility on Himself to see that this

>person puts his foot down correctly and firmly so to reach the

>desired goal. If the intention is otherwise, then the Lord

>remains a mere spectator and the person may be thinking that he

>is proceeding in the right direction due to the small fruits he

>gets on the way, but the final doom will fall on him as in the

>case of Ravana and Duryodhana.

>

>It is this conviction and Faith in Him which led to successful

>renovation of some Divyadesams and shrines of Alwars and Acharyas

>in his later days. As president of Shri Manavala Mamunigal

>Kainkarya Sabha, Srirangam, his zeal in this aspect resulted in

>the discovery of beautiful stone images of Sri Aadhinathar, the

>presiding deity at Alwar Tirunagari and of Swami Nammazhwar,

>whose works in Tamil in praise of the Lord are equated with the

>four sacred Vedas.

>

>Shri Sathabhishekam Swami and Sri Velukkudi Swami had studied

>together under Shri Karpangadu Swami. On the demise of Shri

>Velukkudi Swami recalling the famous lines in the Tiruppavai

>Pasuram ``Thoomani maadathu'', he remarked: ``Shri Velukkudi

>Swami was dumb in speaking ill of others, deaf in hearing ill

>about others and blind in seeing ill in others; like Shri

>Alavandar he was ``eka chantha grahi'' i.e. he had the capacity

>to grasp and retain in memory at the very first instance of

>learning itself. Shri Velukkudi Swami reached the abode of the

>Lord on January 17, 1991, and Shri Sathabhishekam Swami joined

>him on January 26, 1993.Swami Nammazhwar (India) Foundation is

>arranging a two-day function when Jeeyars and a host of other

>scholars would pay homage by recalling their association with

>these two scholars. The programmes on Tirumangai Alwar, Divya

>Nama Sankeerthanam would be an added attraction.

>

>K.E.B. RANGARAJAN