Sway Desikan-7-Necklace of pearls of tattvas-Tattvamuktakalapa- thUppul maNdapa

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SrI:

SrImathe Ramanujaya namah:

SrImathe Nigamantha mahadesikaya namah:

SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |

vedAntAcArya-varyome sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||

 

May the glorious Venkatanatha, the greatest of teachers of Vedanta, and the

lion among poets and debaters, reside forever in my heart.

 

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

 

I am continuing on my appeal and posts on Swamy Desikan and appeal for

Thuppul mandapam kaimkaryam.

 

There has been an overwhelming response after my 6th post and there are many

Bhagawathas pledging to contribute. Blessed are they with such generous

hearts. May Acharya bless them, as He does always.

 

URL: http://www.geocities.com/lsriniva/thoopulappeal.html

It is my humble request to please contribute your mite towards this

kaimkaryam, as remembering Acharyan, and talking alone will not suffice.

 

Let us continue to enjoy Swamy’s GREAT works.

 

Swamy Desikan wrote 12 works in Sanskrit which can be grouped under three

heads.

 

Under the first group, are included seven independent works, all on

philosophy of VisistAdvaita. Among these, the Tattvamuktakalapa, with his

own commentary Sarvaartthasiddhi, bears the impress of the original thinker

and untiring indicator of the system of Sri Ramanujcharya. The text contains

five hundred stanzas in five chapters called rightly sara (strand) as they

from part of the necklace of tattvas.

 

Of the philosophical treatises of Vedantha Desika, this Tattvamuktakalapa

stands out as the most important work. This work, consisting of saras

(strands) of five major topics, namely dravya (substance), jIva (individual

self), Iswara (Gold), Buddhi (knowledge), and adravya (non substance), is

compared to pearl necklace with all these strands (saras) combined,

beautifully and coherently. This is an ornament (kalapa) of pearls (mutthu-

muktha) of tattvas (philosophy). What a name chosen by Desikan, so apt and

deep!

 

According to tradition (writes Sri SMS Chari in his book on Fundamentals of

Visishtadvaita Vedantha -a study based on vedantha Desikan’s Tattvamuktha

kalapa), this work was written and dedicated by Vedantha Desikan to Lord

Ranganathan in the same way as an ornament is offered to God in devotion.

This book is therefore referred to and described as a special ornament

(bhUshaNam), comprising pearls in the form of Tattvas or metaphysical

doctrines of the VisishtAdvaita Vedantha.

 

In Vishnu purana, the different tattvas such as individual soul, Prakariti,

mahat, buddhi, mind, indriyas, etc., are described as different ornaments of

Iswara (God). It is therefore justified to treat this book

(Tattvamuktakalapam) as a SPECIAL ornament of God – says Sri SMS Chari

quoting from Introduction to Tattvamuktakalapam by Sri U Ve Uttamur

Veeraraghabvchariar Swamy.

 

The main objective of Tattvamuktakalapa, as stated in one of the opening

verses, is to establish the doctrines of Visistadvaita Vedantha on a sound

basis through a critical evaluation of the corresponding doctrines advocated

by rival schools of thought. It covers all the important philosophical,

epistemological, cosmological and religious doctrines of the Visistadvaita

Vedantha system. As Vedantha Desikan claims (says Sri SMS Chari in his book)

there is no topic in philosophy which is not discussed in this work. What is

not considered here can not be found elsewhere (yannaasmin kvapi naitat).

This reflects the statement made by Sage Vyasa in Mahaabharatha: yad ihaasti

tad anyatra; yan nehaasti na tat kvachit..

 

In the concluding potion of work, Swamy Desikan says: I have examined in

this work, very carefully almost all topics relating to both pramaaNams and

pramEyams at some place or the other. Until this day, the only source of

authority for deciding any controversial philosophical and epistemological

issue in Visistadvaita Vedantha is the views of Vedantha Desika as expressed

in Tattvamukta kalapam and Sarvaartha siddhi. Truly Tattvamuktakalapam, is

an important compendium of all topics in Visishtadvaita.

 

The schools of thought which come up for critical evaluation in

tattvamuktakalapam are:

NyAya and VaishEshika, Saankhya and Yoga, Poorva mImAmsa of both Prabhaakara

and Kumaarila, Vedantha as presented by Bhaskara, Yaadava and Sankara,

Buddhism covering the four schools of Vaibhashika, Sautraantika, Yogaachaara

and Maadhyamika, Jainism and Chaarvaakam.

 

Only such of the theories of these schools as stand opposed to those upheld

by the Visishtadvaitn are taken up for critical examination. The main

objective of the criticism is to expand the doctrines of Visishtadvaita and

reaffirm their soundness by exposing the defective nature of the

corresponding theories held by the rival school of thought. The theories are

subjected to critical analysis in a very systematic manner and their

soundness is evaluated with reference to three accepted pramaaNaas –

perception, inference and revealed scripture. What is evident to perceptual

experience is not rejected as invalid. In matters, which are outside the

purview of perceptual experience, scriptural evidence is accorded greater

importance than perception as well as logic while determining the validity

of a theory.

 

As for inference, it is acknowledged that it has a limited role since logic

cannot establish conclusively the supersensuous realities. However, logic is

adopted to support the theories established by scripture.

 

NOWHERE in this work, does Vedantha Desikan adopt dialectical arguments to

condemn a theory of the rival schools in a dogmatic manner, but rather he

uses them to elucidate and establish the soundness of Sri Ramanuja Darsanam

(the unparalleled VisishtAdvaita Vedantha) by pointing out the defects in

the views of the opponents. (Readers are highly recommended to buy this book

of Sri SMS Chari’s on Fundamentals of Visishtadvaita based on Swamy

desikan’s Tattvamuktakalapa.- This is an excellent book and is lucidly

written. )

 

Swamy Desikan Himself has written a commentary on Tattvamuktakalapam called

‘Sarvaarthasiddhi’. As the title signifies, it contains all that is to be

known by a student of philosophy. It is a very scholarly and comprehensive

commentary, exhibiting author’s encyclopaedic knowledge of all systems of

Indian philosophy. This is very much evident from the way he has stated

succinctly the views of the other schools of thought by quoting the relevant

statements from their original worksJ According to tradition, Swamy Desikan

was conferred the title Sarvagnan- as one possessing comprehensive knowledge

par excellence – on the basis of his masterly work, Tattvamuktakalapa and

Sarvaarthasiddhi.

 

Please donate according to your shakthi. The money can be sent to "Thuppul

Trust" and the address is:

 

Thuppul Trust

Old No.20, New No.24, Thiruvengadam Street

West Mambalam, Chennai-600033, India

Phone No: 91-44-4741559 / 91-44-3715771

 

Please contact Sri. V.K. Sudharshan at vksudarsh or Sri Lakshmi N

Srinivasa lsriniva (He can collect and send it as single amount

in USA).

 

The address:

 

Lakshminarasimhan Srinivasa

3 Old Towne Road, #212

Ayer, MA-01432

 

For those in the South East Asia, please contact me at

srivaishnavan . Please pass on this kaimkaryam to as many people

as possible in order to complete the same.

 

kavi-tArkika-simhAya kalyANa-guNa-SAline |

Srimate venkateSAya vedAntagurave namaH ||

 

Salutations to Sri Venkatesa, in whom all perfection resides, who is the

teacher of Vedanta and the lion among poets and debaters!

 

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Narayana Narayana

NarayaNa dAsan madhavakkannan

 

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