Sri Parakala Matham Vaibhavam - III

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Sri:

Sri Laxmi Hayavadana Parabrahmane Nama:

Sri Vakula Bhushana Maha Desikaya Nama:

Srimate Ramanujaya Nama:

Srimate Nigamantha Maha Desikaya Nama:

Srimate Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakala Maha Desikaya Nama:

Srimate Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakala Guru Paramparaayai Nama:

 

Dear Bhaktas,

 

Continuing our exploration of the vaibhavam of Sri Parakala Matham, we are

now treated to the charitram of our dearest and revered acharya parampara. The

Acharya Parampara, as mentioned in previous articles, starts with none other

than Swamy Vedanta Desikan, as He is our founder Acharya of the Matham. I

would like to recall from my previous article that when Swamy Desikan realized

that unless there is a brand new line of Acharyas that is established, the

sacred

Sampradayam that was re-energized by Bhagavan Ramanuja is bound to be lost,

Swamy Desikan caused his dearest of his disciples to take up "sanyaasa

aashramam"

and established what is now known as Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakala Matham.

 

We cannot even begin to write about the glory of Swamy Desikan, let alone

encompass

all of it. Here, we are treated to the Story of Swamy Desikan, as the

Founder-Acharya

of Sri Matham.

 

Sri Nigamantha Maha Deshikan (1268 - 1369)

-

Founder acharya of Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakala Matham

 

 

Sri Vedanta Desika (aka venkaTanaatha), the very incarnation of Sri

Thiruvenkatamudaiyaan,

is celebrated as the third kootasthar of parama vaidika SriVaishnavaSri

sampradaayam and

is also regarded as the greatest acharya of Bhagavan Ramanuja Sampradaayam.

Born in

Thuppul in the year 1268 on the sacred day of Purattasi SravaNam, the

ThiruNakshatram of

Sri Venkateshwara, venkaTanaathan studied Vedanta and all shastras at the feet

of his maternal

uncle, Sri Atreya Ramanuja. He was a remarkable genius matched by rare humility.

Swamy

Deshikan was a ubhaya simhasanadhipati and a great devotee of Sri Lakshmi

Hayagrivar,

authored over 130 works which include Stotrams, Kavyams, Natakams,

Philosophical treatises,

Rahasya granthams, Commentaries and other miscellaneous works. Known for his

Jnana,

Vairagya and Anushtanam, he lived his life on uncha vrutti or begging for alms.

He preserved

"Shrutaprakashika", the great work of Sri Sudarshana Bhattar, which is the most

authentic

sub commentary on the Sri Bhashya of Bhagavan Ramanuja. Swamy Deshikan composed

his

magnum opus "Rahasyatrayasaram", which stands as an evidence to his ripe

knowledge. He

earned many titles like "Sarvatantra Swatantra", "Kavitarkika Simha",

"Vedantacharya" and "Bhagavad

Ramanuja Siddhanta Nirdharana Sarvabhouma".

 

He had a distinguished son and pupil by name Sri Kumara Varadanatha Nayanacharya

and a

great pupil by name Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra whom he fondly called "Jiya".

Swamy Deshikan

is regarded as a divinely commissioned personality not only by his senior and

junior contemporaries,

but also by all the successive generations belonging to SriVaishnavaSri

sampradaayam till today.

With his vast scholarship and extraordinary intellect he has contributed a great

deal for the promotion

and propagation of Bhagavan Ramanuja siddhantam. He was a great poet and

philosopher and

became a great institution in his lifetime and also founded a religious

institution in 1360 ACE with

its headquarters at Kanchipuram and Sri Brahmatantra Swatantrar, his foremost

disciple as its head

and as a yatishvarar of this mutt. This is the origin of Sri Brahmatantra

Swatantra Parakala Matham.

 

Swamy Deshikan attained his acharya thiruvadi in the year 1369 at the age of

100. Innumerable number

of stotrams has been composed on Swamy Deshikan and his glories. His taniyan was

composed by his

illustrious son Kumara Varadacharya, which is as follows -

 

'sriimaan venkaTa naathaarya: kavitaarkika kesarii

vedaantaachaarya varyome, sanniddhattaam sada hridi

 

kavitaarkika simhaaya kaLyaaNa guNa shaaline

sriimatE venkateshaaya, vedaanta gurave nama:'

 

 

In the next posting, we will read about the story of Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra,

the shishya of Swamy

Desikan and the First Jeer of Sri Matham.

 

 

Sri Laxmi Hayagriva Parabrahmane Nama:

 

--rajeev karamchedu