Sri Parakala Matham Vaibhavam - IV

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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,

 

As we continue to read the glory of Swamy Vedanta Desikan and his efforts to

uphold the Sri Sampradayam of Bhagavan Ramanuja, we begin to get a glimpse

of the divine foresight, a sort of a 'divya-drishTi', that perumaL has given to

Swamy

Desikan.

 

Sacred and divine is the Sri Sampradayam as laid out of Bhagavan Ramanuja, sacre

is the true religion and philosophy of our Srutis and Smritis, namely Sri Sri

Vaishnavism

and sacred are the mystical, devotional and emotional outpourings of Azhwar

Saints.

Swamy Desikan with his divya drishTi realized that a new line of acharyas is

required to

uphold the above and hence caused the advent of Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra

Parakala Matham

and established Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Jeer as the first of the Acharyas of

this Matham

with Swamy Desikan himself recognized as the Founder Acharya of the Matham.

 

Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakala Maha Deshikan 1286 - 1386

 

Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Jeer in his poorvashramam was known as Veeravalli

Perarulalaiyyan

or Hasteeshar. He was born in 1286 ACE and hailed from Kaundinya gothram. He was

born in the

month of Purattasi and Shravana nakshatram just like Swamy Desikan and PerumaL

Venkateshwara.

He undertook tutelage at the feet of the greatest acharya of those times -

Sriman Nigamantha Maha

Deshikan. Initially, he studied all shastras including Vedanta at the feet of

his acharya Sri Vedanta

Deshika and took to the holy ascetic order with the title, Perarulaala jeer at a

very early age.

Sri Brahmatantra Swatantrar was blessed to have Swamy Deshikan as his

Samashrayana, kaalakshepa

and sanyasa sveekara acharya and shone similar to Swamy Deshikan as an acharya

of all three paramparais.

It is said that when one has to take to the ascetic order, he has to get

initiated into that order by another

sanyaasin, or get initiated from perumal directly or get initiated at the

brindavanam of an acharya who also

should be an ascetic. But this initiation has many parts to it and initiation

into certain portions of it could be

obtained from a grihasta also, while the rest of it should be obtained from a

sanyasi only. It is this way that

Sri Brahmatantra Swatantrar obtained initiation into some portions of the

mantras from Swamy Deshikan.

He later moved with his acharya Deshikan wherever he went.

 

Sri Brahmatantra Swatantrar along with Nayanaacharya studied Vedanta along with

their esoterics at

the feet of Swamy Deshikan. During the muslim devastation at Srirangam in 1327

ACE, Sri Brahmatantra

Swatantrar moved to Satyagalam along with Swamy Deshikan. After many years of

study at Satyakalam,

Sri Brahmatantra Swatantrar along with Swamy Deshikan moved to

Thirunarayanapuram.

Even here Swamy Deshikan conducted Vedanta kalakshepam to many of his disciples

including

Nayanacharya and Sri Brahmatantra Swatantrar. He taught his students

Araayirappadi (6000) along with

his commentary to it titled Nigama Parimalam. It was during this time that Sri

Brahmatantra

Swatantrar composed the psalm -

 

"raamaanuja dayaapaatram jyaana vairaagya bhuushaNam |

sriimad vEnkaTanaathaarya: vandE vEdaanta dEsikam ||"

 

and submitted it to Swamy Deshikan. Swamy Deshikan then accepted that this

taniyan be

sung at the start of Divyaprabandhams and other Srisooktis in Tamil. Sri

Brahmatantrar had great

respect for Swamy's son Sri Kumara Varadacharya and out of his own accord chose

to study

Sri Bhagavadvishayam only under Sri Kumara Varadacharya, just to get his

thiruvadi sambandham,

though Sri Kumara Varadacharya was much junior to him. Sri Brahmatantra

Swatantrar composed

the famous taniyan on Kumara Varadacharya that runs as -

 

"sriimallaxmaNa yOgiindra siddhaanta vijayadhwajam |

vishwaamitra kulOdbhUtam varadaaryamaham bhajE ||"

 

This was in the year 1338 ACE, Kali 4440 Bahudaanya samvatsara avani shuddha

dvitiya that

corresponds to August 18th.

 

Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Jeer as Srikaaryam of Sri Varadaraaja Swamy Kovil,

Kanchipuram

--\

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

 

Swamy Deshikan also appointed Sri Brahmatantra Swatantrar as the Srikaryam of

Sri Varadarajaswamy

koil at Kanchipuram.

 

The stone inscriptions on the walls of the second prakaaram at Sri Varadaraja

perumal koil, in the

holy divya desham of Kanchipuram are very important. These inscriptions

delineated in traditional

Tamil script mixed with Sanskrit are very important in the history of

Srivaishnavism, as it stands

a witness to the Sri Vaishnava history of those days. The inscription says that

a Sri Matham was

established at Kanchipuram and as per the ordainment of the Lord of Hastigiri,

Sri Varadaraja perumal,

a Sri Vaishnava dasar by name Sri Brahmatantra Swatantrar who was Sri Vedanta

Deshika's

foremost shishyar, was established as the first yatishvara acharya of this

matham with the

authority of the Sri Matham established at Kanchipuram being handed over to him.

 

The time of these inscriptions date to shaka 1282 vikaari samvatsaram, mesha

maasam shuddha

prathama tithi Friday in the constellation of ashvati, which would be 1359 ACE

March 29th.

 

The inscriptions do not refer itself to the reign of any king, but refers being

worded directly by

the Lord of Hastigiri. This inscription also confirms that one Sri Brahmatantra

Swatantrar, who used to

recite the Thiruvaimozhi of Nammazhwar in front of Veeravallaazhan throne on

which presided

Lord Varadaraja's utsava murthy, was given the administration of the Sri Matham

at Kanchipuram

along with the rights to use the huge reserve of books at the temple in order to

propagate Sri Ramanuja

Sampradayam further.

 

The inscription concludes saying that these writings are a direct order from

Lord Varadaraja Perumal of

Hastigiri Himself and that the temple accountant has engraved His thirumugam

here on the stone walls.

 

"hastiishaam lOkavikhyaatam kaunDinya vidushaam varam |

raamaanujaarya siddhaanta sthaapanaachaaryam aashrayE || "

 

Other inscriptions that support these and provide further information can be

found in the temples

of Southern Arcot, Thirunelveli district during the 14th and 15th centuries

 

As we continue more in our next postings, we will read and learn why

Brahmatantra Swatantra Jeer

is hailed as Paryaaya Bhaashyakaara by his Acharya, Swamy Desikan himself. We

will also

read about the various kaimkaryams of Swamy Desikan and Swamy Brahmatantra

Swatantra Jeer.

 

On behalf of all the volunteers and shishyas of Sri Parakala Matham, I seek the

blessings

of Prakritim Parakala Swamy and Divya Dampatis in our continued efforts to be of

service.

 

Sri Laxmi Hayagriva Parabrahmane Nama:

 

--rajeev karamchedu