Abhinava Desika- Sri UtaamUr Swamy's Divya Charitham- 3

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SrI:

Sri Padmavathi Sametha Srinivasa Parabrahmane Namaha.

Sri Perundhevi Sametha Devadhiraja Parabrahmane Namaha.

Sri Bhagavad Ramanujaya Namaha.

Srimate Rangaramanuja Maha Desikaya Namaha.

Srimate Abhinava Desika Vatsya Satchakravarti Uttamur SRI

VIRARAGHAVARYA MAHA DESIKAYA NAMAHA

 

Thanian (Invocatory verse on Sri UttamUr swamy written by

Swamy's AchAryan Sri Kozhiyalam Swamy himself)

 

adbhutham-yasya-vikrAntham vEda-vIthi-viSOdanE |

aparam-nigamAnthAryam prapadyE vIrarAghavam ||

 

Let us continue with the divya charitham of Sri UttamUr

Swamy.

 

Article in Tamil by SrI PayyampADi VEnkatavaradAchArya SwAmi ; English

Translation by SrI R.VenkatAchAri (SohattUr- Vankipuram -Oppiliappan

Sannidhi), a disciple of SrI UtthamUr SwAmi. Appeared in the souvenir

released during the SatAbhishEkam (80th birth anniversary) of SrI UtthamUr

swAmi on 10th Feb, 1977

 

BIRTH: (Avatara of Abhinava Desika):

 

The parents of Our Swami, though had female children, were

not blessed with a male child, to perpetuate the Vamsa Parampara. Just in

the same way as Lord Tiruvengadamudaiyan appeared in the dream

of the parents of Nigamanta Guru, Sri Anantasuri and Totarambha and

asked them to come to Tirumalai for worship and finally blessed

them with a male child, our Nigamanta Guru, the parents of Our Swami had

the command of Lord Viraraghava Perumal and Kanakavalli Thayar,

enshrined at Tiruvellore, in a similar dream, asking them to come to

Tiruvellore for worship. Our Swami's parents, went at once to

Tiruvellore and worshipped the deities and prayed for the birth of a son to

them. It is quite evident from the subsequent happenings in Our

Swami's Life that Lord Viraraghava Perumal should have blessed the

couple, as follows: "An illustrious son will be born to you, who will

not only propagate Sri Ramanuja Sidhanta and Sri Desika'w works but

also will strengthen the Srivaishnava Sampradaya by his profound

Knowledge, Achara and Anushtana; who will in no way inferior to Sri

Desika himself in his enthusiasm and vigour in the task of Grantha

Nirmana; who will be equal to, if not better, to Sri Desika, in

Vairaghya and Virakti; who will be hailed as the undisputed "Guiding Star"

of our Sampradaya; who will be acclaimed as the authority in all

the Four Shastras; and in short, the birth of Sri Desika himself as

an Abhinava Avatara." The couple, after worship, came back to Uttamur

village and in due course, gave birth to a male child, (Our Swami), in

the year Durmukhi, in the month of Makara and in Swati Nakshatra. As

the son was born with the blessings of Lord Viraraghava Perumal of

Tiruvellore, the parents named him VIRARAGHAVAN; in the same

way as Sri Desika's parents named their son as Venkatanatha.

 

VIDYABHYASAM:

 

The parents of Our Swami, in proper time, did the ANNAPRASANA,

CHOWLA, AKSHARABHYASA etc. with all care and interest. Without

sending the child to a regular village school, the father himself taught his

son the Gadya-Padya Kavyas and also Arithmetic, English and Tamil. At the

Eighth year BRAHMOPADESAM was done. Our Swami was very

keen and interested in performing all the rituals like Sandhyavandanam

and learnt at the feet of his father all that is necessary for a

Brahmachari. At the age itself the illustrious father found the

extraordinary talent of the boy, his son, in Sahityas and also found

his keen intellect and sharpness in learning. At the age of Thirteen,

Sri Swami's marriage was performed by the parents, the Bride,

Sowbhagyavathy Lakshmi, being the daughter of Ongoor, Velamur, Samagar,

Sri.U.Ve.Govindacharya. After the marriage of Our Swami, his parents

decided to settle in Madurantakam town for the dual purpose of

worshipping Sri Raman enshrined at Madurantakam temple and also to

admit his son in the Sanskrit patasala there.

 

Incidentally, Madhurantakam, as we all know, is hailed as the "Dwayam

vilainda tirupathi" (Place where Dwaya Mantra was instructed by

Perianambigal to Sri Bhashyakara.). Here Sri Perianambigal is enshrined

(inside the temple for Sri Raman) along with "Sri Bhashyakara-as a

Grihasta". This timely decision of Our Swami's parents, provided his

son, by the time a Budding Prodigy, chances to come into contact with

eminent pandits and scholars who adorned the Sanskrit Patasala at

Madurantakam. At the time, the Sanskrit Patasala at Madurantakam had

the privilege of having as an instructor in Tarka Shastra,

SRI SWACHANDAM TARKA BHASKARA, SRINIVASACHARYA SWAMI. Our

Swami came into contact with the great Tarka-Shastra genius and it took

no time for him to detect the hidden genius in the boy. He readily

took him as his disciple and Our Swami endeared himself to his master

very soon that the boy was treated more or less like a member of the

household.

 

Our Swami spent most of his time in Sri Swacchandam Swami's

presence like "an iron bit attracted to a magnet".

 

PANCHA SAMSKARAM:

 

By about this time Sri U.Ve.Paramahamsa Parivrajaka, Sri

Vedaantaramanuja Maha Desikan, popularly known as TIRUPATHI

SWAMI, during his Sanchara, came to Madurantakam. Our Swami's

father approached him, fell at his feet and prayed to perform the

"Pancha Samskaram" for his son. Sri Tirupathi Swamy, though felt

very glad, still instructed Our Swami's father himself to do the Pancha

Samskara to his son. But Our Swami's father desired that he wanted

his son to come into the fold of Sri Tirupathi Swami, so that, his

son's Acharya Parampara for Brahmavidya Adhyayana also could be achieved

simultaneously. Sri Tirupathi Swami then tested Our Swami

in Kavyas like Lakshmi Sahasra etc. and found out the hidden genius.

He then performed the "Samasrayana" and instructed Sri Swachandam

Swami to start lessons in Tarka Shastra without wasting even a

minute. Immediately an auspicious day was chosen and the budding

boy-prodigy was initiated into the mysteries of TARKA SHASTRA, by the

Tarka Shastra authority, Sri Swami had not wasted even a minute in

his stay at Madurantakam and had already studied CHAMPU NATAKA

GRANTHAS under Sri Garudapuram Swami, Srinivasa Maha Desikan, who in his

Poorvasramam was staying in the same town. Side by side, Our Swami

studied VYAKARANA SIDHANTA KAUMUDI under Sri Tiruvengadacharya

Swami. Our Swami did not neglect the VEDA ADHYAYANAM also. He joined

other students and learnt UPAUKTA VEDAMSAM, ACHIDRAM, ASWAMEDHAM

and a few Kandas in SAMHITA. But Sri.Swachandam Swami did not

encourage Our Swami in Vedadhyayanam as he felt that his study of Tarka

Shastra will be hampered and delayed and also felt that the boy's genius

will be better utilised in learning Shastras.

 

At that time, Sri Kothimangalam Tirumalai Nallan Chakravarti Gopalacharya

Maha Desikan who specially was invited to Madurantakam for this purpose. In

spite of that, Sri Swachandam Swami devoted enough time to give instructions

in Tarka to our Swami. Sri Swachandam Swamy himself studied Tarka Shastra

under the famous MYSORE DHARMADHIKARI RAJAVALLABHA TARKA VEDANTA SHASTRA

SUPRASIDHA Sri.U.Ve.KASTURI RANGACHAR SWAMI. While the Tarka lessons were

going on, Sri Swachadam Swami had a request and offer from MAHAMAHOPADHYAYA

KUPPUSWAMI SASTRIGAL, to join the Sanskrit college at Tiruvaiyyaru as the

Professor in Tarka. With a little persuasion, Our Swami's father, in the

beginning hesitated to send his only son away from him, he being a scholar

himself, knew that ("Aarambhasya antagamanam, Dvitiyam Budhilakshanam.") job

once started should be completed at any cost and finally agreed to send his

son to Tiruvaiyaru.

 

Let us read further in the next part :-)

AchAryan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

aDiyEn dAsan

 

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