abhinava desika Sri UtthamUr Swamy Divya Charitham-6

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SrI:

Sri Padmavathi Sametha Srinivasa Parabrahmane Namaha.

Sri Perundhevi Sametha Devadhiraja Parabrahmane Namaha.

SrimathE Bhagavad Ramanujaya Namaha:

SrimathE Nigamantha Mahadesikaya namaha:

Srimate Rangaramanuja Maha Desikaya Namaha.

Srimate Abhinava Desika Vatsya Satchakravarti Uttamur SRI

VIRARAGHAVARYA MAHA DESIKAYA NAMAHA

 

SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |

vedAntAcArya-varyome sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||

 

Thanian (Invocatory verse on Sri UttamUr swamy written by

Swamy's AchAryan Sri Kozhiyalam Swamy himself)

 

adbhutam yasya vikrAntam vEda vIthI ViSOdhanE |

aparam nigamAntAryam prapadyE vIrarAghavam ||

 

Let us continue with the divya charitham of Sri UttamUr Swamy.

 

[Article in Tamil by SrI PayyampADi VEnkatavaradAchArya SwAmi; English

write up (based on Tamil) 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]

 

While returning to Kargudi, Our Swami heard that his Revered Acharya,

Sri Koliyalam Swami, now a Sanyasi, under the name of Sri

Rangaramanuja Maha Desikan, was staying in Pudagraharm Village. At

once Our Swami rushed to him and prostrated before him with tears of

joy at the sight of his Acharya.

 

While he was paying his homage to him, the people around him which

included his own Principal and other colleagues, told him that they

have requested Sri Koiliyalam Swami to stay on in Pudagraharam for

his Chaturmasya so that Our Swami could complete his Sri Bhashya

Kalakshepam. The Principal and others had already made all the

arrrangements for Sri Koiliyalam Swami to stay and the Principal

asked Our Swami to immediately move into Pudagraharam Village which

is on the other bank of Kaveri river.

 

The Principal also gave Our Swami permission to attend the college

after the Kalakshepam, after 12 noon, every day. Our Swami was so much

thrilled at the kindness of all those people and at once shifted his

residence to Pudagraharam. Sri Koliyalam Swami was very happy to have

got the chance to continue the Sri Bhashya Kalakshepam to Our Swami.

It so happened that the Chaturmasya Sankalpam extended to three

months, being a Mala Masa. The Kalakshepam got completed without

further delay and at the end, the villagers and Principal thanked Sri

Koliyalam Swami for his kindness to stay on for the sake of Our

Swami's Kalakshepam. Sri Koliyalam Swami also expressed his full

satisfaction and praised the capacity of Our Swami for his Grahana

Sakthi During the Kalakshepam, his capacity for the proper Grantha

Anvayam, and his Inquiring mind for further discussion and also his

capacity to retain all that he learnt and his capacity to reproduce

what he had learnt. He also said all this was because Our Swami had

the blessings of his own Acharya, Sri Tirupathi Swami by whom the

Pancha Samskaram was done to Our swami's father to initiate his

son

to undergo the Samasrayanam by Sri Tirupathi Swami. After that, Sri

Koliyalam Swami, continued his pilgrimage, promising to continue the

Kalakshepam on other Granthas at appropriate times. Our Swami at

different times followed his Revered Acharya in his Sancharam and

completed his gita Bhashya at Paiyambadi village, the Kalakshepam of

Srimad Rahasyatraya Saram at Mettupalayam village and Bhagavad

Vishayam at Tiruchanur Asramam.

 

The Study of Sri Bhashya with Srutaprakasika and also the study of

the other four Shastras under appropriate masters helped him to

command a great regard and respect, at such an early age, not only at

Pudugraharam village but also at places like Mannargudi where pandits

from South Tamil Nadu assembled, which Our Swami attended on

invitation. Before settling down to a more strict Achara and

Anushtana, he started on his pilgrimage to Divya Kshetras in North

India after obtaining permission from his Revered Acharya, Sri

Koliyalam Swami. On his Acharya's suggestion he also took with

him as

companion, his Sateertiya, Sri Nilameghacharya, a Brahmachari. They

used to travel during nights and during daytime stay in wayside

Vaishnavite villages and spent the day doing Upanyasams on Sri Desika

Sampradaya in Sanskrit while the local pandits translated the same in

local languages, to the audience. This took four months for them to

reach Calcutta. There, Our Swami met Sri Brindavan Dharanidharachar

Swami. He came to know about Our Swami's erudition and knowledge

of

Vedanta and the other Shastras, and he took him to Sri Mangniram

Sait, the Vaishnavite Lakshathipathi and Patron of Vaishnava pandits,

especially from Sri Desika Sampradaya. During discussion on a request

from Sri Magneeram Sait, Our Swami agreed to stay in Pushkaram for

some time and propagate Sri vaishnava Sampradaya and do Vedanta

Pravachana. After a short visit to Madurantakam, as he got repeated

calls from Pushkaram, Our Swami decided to go to Pushkaram with the

dual purpose of spreading Sri vaishnava Sampradaya in North India and

also to get the opportunity to have the holy bath at Purshkara

Teertam daily which is sacred and difficult to get for

people from south. At Pushkaram, which is full of Vaishnavites from

south he could lead a life without detriment to Achara and Anushtana

and also worship at the temple of Lord Rama Vaikunta, in which Pooja

is being done by Vaishnavite priests with great care and Achara

mostly from well known families from Kanchipuram.

 

During his stay at Pushkaram, Local Vaishnavite pandits, who were

cent percent qualified to undergo Vedanta Adhyayana, came to Our

Swami and the Kalakshepa Gosti was conducted with all enthusiasm.

During his stay, Our Swami agreed to a request from one of his

disciples to dictate a Kandanam to a local commentary on Muktavali

grantha. The local pandit took notes and published the same

afterwards. After sometime, the cold climate did not agree with Our

Swami and he came back to the South once for all, for good.

After his return, Our Swami proceeded to Thiruvadhindrapuram to pay

his homage to his Revered Acharya, Sri Koliyalam Swami. There, he

found, that his Acharya was in a failing health and he stayed on for

some more time and helped his Acharya to finalise a Grantha written

by him and made it fit for printing. Side by side, Our Swami

finalised his own commentary on Sri Desika's ISAVASYOPANISHAD

BHASHYA

called ACHAYRA BHASHYA TATPARYAM.

 

Let us enjoy further in next post...

AchAryan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

aDiyEn dAsan