Andavan Ashramam Acharya Guru Parampara - 6

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Srimathe Ranga Ramanuja Maha Desikaya namaha:

Acharya parampara of Srimath Andavan Ashramam continues in this

posting with Srimath Chinnandavan - Sri Paduka Sevaka Ramanuja

Mahadesikan

Srimath Chinnandavan

Thirunakshatram: Karthigai - Magam Thaniyan:

Sriman naatha muneendra yaamuna muni Srisamya mindraathmanaha Sri

Srivasa muneendra desika mane: praapthaaga maanthath dvayam

Sri rangesha padhe thadharpithabharam Sri paadukasevaka Sri ramanuja

yoginam guruvaram vandhe dayasagaram

Karthigai - Magam is the thirunakshtram day of one of the foremost and

illustrious acharyas of Srirangam Srimath Andavan Periasramam, Srimath

Chinnandavan - Sri Paduka Sevaka ramanuja maha desikan.

This mahan was born in the year sarvadhari (1828), in the month of

Karthigai in a hamlet called velliyanallur. His janma nakshatram is

Magam. He belonged to satamarshana gothra. His father, Sri Krishna

Thathacharya. named his son as Srinivasaraghavan. It is a great

coincidence that two other Acharyas in this illustrious lineage who

adorned the peetam were also named as Srinivasaraghavan in their

poorvasramam namely Srimath Periandavan who was Srimath

Chinnandavan’s direct predecessor and the other Acharya was none

other than the famous Srimath Thirukkudanthai Andavan who was

instrumental in spreading the Periasrama parampara to length and

breadth of the country and made it reach dizzy heights of glory in

our sampradaya.

Younger days of Srimath Chinnandavan

Sri Krishna Thathacharya performed upayanam and other vaithika

samskarams to his son at the right age. SrinivasarAghavan swami also

underwent veda adhyayanam and learnt kavya alankara grantham. He went

to Mysore. And There He met SriRama Sastri who was the Asthana vidwan

of the Mysore raja samsthanam. He learnt nyaya sastras and advaita

philosophy under his tutelage and thus became an exponent With his

radiant brilliance. he even cleared the doubts Sri sastri encountered

on sastraic research and earned his awe and accolades. In particular,

swami was extremely proficient in tharka sastras. He went to

Srirangam in pursuit of the studying ampradhaya granthas and reached

the holy hermitage of Srimath Periandavan who was the paragon of

Gnana and vairaghya and prayed at His holy feet for the same.

Observing Srinivasaraghavan Swami, Srimath Periandavan was very much

pleased with His modesty and His sastraic knowledge and accepted Him

as His sishya.

He rendered Grantha chathustayam ( namely Srimath Rahasya thraya

saram, Geetha Bhashyam, Sri Bhashyam and bhagavath vishayam) and

satha dhooshani to Srinivasaraghavan. Srinivasaraghavan swami went

back to vellianallur after completing the kalakshepam. i

Taking up sanyasa

When swami was in vellianallur observing his panca kala anushtanams

and leading a very regimented life of a true srivaishnava

paramAikanthi, Srimath Periandavan due to His severe penance and

austere life, became very weak.. For the sampradaya to continue to

flourish and grow, Srimath Periandavan wanted to choose His successor

..After makingseveral tests,Peria Andavan decided that

Srinivasaraghavan swami was the right person to succeed Him as the

acharya of the periasramam. In the meantime, Periandavan’s health

deteriorated.

Srinivasaraghavan swami went back to Srirangam from vellianallur and

prostated before srimath periandavan and prayed to him that he be

granted sanyasa. With great modesty, he went through the explanation

of qualification of oneself to take up sanyasa thereby indicating his

readiness for the same. swAmi told srimath periandavan that he did

"Sarvasanga parithyagam", completely renouncing samsara bhandham and

prayed to Srimath periandavan to grant Him sanyasa. Srimath

periandavan was filled with extreme happiness to have chosen the

right successor and granted Srinivasaraghavan swami, sanyasa on an

auspicious day. He was given the title "Sri Paduka sevaka ramanuja

maha desikan".

Since both were Acharyas together at the same time, they were fondly

called as periandavan and chinnandavan by the sishyas and admirers

alike. This period lasted for a very short duration though with

Srimath periandavan reaching parama padam within 4 months of Srimath

chinnandavan taking up sanyasa.

Srimath chinnandavan was serving as guiding light of the sampradaya

and authored rarest of several granthas when he was the Acharya of

the periasramam- They are as follows:

1. Ahnikartha prakasikai 2.Sri Jayanthi nirnayam 3.ukthyacharya nishta

vicharam 4.sathpadha rakshai 5. Janmashtami nirnayam ..6.thathkrathu

nyaya vicharam.7.Acharya sambavanai kramam...8.Aasowcha sangam

Sishya parampara:- Several erudite scholars became the disciples of

srimath chinnandavan, foremost being:- 1.Eyunni SriVaradhachar

swamy(who later became Terazhundur Andavan) 2 Sri Villiputhur

Ammalachar swami 3.Vidvan ukkur Srinivasaraghavachar.4.Akkur

Srinivasaraghavachar. 5..Vidvan Tembarai Ramabadrachar

Yathra

Srimath chinnandavan traveled to Sri kanchi from Srirangam and gave

several sampradayic pravachanams(discourses) during His yathra and

came back to Srirangam.

Srimath Chinnandavan attained Thirunadu at the age of 68 leaving

behind grieving disciples in the year Vijaya (1895), on the sukla

sapthami thithi in the tamil month of Thai. Swami was in

thureeyasramam was 10 years observing that many chaturmasyams.

 

Srimath Kadanthethi Andavan

Thirunakshatram: Aavani-Moolam

Thanian

Srimath Srivasa yogi pravarasa kaaruNa paanghasanghaadha BHangaath

VEdhaantha dvandva vidhya madhu rasa lahari chchanchari kaayamaaNaha

THEnaachaaryENa ranga prabhu charaNa yugE daththa rakshaa BharaSri:

Srimath Srivasa raamaavaraja muNimaNis santhatham srEyasE syaath

Srimath KAdandhEthi Andavan was born in the Avani month of Virodhi

varusham (1829 A.D) in Moolam nakshatram in a village just south of

river KAveri called KAdandhEthi to Srimathi Janaki Ammal and Sri

RaghunAthAchar. Sri RaghunAthAchar was performing kainkaryam to

Srimath Thiruthuraipoondi Andavan, the second Andavan of Srimath

Andavan Ashramam. The child was named Sri Varada VedAnthAchAriAr. He

was initiated into Brahmacharyam with upanayanam at the prescribed

age and was taught vEdAs and upanishads. He learnt Tharka ShAstras in

,RajamannAr Koil under the tutelage of Sri U.Ve. SamiyAchchAr swAmi.

In his young days itself Sri Varada VedAnthAchAriar, with sincere

devotion and strong vairAgyam meditated on the sacred Moola manthram,

AshtAkshara manthram and gAyathri manthram vigrorously and attained

manthra sidhdhi and power. Later he visited Mysore Asthanam and

further mastered in tharka shAstrAs from Mysore samasthAna vidwan

named Aakki Azhwan. During this period he also received Sri

Hayagreeva ManthrOpadEsam from Sri Parakala Jeeyar Swami and Sri

Nrusimha ManthrOpaDesam from Sri Ahobila Matam Azhagiyasingar. Thus

he attained various manthra sidhdhi and SathAvadAna shakthi at a very

young age as a bramhachAri. He mastered the four shAstras and also had

poetic prowess as an "Aasu Kavi".

Sri Varada VedAnthAchAriar was married at the age of 35. Immediately

after his marriage, he started on a yathra and visited various

samasthAnams.

At Nagapattinam ,a request from the town’s Tashildar Sri Rangaswami

Nayakkar, Sri Varada Vedanthachariar swami displayed his Satavadhana

skills in Vellipalayam Krishna Sannidhi. (Sathavadanam is a skill

where the person performing this skill will tackle 100 questions or

acts at the same time). The people were awed by this display. At the

end, he asked a palanquin to be brought and he got into the

palanquin. He asked it to be lifted only in the back of the

palanquin. With his manthra sidhdhi he went on a procession in the

palanquin, with no one lifting the front side of the palanquin.

At Thirumala, he was gifted an ivory Planquin as a sanmAnam on one

occasion. He later donated this palanquin to Swami Desikan Sannidhi

at Thirucherai. He stayed in Thirupati till he completed 60 years.

At Thirukkudanthai

After celebrating his sasthiabdapoorthy at Tirumala, he desired to

come and live in Thirukkudanthai. He sold his properties at Tirupathi

and came to Thirukkudanthai. He purchased a house in Sri Aravamdhan

Sannidhi Street and stayed there. He did many kainkaryams and

ubhayams at the sannidhi of Sri Aravamudhan. He was very much devoted

to Sri Komalavalli Thaayar and donated a Simha Vahanam for Komalavalli

ThAyAr.

Swami’s Compositions

Adbudha vAmanam". Aaraat Prabhandham Swapna Sathakam" When his

eyesight had weakened considerably due to his old age, he composed a

grantham called "Sri Komala Dandakam" on Thirukkudanthai Komalavalli

Thayaar. . By reciting this wonderful grantham he regained his vision

completely. HH Kadenthethi Andavan had a special attachment to

Komalavalli Thayar.He has given a Gold Karai ( Jewel ) and a Silver

Simha vahana to Thayar

Srimath Chinnandavan attained Thirunadu at the age of 68 leaving

behind grieving disciples in the year Vijaya (1895), on the sukla

sapthami thithi in the tamil month of Thai.. In 1905 after 11 years

without acharya, Andavan sishyas went to Thirukkudanthai. Having

known the greatness and gnana, anushtana and vairagyam of Sri Varada

Vedanthachariar, Andavan Ashramam sishyas went to Thirukkudanthai and

requested him to become their Acharya , to continue the Andavan

Sampradhayam.

Sri Varada Vedanthachariar was already 76 years old then. He decided

to accept the sanyasa ashramam with the intent of satisying the

longing of Andavan sishyas for an Acharya and also with the intent of

appointing Therezundur Varadachariar as the next Andavan at an

appropriate time.

38th pattam Thirukkudanthai Azagiyasingar

He approached 38th pattam Azhagiyasingar Srimath Srinivasa Sadagopa

yatheendra Mahadesikan (Thirukkudanthai Azagiyasingar) with other

Andavan sishyas and requested him to give sanyasa ashramam to him.

Sri Varadha Vedanthachariar accepted the Preksha manthram and sanyasa

ashramam from Srimath Azhagiyasingar and became the 6th Andavan of

Andavan Ashramam in Avani month of 1905 (Tamil year Visvavasu) at

Nrusimhapuram in front of hundreds of sishyas of Andavan Ashramam,

Ahobila Matam and srivaishnavas of Tirukkudanthai. He was given the

name "Srinivasa Ramanuja Mahadesikan" and was called as

Thirukkudanthai Andavan and also as Kadandethi Andavan. An Andavan

thiruvadi, Tiruvaheendrapuram Ashtavadani Sri Anathachariar composed

and offered the tanian "Srimath SrivAsa yOgi.." for Kadandethi

Andavan at the sannidhi of Sri Ranganatha Perumal. But due to his old

age, Srimath Andavan used to faint and lose conciousness during

pravachanam.

Srimath Nammandavan

In 1908, as Srimath Andavan was getting older and weaker day by day,

he decided it was time to hand over the Acharya peetam to

Therezhundur swami and communicated this to him through his sishyas.

On hearing this, Therezhundur swami rushed to Srirangam leaving his

family and properties. He gave all the manthra powers of saptha koti

(7 crores) Thiruvastaakshara manthram he had earned to Therezhundur

swami and said it will help in his winning over everyone to our

sath-sampradayam. He gave preksha manthram and sanyasa ashramam to

Theruzhundur swami in Aug 1908 (tamil year Keelakam) and made him the

7th Andavan with title Srimath Vedantha Ramanuja Mahadesikan who was

also called as Nammandavan and Therezundur Andavan. After having

restored the Andavan Ashramam sampradayam to its glory and after

appointing a great avathara pursha like Nammandavan as the succeeding

Acharya, Srimath Kadandethi Andavan graced His sishyas in leela vibuti

for 6 more months and in early 1909 attained

Thirunadu (Tamil year Keelaka, Masi month, Krishna paksham, Dwadasi

thithi) after 3 chaturmasyams at the age of 79 years.

In the next posting adiyen will continue with the history of acharyas

beginning with Srimath NammAndavan.

Srimath Andavan Thiruvadi

Perungadambanur Parthasarathy Sreenivasan

(of Besant Nagar)

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