Andavan Ashramam Acharya Guru Parampara - 10

[Guest guest]

Srimathe Ranga Ramanuja Maha Desikaya NamahaSri Ranganatha Divya Mani Padhukabhyam Namaha

Acharya parampara of Srimath Andavan Ashramam continues in this

posting with Srimath Thirukkudanthai Andavan - Sri Vedantha Ramanuja

Mahadesikan

 

Srimath Thirukkudanthai Andavan: Thirunakshatram: Panguni - Pushyam

 

Thanian:

Srimath vedhantha ramanuja munikarunalabdha vedhantha yugmamSrimath

Srivasa yogeeswara gurupadhayorarpithaswathma

MS'">bharamSrimath Sri ranganathahvaya munikrupaya praptha

mokshasramam thamSrimath Vedhantha ramanuja munimaparam samsraye

normal">desikendram

Given below is the history of Srimath Thirukkudanthai Andavan –

Srivedantha ramanuja maha desikan,who took Srirangam Srimath Andavan

periAsramam to glorious heights of growth spreading it literally

across length and breadth of the country.

AvataramSrimath Thirukkudanthai Andavan was in the born in a small

village called “ karukudi” (situated next to Thirukkandiyur in

Tanjore district) in the banks of river Kaveri in the Parabhava year

- Panguni month

–with pushyam as his birth star -( 1907) to Sri. U.Ve.

Padmanabhachariar and Komalavalli devi. He was named as

“Srinivasaraghavan” He was fondly called by everybody as

‘Kannan”.Kannan swami was taken to Srirangam periAsramam many a times

by his father during His childhood days. He used to observe the paduka

Aradhanam being

performed there and when he came back to kudanthai, he will play with

friends of his age posing himself as an acharya, wearing a cloth up to

knee height and will have a dhandam in his hand and proclaim himself

as Andavan. He will carry the water in “kottankacchi” – a dried

coconut shell ( Srirangam periAsramam is also called kottankacchi

Asramam) and distribute the “theertham” in the same way Srimath

thErezhundur Andavan used to do ( focusing both His eyes in one

direction). He will do all this with out the knowledge of his

father.Sri Padmanabhachar swami taught him the arulicheyalgals of

Alwars – Nalayira divya prabhandham at a tender age and swami

mastered the tamil vedham , before he completed 14 years. He also

learnt sAstras in Kottaiyur , under the tutelage of Sri. Seshasayee

MS'">Sri padmanabhachAr swami sent his son to Raja patasala in

Kamakshi josyar street for some time to learn more on sastras. Later

swami learnt tharka,and meemamsa,vyakarana sastras under shri

devanagar vilagam swami . He stood as a paragon, gaining extensive

knowledge in all

'Comic Sans MS'">the sastras . He also qualified for Sanskrit

Sironmani fromThiruvaiyaru Sanskrit college. Whenever Nammandavan and

Engalandavan visited Thirukkudanthai in their respective times, Sri

Kannan swami performed kalakshepams

on adhyatma sastras under their lotus feet. One of those times,

Srimath Engalandavan performed “Bhara samarpanam” to Sri Kannan swami

in Amudhan sannidhi. Swami had been performing kainkaryam to divya

desam perumals even much before becoming Andavan.

 

Life as a GruhastaBy the age of 14, swami having mastered the whole of

Divya prabhadham became a leading member in the adhyapaka ghosti. At

the age of 16, He got married to Sri vedavalli ammal. She was the

sixth daughter of Neduntheru krishnaswamy

Iyengar. For his livelihood, swami started giving upanyasams at a very

young age. Swami used to visit Tanjore , every Sunday to render

kalakshepams on Geetha Bhashyam. Four sons and two daughters were

born to swami in his

gruhasthasramam. After his father’s demise, swami with the blessings

of his Acharya, went to Chennai to take care of his family needs.

Move to ChennaiWhen swami went to chennai, Akkur varadachar swami, an

ardent devotee of sreemad Akkur Andavan,and a great business magnet ,

requested Him to stay in his thirumaligai and arranged for swami’s

rendering of kalakshepams in various sabhas

through out the city. Kannan swami had His own distinct and inimitable

style of rendering upanyasam. It simply mesmerized the listeners who

were always seeking more at the end of His upanyasams. At that time

His contemporaries in upanyasams were stalwarts such as

karppangaduvenkatachariar swami, kanchi vidwan prathivadhi bhayankaram

Annangarachariar swami. As a parent, Swami performed his duties very

well by giving good education to his children and led his

gruhastasrama in a blessed manner

FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'">

His Acharya Bhakti which was so deep rooted in his heart prompted him

to visit Srirangam several times to seek the blessings of Srimath

Thembarai Andavan. Srimath Thembarai Andavan,seeing his Acharya

bhakthi not only ordained him to look after the administration

FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'">affairs of the Asramam ( by appointing

him as Sri karyam of the Asramam) but also commanded Him to stay

permanently in Srirangam.

 

In 1963, Srimath Thembarai Andavan became very weak and emaciated due

to strict Ahara niyamams and old age and wanted to nominate His

successor to adorn the Acharya peetam. Sri Kannan swami who had

unassuming Acharya

bhakthi, rigorous observance ofanushtanams, and great administrative

skills immediately came to his mind. This very thought made Srimath

Andavan feel happy and His Holiness apprised Sri kannan swami about

this and was optimistic that Sri Kannan swami would oblige.

10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'">

 

Taking up sanyasamSrimath Thembarai Andavan became weaker as the days

passed by. So His Holiness gave upadesam on “Preksha manthram” and

“Mokshasrama Ahnika Anushtanam” to three vidwans of the Asramam -

U.Ve. Sri. Kannan swami(the incumbent for the succession,) U.Ve. Sri.

Mysore GopalachAr swami( who later on became Srimath Mysore Andavan in

the year 1988) and Mannargudi Ganapadi vidwAn U.Ve. Sri.

Narasimhacharya swami , to be ready and take up sanyasam any time

when called.

 

When swami was in chennai, Srimath Andavan’s niyamanam kept on

occurring to his mind and swami appeared to be reluctant in taking

up sanyasam due to family circumstances.,.

Sri. Kannan swami’s son, Sri. Gopalan told his father that he had

dreamt about Srimath Thembarai Andavan telling him that He had gone

to viraja nadhi and come back and asked him to send his father

immediately and take up sanyasam. GopAlan also told his father that

he would take care of his mother (swami's dharma pathni) and asked

him to proceed to Srirangam. Sri Kannan swamy

Sans MS'"> finally decided to prepare himself for sanyasam and

accept Srimath Thembarai Andavan’s Niyamanam.

On April 4th 1963, Srimath Andavan's condition became worse Sree

karyam Sri. U.Ve. kannan swami was informed of Srimath Andavan’s

health and immediately kannan swamy rushed up to Srirangam. On His

arrival, arrangements

were speeded up for His thureeyasrama sweekaram. Early morning the

next day i.e. on 5th april, 1963 (Friday, sukla dwadasi, makam

star), in the presence of sishyas, His Holiness Srimath Thembarai

Andavan ordained the ascetic order to Sri U.Ve. Kannan Swami

EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"> who was named as Srimath Vedanta

Ramanuja mahaDesikan and within few hours on the same day (April 5th

1963) Tembarai Andavan adorned Thirunadu . This illustrious Acharya

Peetam of Srimath Andavan,developed centrally on His Holiness

Thirukkudanthai

EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';

mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"> Srimath

Andavan vedantha ramanuja maha desikan.He was a great scholar in

Nyaya, Vyakarana, and so

mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;

mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">much he was at ease in the recitals of

Nalayira Divya Prabhandham, Srimath Ramayanam, Bhagavath Vishayam and

sukthis, Having taken to ascetic order, casting away plentitude of

wealth , this great Acharya had assimilated in himself extreme, rigid

and rigorous life of a sanyasi, the strict austerity and highly

puritan life

EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';

mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"> of his

predecessors scorning all luxuries. Sancharam

EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Poorvacharyas like Sri Periandavan,

Sri Nammandavan and Sri Akkoor Andavan went by padayatra to places

such as Melkote, Mysore, Kanchi, Ariyakkudi,sethu. Srimath Andavan

covered over 30000 km by foot from sethu to Himachalam through out

the length and the

'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language:

AR-SA">breadth of the country and set up various Asramams in places

very far away from South India.

mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;

mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">During His time, Srimath Andavan Asramam

grew leaps and bounds throughout the country. This was truly a golden

period in the annals of the Asramam as it

New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times

New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">

witnessed itself a phenomenal growth and a meteoric rise. His

Holiness constructed many Asramams

'Comic Sans MS'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language:

EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">throughout the country during His

period and also conducted many Temple samprokshanams,Yagnams, Homams

and performed mangalasasanams of various Divya desams,

12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;

mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language:

EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"> Vijaya yathras from Kanniyakumari

to Badrinath and held Many Vidvath Sadas to name a few.

10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;

mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Srimath

Andavan observed 26 chathurmasyams spanning 26 years from 1963 to

1989 and reached Thirunadu on Vibhava varusham –panguni

madham-Krishna panjami day (10-04-1989) leaving behind thousands of

grieving disciples

mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">and admirers,

whose divine anubhavams with His Holiness during His life time remain

carved in their memory forever.

mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';

mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">In the next

posting adiyen will continue with the history of acharyas beginning

with Srimath Mysore Andavan.

Srimath Andavan Thiruvadi

Perungadambanur Parthasarathy Sreenivasan

(of Besant Nagar)

Start your day with - make it your home page