Andavan Ashramam Acharya Guru Parampara - 12

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Srimathe Ranga Ramanuja Maha Desikaya NamahaSri Ranganatha Divya Mani Padhukabhyam Namaha

Acharya parampara of Srimath Andavan Ashramam continues in this

posting with Srimath Srimushnam Andavan - Sri Ranga Ramanuja

Mahadesikan. Adiyen has used some references from the postings of Sri

R. Rajagopalan ( in Sri Ranganatha Paduka in his article Looking Back

and Looking forward) and Sri. C.G.Balaji (reg. our Andavan Swamy's

sri sookthis in His purvasramam). This is the first of the two

postings on Prakrutham Andavan. Second part will be published soon.

 

Srimath Srimushnam Andavan: Thirunakshatram: Vaikasi - Thiruvadhirai

 

Thanian:

VEdhAntha lakshmana muneendra krupAtthabOdhamThadpAdha

yugmasaraseeruha brungha rAjamThraiyantha yugma kruthaboori

parisramamthamSriranga lakshmana munim saranam prapadhyE

 

(Meaning of the Tanian)

We prostrate at the holy feet of Sri Ranga Ramanauja Maha Desikan

who had his Bhara samarpanam at the holy feet of Vedhantha

Ramanuja Maha Desikan. Having gained the wealth of Sri sampradayic

knowledge/Ubhaya Vedhanthams from his Acharya, he whirrs as a

honeybee at His lotus feet. Salutations to Srimath Ranga Ramanuja

maha Desikan

 

Prakrutham Srimad Andavan was born in Srimushnam, a swayam vyaktha

Kshethra, in south arcot district, on a Vaikasi –ArudrA day in Yuva

varusham 03-06-1935 to U .Ve. Srinivasachariar and sri Kumudhavalli,

belonging to to the illustrious lineage of swayamAchArya purushAs.

His great great grand father Sri Nadu nattu Narayanachar was the

prime disciple of annarya Maha Desikan .The pooravasrama name of

Srimushnam Andavan was Varahan. Varahan’s, UpanayAthi samskAram were

performed at the right

age.

 

His father was a disciple of Sangeetha kalanidhi late Tiger

Varadhachar swamy. Young Varahan used to sit by the side of his

father during those music lessons and assimilated the nuances of

Carnatic music to an astonishing degree which enabled Him to sing

ragas with mellifluous voice.

 

Sri Varahan swamy became well qualified in vEda and divya prabhanda

adhyayanams at an young age. His periappa Sri U.Ve. Srimushnam

puranam Narayanachariar taught him kAvya and nAtaka alankarA

granthAs. Swamy went to kAkumAni charity pAtasAlA(affiliated to

Madras University) in Chennai for his initial education in SastrAs.

 

In a quest to learn more about sAmAnya sAstrAs swAmy came to

sriperumbudur and learnt fully the nyAya and tharka sAstrAs. The yong

Varaha swamy qualified himself as Tharka sironmani, trained under

great teachers in Sriperumbudur Sanskrit patasala like Sri Krishna

Desika Thathachariar (father of great N.S.R. swamy) and others.

Seeing swamy’s remarkable knowledge and extreme brilliance learned

wise men who had interacted with swamy at that time, predicted that

swamy would become a maHa vidwAn and a sampradhAya pravarthakaA.

 

For some time, swami went to Andhra Pradesh and taught in Sanskrit

colleges located in Jeetical and AlwAl, close to Hydrabad. His lucid

and brilliant teaching earned a lot of accolades and he learnt to

speak and read Telugu very fluently. Swamy came back to Sriperumbudur

and passed in Tamil VidwAn exam and served as Such in Tamilnadu

Government educational service for 27 years. He lived in malayangulam

for many years and settled down at Velamur, the Birth place of

Upanishad Bhashyakkarar H.H. Ranga Ramanuja Maha Desikan. Sri

Varahachar swamy renovated and maintained the temple and performed

nithya Aradhanam all by himself for the Divya Dampathies.

 

His Holiness 44th Jeer of Sri Ahobila Mutt once conferred a special

sambavanai appreciating his extra ordinary knowledge, Vidvath and

lucid presentation. Sri srimushanam Varahachar, a tamil pandit in

Govt Secondary Education service for 27 years had His Prapatti under

His holiness Thirukkudanthai Andavan and Grantha chathushtya

Kalakshepams under His Holiness during the same time.

 

The divine message from Padukas to revered Acharya Thirukkudanthai

Andavan was that “Srimushnam Varahachariar will be your successor ,

Rest assured that this Padukasramam so beautifully nurtured by you,

will be safe in his hands and will reach much greater heights.” The

Acharya directed sri Varahachariar swamy that when the time comes he

should come forward to protect and preserve the Andavan Asrama

Paramparai meaning , that he should become his successor probably

knowing in advance that His successor H.H. Mysore Andavan may not

live long.

 

Two Great Acharyas attaining Paramapadam in quick succession in April & May 1989,

H.H.Srimadh Thirukkudanthai Andavan adorned ThirunAdu on 10.04.1989

His successor H.H.Srimad Mysore Andavan also adorned Thirunadu

(within 42 days) on 22.05.1989. Lakhs of disciples were worried,

over the continuation of Andavan Asrama Acharya parampara When the

Disciples of the Ashramam approached Sri Varahachar swamy, He had

whole heartedly accepted the call to the

religious order though he had a large family to support.

 

Exactly on the 10th day, i.e. 01-06-1989, upon the holy command made

by H.H. Thirukkudanthai Andavan earlier, Sri Varahachar Swamy with

devotion, took ascetic order, by taking the ochre ascetic robes of

sanyasam from PeriyAndavan sannadhi on Sukla Varusham- Vaikasi 19th

as Sri Ranga Ramanuja Maha Desikan, in memory of his affection

towards the illustrious Great Acharya from Velamur “Sri Upanishad

Bhashyakarar”- H.H. Sri Ranga Ramanuja Maha Desikan. The disciples of

the Asramam got convinced

that H.H.Sri Mushnam Srimad Andavan can not only carry aloft the

banner of Ashramam but also take it to further heights. H.H. is a

versatile exponent in many other sAstras such as sculpture ,

sangeetham, alankAra sAstra, Astrology, Jyothisham, politics,

construction,Ayurvedha to name a few. Swamy’s pandithyam in VedhanthA

and vyAkaranA is well known. It is also well known that His Holiness

Srimadh Andavan talks with Slesha in appropriate moments with amazing

timing and precision. It could be said that there are no literatures

left out in Tamil that swami is unaware of. It is swamy’s special

quality to quote Thiruvalluvar,Kamban,IlangO and Bharathi in His

anugraha Bashanams as and when required.

 

Srimad Andavan once beautifully sculpted a sAlagrAma perumal (which

was a little broken) to Lakshmi Hayagreeva Perumal. So many people

have wondered about His Holiness’s amazing knowledge in a wide

variety of subjects. Srimadh Andavan is well versed in Telugu also

and gives anugraha bhAshanams in that language to sishyas and

abhimanis whenever an opportunity arises. His holiness is a scholar

of unfathomable depth in many subjects under the sky.

(to be continued....)

In the next posting adiyen will continue with the second part of

history of Srimath Srimushnam Andavan.

 

Srimath Andavan Thiruvadi

P. Sreenivasan (of Besant Nagar)

--

Adiyen is attaching a rare photo (courtesy- Sri Devanathan,Chennai) of

Sri Varachar Swamy taking a holy dip at the tank of Srimath Andavan

Periasramam in Srirangam just before taking up sanyasam on 1-6-1989.

--

 

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