The Mutisided genius of Swamy Desikan as an AchAryan: Part I

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear Swamy Desika BhakthAs:

 

The abundant genius of Swamy Desikan flows brilliantly

through every one of His SrI Sookthis , be it Kaavyams,

SthOthrams , Prakarana granthams on VisishtAdhvaitha darsanam,

Para Matha KaNdannam , Rahasya granthams in MaNipravALam ,

Tamil Prabhandhams (Desika Prabhandhams) and VyAkyAna

granthams or silpa saasthram or Geography et al.

 

His genius is versatile and mutifaceted earning the titles

of Sarva Tantra Svatantrar and VedAntha AchAryan from the dhivya dampathis

of SrIrangam . He did nothing but extoll Sri Bahgavad RaamAnuja

SiddhAntham in His philosophical, religious SrI Sookthis.

SrI BhaAshyam , Bhagavad GitA BhAshyam ,Gadhya Thryam of

AchArya RaamAnujA were his daily diet. He wrote commentaries

for GithArtha Sangraha (GithArtha Sangraha Rahsha) and

ChathuslOki of Yaamuna Muni. His commentary on Swamy NammAzhwAr's

ThiruvAimozhi is housed in the two SrI Sookthis of

DramidOpanishad Taathparya RathnAvaLI and

DhramidOpanishad Saara ; due to our misfortune ,

His elaborate Tamil commentary on ThiruvAimozhi

known as Nigama ParimaLam or the Seventy Four thousand

collect is lost to posterity.

 

His magnum opus , SrImad Rahasya Thraya Saaram and its

sequel, VirOdha ParihAram as well as the ChillaRai

rahasyams are elaborations of doctrines that Bhagavad RaamAnuja

developed from the ancient VisishtAdhvaitha Darsanam .

 

In any one of these works, Swamy Desikan was rooted in

the Bhagavad RaamAnuja SiddhAntham and elaborated

on them and defended this parama VaidhIka darsanam.

 

adiyEn plans to post a series on Swamy Desikan's SrI Sookthis

to salute the many sided genius of this Great Ubhaya VedAntha

AchArya Saarva Bhouman.

 

adiyEn will cover the follwing SrI Sookthis during

the next few months:

 

1. Nyaya Parisuddhi and NyAya SiddhAnjanam ,

where Swamy Desikan attempted and succeeded

in the unification of NyAya and VedAnta.

NyAya Parisuddhi intreprets the NyAya SoothrAs

of Gouthama in a way that is not opposed to

VisishtAdhvaitha darsanam. In this scholastic

work, Sawmy Desikan examines tersely NyAya SoothrAs

in the light of Brahma SoothrAs of Sage BadarAyana

and criticizes the commentaries of VatsyAyana

and UdayanA on NyAya SoothrAs, which refute

Brahma SoothrAs.

 

While NyAya Parisuddhi deals exclusively with

the unification of NyAya and vedAnta through

the route of PramANAs( Means of Knowledge) ,

NyAya SiddhAnjana (NS)continues with the same

effort of unification with the use of PramEyAs or

the objects of valid knowledge . NS has been considered

as the second part of NyAya Parisuddhi.

 

Swamy Desikan completed the effort to unify NyAya-

VaisEshika Systems with VedAnta started by Swamy

Naatha Muni in His NyAya TatthvA and Swamy ALavanthAr

in His Aathma siddhi. Swamy Desikan achieved a grand

synthesis of the systems of NyAya and VedAnta in

conformity with the VedAs, Smruthi , Soothra granthAs

and the SrI Sookthis of AchArya RaamAnujA to strengthen

SrI VisishtAdhavaitha system of Philosophy.

 

2. Meemsa PaadhukA and Seswara MeemAmsa: The MeemAmsa

PaadhukA is a metrical SrI Sookthi (173 verses in

the majestic Sragdhara metre ) and analyses the MeemAmsa

Saasthram developed by Sage Jaimini in the form of SoothrAs.

Jaimini's MeemAmsam is recognized as Poorva MeemAmsam

and His AchAryan , Sage Veda VyAsa's MeemAmsa is celebrated

as Utthara MeemAmsa. Poorva MeemAmsa deals with the study

of Dharma and Utthara Meemsa focuses on the study of

Brahman. Swamy Desikan condemned the NirIswara Vaadham

developed by the commentators of Jaimini's Poorva Meemsa

Soothras and established the true and inner meanings of

those Soothrams . Swamy Desikan demonstrated that the soothrAs

of Poorva MeemAmsam are in harmony with the Brahma SoothrAs

(Utthara MeemAmsam ) of Sage BadarAyana . Swamy Desikan

proves in the Seswara MeemAmsa SrI Sookthi that Sage Jaimini

accepted Isvaran as the Universal Lord (Jagath KaaraNan,

jagath rakshakan ) . Swamy Desikan goes on to establish

through these two SrI Sookthis on MeemAmsa that the Poorva

and Utthara MeemAmsa SaasthrAs are Eka SaasthrAs and are

not inconsistent with each other.

 

Recently , SrIman P.N.Sridharan Swamy mentioned about

a brilliant and clear commentary on the first 12 chapters

of Sage Jaimini that appeared in the precursor journal

to Nrusimha PriyA . adiyEn hopes that he will summarize

those articles or publish them in toto for the benefit of

all AastikAs.

 

Returning to the two SrI Sookthis of Swamy Desikan on

MeemAmsa, the summary of these two granthams as recorded

by an author , who prefers to be anonynous in SrI ThUppul

MangaLAsAsana Malar of 1993 are:

 

(a)MeemAmsa Saasthram is a commentary on Vedam and hence

there is no contradiction between the two MeemAmsams.

 

(b)Jaimini Maharishi has established in Poorva MeemAmsa

that Isvaran (SrIman NaarAyaNan) has to be worshipped by

karmAs prscribed by VedAs to attain the appropriate fruits.

 

©DEvathAs have roopan (sarIram ) and their preethi yields

the fruits of karmAs ( vedic rites). SrIman NaarAyaNan is

the antharyAmi (indweller ) of all the Devathais and empowers

the DevathAs .

 

(d)Dharmam is of two kinds : Siddham ( that which can not

be executed by us) and Saadhyam (that which can be

undertaken by us: Yaagam et al ). Jaimini had both

dharmams in mind , when he blessed us with Poorva MeemAmsa

soothrams.

 

(e)The darsanam that states Brahmam is sathyam (UNmai) and

the prapancham (jagath) is unreal (Poy)is not consistent

with the VedAs (Veda Virudhdam).Like Brahman ,the items

referred to in Poorva MeemAmsam like karmAs , their fruits ,

the jeevan that performs these karmAs are all real.

 

(f)In the third chapter Soothram , Jaimini refers to

sEshathvam loudly. He defines seshathva lakshanam as

" sEsha: parArthvAth". That which exists for the upakAram of

others is Sesham. That which uses that UpakAram is sEshi.

Sage VyAsa in his Utthara MeemAmsa defines the sentient Jeevan

(chethanam) and the insentient achEthanam are the Sesham

for the ParamAthmA , who is Sarva Seshi in His soothrams:

" TadhInathvAth arTavath" .

 

We conclude with a meaningful prayer by an AchAryan of recent times:

 

VishNurEva Param brahma jign~Asyam Tatthvam utthamam

MeemAmsA Saasthra-samvEdhyam ithi prOktham GurUtthamai:

VijayathAm Gurupankthi sikhAmaNi:VijayathAm YathirAja Mathadhvaja:

VijayathAm kavitArkika KesarI VijayathAm NigamAntha GurUtthama:

 

Swamy Desikan ThriuvadigaLE SaraNam

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan