Guest guest Posted August 10, 2003 Report Share Posted August 10, 2003 Dear friends, In this posting I am going to tell you about an Advaitin who, believe it or not, was an ardent admirer of the VisishtAdvaita 'achArya', Swami Venkatanathan (Vedanta Desikan). He is Appayya Dikshitar (1554 -1626 AD) and his life is testimony to the fact that the many differences of opinion or principle between their respective schools of philosophy did not always come in the way of Advaitins and VisishtAdvatins respecting one another for erudition, talent and piety. It speaks volumes for the nobility and catholicity of 'vaideeka' minds of those gentlemanly days. The material for this posting of mine is drawn mainly from an old write-up given to me by Sri. T.S.Parthasarathy of Chennai, a well-known scholar of Sanskrit literature and a musicologist of the Carnatic tradition (he has been a member of the Experts Committee, Music Academy, Madras for several decades). Sri.Parthasarathy is a family friend being an avid 'rasika' of my mother (late) Smt.Mani Krishnaswami's music (It was he who edited the commemorative volume "Remembering Mani" that was released in early July this year). Sri.Parthasarathy is a great devotee too of the other, greater "mani" -- the "ghanta-mani" (Swami Desikan). After he had read my monograph on Swami Desikan's life-story ("Art of Living" -- archived now in cyber-lists like 'Srirangasri', 'tiruvenkatam', 'Oppiliappan' as well as in Sri.TCA Venkatesan's homepage), Sri Parthasarathy, who is now 90 years of age, blessed me warmly and, in appreciation of my little effort, he gave me an old note written and published by him some years ago on the life of this illustrious Advaitin admirer of Desikan, Sri Appayya Dikshitar. I am deeply grateful for the kind gesture of Sri Parthasarathy. I dedicate this posting to the doyen. *********** Appayya Dikshitar was born in a village called Adayappalam near Kanchipuram. His lineage was an interesting one. His grandfather was a scholar named Vakshasthala Ganapati of Bharadhwaja 'gOtra'. He had two wives of which the second was Totadri Amba, the daughter of RangarAjadhvari who belonged to family of one VaikuntachArya. This appears to have been a very unusual "mixed marriage" between Vaishnava and SmArta families in those days! Appayya Dikshita himself is reported to have confirmed this. Two sons, RangarAjadhvari (again) and Achan Dikshita were born of this alliance. Appaya Dikshita was born to the first one. Achan Dikshita's grandson was the reputed Nilakanta Dikshitar of later years. Appayya Dikshitar's father RangarAjadhvari was the author of many Advaita works. He passed away when his son was only 9 years old. But Appayya Dikshitar even by that tender age had learnt and mastered all that his father had taught him by way of Veda, vEdAnga, vyAkarana and traditional arts and sciences. Appayya Dikshita's mastery over chandas, nirukta and jyotisha is said to be easily evident in his works, the "nakshatra vAdavalli" and "prAkrita manidIpa". Appayya DIkshita was deeply Advaitic in outlook. He was also a staunch Siva bhakta. In 2 highly controversial works Dikshita attempted to prove that the heroes of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were incarnations of Siva, the supreme Lord of the Saivites. Though these works stired the proverbial hornet's nest even in those days, scholars even today admit that a reading of these classics of Appayya Dikshita speak volumes about his originality and mastery over the 2 "itihAsAs". Although Dikshita lived for a long time in Chidambaram (the Vatican of Saivism in those days), and served in the temple of Lord Nataraja there by composing many works in praise of Siva, it did not stop him from also composing works in praise of Lord Vishnu. Two works are known today -- "Sri Krishna DhyAna paddathi" and "Varadarajastava". Diskhita was an indomitable intellectual. Even amongst the Advaitins, Appayya Dikshita was a bit of a maverick and a stormy petrel. His interpretation of Advaitic 'mImAmsa' and 'alankAra' were entirely original and for this he had to face loud and bitter criticism from other Advaitic pandits of the times like Khandadeva, Somanatha and Venkatadhvari. Appayya Dikshita's brand of Vedanta also came under attack from the famous Sri Rangaramanuja muni, the Vaishnava commentator on the Upanishads. In spite of all these severe critics, everyone who was acquainted with Dikshita's works, whether Advaitin or Vaishnava, held no two opinions about his many-sided scholarship and sincerity of purpose. They considered him to be a 'sarva-tantra-svantatra', a master of all arts and sciences, much in the mould of Vedanta Desika on whose work Dikshita was later to write a commentary. SriVaishnavas of those times, especially, had no hesitation whatsoever in proclaiming that even a scholar belonging to their own 'sampradAya' could not have written a better commentary on Swami Venkatanathan's classic Sanskrit opera "yAdavAbhyudaya". Appayya Dikshita happened to be the poet-laureate ('asthana-vidwan') at the royal court of Chinna Timma, who was the local ruler of Vellore between 1574 and 1585. The King Chinna Timma came from a lineage of royal kings of the Raja dynasty and they were great patrons of literature. Some of the kings like Chinna Timma also adopted Vaishnavas as personal mentors or 'sadAchAryAs'. It is this Vaishnava connection of his forbears which probably had made this king familiar with Desikan's 'yAdavAbhyudaya'. Chinna Timma was desirous of having someone write a detailed commentary on this 'mahA kAvya' of Desikan and felt his poet-laureate Appayya Dikshita was the best suited to undertake it. It is said the king performed a "kanakAbhishEkam" on Dikshita for having successfully completed the royal commission. The 'yAdavAbhyudaya' is a Sanksrit opera of 24 'sargas' or cantos. It is an equal of KalidAsa's magnificent works like Raghuvamsha or Meghasandesham. Swami Desikan himself considered it to be his best poetic work when he attested: "gauda vaidarbha panchala malakaram sarasvatim yasya nityam prasamsanti santah saurabhavedinah" (The cognoscenti who realize the true value of perfumery, extol the poetic muse of Desika who wears a garland woven out of Gauda, Vaidarbha and Panchala 'riti'). It is common among SriVaishnavas to hail the 'stOtra' of YamunAchArya as "stOtra-ratna" and Desikan's 'yAdavAbhyudaya' as "kAvya-ratna". This operatic magnum-opus traces the life of Krishna from his days in Gokulam right upto His ascent unto Heaven at the end of His avataric sojourn on earth. Scholars to this day have never ceased marvelling at the breath-taking beauty of Sanskrit poetry that brims over in this 'kAvya'. Dikshita in his own times, having lost himself in the enchanting poetry of Desikan, is said to have declared: "ittham vichintyah sarvatra bhAva santi padE padE kavi tArkika simhasya kAvyEshu lalitEshvapi" (In the verses of this lion among poets there are beauties and sentiments of immeasureable beauty, at every turn of phrase -- however simple they appear to be... and these are to be fathomed after deep study!) Sri T.S.Parthasarathy writes: "Desika's original along with Dikshita's commentary has recently been edited and published by Abhinava Desika Sri Uttamur Viraraghvacharya swami on behalf of the Ubhaya Vedanta Granthamala of Madras. The original and the commentary by two intellectual giants of two different times are literary treasures deserving to be cherished and preserved forever". The meaning of this great 'yadAvAbhyudaya' would have been totally lost to posterity but for the commentary .... believe it or not... that an Advaitin scholar called Appayya Dikshita wrote on it! Thanks and regards, dAsan, Sudarshan ______________________ Send free SMS using the Messenger. Go to http://in.mobile./new/pc/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 Jai Ramanuja, Sri Ramanuja's mother's name is KANTIMATI,(Parvati's name) Hence one can infer that even before Sri Ramanuja,marriages were held between smarthas & vaishnavas.But in those days every vaidika(smartha as well as vaishnava) held Sriman Narayana as the supreme brahmam.Only there was differences of opinoin in iterpreting vedanta.Hence this was possible. I have learnt from the article by Sri U.VE.Krishnamachariar swamy,the editor & publisher of monthly religious journal (SRI VAISHNAVA SUDARSHANAM)that Appaya Dikshitar was the first advaitin to proclaim supremecy of Shiva & then onwards the smarthas started leaning towards shivisam as is evident today.Hence the marriages between the two communities stopped. dasan On Sun, 10 Aug 2003 sudarshan madabushi wrote : > >Dear friends, > >In this posting I am going to tell you about an >Advaitin who, believe it or not, was an ardent admirer >of the VisishtAdvaita 'achArya', Swami Venkatanathan >(Vedanta Desikan). He is Appayya Dikshitar (1554 -1626 >AD) and his life is testimony to the fact that the >many differences of opinion or principle between their >respective schools of philosophy did not always come >in the way of Advaitins and VisishtAdvatins respecting >one another for erudition, talent and piety. It speaks >volumes for the nobility and catholicity of 'vaideeka' >minds of those gentlemanly days. > >The material for this posting of mine is drawn mainly > from an old write-up given to me by Sri. >T.S.Parthasarathy of Chennai, a well-known scholar of >Sanskrit literature and a musicologist of the Carnatic >tradition (he has been a member of the Experts >Committee, Music Academy, Madras for several decades). >Sri.Parthasarathy is a family friend being an avid >'rasika' of my mother (late) Smt.Mani Krishnaswami's >music (It was he who edited the commemorative volume >"Remembering Mani" that was released in early July >this year). Sri.Parthasarathy is a great devotee too >of the other, greater "mani" -- the "ghanta-mani" >(Swami Desikan). After he had read my monograph on >Swami Desikan's life-story ("Art of Living" -- >archived now in cyber-lists like 'Srirangasri', >'tiruvenkatam', 'Oppiliappan' as well as in Sri.TCA >Venkatesan's homepage), Sri Parthasarathy, who is now >90 years of age, blessed me warmly and, in >appreciation of my little effort, he gave me an old >note written and published by him some years ago on >the life of this illustrious Advaitin admirer of >Desikan, Sri Appayya Dikshitar. I am deeply grateful >for the kind gesture of Sri Parthasarathy. I dedicate >this posting to the doyen. > > *********** > >Appayya Dikshitar was born in a village called >Adayappalam near Kanchipuram. His lineage was an >interesting one. > >His grandfather was a scholar named Vakshasthala >Ganapati of Bharadhwaja 'gOtra'. He had two wives of >which the second was Totadri Amba, the daughter of >RangarAjadhvari who belonged to family of one >VaikuntachArya. This appears to have been a very >unusual "mixed marriage" between Vaishnava and SmArta >families in those days! Appayya Dikshita himself is >reported to have confirmed this. > >Two sons, RangarAjadhvari (again) and Achan Dikshita >were born of this alliance. Appaya Dikshita was born >to the first one. Achan Dikshita's grandson was the >reputed Nilakanta Dikshitar of later years. > >Appayya Dikshitar's father RangarAjadhvari was the >author of many Advaita works. He passed away when his >son was only 9 years old. But Appayya Dikshitar even >by that tender age had learnt and mastered all that >his father had taught him by way of Veda, vEdAnga, >vyAkarana and traditional arts and sciences. Appayya >Dikshita's mastery over chandas, nirukta and jyotisha >is said to be easily evident in his works, the >"nakshatra vAdavalli" and "prAkrita manidIpa". > >Appayya DIkshita was deeply Advaitic in outlook. He >was also a staunch Siva bhakta. In 2 highly >controversial works Dikshita attempted to prove that >the heroes of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were >incarnations of Siva, the supreme Lord of the >Saivites. Though these works stired the proverbial >hornet's nest even in those days, scholars even today >admit that a reading of these classics of Appayya >Dikshita speak volumes about his originality and >mastery over the 2 "itihAsAs". > >Although Dikshita lived for a long time in Chidambaram >(the Vatican of Saivism in those days), and served in >the temple of Lord Nataraja there by composing many >works in praise of Siva, it did not stop him from also >composing works in praise of Lord Vishnu. Two works >are known today -- "Sri Krishna DhyAna paddathi" and >"Varadarajastava". Diskhita was an indomitable >intellectual. > >Even amongst the Advaitins, Appayya Dikshita was a bit >of a maverick and a stormy petrel. His interpretation >of Advaitic 'mImAmsa' and 'alankAra' were entirely >original and for this he had to face loud and bitter >criticism from other Advaitic pandits of the times >like Khandadeva, Somanatha and Venkatadhvari. Appayya >Dikshita's brand of Vedanta also came under attack > from the famous Sri Rangaramanuja muni, the Vaishnava >commentator on the Upanishads. > >In spite of all these severe critics, everyone who was >acquainted with Dikshita's works, whether Advaitin or >Vaishnava, held no two opinions about his many-sided >scholarship and sincerity of purpose. They considered >him to be a 'sarva-tantra-svantatra', a master of all >arts and sciences, much in the mould of Vedanta Desika >on whose work Dikshita was later to write a >commentary. SriVaishnavas of those times, especially, >had no hesitation whatsoever in proclaiming that even >a scholar belonging to their own 'sampradAya' could >not have written a better commentary on Swami >Venkatanathan's classic Sanskrit opera >"yAdavAbhyudaya". > >Appayya Dikshita happened to be the poet-laureate >('asthana-vidwan') at the royal court of Chinna Timma, >who was the local ruler of Vellore between 1574 and >1585. The King Chinna Timma came from a lineage of >royal kings of the Raja dynasty and they were great >patrons of literature. Some of the kings like Chinna >Timma also adopted Vaishnavas as personal mentors or >'sadAchAryAs'. It is this Vaishnava connection of his >forbears which probably had made this king familiar >with Desikan's 'yAdavAbhyudaya'. Chinna Timma was >desirous of having someone write a detailed commentary >on this 'mahA kAvya' of Desikan and felt his >poet-laureate Appayya Dikshita was the best suited to >undertake it. It is said the king performed a >"kanakAbhishEkam" on Dikshita for having successfully >completed the royal commission. > >The 'yAdavAbhyudaya' is a Sanksrit opera of 24 >'sargas' or cantos. It is an equal of KalidAsa's >magnificent works like Raghuvamsha or Meghasandesham. >Swami Desikan himself considered it to be his best >poetic work when he attested: > > "gauda vaidarbha panchala malakaram sarasvatim > yasya nityam prasamsanti santah >saurabhavedinah" > >(The cognoscenti who realize the true value of >perfumery, extol the poetic muse of Desika who wears a >garland woven out of Gauda, Vaidarbha and Panchala >'riti'). > >It is common among SriVaishnavas to hail the 'stOtra' >of YamunAchArya as "stOtra-ratna" and Desikan's >'yAdavAbhyudaya' as "kAvya-ratna". This operatic >magnum-opus traces the life of Krishna from his days >in Gokulam right upto His ascent unto Heaven at the >end of His avataric sojourn on earth. Scholars to this >day have never ceased marvelling at the breath-taking >beauty of Sanskrit poetry that brims over in this >'kAvya'. Dikshita in his own times, having lost >himself in the enchanting poetry of Desikan, is said >to have declared: > > "ittham vichintyah sarvatra bhAva santi padE padE > kavi tArkika simhasya kAvyEshu lalitEshvapi" > >(In the verses of this lion among poets there are >beauties and sentiments of immeasureable beauty, at >every turn of phrase -- however simple they appear to >be... and these are to be fathomed after deep study!) > >Sri T.S.Parthasarathy writes: "Desika's original along >with Dikshita's commentary has recently been edited >and published by Abhinava Desika Sri Uttamur >Viraraghvacharya swami on behalf of the Ubhaya Vedanta >Granthamala of Madras. The original and the commentary >by two intellectual giants of two different times are >literary treasures deserving to be cherished and >preserved forever". > >The meaning of this great 'yadAvAbhyudaya' would have >been totally lost to posterity but for the commentary >... believe it or not... that an Advaitin scholar >called Appayya Dikshita wrote on it! > >Thanks and regards, >dAsan, >Sudarshan > >______________________ >Send free SMS using the Messenger. Go to >http://in.mobile./new/pc/ > > >------------------------ Sponsor > > >Srirangasri- > > > >Your use of is subject to > > > _ Meet your old school or college friends from 1 Million + database... Click here to reunite www.batchmates.com/rediff.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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