Guest guest Posted February 12, 2004 Report Share Posted February 12, 2004 Dear Bhagavatas: Here is an excellent article by our Sriman Balaji comparing Swami Desika with Trivikraman. This appeared in a sister list. I am sure you will enjoy reading it. Dasoham Anbil Ramaswamy =========================================================== >Balaji CG <balaji.cg >"'acharya'" <acharya>, >"''" <>, >"'parakalamatham'" <parakalamatham>, >"'Madabhushi Hari Sarangarajan'" <mhari, >"'jvijayal'" <jvijayal, >"'balaji_1008'" <balaji_1008, >"'sampa_kumar81'" <sampa_kumar81 >Trivikramanum - Swamy Deshikanum >Thu, 12 Feb 2004 16:09:44 +0530 > >Swamy Deshikan Thiruvadigale Sharanam !!! > >The term Deshika, in general refers to a preceptor. But, the term Deshika >attained perennial glorification due to its association with our acharya >saarvabhouma kavitaarkika simha thuppul kulamani Sriman Nigamantha Maha >Deshikan. Our Swamy who possessed exemplary prowess in Vedantha, was >embellished as 'Vedanthacharya' by Sriranganatha Himself. The term Deshika >does not have any limiting adjuncts associated with it. It is a >nirupaadhika >vaachya shabdam. If Ramanuja re-established the sanaatana parama vaidika >srivaishnava sri sampradayam on a firm footing, Swamy Deshikan fortified >and >strengthened this darshanam irrefutably. > >Trivikraman is one of the ten avatarams of the Lord who came as a Vamana >but >later grew to become a cosmic giant and conquered the entire brahmandam in >just three steps of his lotus feet. Having spoken thus, a question >immediately arises. How could a Lord with such vivid and gigantic looks be >compared to an acharya who is as humble and simple as our Vedantha Deshika? >But the truth is that Vedantha Deshika and Trivikrama have a very close >relationship with each other. We shall enjoy those in the following >passages. > >The Lord incarnated on this earth on top of the hills of Thirumalai as >Thiruvengadamuaiyaan in the holy asterism of Shravana. The noble >Ananthasuri >couple prayed at the lotus feet of this Lord for progeny and the Lord >acceeded to their plea and made his daily votary, Thirumani azhwan to be >born to this couple. This child was none other than our Swamy Deshika, who >incarnated on this earth in the same constellation of Shravana. > >In due course, Deshika became adept in all the scriptures. He was blessed >with the divine epiphany (saakshaatkaaram) of Lord Lakshmi Hayagriva, who >chose to be throned perennially on the tongue tip of Swamy Deshika. >"jihvaagra simhaasanamaaruruksho:" of Hayagriva stotram may be referred >here. This Lord, Lakshmi Hayavadana was also born in the asterism of >Shravana. > >Out of the many disciples of Swamy Deshika, prominent was Sri Brahmatantra >Swatantrar. This Swamy was also born in the asterism of Shravanam and even >shares the same month of Purattasi with Deshika. This Swamy, during his >lifetime was extoled by one and all as the Paduka of Swamy Deshika. > >In all the above passages, it may be observed that there is a profound >influence of the asterism of Shravana on Swamy Deshika, be it the Lord in >His mind, or the disciple who is his padukas or his own birth star. The >asterism Shravana in fact has the supreme incarnate Trivikrama as its >governing deity or adhidevatai. It is perhaps due to this influence that >though Swamy Deshika looked like Vamana in stature, he yet, beamed as a >Trivikrama in terms of knowledge, austerity, inherent virtuousness, >refutation skills, poetic skills, intellectual prowess, steadfastness and >other noble virtues befitting preceptor decorum. > >In the following passages we shall see as to how the avatara vaibhavams of >Swamy Deshika may be celebrated in comparision to that of Trivikrama. > >The Lord in the guise of a brahmana went and asked Bali chakravarthi to >give >him in charity, land measuring three paces with His feet. The Lord after >having won his request from Bali, assumed a gigantic cosmic form that >encompassed the entire universe. He measured the entire bhulokam in one >pace. With the second step He measured all the celestial worlds. This foot >that went to Satyalokam was offered prayers by Chaturmukha Brahma along >with >his consort Sarasvathi Devi. When the Lord had no place to put the third >step, Bali bent down indicating it to be put on top of his head. The Lord, >with delight, blessed Bali Chakravarthi by placing His third feet on his >head. > >This story of Trivikrama avataram may be, in every way celebrated analogous >to the avatara vaibhavam of our Swamy Deshika. > >The Lord, though in the guise of a Brahmana asked for the fulfillment of a >material pursuit and that was the want of three measures of land. Our >Swamy, >on the other hand, would never aspire for anything other than paramaartham. >He has no desires for material pursuits like power, wealth or popularity. > >Our Swamy too, has taken three big measures of his lotus feet. Let us >celebrate that now. > >It was a time when the sanatana parama vaidika sri vaishnava sri >sampradayam >was deluged in the mire of myths, fallacies and mis-interpretations. This >was mainly due to the rise of veda bahya mathams like Jainam, Bouddham and >also due to the so called vaidika mathams of advaitha. These mathams bought >great disrepute to the pristine glory of the Vedas and its esoterical >purports. While the bahya mathams took the atheistic approach of denying >the >existence of Parabrahman, the prachanna bouddhas or the advaitins went to >the extent of tainting Parabrahman itself with the slush of ajnanam. > >Swamy by means of his works like Nyayasiddhanjanam, Nyayaparishuddhi, >Paramathabhangam, Shatadushani, Tattvamukta kalapam etc ended the >illegitimate desires of these mathams in trying to establish a sound >philosophical darshanam. > >With the first measuring of his lotus foot, our Swamy deluged the veda >bahya >mathams into oblivion. These include mathams like Bouddham, Jainam, >Charvakam, Sautrantika, Madhyamikam, Yogacharam, Vaibhashikam and also the >likes of Kanadam, Gurumatham, Bhaskara matham, Prabhakara matham and >others. >The manifestation of this feat of our Swamy is the composition of the >magnificent work Paramatha Bhangam. > >With the second measuring of his lotus foot, he impaired and pulled down >the >so-called vaidika matham of Advaitham or Prachanna bouddham with >irrevokable >damage. Advaitham though having accepted the authority of the Vedas, brings >a great amount of disrepute to it by quoting totally derisive >interpretations to the Vedic lore. The manifestation of this magnificent >feat of refutal is immortalised in the works of our Swamy like >Shatadushani, >Tattvamukta kalapam and others. > >Now comes a question. When Trivikrama had taken the second measure, his >lotus foot reached Satyalokam. It was here that Lord Brahma offered >prostrative ablutions to his feet. Does Swamy Deshika have any such >glories? >Yes he does. > >Swamy Deshika's lotus feet always enjoyed the prostrative ablutions of his >disciples like Bramatantra Swatantra Jeeyar. This Jeeyar is held analogous >to Brahma. This is true and the substantiation is as below - > >Swamy Brahmatantra Swatantrar's taniyan reads as - >"paryAya bhAshyakArAya praNatArtim vidhUnvate | brahmatantraswatantrAya >dvitIya brahmaNE nama:" > >Swamy GhatikAshatam Ammal who composed this taniyan extols Sri Brahmatantra >Swatantra Jeeyar as Chaturmukha Brahma re-incarnate. The following are the >substantiations for this. > >Brahma is lotus-born. A sadacharya is also extolled as the Lotus born as he >is blessed with the acquaintance of the lotus like feet of his acharya. >Sri Brahmatantra Swatantrar remained always in the company of erudition >similar to Brahma who remains ever in the company of Devi Sarasvathi. >If Brahma created a world of Jeevathmas, Sri Brahmatantra Swatantrar >created >a world of Deshika bhaktas who are mumukshus seeking deliverance. >Just as how Brahma always keeps singing the praises of Lord Hayavadana, the >Lord of Speech, Sri Brahmatantra Swatantrar always kept sinigng the praises >of Swamy Deshika who is also extolled as the Lord of Speech and dwells >always at Deshika's lotus feet offering ablutions. > >In this way similar to Brahma performing sevai to Sriman Narayana, Swamy >Brahmatantra Swatantrar performed sevai to Swamy Deshika. Moreover, the >work >Shatadushani that depicts the second measuring done by our Swamy in order >to >refute and eliminate the philosophy of Advaitha, was actually scribed by >Sri >Brahmatantra Swatantra Jeeyar. > >Now comes the last foot. Lord Trivikrama had a question as to where should >he take the third measure and finally upon the behest of Bali, He took the >third measure on Bali's head. Our Swamy out of his boundless compassion, >places his third foot on the head of his disciples who come to him with a >beseech for knowledge thereby making them intellectual giants. He showers >his munificent benedictions on them by means of this and makes them >prapannas fit to embellish the goshti of liberated ones at paramapadam. > >Recieving the holy lotus feet of our Swamy on our crowns would make us free >from all blemishes. They would instigate us to adopt the means of prapatti >and would relieve us from all our accumulated sins. > >Swamy Deshika has celebrated Trivikraman in his Dehalisha stuti. In the >next >passages we shall see as to how these psalms befit our Swamy Deshika too. > >Deshika says "Trivikrama initially had the celestial stars as a pearl >studded roofing. But as he took the first measure it became a beautiful >pearl necklace. When he took the second measure it became a charming >ornament worn around the waiste. By the time he took the third measure, the >entire galaxy of stars adorned his lotus feet as anklets". > >Let us see how this glorification befits our Thuppul vallal. In case of the >Lord, it were the same stars that adorned as his roof, later as his >necklace, then as his ornament and finally as his anklet. But with respect >to our Swamy, it is different. > >Our Deshika, when young, was under the shade of great stars like >Anantasuri, >Appullar, Ammal, Achchan, Pillan, Sudarshana Suri and others while Ramanuja >himself beamed as the Sun. Their works were like gleaming light and his >entire youth was spent under the shade of this galaxy of stars. > >As he grew by age and mind, he authored magnum works that established the >siddhantam of Ramanuja on an irrefutable footing. These works bejeweled >Deshika manifesting as beautiful necklaces and waiste ornaments of choicest >gems enmeshed in the base metal of Ramanuja srisookti. Works like >Shatadushani were like the quiver of arrows and bow that embellished the >hands of Deshika. Even Trivikrama did not have bow and arrows !!! > >His disciples who were replete with atma gunams and jnanam stuck to his >feet >like anklets. These anklets were indeed blessed for they had the greatest >fortune of studying directly under the great Swamy Deshika. It is customary >to tie small jingles to the end of Bells after all. The Bell is none other >than our Swamy Deshika while the jingles are his disciples. Over the years >disciples and apostles continue to embellish his feet as anklets while many >win to be the dust under his holy lotus feet. > >The Ganga owes its origin to the Lord also known as maatha (measurer) and >flows down the himalayas. Our Swamy's divine work Srimath >Rahasyatrayasaaram owes its origin to the pramaatha (knower) Swamy Deshika >and flows down from this mahimaalayam in nectareous streams. > >The torch of surrender (adaikkala viLakku) was lit by the mudal Azhwars, >who >extoled Trivikrama with their anthaadis. Our Swamy with the oil of his >divine works has set this lamp to glow perennially with luster and >effulgence. > >Do we need more substantiations to set our Swamy Deshika at par with the >Supreme Lord Sriman Narayana? > >AchAryAdiha daivatAM samadhikAM anyAM na manyAmahe > >vAzhi vyAkhyAmuddirak kai !!! >vedAnthasUri charaNau sharaNam prapadye !!! > > >Srimate Sri Laksminrisimha Divya Paduka Sevaka >Srivan Satakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama: > Links > > > > > _______________ Optimize your Internet experience to the max with the new MSN Premium Internet Software. http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200359ave/direct/01/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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