SrI Poundarikapuram Swami Thirunakshathram today Adi Pooraadam

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImathE SrInivAsa MahAdEsikAya namah:

SrImathE Gopaladesika Mahadesikaya namah:

 

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

 

Today is Adi PoorAdam. His Holiness Srimad Poundarikapuram Andavan

Swamy – Sri Srinivasa Desika Mahadesikan's Thirunakshathram. The

present day Sri Poundarikapuram Anvadan Asramam was established by

this Swamy at Srirangam. He appeared in 1847 and attained Acharyan

Thiruvadi in 1934. He hails from Poundarikapuram village (near

Oppiliappan Koil Divya Desam). Among the forty Divyadesa shrines of

the Chola country, Thiruvinnagar gets accorded a prime place. It has

been sung of by two (early) Mudal Azhavars, Nammazhvar and by

Thirumangai Azhvar. Nammazhvar describes his experience as Parankusa

Nayeki – a damsel in God love – in many decades. In VI 2, of

Thiruvoimozhi he narrates the love – quarrel. At the end he was

given the love-experience of the Lord whom he describes as "having

seen Him at Thiruvinnagar". He names the Lord in the equivalent

of "Oppiliappan', though the Lord is fit to be referred to

as "Uppiliappan" also, on the basis of a classic legend.

 

The Lord is a great benefactor even to this day. But 300 years back,

He blessed a couple from Royampettai with a divine child – in the

image of Sri Desika who was similarly blessed by Lord Venkatesa –

this child growing in later life as a great spiritual patriarch,

called Thirukkudanthai Desikan. He is to this day regarded as a

great water-shed preceptor, head of a fairly large family of the so-

called Munitraya Sampradaya, since for one reason among many others,

three ascetics prostrated before this householder and learnt Vedanta

at his feet – a rather unique phenomenon in Indian spiritualism.

 

It was H H Sri Poundarikapuram Andavan Swamy, who was invited to

lend the `holy hand' for karasparsam (by a great man). With what

results! All can see today how the small shrine of Oppiliappn has

grown as Southern Thiruppathi, with gala and festivity, fund-flow

and pomp and fame and attraction, all after 1928! The event has a

precedent in Thirukkudanthai Desikan lending his `kara-sparsam' to

Aravamuthan some 200 years back! (extract from article written by Dr

Sri U Ve VN Vedantha Desikan Swamy)

 

This pristine Asrmamam is now adorned by Srimath PaRavaakkOttai

Andavan Swamy.

 

Let us meditate on his lotus feet reciting the thaniyan:

 

Sri Narayana Yogindra Varadaarya Kripaasrayam /

Rangesa Paada Vinatham Srinivaasa Munim Bhaje //

(meaning)

I hail Srinivasa Muni who obtained the full grace of Sri Narayana

Yogindra Varadaarya, who always bowed at the feet of Lord Ranganatha

 

Acahrayn ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dAsan