Andavan Ashramam Acharya Guru Parampara - 6

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Srimathe Ranga Ramanuja Maha Desikaya namaha:

 

Acharya parampara of Srimath Andavan Ashramam continues in this posting with

Srimath Chinnandavan - Sri Paduka Sevaka Ramanuja Mahadesikan

 

Srimath Chinnandavan

 

Thirunakshatram: Karthigai - Magam Thaniyan:

 

Sriman naatha muneendra yaamuna muni Srisamya mindraathmanaha

Sri Srivasa muneendra desika mane: praapthaaga maanthath dvayam

 

Sri rangesha padhe thadharpithabharam Sri paadukasevaka

Sri ramanuja yoginam guruvaram vandhe dayasagaram

 

 

 

Karthigai - Magam is the thirunakshtram day of one of the foremost and

illustrious acharyas of Srirangam Srimath Andavan Periasramam, Srimath

Chinnandavan - Sri Paduka Sevaka ramanuja maha desikan.

 

This mahan was born in the year sarvadhari (1828), in the month of Karthigai in

a hamlet called velliyanallur. His janma nakshatram is Magam. He belonged to

satamarshana gothra. His father, Sri Krishna Thathacharya. named his son as

Srinivasaraghavan. It is a great coincidence that two other Acharyas in this

illustrious lineage who adorned the peetam were also named as Srinivasaraghavan

in their poorvasramam namely Srimath Periandavan who was Srimath Chinnandavan’s

direct predecessor and the other Acharya was none other than the famous Srimath

Thirukkudanthai Andavan who was instrumental in spreading the Periasrama

parampara to length and breadth of the country and made it reach dizzy heights

of glory in our sampradaya.

 

Younger days of Srimath Chinnandavan

 

Sri Krishna Thathacharya performed upayanam and other vaithika samskarams to his

son at the right age. SrinivasarAghavan swami also underwent veda adhyayanam and

learnt kavya alankara grantham. He went to Mysore. And There He met SriRama

Sastri who was the Asthana vidwan of the Mysore raja samsthanam. He learnt nyaya

sastras and advaita philosophy under his tutelage and thus became an exponent

With his radiant brilliance. he even cleared the doubts Sri sastri encountered

on sastraic research and earned his awe and accolades. In particular, swami was

extremely proficient in tharka sastras. He went to Srirangam in pursuit of the

studying ampradhaya granthas and reached the holy hermitage of Srimath

Periandavan who was the paragon of Gnana and vairaghya and prayed at His holy

feet for the same. Observing Srinivasaraghavan Swami, Srimath Periandavan was

very much pleased with His modesty and His sastraic knowledge and accepted Him

as His sishya. He rendered Grantha chathustayam ( namely

Srimath Rahasya thraya saram, Geetha Bhashyam, Sri Bhashyam and bhagavath

vishayam) and satha dhooshani to Srinivasaraghavan. Srinivasaraghavan swami went

back to vellianallur after completing the kalakshepam. i

 

Taking up sanyasa

 

When swami was in vellianallur observing his panca kala anushtanams and leading

a very regimented life of a true srivaishnava paramAikanthi, Srimath Periandavan

due to His severe penance and austere life, became very weak.. For the

sampradaya to continue to flourish and grow, Srimath Periandavan wanted to

choose His successor .After makingseveral tests,Peria Andavan decided that

Srinivasaraghavan swami was the right person to succeed Him as the acharya of

the periasramam. In the meantime, Periandavan’s health deteriorated.

 

Srinivasaraghavan swami went back to Srirangam from vellianallur and prostated

before srimath periandavan and prayed to him that he be granted sanyasa. With

great modesty, he went through the explanation of qualification of oneself to

take up sanyasa thereby indicating his readiness for the same. swAmi told

srimath periandavan that he did "Sarvasanga parithyagam", completely renouncing

samsara bhandham and prayed to Srimath periandavan to grant Him sanyasa. Srimath

periandavan was filled with extreme happiness to have chosen the right successor

and granted Srinivasaraghavan swami, sanyasa on an auspicious day. He was given

the title "Sri Paduka sevaka ramanuja maha desikan".

 

Since both were Acharyas together at the same time, they were fondly called as

periandavan and chinnandavan by the sishyas and admirers alike. This period

lasted for a very short duration though with Srimath periandavan reaching parama

padam within 4 months of Srimath chinnandavan taking up sanyasa.

 

Srimath chinnandavan was serving as guiding light of the sampradaya and authored

rarest of several granthas when he was the Acharya of the periasramam- They are

as follows:

 

1. Ahnikartha prakasikai 2.Sri Jayanthi nirnayam 3.ukthyacharya nishta vicharam

4.sathpadha rakshai 5. Janmashtami nirnayam ..6.thathkrathu nyaya

vicharam.7.Acharya sambavanai kramam...8.Aasowcha sangam

 

Sishya parampara:- Several erudite scholars became the disciples of srimath

chinnandavan, foremost being:- 1.Eyunni SriVaradhachar swamy(who later became

Terazhundur Andavan) 2 Sri Villiputhur Ammalachar swami 3.Vidvan ukkur

Srinivasaraghavachar.4.Akkur Srinivasaraghavachar. 5..Vidvan Tembarai

Ramabadrachar

 

 

 

Yathra

 

Srimath chinnandavan traveled to Sri kanchi from Srirangam and gave several

sampradayic pravachanams(discourses) during His yathra and came back to

Srirangam.

 

Srimath Chinnandavan attained Thirunadu at the age of 68 leaving behind grieving

disciples in the year Vijaya (1895), on the sukla sapthami thithi in the tamil

month of Thai. Swami was in thureeyasramam was 10 years observing that many

chaturmasyams.

 

 

 

Srimath Kadanthethi Andavan

 

Thirunakshatram: Aavani-Moolam

 

Thanian

 

Srimath Srivasa yogi pravarasa kaaruNa paanghasanghaadha BHangaath

VEdhaantha dvandva vidhya madhu rasa lahari chchanchari kaayamaaNaha

THEnaachaaryENa ranga prabhu charaNa yugE daththa rakshaa BharaSri:

Srimath Srivasa raamaavaraja muNimaNis santhatham srEyasE syaath

 

 

Srimath KAdandhEthi Andavan was born in the Avani month of Virodhi varusham

(1829 A.D) in Moolam nakshatram in a village just south of river KAveri called

KAdandhEthi to Srimathi Janaki Ammal and Sri RaghunAthAchar. Sri RaghunAthAchar

was performing kainkaryam to Srimath Thiruthuraipoondi Andavan, the second

Andavan of Srimath Andavan Ashramam. The child was named Sri Varada

VedAnthAchAriAr. He was initiated into Brahmacharyam with upanayanam at the

prescribed age and was taught vEdAs and upanishads. He learnt Tharka ShAstras in

,RajamannAr Koil under the tutelage of Sri U.Ve. SamiyAchchAr swAmi.

 

In his young days itself Sri Varada VedAnthAchAriar, with sincere devotion and

strong vairAgyam meditated on the sacred Moola manthram, AshtAkshara manthram

and gAyathri manthram vigrorously and attained manthra sidhdhi and power. Later

he visited Mysore Asthanam and further mastered in tharka shAstrAs from Mysore

samasthAna vidwan named Aakki Azhwan. During this period he also received Sri

Hayagreeva ManthrOpadEsam from Sri Parakala Jeeyar Swami and Sri Nrusimha

ManthrOpaDesam from Sri Ahobila Matam Azhagiyasingar. Thus he attained various

manthra sidhdhi and SathAvadAna shakthi at a very young age as a bramhachAri. He

mastered the four shAstras and also had poetic prowess as an "Aasu Kavi".

 

Sri Varada VedAnthAchAriar was married at the age of 35. Immediately after his

marriage, he started on a yathra and visited various samasthAnams.

 

At Nagapattinam ,a request from the town’s Tashildar Sri Rangaswami Nayakkar,

Sri Varada Vedanthachariar swami displayed his Satavadhana skills in

Vellipalayam Krishna Sannidhi. (Sathavadanam is a skill where the person

performing this skill will tackle 100 questions or acts at the same time). The

people were awed by this display. At the end, he asked a palanquin to be brought

and he got into the palanquin. He asked it to be lifted only in the back of the

palanquin. With his manthra sidhdhi he went on a procession in the palanquin,

with no one lifting the front side of the palanquin.

 

At Thirumala, he was gifted an ivory Planquin as a sanmAnam on one occasion. He

later donated this palanquin to Swami Desikan Sannidhi at Thirucherai. He stayed

in Thirupati till he completed 60 years.

 

At Thirukkudanthai

 

After celebrating his sasthiabdapoorthy at Tirumala, he desired to come and live

in Thirukkudanthai. He sold his properties at Tirupathi and came to

Thirukkudanthai. He purchased a house in Sri Aravamdhan Sannidhi Street and

stayed there. He did many kainkaryams and ubhayams at the sannidhi of Sri

Aravamudhan. He was very much devoted to Sri Komalavalli Thaayar and donated a

Simha Vahanam for Komalavalli ThAyAr.

 

Swami’s Compositions

 

Adbudha vAmanam". Aaraat Prabhandham Swapna Sathakam" When his eyesight had

weakened considerably due to his old age, he composed a grantham called "Sri

Komala Dandakam" on Thirukkudanthai Komalavalli Thayaar. . By reciting this

wonderful grantham he regained his vision completely. HH Kadenthethi Andavan had

a special attachment to Komalavalli Thayar.He has given a Gold Karai ( Jewel )

and a Silver Simha vahana to Thayar

 

Srimath Chinnandavan attained Thirunadu at the age of 68 leaving behind grieving

disciples in the year Vijaya (1895), on the sukla sapthami thithi in the tamil

month of Thai.. In 1905 after 11 years without acharya, Andavan sishyas went to

Thirukkudanthai. Having known the greatness and gnana, anushtana and vairagyam

of Sri Varada Vedanthachariar, Andavan Ashramam sishyas went to Thirukkudanthai

and requested him to become their Acharya , to continue the Andavan

Sampradhayam.

 

Sri Varada Vedanthachariar was already 76 years old then. He decided to accept

the sanyasa ashramam with the intent of satisying the longing of Andavan sishyas

for an Acharya and also with the intent of appointing Therezundur Varadachariar

as the next Andavan at an appropriate time.

 

38th pattam Thirukkudanthai Azagiyasingar

 

He approached 38th pattam Azhagiyasingar Srimath Srinivasa Sadagopa yatheendra

Mahadesikan (Thirukkudanthai Azagiyasingar) with other Andavan sishyas and

requested him to give sanyasa ashramam to him. Sri Varadha Vedanthachariar

accepted the Preksha manthram and sanyasa ashramam from Srimath Azhagiyasingar

and became the 6th Andavan of Andavan Ashramam in Avani month of 1905 (Tamil

year Visvavasu) at Nrusimhapuram in front of hundreds of sishyas of Andavan

Ashramam, Ahobila Matam and srivaishnavas of Tirukkudanthai. He was given the

name "Srinivasa Ramanuja Mahadesikan" and was called as Thirukkudanthai Andavan

and also as Kadandethi Andavan. An Andavan thiruvadi, Tiruvaheendrapuram

Ashtavadani Sri Anathachariar composed and offered the tanian "Srimath SrivAsa

yOgi.." for Kadandethi Andavan at the sannidhi of Sri Ranganatha Perumal. But

due to his old age, Srimath Andavan used to faint and lose conciousness during

pravachanam.

 

Srimath Nammandavan

 

In 1908, as Srimath Andavan was getting older and weaker day by day, he decided

it was time to hand over the Acharya peetam to Therezhundur swami and

communicated this to him through his sishyas. On hearing this, Therezhundur

swami rushed to Srirangam leaving his family and properties. He gave all the

manthra powers of saptha koti (7 crores) Thiruvastaakshara manthram he had

earned to Therezhundur swami and said it will help in his winning over everyone

to our sath-sampradayam. He gave preksha manthram and sanyasa ashramam to

Theruzhundur swami in Aug 1908 (tamil year Keelakam) and made him the 7th

Andavan with title Srimath Vedantha Ramanuja Mahadesikan who was also called as

Nammandavan and Therezundur Andavan. After having restored the Andavan Ashramam

sampradayam to its glory and after appointing a great avathara pursha like

Nammandavan as the succeeding Acharya, Srimath Kadandethi Andavan graced His

sishyas in leela vibuti for 6 more months and in early 1909 attained Thirunadu

(Tamil year Keelaka, Masi month, Krishna paksham, Dwadasi thithi) after 3

chaturmasyams at the age of 79 years.

 

In the next posting adiyen will continue with the history of acharyas beginning

with Srimath NammAndavan.

 

Srimath Andavan Thiruvadi

 

Perungadambanur Parthasarathy Sreenivasan

 

(of Besant Nagar)