Andavan Ashramam Acharya Guru Parampara - 10

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Srimathe Ranga Ramanuja Maha Desikaya Namaha

Sri Ranganatha Divya Mani Padhukabhyam Namaha

 

 

 

Acharya parampara of Srimath Andavan Ashramam continues in this posting with

Srimath Thirukkudanthai Andavan - Sri Vedantha Ramanuja Mahadesikan

 

 

 

Srimath Thirukkudanthai Andavan: Thirunakshatram: Panguni - Pushyam

 

 

 

Thanian:

 

Srimath vedhantha ramanuja munikarunalabdha vedhantha yugmam

Srimath Srivasa yogeeswara gurupadhayorarpithaswathma bharam

Srimath Sri ranganathahvaya munikrupaya praptha mokshasramam tham

Srimath Vedhantha ramanuja munimaparam samsraye desikendram

 

 

 

 

Given below is the history of Srimath Thirukkudanthai Andavan – Srivedantha

ramanuja maha desikan,who took Srirangam Srimath Andavan periAsramam to glorious

heights of growth spreading it literally across length and breadth of the

country.

 

 

 

Avataram

Srimath Thirukkudanthai Andavan was in the born in a small village called “

karukudi” (situated next to Thirukkandiyur in Tanjore district) in the banks of

river Kaveri in the Parabhava year - Panguni month –with pushyam as his birth

star -( 1907) to Sri. U.Ve. Padmanabhachariar and Komalavalli devi. He was named

as “Srinivasaraghavan” He was fondly called by everybody as ‘Kannan”.

 

Kannan swami was taken to Srirangam periAsramam many a times by his father

during His childhood days. He used to observe the paduka Aradhanam being

performed there and when he came back to kudanthai, he will play with friends

of his age posing himself as an acharya, wearing a cloth up to knee height and

will have a dhandam in his hand and proclaim himself as Andavan. He will carry

the water in “kottankacchi” – a dried coconut shell ( Srirangam periAsramam is

also called kottankacchi Asramam) and distribute the “theertham” in the same way

Srimath thErezhundur Andavan used to do ( focusing both His eyes in one

direction). He will do all this with out the knowledge of his father.

 

Sri Padmanabhachar swami taught him the arulicheyalgals of Alwars – Nalayira

divya prabhandham at a tender age and swami mastered the tamil vedham , before

he completed 14 years. He also learnt sAstras in Kottaiyur , under the tutelage

of Sri. Seshasayee

Sri padmanabhachAr swami sent his son to Raja patasala in Kamakshi josyar street

for some time to learn more on sastras. Later swami learnt tharka,and

meemamsa,vyakarana sastras under shri devanagar vilagam swami . He stood as a

paragon, gaining extensive knowledge in all the sastras . He also qualified for

Sanskrit Sironmani fromThiruvaiyaru Sanskrit college. Whenever Nammandavan and

Engalandavan visited Thirukkudanthai in their respective times, Sri Kannan swami

performed kalakshepams on adhyatma sastras under their lotus feet. One of those

times, Srimath Engalandavan performed “Bhara samarpanam” to Sri Kannan swami in

Amudhan sannidhi. Swami had been performing kainkaryam to divya desam perumals

even much before becoming Andavan.

 

 

 

Life as a Gruhasta

By the age of 14, swami having mastered the whole of Divya prabhadham became a

leading member in the adhyapaka ghosti. At the age of 16, He got married to Sri

vedavalli ammal. She was the sixth daughter of Neduntheru krishnaswamy Iyengar.

For his livelihood, swami started giving upanyasams at a very young age.

 

Swami used to visit Tanjore , every Sunday to render kalakshepams on Geetha

Bhashyam.

Four sons and two daughters were born to swami in his gruhasthasramam. After

his father’s demise, swami with the blessings of his Acharya, went to Chennai

to take care of his family needs.

 

 

 

Move to Chennai

When swami went to chennai, Akkur varadachar swami, an ardent devotee of sreemad

Akkur Andavan,and a great business magnet , requested Him to stay in his

thirumaligai and arranged for swami’s rendering of kalakshepams in various

sabhas through out the city.

 

Kannan swami had His own distinct and inimitable style of rendering upanyasam.

It simply mesmerized the listeners who were always seeking more at the end of

His upanyasams. At that time His contemporaries in upanyasams were stalwarts

such as karppangadu

venkatachariar swami, kanchi vidwan prathivadhi bhayankaram Annangarachariar

swami.

As a parent, Swami performed his duties very well by giving good education to

his children and led his gruhastasrama in a blessed manner

 

 

 

His Acharya Bhakti which was so deep rooted in his heart prompted him to visit

Srirangam several times to seek the blessings of Srimath Thembarai Andavan.

Srimath Thembarai Andavan,seeing his Acharya bhakthi not only ordained him to

look after the administration affairs of the Asramam ( by appointing him as Sri

karyam of the Asramam) but also commanded Him to stay permanently in Srirangam.

 

 

 

In 1963, Srimath Thembarai Andavan became very weak and emaciated due to strict

Ahara niyamams and old age and wanted to nominate His successor to adorn the

Acharya peetam. Sri Kannan swami who had unassuming Acharya bhakthi, rigorous

observance ofanushtanams, and great administrative skills immediately came to

his mind. This very thought made Srimath Andavan feel happy and His Holiness

apprised Sri kannan swami about this and was optimistic that Sri Kannan swami

would oblige.

 

 

 

Taking up sanyasam

Srimath Thembarai Andavan became weaker as the days passed by. So His Holiness

gave upadesam on “Preksha manthram” and “Mokshasrama Ahnika Anushtanam” to three

vidwans of the Asramam - U.Ve. Sri. Kannan swami(the incumbent for the

succession,) U.Ve. Sri. Mysore GopalachAr swami( who later on became Srimath

Mysore Andavan in the year 1988) and Mannargudi Ganapadi vidwAn U.Ve. Sri.

Narasimhacharya swami , to be ready and take up sanyasam any time when called.

 

 

 

When swami was in chennai, Srimath Andavan’s niyamanam kept on occurring to his

mind and swami appeared to be reluctant in taking up sanyasam due to family

circumstances.,.

 

Sri. Kannan swami’s son, Sri. Gopalan told his father that he had dreamt about

Srimath Thembarai Andavan telling him that He had gone to viraja nadhi and come

back and asked him to send his father immediately and take up sanyasam. GopAlan

also told his father that he would take care of his mother (swami's dharma

pathni) and asked him to proceed to Srirangam. Sri Kannan swamy finally decided

to prepare himself for sanyasam and accept Srimath Thembarai Andavan’s

Niyamanam.

 

 

 

On April 4th 1963, Srimath Andavan's condition became worse Sree karyam Sri.

U.Ve. kannan swami was informed of Srimath Andavan’s health and immediately

kannan swamy

rushed up to Srirangam. On His arrival, arrangements were speeded up for His

thureeyasrama sweekaram.

 

Early morning the next day i.e. on 5th april, 1963 (Friday, sukla dwadasi, makam

star), in the presence of sishyas, His Holiness Srimath Thembarai Andavan

ordained the ascetic order to Sri U.Ve. Kannan Swami who was named as Srimath

Vedanta Ramanuja maha

Desikan and within few hours on the same day (April 5th 1963) Tembarai Andavan

adorned Thirunadu .

 

This illustrious Acharya Peetam of Srimath Andavan,developed centrally on His

Holiness Thirukkudanthai Srimath Andavan vedantha ramanuja maha desikan.

 

He was a great scholar in Nyaya, Vyakarana, and so much he was at ease in the

recitals of Nalayira Divya Prabhandham, Srimath Ramayanam, Bhagavath Vishayam

and sukthis, Having taken to ascetic order, casting away plentitude of wealth

, this great Acharya had assimilated in himself extreme, rigid and rigorous life

of a sanyasi, the strict austerity and highly puritan life of his predecessors

scorning all luxuries.

 

Sancharam

Poorvacharyas like Sri Periandavan, Sri Nammandavan and Sri Akkoor Andavan went

by padayatra to places such as Melkote, Mysore, Kanchi, Ariyakkudi,sethu.

Srimath Andavan covered over 30000 km by foot from sethu to Himachalam through

out the length and the

breadth of the country and set up various Asramams in places very far away from

South India.

 

During His time, Srimath Andavan Asramam grew leaps and bounds throughout the

country. This was truly a golden period in the annals of the Asramam as it

witnessed itself a phenomenal growth and a meteoric rise. His Holiness

constructed many Asramams

throughout the country during His period and also conducted many Temple

samprokshanams,Yagnams, Homams and performed mangalasasanams of various Divya

desams, Vijaya yathras from Kanniyakumari to Badrinath and held Many Vidvath

Sadas to name a few.

 

Srimath Andavan observed 26 chathurmasyams spanning 26 years from 1963 to 1989

and reached Thirunadu on Vibhava varusham –panguni madham-Krishna panjami day

(10-04-1989) leaving behind thousands of grieving disciples and admirers, whose

divine anubhavams with His Holiness during His life time remain carved in their

memory forever.

 

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

with Srimath Mysore Andavan.

 

Srimath Andavan Thiruvadi

 

Perungadambanur Parthasarathy Sreenivasan

 

(of Besant Nagar)

 

 

 

 

 

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