Digest Number 488

[Guest guest]

Respected Sri Lakshmi Narasimhan,

While there is internal evcidence in Sri Vedanta

Desika's works of his familiarity with Sri Peryavachan

Pillai[he descries him as Abhiyukta, the most

distinguished], there is no evidence of his having

been initiated by the latter.

About Amalanadipiran, Sri PBA Swamy has written that

according to a tradition, Sri Desika was initially

indifferent to Tiruppanazhwar[owing to his caste], but

was commanded in his dream by Sri Ranganatha to honour

the Azhwar. In obedience to the command, Sri Desika

wrote a commentary on Amaladipiran and called it

Munivahana Bodham, to signify that the Brahmin

Lokasaranga carried the Azhwar on his shoulders.

Further, Sri PBA Swamy has written that Sri Desika

alludes to his change of heart by writing,

"Na'n' priyo'm allo'm na'm nandr'um ti'dum

namakkuraippa'r ul'ar endru na'duvo'me"

[We are not very great. There are people who can tell

us what is good and what is bad. Let us seek their

guidance.]

However,there are people who do not accept this

tradition as authentic. According to them, the verse,

Na'n periyo'm allo'm, was written in humility[naicya],

which was an accepted figure of speech in ancient

writings and does not refer to any incident.

As far as I can recall, there is no tradition of Sri

Desika having written Lokacharya Stuti. If anything,

Sri Desika was not well disposed to Sri Pillai

Lokacharya.He has written,

"Iti mandaih idam proktam"

[Thus speak fools]

"Granthagnaih apaha'syam tad"

[That is laughable to learned people]

He has also questioned the interpretation of

"Caran'au"[feet]in Dwaya as referring to both Sriman

Narayana and Lakshmi, by stating,

"Caran'a'viva s'abda'rthah Srimad s'abda virodhatah"

[To say that the word, Srimad, refers to Lakshmi also

means that four feet are contemplated, of Sriman

Narayana and Laksmmi. The word, C'aran'au, is in dual

number[dwivac'ana] and can refer to only two feet. The

interpretation of Srimad is thefore contradictory to

the meaning og C'aran'au]

What may be clear is that Sri Desika did not see eye

to eye with Sri Pillai Lokacharya. It is not probable

that he would have composed a Stuti on Sri Pillai

Lokacharya.

In traditions associated with Sri Desika, there are

the following claims:

1. Paduka Sahasram was written in one night on a

challenge by Sri Azhagiya Manavala Jeeyar, who failed

to compose his Padakamala sahsram.

2. Sri Desika, dissatisfied with

misinterpretations[apa'rtham]of other commentators,

wrote Nigama Parimalam as a complete commentary on

Divya prabandham.

3. Sri Desika was humiliated by offer of Teertham on

Ekadasi, was let down on a S'ra'ddham day and was

greeted under an arch of shoes on his way

All these stories are rightly discounted as fanciful.

It may be wise to dismiss Lokacarya Stuti also in the

same way.

Adiyen,TCASrinivasaramanujan

 

{Moderator's note:

 

re: lOkAchArya pancAsath, there are people who believe that it

was written by srI. vEdAnta dEsika, and they reason from the

verses themselves. According to them it is not only plausible

but also probable. Also, srI vEdAnta dEsika is definitely

associated with the rAmAnuja sampradAyam as we follow.

I think only those traditions that claim exclusivity with

svAmi vEdAnta dEsika claim the fanciful stories that srI.

srInivAsa rAmAnujan mentions above with respect to disrespect

shown to srI vEdAnta dEsika.

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,

varadhan

}