Today is Srimath Nammandavan's Thirunakshtram

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Sri: Srimathe Rangaramanuja Mahadesikaya Namaha: Srimathe Vedhantha Ramanuja Mahadesikaya Namaha:

Thirunakshatram: Avani PoorattAdhi

Thanian: Srimath Srivasa yogeeshwara padhavinatham labdha vEdhaantha yugmam/= b> Sri paadooSEvi raamaanuja munithilakaath thathpadha nyastha Baaram/= b> Srimath Srivasa raamaanuja munimaNEr labda mokshaasramam tham Srimath vEdhaantha raamaanuja yathi nrupathim sumsrayE gnyana vaardhim

Today (Aug 31st 2004 ), Avani poorattadhi is the 133rd Thirunakshatram of Srimath ThErazhundur Andavan Sri Vedhantha Ramanuja Mahadesikan, also popularly known as NammAndavan who adorned Acharya peetam as the 6th Andavan in the Andavan Periashramam Munithraya Sampradayam AchArya Lineage. Today is even more auspicious as it is also the Thriunakshatram day of Srimath Vazhuthoor Andavan, the first Andavan in Srimath Andavan Ashramam Acharya paramparai.

The poorvashrama Name of Srimath NammAndavan was Sri Varadhachar. Sri Varadhachar Swami was born in the year Prajothpathi (1871) in the month of AvaNi to Sri Srinivasachariar and Srimathi Alamelu mangai in ThErazhundur village in Tanjore district in Tamilnadu. He belonged to Eyunni vamsam and Bharadwaja Gothram, his vamsam being one of the 74 simmasanAthipadhis' vamsams, established by Emperumarar, to which Eeyunni Madhavachar, Eeyunni Devarajachar, and Thiruthuraipoondi Andavan Srinivasa Ramanuja Maha Desikan also belonged.

His aksharAbhyAsam and upanayana samskAram took place at a very early age, and he was trained at vedha adhyayanam, kavyam and nataka alankaram at his birth place. To learn TharkA, vyAkaranA, and meemAmsA he went to Srirangam, offered his obeisance at the feet of PeriAndavan who in turn blessed Sri VaradhAchar swami with pancha samskaram and manthra upadesam

Sri VaradAchAr swami learnt Tharka and nyAya sAsthrA from the great scholar Vilakkudi Vedhanthachar swAmi. Sri VaradAchar swami became a great scholar and he received awards and merit certificates from all vidwath gatherings at Pudukkottai and mysore samasthanams. He under went intensive training under the great pandit pudhu-agrahAram Brahmasri Kuppuswami sastrigal in meemAmsA and vyakaranA. He had performed Atma samarpanam at the holy feet of Nam Perumal by Srimath ChinnAndavan - Srimath Paduka Sevaka Ramanuja Maha Desikan.

He was married at the age of 18 years to Sow. Sengamala Ammal, daughter of Sri Annasami Ayyangar of Thirukkudanthai Ayyangar street. Sri Pudukkotai MahArAjA and VidwAn Seshayya took part in marriage celebrations and presented him with Rs.400, a very big amount in those days. After marriage, he went to ThiruvAiyAru to study further, the advanced sections in Vyakarana sAstrA from Maha mahopAdhyAyA Sri SubbarAyAchAriar and obtained asAdhArana pAndithyam. Mysore ParakAla swAmi used to request Sri VaradhAchAr swAmi to visit Sri Parakala Mutt every year to adorn vidwath sabhA gatherings.

Sri Varadhachar swami became a disciple at the holy feet of Srimath ChinnAndavan - Srimath PAdukA Sevaka Ramanuja Maha Desikan and learnt kalakshEpa grantha chathushtyams from His Holiness, and became a gNana vairaghya nidhi , and an adhyantha sishya with paripoorna kataksham of His Holiness. His Holiness Srimath Chinnandavan who was very much impressed with Sri VaradhAchar Swami called him one day and told, "You are going to be the Sampradhaya Pravarthaka of this Asramam" . When Srimath Chinnandavan's health was affected, he longed for a successor for this sampradhaya. Sri VaradAchAr swami, at that young age readily offered himself for the ascetic order. But some concerns were raised from very close circle that if Sri VaraAchar swami took up sanyAsam at that time, there will be nobody to take care of his family consisting of aged parents and a very young wife. and they would suffer for livelihood, it was told. Sri VaradachAr swami was yet to have a

progeny at that time. Having heard these remarks, ChinnAndavan was upset but did not pursue it further. He adorned thirunadu in Vijaya varusham (! 1894) Thai month without appointing a successor to Asramam . Sri VaradAchAr swami, after completion of Chinnandavan's kainkaryams, purchased a house at Srirangam and lived there with his parents and wife. He visited the Brindavanam of asramam daily, performed ThiruvArAdhanam, and pAdukArAdhanam in morning and offered ThiruviLakku at evening and after all kainkaryams, he used to return home only at night.

This was his daily activity for 11 long years from Vijaya varusham 1884 Thai month to Visuvavasu-Avani -1905, when 76 years old Kadanthethi SathavadhAnam Varadha vEdhanthAchAr swami, a disciple of PeriAndavan, was requested by all Andavan Ashramam sishyas and other bhagavathas to take up sanyasam from Thirukkudanthai Srimath Azhagiya singar. KAdanthEthi swami agreed to their request but on one condition, that Sri Therazhundur Varadhachar swami (who is already doing all Asrama ArAdhana kainkaryam) should make a promise that he will take up the ascetic order in Andavan Asramam as his successor on his DEhAvasAnam. Sri Varadhachar swami agreed to this condition and accordingly Srimath Srinivasa SatakOpa Yatheendra Maha Desikan (38th Jeer of Sri Ahoibila Mutt ) who was camping at Nrusimhapram gave ThureeyAsramam to Kadanthethi swAmi in presence of a large Srivaishvaite gathering. Thus 76 year old KAdanthethi swami became the pontiff of Srimath Andavan

periAsramam as Srinivasa RAmAnuja MahA DEsikan.

Sri Varadhachar swami went to back to his family to take care of his aged parents. By the prophetic vision and blessings of Srimath KAdanthEthi Andavan, a son was born to Sri Varadhachar swami in 1907- Parabhava panguni - ( 30.3.1907 ) in Hastha nakshathram . The health of KAdanthEthi Andavan deteriorated during the same time and all asramam sishyas immediately rushed to Sri VaradAchar swami and requested to take up sanyasam from KAdanthEthi Andavan. Sri VaradAchAr swAmi also readily acceeded to their request. He did a maha upakAram to our sampradayam by deciding to take up sanyasam immediately and decided to leave his 16 month old child and family to take up holy ascetic orders. He received thureeyAsramam from the holy hands of KadanthEthi Andavan Srinivasa Ramanuja Maha Desikan in the year KEELAKA VARUSHAM- AVANI MADHAM(1908) and was named Sri VEdAntha RAmAnuja MahA dEsikan- also known as NammAndavan & ThErazhundur Andavan. Both AchAryAs were

together for a period of 6 months. Srimath KadanthEthi Andavan attained thirunAdu in the year, Keelaka varusham-masi madham-krishnapaksham-dwadasi thithi (17.02.1909).

Ever since Srimath NammAndavan took up sanyasam, His Holiness had assimilated in himself strict austerity, extreme rigid and rigorous routines of a sanyAsi, leading a highly puritan's life of his poorvacharyas, rejecting all luxuries and conveniences. He travelled by walk only like his predecessors observing " pAdhayAthra" to visit holy shrines for doing MangalAsAsanams of various Divya Desams, throughout south India. Some of the places he visited for doing mangalasasanam are mentioned below: Rayampettai, Mannargudi, Vaduvoor , Thirukkudanthai, Thittanimuttam, Vazhuthur, Pappakoil near Nagapattinam, Mysore, Thiruppathi, Kanchi, Thiruvahindrapuram, Chidambaram Navathirupathigal, Keezhanattam(thirunelveli) etc.

NammAndavan travelled far and wide to establish the sampradhaya sthApana= m. Good personality, majestic look, pleasing voice, convincing talk etc were his great traits. His discourses were full of humour, and was a rasika ranjana with penetrating perception of holy life of sages Alwars and ArchAvathAras. He attracted all sections of vaishnavite community, vedic scholars and VEdhAnthis, by his philosophic lectures. His deliverance of Sri BAshyA, Bhagavath vishyam and other granthAs, were with such ease and perfection, that they attracted a large gathering around him, wherever he lectured. People in those days used to say that, Peria perumal is namm Perumal, jewel among alwars - is nammAlwAr and jewel among acharyas- is NammAndavan .

Some of the great scholars who studied , swaroopa granthas under His Holiness srimad NammAndavan were;-

 

Sri U.Ve. Rangachar swami (Akkur Andavan-Srinivasa Maha Desikan)

Sri U.Ve.Tenpirai Venkata Raghavachar swami (Thenbarai Andavan-Sri RanganAtha Maha Desikan)

Dimmakudi sri U.Ve .Srinivasachar (Sri Ramanja Yatheeswarar)

Thirukkudanthai Vairakya Nidhi Sri U.Ve. Rajagopalachar ( Sri Narayana Yatheeswar)

Rayampettai GanapAdi Vidwan Seemachar ( Sri Srinivasa Ramanuja Maha Desikan ) and many others.After staying at Srirangam for some time, His Holiness was on a PAdhayAthra to Kanchipuram via Thirukkudanthai. At Kanchi, sishyas of Srimath Andavan constructed an Asramam in the banks of river Veghavathi in Rangarajan Stree t and requested Srimath Andavan to visit and stay at that place. On His Holiness 's command an Ashramam was constructed and completed on 15.12.1928, the first day of MARGAZHI in VIBHAVA varusham and He named it as pAdukAsramam. He stayed there for about 2-1/2 years, teaching sath sampradAya granthAs to sishyas.

In Prajothpathi year (60th year of his birth) his health was very much affected and H.H. wanted to appoint a successor for the Asramam. His Holine ss NammAndavan wanted Sri Akkur Rangachar Swami to be his successor. But havin g influenced by gnanam, vairaghyam, anushtAnam, spiritual powers, and great capabilities of Srimath NamAndavan, Sri Rangachar swami was afraid and thought that he may not be a fit person to be the successor of Srimath NamAndavan and adorn this great Acharya lineage of Srimath Andavan Ashramam . So Sri. Rangachar swami hesitated and respectfully declined to take up thureeyashramam at that time. Srimath Andavan was very upset that Sri Rangachar could not be appointed immediately as His Holiness realized His dehAvasanam (end) was nearing. His Holiness offered prayers to the PAdukAs of PoorvAchAryas, and with tears rolling in his eyes, reciting slokas like "Sriman Abeeshta ,Varadha Thvaam asmi charanam Gatha:" & with Goddess Thayaar

as Purusha kAram, His Holiness offered pranams many times at the lotus feet of Lord Varadharaja of Kanchi, and appealed to HIM ,

"Hey Prabho! you have fulfilled the prayers, of Sri Alavandar by making Sri Ramanuja as the Sampradhaya pravarthakar. Now fulfil my prayer also by making Akkur Rangachar swami, as the sampradhya pravarthakar & my successor, in our Asramam. The responsibility is yours."

Saying so, He surrendered his burden at the lotus feet of the Lord Varadhan of Kanchi. His holiness adorned thirunAdu in PRAJOTHPATHI year (1931)-Aadi -Poorattadhi Krishna panchami day, that was on 03.08.1931 at the age 59 years and 11 months shortly before celebrations of His shashti-abtha-poorthi, without appointing a successor to Asramam.

Like AlavandAr's prayer, Srimath NammAndavan's prayer too was granted by Lord Varadha later. Srimath Aakur Rangachar consented to take up sanyasam immediately after Srimath Nammandavan adorned ThirunAdu. Exactly 3 weeks after NammAndavan adorning Thirunadu, Sri Narayana Yatheeswarar, a Disciple of NammAndavan, who had already received Sanyasam from NammAndavan, gave the ochre ascetic robes of sanyasam to Sri Rangachar swami. SriRangachar swami became the successor of NammAndavan in Andavan asramam as Srimath Akkur Andavan Sri Srinivasa Maha Desikan.

 

dasan,

Venkat SreenivasanSrimath Andavan Thiruvadi