Andavan Ashramam Acharya Guru Parampara - 12

[Guest guest]

Srimathe Ranga Ramanuja Maha Desikaya NamahaSri Ranganatha Divya Mani Padhukabhyam Namaha

Acharya parampara of Srimath Andavan Ashramam continues in this posting with Srimath Srimushnam Andavan - Sri Ranga Ramanuja Mahadesikan. Adiyen has used some references from the postings of Sri R. Rajagopalan ( in Sri Ranganatha Paduka in his article Looking Back and Looking forward) and Sri. C.G.Balaji (reg. our Andavan Swamy's sri sookthis in His purvasramam). This is the first of the two postings on Prakrutham Andavan. Second part will be published soon.

 

Srimath Srimushnam Andavan: Thirunakshatram: Vaikasi - Thiruvadhirai

 

Thanian:

VEdhAntha lakshmana muneendra krupAtthabOdhamThadpAdha yugmasaraseeruha brungha rAjamThraiyantha yugma kruthaboori parisramamthamSriranga lakshmana munim saranam prapadhyE

 

 

(Meaning of the Tanian)

We prostrate at the holy feet of Sri Ranga Ramanauja Maha Desikan who had his Bhara samarpanam at the holy feet of Vedhantha Ramanuja Maha Desikan. Having gained the wealth of Sri sampradayic knowledge/Ubhaya Vedhanthams from his Acharya, he whirrs as a honeybee at His lotus feet. Salutations to Srimath Ranga Ramanuja maha Desikan

 

 

Prakrutham Srimad Andavan was born in Srimushnam, a swayam vyaktha Kshethra, in south arcot district, on a Vaikasi –ArudrA day in Yuva varusham 03-06-1935 to U .Ve. Srinivasachariar and sri Kumudhavalli, belonging to to the illustrious lineage of swayamAchArya purushAs. His great great grand father Sri Nadu nattu Narayanachar was the prime disciple of annarya Maha Desikan .The pooravasrama name of Srimushnam Andavan was Varahan. Varahan’s, UpanayAthi samskAram were performed at the right

age.

 

His father was a disciple of Sangeetha kalanidhi late Tiger Varadhachar swamy. Young Varahan used to sit by the side of his father during those music lessons and assimilated the nuances of Carnatic music to an astonishing degree which enabled Him to sing ragas with mellifluous voice.

 

Sri Varahan swamy became well qualified in vEda and divya prabhanda adhyayanams at an young age. His periappa Sri U.Ve. Srimushnam puranam Narayanachariar taught him kAvya and nAtaka alankarA granthAs. Swamy went to kAkumAni charity pAtasAlA(affiliated to Madras University) in Chennai for his initial education in SastrAs.

 

In a quest to learn more about sAmAnya sAstrAs swAmy came to sriperumbudur and learnt fully the nyAya and tharka sAstrAs. The yong Varaha swamy qualified himself as Tharka sironmani, trained under great teachers in Sriperumbudur Sanskrit patasala like Sri Krishna Desika Thathachariar (father of great N.S.R. swamy) and others. Seeing swamy’s remarkable knowledge and extreme brilliance learned wise men who had interacted with swamy at that time, predicted that swamy would become a maHa vidwAn and a sampradhAya pravarthakaA.

 

For some time, swami went to Andhra Pradesh and taught in Sanskrit colleges located in Jeetical and AlwAl, close to Hydrabad. His lucid and brilliant teaching earned a lot of accolades and he learnt to speak and read Telugu very fluently. Swamy came back to Sriperumbudur and passed in Tamil VidwAn exam and served as Such in Tamilnadu Government educational service for 27 years. He lived in malayangulam for many years and settled down at Velamur, the Birth place of Upanishad Bhashyakkarar H.H. Ranga Ramanuja Maha Desikan. Sri Varahachar swamy renovated and maintained the temple and performed nithya Aradhanam all by himself for the Divya Dampathies.

 

His Holiness 44th Jeer of Sri Ahobila Mutt once conferred a special sambavanai appreciating his extra ordinary knowledge, Vidvath and lucid presentation. Sri srimushanam Varahachar, a tamil pandit in Govt Secondary Education service for 27 years had His Prapatti under His holiness Thirukkudanthai Andavan and Grantha chathushtya Kalakshepams under His Holiness during the same time.

 

The divine message from Padukas to revered Acharya Thirukkudanthai Andavan was that “Srimushnam Varahachariar will be your successor , Rest assured that this Padukasramam so beautifully nurtured by you, will be safe in his hands and will reach much greater heights.” The Acharya directed sri Varahachariar swamy that when the time comes he should come forward to protect and preserve the Andavan Asrama Paramparai meaning , that he should become his successor probably knowing in advance that His successor H.H. Mysore Andavan may not live long.

 

Two Great Acharyas attaining Paramapadam in quick succession in April & May 1989,

H.H.Srimadh Thirukkudanthai Andavan adorned ThirunAdu on 10.04.1989

His successor H.H.Srimad Mysore Andavan also adorned Thirunadu (within 42 days) on 22.05.1989. Lakhs of disciples were worried, over the continuation of Andavan Asrama Acharya parampara When the Disciples of the Ashramam approached Sri Varahachar swamy, He had whole heartedly accepted the call to the

religious order though he had a large family to support.

 

Exactly on the 10th day, i.e. 01-06-1989, upon the holy command made by H.H. Thirukkudanthai Andavan earlier, Sri Varahachar Swamy with devotion, took ascetic order, by taking the ochre ascetic robes of sanyasam from PeriyAndavan sannadhi on Sukla Varusham- Vaikasi 19th as Sri Ranga Ramanuja Maha Desikan, in memory of his affection towards the illustrious Great Acharya from Velamur “Sri Upanishad Bhashyakarar”- H.H. Sri Ranga Ramanuja Maha Desikan. The disciples of the Asramam got convinced

that H.H.Sri Mushnam Srimad Andavan can not only carry aloft the banner of Ashramam but also take it to further heights. H.H. is a versatile exponent in many other sAstras such as sculpture , sangeetham, alankAra sAstra, Astrology, Jyothisham, politics, construction,Ayurvedha to name a few. Swamy’s pandithyam in VedhanthA and vyAkaranA is well known. It is also well known that His Holiness Srimadh Andavan talks with Slesha in appropriate moments with amazing timing and precision. It could be said that there are no literatures left out in Tamil that swami is unaware of. It is swamy’s special quality to quote Thiruvalluvar,Kamban,IlangO and Bharathi in His anugraha Bashanams as and when required.

 

Srimad Andavan once beautifully sculpted a sAlagrAma perumal (which was a little broken) to Lakshmi Hayagreeva Perumal. So many people have wondered about His Holiness’s amazing knowledge in a wide variety of subjects. Srimadh Andavan is well versed in Telugu also and gives anugraha bhAshanams in that language to sishyas and abhimanis whenever an opportunity arises. His holiness is a scholar of unfathomable depth in many subjects under the sky.

(to be continued....)

In the next posting adiyen will continue with the second part of history of Srimath Srimushnam Andavan.

 

Srimath Andavan Thiruvadi

P. Sreenivasan (of Besant Nagar)

--

Adiyen is attaching a rare photo (courtesy- Sri Devanathan,Chennai) of Sri Varachar Swamy taking a holy dip at the tank of Srimath Andavan Periasramam in Srirangam just before taking up sanyasam on 1-6-1989.

--