Message from Sri RR

[Guest guest]

Dear Andavan members,

 

I am reproducing below an important message received

from Sri R.Rajagopal, National Committee Chairman of

Srimath Andavan Ashramam. He is conveying a message

about the forthcoming Centenary celebrations of the

illustrious Thirukkudanthai Andavan Swamigal.

Daasan,

R.Srinivasan.

 

MESSAGE FROM SRI RR

 

By the Grace of the Divya Dhampathis & the

Poorvacharyas, the Centenary (101st birthday) of HH

Srimad Thirukkudanthai Andavan [Late HH] will be

celebrated under the guidance of HH Srimad Srimushnam

Andavan [HH] at Srirangam between the 20th and the

28th March 2007.

 

 

HH Srimad Thirukkudanthai Andavan, the ninth

Peetathipathi of the Asramam

 

 

 

1. Let us go back in time by forty plus years and

visualise the progress of the Asramam under HH Srimad

Thirukkudanthai Andavan. We were privileged to witness

the most spectacular expansion of our Asramam during

the 26 years of His reign. He built 12 Asramam

centers, 6 Temples, many a Desikan Sannathi, started

the Sri Ranganatha Paduka Vidwath Sadas – the annual

conference of Vidwans, the journal " Sri Ranganatha

Paduka " , attracted thousands of Sishyas and Abhimanis

for His famous Kalakshepams & Discourses on the full

spectrum of the Visishtadvaitha Philosophy. By the

time HH attained Thiru Nadu, our Asramam had become a

giant Institution.

 

 

 

2. Sri Srinivasa Raghavachariar a.k.a. Kannan

Swamigal (era 1907 - 1989) took to ascetic order as HH

Srimad Thirukkudanthai Andavan, the 9th Peetathipathi

of our Asramam, on Subhakrit -Panguni - 23rd-Magham -

Shukla Dwadasi, on 05 –04 –1963. His ascension was the

topic of the day since the late 1950s. He was also the

Srikaryam of the Asramam for sometime. When the call

came from His Acharya, He renounced the worldly

attachments and became a Yathi. His Acharya, HH Srimad

Thenbirai Andavan attained Thiru Nadu on the same day

after installing the Swami as His Successor. HH Srimad

Thirukkudanthai Andavan thereafter observed 26

(twenty-six) Chaturmasya Sankalpams.

 

 

 

3. HH was the greatest exponent of Sri ANDAL's

TiruppAvai, Srimad Ramayana and Srimad Bhagavatham; a

veritable Upanyasa Chakravarthi. His Kalakshepams/

Upanyasams on practically on all subjects, especially

Sri Bhagavath Vishayam, captivated thousands over two

generations cutting across the barriers of

Sampradaayam. Great Vidwans traveled with Him on His

Yatra to seek His Anugraha Bashanams and teachings.

 

 

 

4. The late HH Srimad Nammandavan (era 1861 –

1932 AD) trained our Swami; HH foresaw that our Swami

would adorn the Peetam one day to carry on with our

Andavan Asrama Sampradayam! Both HH Srimad Akkur

Andavan and HH Srimad Thenbirai Andavan (the 7th & the

8th Peetathipathis) had also blossomed earlier under

the Divya Acharya Thiruvadi of HH Srimad Nammandavan

and the third generation Yathi was thus ready on

call!!

 

 

 

5. After ascending the Peetam, HH went on a

Padayatra of all Divya Desams and other Kshetrams

throughout Bharatha Desam covering 40000 kms over the

next 23 years and established Asramams in Bangalore,

Kizhanatham, Kumbakonam, Madras, Mannargudi, Mumbai,

New Delhi, Neyveli, Rishikesh, Secunderabad etc.,

 

 

 

6. HH built Temples at Dombivili, Jayanagar,

Neyveli, New Delhi, Desikan Sannathi at Srirangam

etc., and built the second tier of the huge

Rajagopuram in Srirangam at the then cost of Rs. 15.00

lakhs. With His Blessings, the renovation of the

Temple Chariot of Sri Aravamudhan in Kumbakonam was

carried out and the Devasthanam performed the

Rathotsavam in 1984 after a gap of 48 years. HH also

motivated the renovation of many temples in TamilNadu

direct & through His Disciples and has left behind a

permanent standing fund for Nithya Aradhanam for many

Desikan Sannathis.

 

 

 

7. Just before ascending the Peetam, HH started

our religious journal " Sri Ranganatha Paduka " 45 years

ago; He nurtured it during His reign without break, a

Herculean task in those days. Today it has a

circulation of almost 6000 and is an authoritative

publication on SriVaishnavaite Philosophy!!

 

 

 

8. HH started Sri Ranganatha Paduka Vidyalaya in

1967 at Kanchipuram for the study of Vedas &

Prabhandams, this Patasala later on moved to Srirangam

and is today a recognised center for teaching of

Vedas, Saastras and Prabandham affiliated to the

Bharthi Dasan University; there was a huge

consolidation of Sishyas and Abhimanis for the Asramam

from the descendents of the families of different main

and sub lineages of Munitraya Sampradayam – that was

indeed His major contribution for the Parampara!!

 

 

 

9. His Simplicity, Anushtanam, Gnanam, Sowlabyam,

Compassion (we can go on listing His Kalyana Gunas)

etc., made Him easily approachable. Thousands of

Sishyas and Abhimanis felt that he/she was part of His

inner circle! HH established three Public Charitable

Trusts to carry out educational, general charitable

and marriage/Apara Karyam related activities. Today

there are Ten Trusts run by the different centers of

the Asramam. During His reign, the Asramam was itself

recognised by the Central Government as a Public

Religious Charitable Trust under Sec. 10.23.C (iv) of

the Income Tax Act! HH established an Ayurvedic

Dispensary in 1977, today it is planned to be expanded

into a College for Ayurveda.

 

 

 

10. There was a tremendous renaissance of the

Visishtadvaitha Sampradayam during HH's reign, a

golden era indeed, wherever HH went on Yatra there

were Grantha Chatushtya Kalakshepams for large groups

of Sishyas and Abhimanis, HH started the annual

" Paduka Vidwath Sadas " 40 years ago; it is today a

'not to be missed' annual event for the Vidwans'

community! HH dreamt of many more projects but Sriman

Narayana called the Acharya unto Himself on Vibhava

Varusham -Panguni- KRISHNA PANJAMI Day i.e. on

10.4.1989 with the message that His successor would

complete His unfinished projects and would fulfill His

dreams as well.

 

 

 

11. An appropriate & realistic review (if at all

adiyen is ever capable of that) would fill hundreds of

pages and still fail to fully portray the essence of

HH's achievements as one of the Greatest exponents of

all time of our Visishtadvaitha Philosophy, His tryst

with Acharya/ Asrama Kainkaryam in His Poorvasrama,

His manifold and unprecedented achievements as our

Acharya and as the 9th Peetathipathi.

 

 

 

12. HH Srimad Srimushnam Andavan [HH] had His Grantha

Chatushtya Kalakshepams under the Acharya in 1988 and

the great Seer instructed HH that when the times comes

[as it would very soon] he should renounce the worldly

life and assume the Peetam of the Asramam. The

Acharya's immediate successor, HH Srimad Mysore

Andavan also passed away on 22-05-1989.

 

 

 

13. Thus our HH took to Holy Orders on 01-06-1989 and

since then has i) completed the unfinished Projects of

the Late Acharya, ii) conceived and implemented

various new Projects that were only dreamt of by the

Late Acharya and iii) started/completed/conceived many

more projects that are being watched with great joy

and satisfaction by the Late HH from SrI Vaikuntam.

Some of these are briefly listed hereunder.

 

 

 

14. HH has built Asramams in 16 centers over the past

17 years, has renovated almost all Asramams built by

His Poorvacharyas, has – on His own – built

new/renovated the existing Temples including the

massive Rs. 1.25 crore renovation of our Sri Balaji

Mandir in Dombivili, has also been publishing rare

Granthams of the Great Savants and Acharyas during the

past 15 years, has built up a great Library with over

18,000 titles, has performed Mangalasasanam in

hundreds of Divya Desams/ Abhimana Stalams and has

vastly expanded the network of devotees of the Asramam

by His Asethu Himachalam Yatras over the past 16 years

and more .

 

 

 

15. HH has vastly expanded the Vedic Education with

almost 250 Vidyarthis in 7 Patasalas – 2 more are

being started before the Centenary – and has started

MA & M Phil [sanskrit] in our Arts & Science College

at Srirangam. The Veda Patasalas are proving to be

exemplary models of growth with Vidyarthis being

admitted without any discrimination. HH has declared

that our Sanskrit Patasalas be consolidated into a

Vidya Peetam named Sri Ramanuja University. The

current expenses for the Veda Patasalas are appr. Rs.

50.00 – 55.00 lakhs per year and this would touch Rs

100.00 lakhs as the Vidya Peetam comes into existence.

 

 

 

 

16. HH has started our Srimath Andavan Arts & Science

College at Srirangam in 1996 and it has already become

a Center of Excellence in Bio Sciences with more than

1750 students. HH has plans to upgrade this into an

Autonomous Institution and then make this a " Deemed to

be University " status by setting up an Ayurvedic

College, a College of Pharmacy and a College of

Nursing.

 

 

 

17. So far, over Rs. 10.00 crores or US$ 2.25

Millions have been spent for the infrastructure for

our Sanskrit Patasalas & Srimad Andavan Arts & Science

College. The budget for these goals will be a further

sum of Rs. 13.2 crores or US $ 2.50 Millions over the

next 8/9 years – the internal accruals will take care

of US $ 1.20 Millions leaving a deficit of Rs. 6.00

crores or US$ 1.30 Millions to be covered by

contributions of Sevarthis and Well Wishers.

 

 

 

18. HH wishes that the centenary of the Late HH

Srimad Thirukkudanthai Andavan be celebrated with

great reverence & simplicity. The main invitees will

the Yathiswarars of other Mutts and Peetams. HH also

wishes that all Sevarthis should have the Blessings of

the Poorvacharyas during these celebrations without

exception. Accommodation/ Thadeearadhanam/ Transport

etc., for the thousands of Sevarthis coming into

Srirangam will be organised as we did during the June

2005 Sapthathi of HH. It shall be the endeavour of the

National Executive Committee to fulfill this to the

best extent possible by avoiding the glitches that

crept in during those 8 days.

 

 

 

19. The provisional expenses for the Centenary

celebrations are estimated at Rs. 72.00 lakhs (as per

annexure). HH has always applied the Sambavanai from

the Sishyas on the infrastructure of the Patasalas,

College, Publication of Granthams etc., and will do so

in future as well. We seek your maximum/ substantial

support. All contributions, regardless of the quantum,

will be gratefully received, faithfully applied and

kept confidential. Invitations will be sent during

January/ February 2007 for you to make it to the

celebrations positively with family and friends.

 

 

 

20. Cheques & Drafts may kindly be made in favour of

" Sri Paduka Charities " to avail the IT Exemption u/s

80-G of the IT Act. If the IT Exemption is not an

issue, Cheques & Drafts may be kindly issued in favour

of 'Srirangam Srimad Andavan Asramam' payable at

Chennai.

 

 

 

With warmest regards, adiyen remains,

 

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

R Rajagopal (RR)

 

Chairman.

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___________________________

R Rajagopal,

Partner,

ARAVIND LABORATORIES,

New No 11, Old No 7,

Chakrapani Street,

Chennai 600 033. INDIA

Ph: 9144 2483 8585 - (Office)

9144 2249 1971 - (Factory)

9193850 50002 - (Mobile)

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