PeriyANdavan - Vatthal Swami- Sri Srinivasa Mahadesikan Thirunakshathram- Maasi pushyam (today)

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SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

 

Today is the Thirunakshathram of SRIMAD PERIYA ANDAVAN

a.k.a VATHAL SWAMI (Masi- Pushyam) (1801 - 1886 CE)

 

Let us pay our obeisance to him by enjoying his divine life history written by

Sri Anbil Ramaswamy Swami in his Acharya Vamsa vriksham series)

 

Periya Andavan, as he has come to be familiarly known

is the real architect of the Andavan Paramparai, for

he laid it on firm foundation. He lived during the

19th Century CE- a most disturbed period in the

history of Vaishnavism, when the Southern part of the

Tamil country became a hotbed of internecine wars.

Carnatic Wars (1743-1767 CE) broke out between the

English and the French and both the temple and the

town of Srirangam suffered much. The pilgrim town and

the center of Vaishnavism became an occupied

territory. The Nawab_s army took shelter in the

Srirangam temple. The military fortunes of the

contending parties were fluctuating until the English

won the war and seized Tiruchirappalli and the

surrounding regions.

 

In his Poorvasrama, Periya Andavan was called Sri

Srinivasa Raghavachariar. The son of one

Krishnamacharya Swami, he belonged to the village,

Pillaiyaranai near Kanchi. He was born in the Kali

year Roudri in the month of Maasi when the star

Pushyam was in the ascendant and this corresponds to

25-2-1801. He came from a distinguished Dipa- Pradipa

family who were entitled to some special honors at the

Kanchi Perarulaalan temple. After Brahmopadesa at the

age of 8, his father himself instructed him in the

Vedas and Divya Prabhandam. He also administered the

Sudarsana Maha Mantram. He received his Pancha

Samskaram from one Sama Periyappan Swami, a descendent

of Tata Desika. In the course of a pilgrimage, Sri

Krishnamachariar and his family worshipped at the

Aravamudan Sannidhi at Kumbakonam, where he met one

Navalpakkam Raghavachariar Swami, an erudite scholar

and previous acquaintance. At the latter_s request,

Sri Krishnamachariar and his family stayed with him

for some years as his guest. At his departure, he left

his son to be instructed in Kavyas and Tamil lore at

the feet of Navalpakkam Swami. Later, Srinivasa

Raghavachariar studied Vyakarana and Mimamsa Sastras

at the feet of his paternal uncle. Goaded by an

intense urge to seek the feet of Sri Vedanta Ramanuja

Maha Desikan, he arrived at Srirangam and prostrated

himself before the Acharya. From him he sought and

received Bharanyasam at the Sannidhi of Lord

Ranganatha. Discovering in the Prapanna, the potential

Acharya, Srimad Andavan directed him to get instructed

in all Rahasya Granthas by Tirutturaip Pundi Andavan.

 

Soon, he became a scholar in all Vedaanta Sastras and

won the appreciation of the two Acharyas and their

disciples. He visited the Navalpakkam village six

months after his marriage and on that occasion, his

father-in-law presented him a gold ring. Srinivasa

Raghavachariar is said to have made golden image of

Swami Desika out of the ring and installed it in the

local temple. With an intense longing to become a

Sannyasi, he came back to Srirangam but both his

mother and wife pleaded with him not to take to holy

orders. Sensing the domestic compulsions, the Acharya

advised him to remain a householder till such time as

he is blessed with a child. With the birth of a

daughter, a few years later, Sri Srinivasa

Raghavachariar decided to take the Sannyasa Asrama.

 

But, still his mother would not allow him to do so.

Assuring his mother that he would not become an

ascetic unless he saw auspicious signs, he proceeded

to Srirangam. On the way, he encountered an astrologer

who predicted that he would turn either a great king

or a saint destined to blaze a new trail. Just about

the same time two Garudas were seen hovering in the

sky. The green signal for the new course of life was

given and his mother reconciled herself to the

inevitable and blessed her son. Taking leave of Lord

Devaraja, Sri Srinivasa Raghavachariar reached

Srirangam and received the ochre robes from Tirutturap

Pundi Andavan. Assuming the name of Srinivasa Maha

Desikan, he entered the holy order of ascetics at the

age of 30 in the year 1831 CE.

 

Srimad Srinivasa Maha Desikan led a simple, austere

life on the banks of Kollidam. Every day he would go

round the streets of Srirangam and accept alms from

the houses of only those who lived a pure life,

reciting and teaching Vedas. It is said that after

receiving the cooked rice, he would go to the river

and wash it so as to rid it of all fat and oil

content. The meager food he took lacked the vital fat

content rendering him frail and he was, therefore,

called _Vathal Swami_. He was a self-denying saint, a

Jithendriya who bent his Thirumeni to the service of

his soul. He taught rather by his practice than by

precept. He wielded such influence on his disciples

that they hailed him _Periya Andavan_. When

Tirutturaip Pundi Andavan attained his Acharya_s feet,

Periya Andavan became the Acharya in due course. On

hearing about his succession,, learned scholars of the

day came to see him and obtain his grace. A brilliant

galaxy of distinguished scholars flocked to his feet

and the Goshti consisted of such eminent persons as

Vedaanta Tatachariar Swami of Sankarapuram (who later

became Veliyanallur Andavan of this Asramam), Sri

Tirupput Kuzhi Tatachar Swami, Gopala Samudram Vidwan

Sri Narayanachar Swami, Mannargudi Vyaakarana

Narasimhachar Swami ( who late became the 39th Jeeyar

of Ahobila Mutt), Agnihotram Srinivasa Tatachar Swami,

Vidwan Paravastu Venkatachar of Srivilli puttur,

Tiruvaheendrapuram Ashtaavadhaanam Anantachar Swami (

who later became Tiruk Kudanthai Andavan) etc. etc.

Periya Andavan was a logician of great repute and many

of his disciples also excelled in this art. One

Govardhanam Rangachariar, a reputed logician of the

North arrived in Srirangam and challenged the scholars

of the day to a dialectical debate.

 

Mannargudi Rajagopalachariar, nominated by Srimad

Periya Andavan to accept the challenge defeated the

visiting scholar after several days of debate. The

vanquished gracefully accepted defeat and requested

Periya Andavan to spare Raj agopalachariar Swami for a

brief period , so that he could get further

instructions from him in Vedanta. At the end of the

period, he honored Mannargudi Rajagoplachariar and

conveyed his gratitude to Periya Andavan for putting

him in the right path of knowledge.

 

He set up the Asrama on the lands donated by a patron

and continued his Kalakshepam classes there

uninterrupted in the sylvan environment. He conducted

classes in Sri Gita Bhashya, Sri Bhashya, Rahasya

Traya Sara and Bhagavad Vishaya more than 30 times to

hundreds of disciples. His Sishyas listened entranced

wondering that so much Vedantic wisdom emanated from

so frail a body. He framed a code of conduct to be

strictly adhered to by his disciples. He undertook a

pilgrimage which took him to Tiruk Kudanthai,

Mannargudi, Vaduvur and other places. Whatever he

touched he enriched and he left behind a tradition of

excellence, a spiritual touch for his worthy

successors to cherish and carry forward.

 

Such indeed is the glory of Periya Andavan. He

observed 55 Chaturmasya austerities (58 according to

SRP) during the span of 85 years. He attained the

lotus feet of his Acharya in the year 1886 that is the

Krishna Trayodasi in the month of Makara_.

 

His Tanian reads as follows:-

 

 

Sri Rangesa Pathe Samarpitha Bharam Srutyanta Raamaanuja

Sri Yogeendra Guroothamena Yaminah Srutyanta Vidyaatmanah /

Praaptha Srutya vathamsa Yugma Hridayam Sri Vaasa Raamaanujaath

Sri Srivaasa Muneendra Desika Manim Sreyonidhim Samaasraye //

 

(meaning) _ I resort to Srivasa Munindra Desika who is

the gem of Sreyas, who did his Bharasamarpanam at the

feet of Rangesa, who had learnt all about Ramanuja

darsanam from his Guru, to whose heart resort all the

Srutis_

 

Acharyan ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo narayana

dAsan