Bhagavad Ramanuja Vaibhavam- 1.40- Srimad Poundarikapuram Swami His Holiness Sri Sriniavasa Mahadesikan TN today

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SrI:

SrImathE Goapladesika mahadesikaya namah:

SrImathE Srinivasadesika Mahadesikaya namah:

SrImathE Ranganathadesika Mahadesikaya namah:

SrImathE Srinivasadesika Mahadesikaya namah:

SrImathE Gopalarya Mahadesikaya Namah:

 

 

Sri Narayana Yogindra Varadaarya Kripaasrayam /

Rangesa Paada Vinatham Srinivaasa Munim Bhaje //

 

(meaning)

I hail Srinivasa Muni who obtained the full grace of Sri Narayana

Yogindra Varadaarya, who always bowed at the feet of Lord Ranganatha.

 

About this Great mahaan, there are two slokas composed by Sri RV

Krishnamachariar:

I am giving only the translation (Please forgive my translation as well):

 

For those who take to sanyaas (renunciation), there could be many reasons.

Poverty, disinterest in samsaaric afflictions, mental worries, non-cooperation

from spouse etc. For this Swamy (Sri Poundarikapuram Andavan Swamy), lot of

wealth (inherited), extremely cooperative Pathivratha dEvigaL (spouse),; a great

vidwAn of the first kind. Simply due to his vairAgyam alone, he took to

sanyaasaasramam.

 

What kind of vidvathvam he has!

He is PaNinI in vyAkaraNam.

GaNAdhar in mImAmsA.

Vedantha Desikan in Vedantha!

 

Those vidwAns and scholars who acknowledge the above whole heartedly also do not

speak in front of Him (with respect and fear- bhayam kalandha mariyAdhai)

 

May He reside (as alwayts) forever in the hearts of such Great scholars and

vidwAns! (in order to bless them as he does always!)

 

This day about one hundred and sixty three years ago, our land witnessed the

holy birth of a mahaan in Poundarikapuram; truly it was an avtaar of Sriman

Narayanan Himself, who out of His benevolence, and sincere determination,

Dhrida vratha, to save all human beings comes into this world. And the Lord also

chooses the time, the place and the parents to take birth from ? it is all

preordained by Him.

 

It was the day of days- Adi PoorAdam- Sowmya year, August 1847, a

child-prodigy was born in Poundarikapuram village. This village with its

sylvan surroundings is very near to the famous Oppiliappan Koil Divya

Desam, whose praise has been sung by Peyazhwar, Nammazhwar and Thirumangai

Azhwar. Enjoying, so to say, the Divya kataaksha of the Lord, this cozy

village has been the birth of many great personages. Among them were the

couple- Sri Singaperumal Ayyangar, an effulgent scholar and a man of

unswerving principles of personal practice and conduct and Smt Senkamalam

Ammal, his wife. No wonder that Sriman Narayanan chose to take His birth from

this noble couple as their seventh son and was named after Lord

Srinivasan. How so true this about Srimad Andavan Poundarikapuram Srinivasa

Mahadesikan needs no elucidation to the Srivaishnava world, more so to

those unnumbered beneficiaries. This multifaceted genius was a repository of

erudite scholarship endowed with an uncommon acumen, which helped not only of

acquisition of knowledge of Kaavyarthas, Saasthras, Vedanthaarthas,

Granthachathushtayam, besides the Vedas and the Divya prabandhas but also in the

exposition of these to an never ending chain of disciples who flocked to him all

the year around and down the years.

 

A quick review of his biographical details will inform us how great personages

(in our Acharya parampara) are born great and tower far above the commonality!

 

Young Srinivasan was given in adoption to his father’s younger brother. After

his upanayanam at 7, he promptly sought to learn Sanskrit from illustrious Sri

Rangachariar Swami, father of reputed Tharka scholar Sri Narasimhachariar. Soon

followed his higher education from mahavidwans like Ghattam Varadachariar Swamy,

Sogathur Vijayaraghavachariar Swami, Perumal koil Thirupputkuzhi Swami, Kuricchi

Rangachariar Swami at Mannargudi, and in matter of time, he became an

accomplished scholar, a mahaa vidwaan himself., having mastered Alankaara

saasthra, Tharkaam, vyAkaraNam, and mImAmsa besides the Vedas and Prabandhams.

He had his Pancha samskaaram from Sri Ghattam Varadachariar Swami and Vedantha

Grantha kaalakshepam and BharasamapraNam at the feet of Srimad Andavan

VeliyanallUr Narayana Mahadesikan Swamy, an act indicating possibly things to

come, as later he succeeded Sri Narayana Desika Mahadesikan Swamy. He undertook

pilgrimages to all divya desas from

Tirupathi to Thiruvananthapuram. In due time, he married Smt Komalavilli Ammal

hailing from Vagarai, a nearby village and led his grihasthAsramam at

Poundarikapuram in a manner that was remarkable for its simplicity and austerity

in spite of belonging to a family as affluent materially as erudite in

scholarship.

 

When his (adopted) mother Srirangammal passed away, he migrated to Srirangam and

settled down there. He led his life strictly as ordained by the elders,

performing Pancha kaala kriyas, the observance of which gives no room for

accepting any material gift whatsoever it be nor aspire of ill-gotten wealth.

His scholarship and mastery in Sahithya, Alankara, Tharkka, mImAmsA, Sri Bhsahya

and vyAkaraNa was legendary and little wonder that those who aspired to gain

knowledge of these sought after him and learnt at his Feet.

 

In good time, he heard the call, the divine call for taking up sanyaasa Ashramam

and to become a “light house:, guiding the parched souls tossed about the

samsaara saagara. It was a definite call and he went and prostrated repeatedly

at the feet of Srimad Andavan Veliyanalloor Narayana Mahadesikan who after

thorough scrutiny of his disciple’s genuineness, offered him upadesa of

Preksha mantra and Prapatti Prayoga and admitted him to Sanyaasa Asramam, more

fittingly called ThurIya Asramam (the fourth stage). Thereafter he went to live

in the Srimad Andavan Asramam at Srirangam hallowed by the footprints of Srimad

PeriyANdavan and spent years there offering Samasrayanam, BharaNyAsam, and daily

kaalskhepa Goshtis to the innumerable disciples thirsting spiritually. But as

there were hindrances to the peaceful functioning of Asramam, he decided to move

out of Srirangam itself so as to more effectively carry on with his spiritual

mission. When the

disciples came to know of this, they prevailed upon him to continue his

stay at Srirangam. Through their efforts, a separate Asrama was set up and it

came to be known as the " Sri Poundarikapuram Andavan Asramamâ€, in the same

line of Srimad Periyandavan Guruparampara, verily because Sriman Narayana willed

it so there shall be another illustrious seat of munithraya Sampradayam, to

cater to the spiritual needs of the ever growing Sishyavarga, ever seeking new

nuances and creeping in to the crevices of the Sampradaya. And so from this

center this great Acharya traveled on foot across South India at the request of

countless disciples who considered that their places became sanctified by the

very touch of the Acharya’s feet. Eventually he stayed at Srirangam itself

following the footsteps of Emeprumaanaar Sri Ramanujacharya.

 

Thus started a great era, a Saga of monumental service to the Lord. Not a day

passed without a Kaalakshepa Goshti in the Asramam. It became the confluence of

great minds seeking more and more scholarship in Sribhashyam, Bhagavath

vishayam, and all else with a thirst and enthusiasm as witnessed never before.

 

Sri Poundarikapuram Swami had a large stock of affluence in his

grahasthAsramam. He left off all in his supreme self-denial and became an

ascetic by almost compelling his preceptor to grant him the saffron robe. He

swayed, as spiritual king, the Srirangam town for almost five decades. He was

no ordinary scholar, nor an ordinary ascetic, nor even an ordinary pontiff at

that. He taught many; taught Sri Bhashya every day; believed that it was his

chief goal and inaugurated the present headquarters of the Asramam on the

banks of the Coleroon river, a few yards west of Sri Dasavatharam Sannidhi

(of Sri Ahobila Mutt).

 

A special kind of link between the Ahobila Mutt and Sri Poundarikapuram

Andavan Asramam deserves mention in this connection. Down from 1750 to this day

the Acharya hierarchy is unbroken, uniquely continuous in this Asramam. The

Acharyas are also native to the school; inbred and brought up by

Kalakshapam / invitation by earlier Pontiffs at some time. Once a gap

occurred in the Ahobila Mutt; for some five years (1900-1905). The

Poundarikapuram Andavan of this Asramam had proudly helped in securing a

deserving candidate and giving him Sannyasa order and installing him as the

Pontiff (the 38th). This happened in 1905.

 

Thus, from Srirangam, he continued his mission. The Asramam under Sri

Srinivasa Maha Desikan was a center of religious activities and

philosophical discussions. The Acharya was an erudite scholar in Vedaanta

Sastras; he possessed an extraordinary power of mind by which he could

accurately recall any passage, sloka or Sutra with ease.

Many learned scholars came to study Adhyatma Sastras under his feet.

Apart from the saamaanya sishyas and countless extraordinary sishyas, mention

must be made of a few outstanding sishyas who distinguished themselves by their

startling mastery of the sampradaya granthas in all their facets and left an

indelible mark in the form of permanent contributions to the growth and spread

of the Munithraya sampradayam. And thus the three Acahrays who succeeded him

after, Srimad Ranganatha Mahadesikan, Srimad ViNNaRRankarai Srinivasa

Mahadesikan and Sri Gopaladesika Mahadesikan are manifestations of the Great

AchArya Himself as they follow his footprints in the sands of time, offering

spiritual succour to the ever growing disciples. In their succession lies the

clue to great Acharya’s prophetic gift, the Visionary that he was.

 

In 1934, in the month of Vaikasi on Pornami day, the AchArya's look finally fell

kindly on the great scholar disciple from Mannaargudi as he had decided that he

should succeed him and carry forward the intellectual and spiritual service that

he had so deftly given a new dimension to. Thus Sri Mannargudi Anadavan,

(followed then by sri ViNNaaRRankarai Andavan) succeeded Sri Srinivasa

Mahadesikan (Poundarikapuram Anadavan). And Prakritham Andavan is Srimad Andavan

ParavaakkOttai Gopaladesika Mahadesikan, whose 81st Thirunakshathram is being

celebrated.

 

While this was the Great Acharya’s work to keep the line of succession

continuous, he did not rest content there; he knew the coming days would demand

more than this. While this was the Great Acharya Srimad Poundarikapuram Andavan

Sri Srinivasadesika mahadesikan's work to keep the line of succession

continuous, he did not rest content there; he knew the coming days would demand

more than this, that the future upkeep of our sampradaya would need not merely

" ships " and " light houses " , but also, pillars and foundation Structures. Among

the many hundreds of Ashthikas/Sishyas, mention should be made of Sri A.V

Gopalacharyar of Anbil, of Sri Krishna thathachariar Swamy of Bangalore, and of

Sri C.M Vijayaraghavachariar Swamy also of Bangalore,

not because others were less equal, but because these scholar disciples

carved for themselves a unique position.

 

Sri A.V Gopalacharyar was at the feet of this great Acharya for 42 years of his

life, practically everyday learning the nuances of our sampradayam. A man of

shrewd intellect, a lawyer matchless in his profession at Tiruchi and affluent,

learned in Poorvapaksham forms of Advaita found full enlightenment from

Acharya's responses and answers to his full load of doubts and questions. Srimad

Andavan well versed in the intricacies of Advaita completely and fully satisfied

the disciple's lurking doubts so well that Sri Anbil Gopalcharyar Swami was

enabled to author many books in elucidation of Advaitha philosophy, - a

contribution of very crucial importance for the very understanding of Greatness

of unparalleled and unambiguous Visishtadvaita; he also brought out a few other

granthas. He perpetuated the memory of this great mahan thus, in the form of

granthas and idealized it by instituting the " Srinivasa Mahadesikan Vidhwath

Sadhas " , munificently endowing for

its conduct. It is an annual feature since then, in this ashramam that brings

in congregation scholars of repute for intellectual and philosophical

discussion, disputation and authoritative assertion of our sampradaya Gnana.

 

What Sri AV Gopalchariar had done – the Granthas he brought out and the

vidwath sadhas he instituted standing “concretized†in the form of an

elegant front mandapa named after the great Savant, reverberating with the

sonorous voices of the great scholars who congregate there- will for ages speak

of the glory of his master – Srimad Andavan Poundarikapuram Swamy.

 

So was the great scholar from Bangalore, Sri Krishna Thathachariar who sat at

the feet of the great Acharya for several years and in turn in multiplication of

those years, imbibed with a sense of purpose and mission, he enthusiastically

undertook the propagation of our Munithraya Sampradaya by teaching many

disciples in and around Bangalore- a contrbution of great value requiring

Bhashanthara Gnana to cater to the Spiritual well being of the Kannasa Desa

sishyavarga so dear to Srimath Bhashyakarar and Swamy Desikan.

 

Equally great was the life of Sri CM Vijayaraghavachariar of Bangalore. Itw as

all a divine dispensation; how else could a retired police circle inspector who

had casually gone to prostrate at the feet of this Acharya, get transformed,

metamorphosed, so to say into an erudite scholar with such depth, thorughness

and accuracy of knowledge as to be able to write and publish many of our

sampradaya granthas in Kannada language for the invaluable benefit of the

disciples in kannada desa.

 

And you will be wonderstruck when known how did it happen. This Swami, after ten

interesting and enlightening years of Gurukulavasam, at Srirangam

Poundarikapuram Ashramam and gratified at the Acharya’s commitment with which

he taught him all these years right from Sanskrit alphabet to Vedanthas and

Saathras in great depths, offered even in those days, an enticing Rs 10,000 as

Guru dhakshiNa. Srimad Andavan looked up and asked him, “Is this what you have

learnt and understood me?â€. The disciple persisited in offering it as a token

of his gratitude. The Acharya consolingly told him, “If I accepted this from

you, great harm will follow- in future, our disciples may stop coming to mearn

from me unable to make a GurudhakshiNa; also this may incite me an expectation

of the same tooâ€. The disciple knew that the Acharya was sincere but still he

persisted. Now the Acharya spoke- “Think what one in my state can do with this

money; with you perhaps, it

may find immense use in making our Sampradayam Granthas so much needed for the

futureâ€. This was the divine spark that impregnated in the mind of Sri CM

Vijayaraghavachariar the passion and the spirit for writing many books in

kannada language which are available even today as source books for reference

and research in Karnataka – something which Bhagawan Ramanuja would have

approved of. Words do not suffice to extol the importance of this service to

Srivaishnava community. Srimad Andavan was noted for his vairAgya –

inassailable spirit of total renunciation of worldly, material things. It was

Bhagawath Sankalpa, that in this manner a whole range of our Samparadya Granthas

should be born in Kannada language.

 

It is pertinent to mention here of just two sweet anecdotes illustrating Srimad

Andavan Poundarikapuram Swamy’s depth of knowledge and a wealth of

interpretations whether it be Swamy Desikan’s Srisukthis or Bhagavath

Bhashyakarar’s Sri Bhashya or Gita Bhashya or any grantha whatsoever. The

article will remain incomplete without recalling these incidents. One relates to

Sri CM Vijayaraghachariar’s personal experience. Late one night at Srirangam,

East Utthara Veedhi Sri Vijayaraghavachariar – while bringing back to his mind

the explanation of Acharya Srimad Andavan on the Abheethi sthava sloka 7:

 

ramaa dhayitha rangabhUramaNa… na thasya yamavasyathaa narakapaatha bhIthi

krutha:

 

It proclaims Swamy desikan’s declaration of Lord Ranganatha’s certain

protection to Prapannas from falling into the clutches of Yamakinkaras if they

chant this sloka.

Sri CMV Swamy could not digest it. He found it difficult to understdnmand as to

how one sloka could be so specific to Sri Ranganatha;s protection! Perhaps,

swamy would have said this due to Bhagavath Abhimaanam and abhimaanam towards

Swamy Desikan’s abhIthis sthavam.†– thus, he was pondering and was having

a sleepless night.

 

Srirangam Divya Dampathi appeared in Acharya Srimad Andavan’s dream and said,

“Your sishya has got a doubt on SrI Vedantha Desikan’s sthuthi on Us. Go and

explain the greatness and speciality of this sloka. Within an hour, Srimad

Andavan knocked at the dorr of Sri CM Vijayaraghavachariar and right there at

the door step, explained the meaning of sloka and greatness of the compassion of

Divya Dampathi with tears rolling down his cheeks. This is a proof of his depth

and clarity and explains how Lord Himself was prathyaksham (visible to his eyes)

to him. Swamy desikan has packed into this sloka all the Beejaaksharaas

contained in the Praanaprathishta Manthra and Saannidhyaachana manthra –

installation of energizing mantras pertaining to Lord Ranganathan.

 

Another famous anecdote: Srimad Andavan had tremendous Sri Hayagriva

Mantrasiddhi. One there was a young Boy of five years walking in front of Swamy

when the parents of the boy came to the Ashramam for offering their obeisance

and dhaNdavath praNamams to swamy. The boy walked towards where Swamy was

delivering his kaalakshepam. Swamy looked at the child, pausing the kaalakshepam

and aksed him, “un peyar enna?†(what is your name?) The boy did not utter a

word. The Father of the boy told Swamy that he is born dumb (mute). Immediately

Srimad Andavan asked the boy to come near and asked him to sit in front of him.

He taught him “aksharaabhyaasam,†and recited,

 

SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |

vedAntAcArya-varyome sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||

 

(May the glorious Venkatanatha, the greatest of teachers of Vedanta, and the

lion among poets and debaters, reside forever in my heart.) and

 

jnAnanda mayamdEvam nirmalaspaTikAkruthim |

AdhAram sarva viganAnAm hayagrIvam upAsmahE ||

 

The five year old boy repeated both slokas. The one who did not speak a single

word in his past five years spoke due to swamy’s merciful kataaksham. Today

that boy has grown to His Holiness Sri Rangapriya Mahadesikan Swamy of

Bangalore. (Read Sri Srinath Chakravarthy’s excellent posts on this Swamy).

 

The Great Sri Kozhiyaalam Raghavachariar Swami came to Srirangam and sought

Sannyaasa Sweekaranam at the feet of Srimad Poundarikapuram Andavan who

initiated him into the Sannyaasa Asrama in 1920 in the year Roudri- Aani-

Pournami day. The Aasthaana Vidwan of Tirumalai Tirupati Devasthanam,

Kapisthalam Desikaachaarya submitted to Swami for approval his Grantha

" Adhikarana Ratna Maalai " . The Swami accorded his approval.

 

When the affluent devotees of Poundarikapuram village nevertheless not his

disciples had arranged for renovation and consecration, It was H H Sri

Poundarikapuram Andavan who was invited to lend the 'holy hand' for

karasparsam (by a great man). With what results! All can see today how the

small shrine of Oppiliappn has grown as Southern Thiruppathi, with gala and

festivity, fund-flow and pomp and fame and attraction, all after 1928! The

event has a precedent in Thirukkudanthai Desikan lending his

'kara-sparsam' to Araavamuthan some 200 years back!

 

This was Srimad Andavan Poundarikapuram Srinivasa Mahadesikan, a creative

genius, a perennial spring who made himself an institution and a legend with his

many sided qualities. He was a great servant, a teacher unsurpassed, an

organizer with an eye for protection, a missionary with a vision and a visionary

with a mission. No wonder that he was known as Gnana Vairagya Anusntana

Sampanna. A little known truth about this unassuming practitioner mentioned by

Sri Navalpaakaam NS Devanathachar who got it authoritatively from Srimad Andavan

ViNNARRankarai Swami. This mahaan made it a daily practice to chant praNavam

even during brief leisure hours following the precepts of Upanishads, thereby

experiencing the thrill of the union of JivAthmA with the ParamAthmA. That he

was practicing this was not known to anybody. It was not necessary to inform

anyone, it being the individual communion of Jivan with Sriman Narayanan. How

did then others come to know of? It was

the custom to invite four Srivaishnavas and feed them in the Ashramam on the

completion of every one crore (ten millions) of PraNava japam. Such was his

accuracy in keeping count of a small GREAT mantra. Sri VennaaRRankarai Andavan

Swami chanced to notice

this and humbly enquired and got to know the truth.

 

Does this not testify to the unassuming nature and greatness of the AchArya, his

gnAna, anushtAnam and VairAgyam?

 

Whenever there were doubts on sri Bhashyam Grantham and its interpretations,

Srimad Andavan was always the Judge to pass his final

judgement as to who is right. - " was the statement of Srimad Azhagiyasingar

(41st Pattam).

 

What a wonder ? He attained the everlasting Bliss of AchAryan Thiruvadi on 20th

October 1934, a day after completion of one of the many Sri Bhashya Grantha

saaRRumuRais, signifying Sri Bhashya Bhakti.

 

Let us pay our obeisance to this Great Acharyan His Holiness Srimad Andavan Sri

Poundarikapuram Swamy on His Thirunakshathram, today.

 

Acknowledgement:

1. Biography of Srimad Andavan Poundarikapuram Srinivasa Mahadesikan- by Prof.

P.R. Srinivasan, Perugavazhndhan, Bangalore.

2. Sri Anbil Ramaswamy’s write up.

3. Dr. Sri VN Vedantha Desikan Swamin’s article

4. Sri Delhi Hari Nagar Rajagopachariar Swamy’s article

 

AchAryan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

 

Regards

namo narayana

dAsan