Jeer's cry for Desikan!

[Guest guest]

23-09-2007. Purattasi Thiruvonam. Vedantha Desikan's incarnation

day. HH the 45th jeer of Shri Ahobila math graced the occasion at the

Desikan sannidhi in Srirangam temple. Huge crowd made the

celebrations memorable. Due to certain restrictions at the temple the

function was constrained. The strain became evident when HH gave a

talk at the Dasavatara sannidhi after the pujas there. He was moved

to tears. His voice was quavering and all the listeners were affected

by His " wet " voice, so to say.

He recapitulated Desikan's greatness and uniqeness. He quoted Appaya

Dikshitar's eulogy on Desikan. He highlighted Desikan's prolific

output and the sustained quality of each of his works. HH mentioned

that Dikshitar who was an accomplished poet himself, gave up when

asked to comment on Desikan's Yadavabhyudayam. He said each line is

so replete with meanings that all he can do is stand back in awe.

Desikan had a soft corner for Srirangam and the ruling deities there.

Inspite of his well known attachment to both Varadan and Deivanayakan

he was moved into writing many stotras by Ranganatha and Ranganayaki.

His services to deities at Srirangam are numerous and he was Periya

Piratti's favourite. " Vedantacharya " " sarvatantra swatantra " " kavi

tharkika simham " were some of the titles he got from the Divya

Dampathi. Many are the works he dedicated to Periya Perumal. He safe

guarded the Tamil tradition at the temple which was under threat.HH

was moved to tears as He recounted Desikan's many services at the

Srirangam temple. HH was saddened by the fact that Desikan was not

accorded any respect in the present milieu. He said our sampradaya

did not have to search for foes outside, there were many inside. He

was so affected that He used the word " jailed " to describe Desikan's

present status at the temple.

HH said that though there might be objections to His talk He couldn't

quell His anguish at the treatment meted out to Desikan. Desikan had

himself taught us that we should walk fearlessly on the heads of

those who belittle Sri Ramanuja's darshana. HH mentioned Sahadeva's

behaviour in Mahabharatha. The occasion was Yudishtara's rajasuya

yagna and the question was who was worthy of being accorded

the " first offering " " mudal mariyadai. " Sahadeva, the youngest one,

stood up boldly and declared only Krishna deserved it and he would

place his left foot on the heads of those who opposed him. Desikan

says that I will bear on my head, the feet of the devotees of Sri

Ramanuja but will place my feet on the heads of those who opposed

him. HH said that we must resist and not give in when injustice was

being done to our sampradaya.

HH detailed the birth of Desikan's magnum opus Paaduka sahasram.

Desikan was challenged to compose a thousand verses on the Almighty's

lotus feet in one night. Desikan demurred citing his inaptitude to

accomplish such a huge feat.Such was his innate humility. HH said

that the archaka, who knew his man, placed Ranganatha's " satari " on

Desikan's head and said that he would remove it only if Desikan

agreed to write the miliad. Considering it the Lord's command Desikan

acquiesced. After completing his daily routine he went to bed,

unflappable as usual whereas his challenger was burning the midnight

oil. Desikan's acolytes had to wake him up about two hours before

dawn and remind him about the challenge. Desikan calmly sat down and

composed the thousand verses on the footwear of Ranganatha, the gems

encrusted paadukas. HH said that this feat of Desika was superhuman

and was accomplished because Desikan and Hayagriva are one and the

same. The feat was mindboggling because of the scope of the opus, its

grandeur, the profundity of thoughts expressed and the standard of

the language. HH was moved to tears once again and declared that

Desikan is nonpareil and one cant find his equal not only in our

country but throughout the world, for all ages. His challenger could

finish only three hundred. Such was Desikan's lack of pride that he

is reported to have said that the three hundred was better than his

thousand. That three hundred is now extinct and Desikan's " Paaduka

sahasram " is the crown jewel of Desikan's prolific multilingual

output.

Lord Nrsimha's descent and slaying of Hiranyakasipu,Krishna's

exposition of the Bhagvad Gita on the battlefield, Rama's

annihilation of 14,000 rakshasas and Desikan's composition of

thousand verses on Paadukas can be considered equal as all were

accomplished in a very short space of time.

HH recounted another instance of a ShriVaishnava who had disparaged

Desikan. Desikan did not respond in any way and left. That gentleman

was to suffer heavily and then came to realisation about his vile act

of calumny against Desikan. He offered sincere apology and partook

Desikan's " sripada theertham " and was blessed immediately. In

gratitude he named his son " theertha pillai " .

HH concluded by saying that it gave Him great pleasure to participate

in a function on Desikan's asterism and though the uncouth may

belittle him, his station as the grand master of Bhagvath Ramanuja's

Sampradaya was assured for eternity.

 

Dr.S.Sundar Rajan