Thooppul Pillai Thirunakshathram- Purattaasi SrvaNam - The unparalleled Acharya

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SRI:

SrImathE Nigamantha Mahadesikaya nama:

Dearest all

 

On this most auspicious day of Purattaasi ThiruvONam, Swamy Desikan

Thirunakshathra mahotsavam, it is our duty to talk in praise of and contemplate

on the glories of our Acharya saarva bhouman Kavithaarkika simham, Sarvathanthra

swathanthran, Vedanta Acharyan Swamy Desikan.

The more one learns under an AchAryA and/or reads the immortal works of such

avatAra purushAs, the more they realize the divine glories of such mahAthmAs.

adiyEn who cannot even read Sanskrit properly can hardly understand anything

about the vast glories and great blessings through

various granthAs of the most merciful AchArya sArvabhoumA SwAmi nigamAntha

mahAdesikan, the ghantAvatArA of Sriman nArAyaNA.

 

But adiyEn would nevertheless like to pay tributes to our dearest Thooppul

PiLLai. Who can pay such tributes better than SwAmi

Desikan's own son and dear disciple Sri NainArAchAryA alias Sri KumAra

VaradAchAryA?. Let us enjoy the insatiable nectar - PiLLai anthAdi

 

Sri Nainacharyar, the only son of Swami Vedanta Desikan, was born on AvaNi

Rohini (the same Nakshathram of Kutti KaNNan)- (today..) He is also known as

Kumara Varadacharya. He studied Vedas, and other traditional literature from his

revered father and acharyan, along with Brahmatanthra Jeeyer, who later

established the Parakala Mutt at

Mysore.

 

After Swami Desikan attained Paramapadham, his son, went all over India, and

defeated several scholars of other faiths in debate, clarified doubts in

practice in certain temples and helped propagate and recite Swami Desikan’s

works on appropriate occasions. He is credited to have performed miraculous

deeds to win against magicians and evil-minded persons.

 

Sri Nainacharyar wrote several works such as “Pillai Anthaadhi†(Tamil),

Adhikara Chinthamani, Sri Desika Prapatthi, Sri Desika praarthanasathakam, Sri

Desika Vigrahadhyanam, Sri Desika Mangalam, etc.. (in Sanskrit). Pillai

anthaadhi is 20 verses of Tamil Prabhandham..

 

A great one, where he pours out his indebtedness and bhakti to his father and

AchArya Swami Desikan in high lyrical terms. Scholars claim that it is in the

lines of Ramanuja NooRRandhaadhi.

 

Englisg translation of these twenty verses is based on Oppiliappan Koil

Swami U Ve Sri Ramadesikacharyar’s Tamil commentary..

 

Before we start off:

 

Thaniyan (Dedicatory verse) on Sri Nainacharya (Sri Kumara Varadcharya):

 

seeraar_thoop puRpiLLai yandhaathi yenRu sezhundhamizhaa

NnEraaga vEdhaantha dhEsigar thaaLiNaik keezhmozhindhaa

NnEraar maRaipporu Lellaa medutthiv vulaguyavE

seeraa giyavara dhaariyan paadhan^ thuNain^amakkE.

 

Let Varadacharya’s Feet be our guide, who wrote in Tamil, at the Lotus Feet of

his great father, the unparalleled Swami Sri Vedantha Desika, a

prabhandham called “ Pillai anthaadhiâ€.

 

1. The Feet of Thooppul PiLLai (Swami Desikan) lie on my head. He extols the

illustrious Sri Ramanuja, who had spent his whole life blissfully at the lotus

Feet of MaaRan NammAzhwAr), who, in turn had worn on his head always the Lotus

Feet of the Lord (in whose chest stays or resides the Divine Goddess

MahAlakshmi…

 

2. The Lotus Feet of Thoopul thalaivan (Master), - will They adorn our

heads? Will our eyes be with joyful tears? Oh worldly people! Will our

paapams be destroyed? Will we get a taste of SrivaikunTam in this life (by

wearing the Lotus Feet of AchAryan)?

 

3. The whole of ours is not of any use, if we don’t sing in praise of

Thooppul PiLLai, who spread the message of Sri Ramanuja, the greatest

AchArya Saarvabhoumar, who had in tun taught us the inner meaning and

correct interpretation of sruthis.. and explained the path to attain

mOksham.

 

4. Let us have in our minds the greatest truths and doctrines taught and

explained by that greatest soul (Thooppul PiLLai), following the footsteps of

Sri Ramanuja.. , keeping and enjoying the Most beautiful Form of PeraruLaaLan

Varadan, who appeared in Utthara Veedhi, with Periya PiraaTTi, PerundhEvi

Thaayaar on His Chest.

 

5. anRiv vulaginai yaakki yarumporu Noolviritthu

ninRuthan NneeLpugazh vEngada maamalai mEviyumpin

venRip pugazhtthiru vEngada naadha Nnenunguruvaay

ninRu nigazhndhumaN mEninRa nOyga davirtthananE

 

Our AchAryan is none other than a human form of the Lord of Seven Hills. He took

this form to remove the sorrows of people. Those days, The Lord had created the

worlds. Then He gave the world all the saastras. But all that didn’t help. He

came as the Lord of Thirumala to take us all..

 

6. I am tied (married) to his path. As I utter the greatness and guNAs

of my AchAryan, who is competent and quire well versed in each

and every art, who is a master of Vedas, who is born in thooppul,

called “ Venkata Nathanâ€. His arguments and words the

opponents away. When I actually think and meditate on Him, I see

the end of my paapams completely.

 

7. Oh Paaapams! Go somewhere else! You can not stay anymore here

at my place. I will not bear any more your stunts and I won’t

yield to your temptations. Because my mind now is filled with

thoughts of Thooppul Pillai, who followed the teachings of

Sri Ramanujacharya. I have no fear now.

 

8. In this transitory life, transient world, you all crave to live, Oh

worldly people! Do you not know that this life is just a stone’s throw away

from the fearful hell? Listen to me.. Note my words.. Pay attention! I will now

tell you all the means to get rid of all this sinful life, once for all.. Offer

yourself and your obeisance to the Lotus Feet of Thooppul Vedanta Desika.

 

9. Paapams of any kind will go away if one chooses the devotee

of Sri Ramanujacharya, Sri Vedanta Desika, born at Thooppul, as his AchArya with

utmost greatest humility, obeisance. Such a person, will be blessed to be stuck

to the traditional values and strict discipline in anushtanams; have care and

concern for every living jIvAthmA; bad companies and darkness

will be dispelled.

 

10. adaipavar theevinai maaRRi yarudarun^ thooppulaiya

vidar_tharu mippiRa vikkada Ranni lamizhndhavennaik

kadaiyaRap paasaNG kazhaRRin^in RaaLiNai kaaNUmvaNNa

mudaiyava NnEyaru LaayuNarn^ dhaar_thangaL kaRpagamE.

 

Oh Most graceful Thooppul AchAryA! Here we are surrendering at Your Feet. We are

drowning in the ocean of samsaaram. Pulled by pleasures and desires. Please

remove our sins and save us. Please immerse us in your coolest rain of dayA and

mercy. Show us Your Feet, Oh KaRpaka maramE (tree!)Keep us there for ever and

ever!

 

11. I will not flatter and praise the worldly people to sky high; as

KaRpakam, etc.. I will also not stand on top of the mountain and perform thapas.

Oh Thooppul PiLLaiyE! Please bless this adiyEn. That is what I crave and just

long for.

 

12. My mind is full of darkness and anjnAnam. I am in darkness. Oh Vedanta

DesikA!.. I tend to discard the traditional paths, as put forth by our Poorva

AchAryars. I know no other means and ways to follow but hold Your Feet, seeking

Your kataaksham. You alone can see me through.

 

13. I have no jnAnam. I don’t claim even. I have no knowledge /capacity to

perform Karma, jnAna and Bhakti Yogam. I am not inclined towards sanyasam. Even

easy saraNAgathi is beyond my reach. Oh Lord of Thooppul! I have just come to

Your Feet! Your grace is the only route to attain the Goal.

 

14 I don’t bend or bow down myself to Your Feet even. I am not devoted

sincerely to Your disciples even though they are all around me. I don’t know

as to what I need to do and what can I do now (with so many apacharams), but to

pray in this condition of mine, and hope for Your merciful glance. That will

make me more worthy. Will you please bless me?

 

15. un aruLanRi yenakkoru naRRuNai yinmaiyinaa

lenniru valvinai neeyE vilakki yidhangaruthi

manniya naRRiru mandhira mOdhum poruNilaiyE

ponnaru Laalaru Laaypugazh thooppuR kulaviLakkE.

 

Oh Shining Chief of Thoppul! I stand here before You. Please help to remove and

evil and good deeds and their actions/fruits. I don’t know what is in store

for me for my future. Please bless me to understand the meaning of Thiru

ashtAksharam which will lead me to Parabhakti, ParajnAnam and Parama bhakti.

 

16. Oh Thooppul PiLLaiyE! Please bless me to have intense Bhakti towards

ThiruvEmkatamudiayaan, who most lovingly had Periya PiraaTTi AlarmEl Mangai

Thaayar in His Chest, (born of Lotus flower); Please also bless me to have most

purest thoughts and devotion towards The Bhagawathas who have intense bhakti to

towards the Sriya: Pathi.

 

17. Oh My Saviour! My protector! Who sat at the Feet of AppuLLaar! (Chief of

Kidambhi lineage). Oh Thpooul Pillai, who had the grace of AppuLLaar’s grace!

Who had learnt from him, the essence and meanings of Sanskrit and Tamil Vedas!

Oh Perfect great genius! We pray for Your grace and kataaksham!

 

18. Oh Lord of Thooppul! Oh Most Merciful, most affectionate, and kind

AchAryA, full of grace! Oh Great Poet! And master of all languages! Oh Most

handsome Vedanta DesikA! I am here praying to You with folded hands, palms glued

to each other, asking You “May my mind ever be filled with bhakti towards the

Bhagawathas at Your Feet!â€.

 

19. The Bhagawathas- at Your Feet, who enjoy being at Your Feet,- May Those Feet

of Yours long live! May Your smiling face and Your Pristinely pure face long

live! May Your kind hand long live! Oh shining jewel of Thooppul! May that

Oordhva pundram (ThirumaN) on Your lustrous face long live! May that most

beautiful immaculate Form with Sacred thread (PooNool) long live!

 

20. vadivazha kaarndhavaN tooppulvaL Lanmen malaradimE

ladiyava rOthavan^ dhaathi yirupadhu maayndhuraiththEn

Ridamuda Nneedhaith thinandhoRu maadharith thOdhumanbar

mudiyidai nEr_padun^ thooppulam maanpadha maamalarE.

 

May Your Most Beautiful Form long live in the hearts of million Bhagawathas (at

Your Feet) I composed these slOkas with bhakti and great humility so that those

who read these slOkas (or their meanings) will meditate His (Swami Desika’s)

name and remember His graceful Form, bend their heads at His Lotus Feet, (which

are always in my heart and on my head)

 

Acharyan is the dispeller of all sins. He removes the darkness from our

minds and removes ignorance. He gives us new birth (vidya janmam); He is the

Father and the manthram (which He initiates us with) is the Mother. This birth

places us on the path which leads us to an end to all future births and deaths.

He endows us with divine vision. He has infinite amount of compassion towards

us. He always is interested in our welfare. On account of all of these, He is

always to be worshipped as the Lord Himself. One should never harbour any

feeling that he is doing a good return for what Acharya has done by paying few

dollars. It is only as a token of our gratitude.

 

Acharyan ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

SrImathE Nigamaantha MahAdhEsikaaya nama:

Namo narayana

Acharyan thiruvaDi