SRI: SRJ Celebrations 2007- Annual Award Announcement #1 Kaimkarya Thilakam

[Guest guest]

Srimathe Sri Ramanujaya Namaha |

SRI RAMANUJA MISSION, INC.

OF SRIRANGAM SRIMATH ANDAVAN ASHRAMAM (SRI)

Sri Ramanuja Jayanthi Celebrations 2007

Annual Award Announcement "Kaimkarya Thilakam"

 

Dear Bhagavathas:

On the most joyous occasion of Sri Ramanuja Jayanthi celebrations during the month of Chithirai (22 April 2007), we are happy to recognize a well-known personality in the electronic medium - a prolific writer, a simple down-to-earth bhagavatha, who hails from a very traditional family (Navalpakkam lineage), who is deeply immersed in the bhagavath anubhavams of Azhwars, and who has devoted his life to the translation of the commentaries on Nalayira Divya Prabhandham. In the recent past, there has not been a single day in which we could have missed his postings. A mechanical engineer from BITS, Pilani, he has worked in the Middle East and is currently stationed in Singapore – as you all must have guessed by now, this young, accomplished bhagavatha is none other than Sri V. Madhavakkannan Swami.

The younger generation can draw inspiration from this well-qualified, well-accomplished, yet humble person and ardent follower of Ramanuja Siddhantham. He is blessed with the ability to transcend the anubhavams of Azhwars into his writings that can also be experienced by the readers themselves. This is evident from the numerous compliments he receives on his postings. To recognize his tremendous contribution in sustaining the rich Vedic tradition, Sri Ramanuja Mission, Inc. of Srirangam Srimath Andavan Ashramam (SRI) is pleased to confer on him the title of “Kainkarya Thilakam.”

This title carries with it an honorary plaque and blessings from HH Sri Rangaramanuja Mahadesikan and will be presented during Sri Ramanuja Jayanthi celebrations at SSVT, MD, on Sunday, April 29th in the presence of Udayavar, Sri Venugopala Perumal, Sri Nrusimha Sudharshana Chakrath Alwar, Purvacharya Padukas and fellow bhagavathas with full honor. SRI president Sri Poondi Vijayaraghavan will be presenting the award.

 

We request fellow bhagavathas to join us in honoring Sri V. Madhavakkannan Swami and in praying to Sri Ranganatha Divya Dampathi and Purvacharya Padukas to bestow upon him and his family a long life and continued service in the years to come.

 

Nadadur Mathavan

Secretary, Sri Ramanuja Mission, Srirangam Srimath Andavan Ashramam

As we know how much Sri V. Madhavakkannan Swami loves to write, we persuaded him to present a biography in his own style, which is as follows:

Dearest all,

adiyEn’s past (though not worth- still as per the request of Sri Ramanuja Mission, adiyEn attempts to write something for the sake of getting to know my other life:-)

I was born in 1960, at Madras. My grandfather (paternal) was appointed as an archakA in Srinivasar temple (small one) at Thozhur (where we stayed) near ThiruvaLLur (not a big sthalam, at all). He was a sanskrit sironmaNi and used to teach me sanskrit desika slokams and kALidAsan works like Raghu vamsam, Megha sandesam, etc in addition to Bhagavad Vishayam during my teens. When I was 10 we moved to Ambattur in Madras to be closer to my father's office (ICF,Perambur). My father Sri VS Vasudevachariar (now staying at Srirangam) was just a typical obedient son and a lowkika (He knew dEsika sthotrams, upanishads, some pAsurams, vishNu sahasranAmam Gadhya trayam etc.,).

During my secondary school, despite my disinterest, my grandfather taught me pancha sukthams, vishNu sahasranamam, usual conventional ones (pallAndu, thiruppaLLIyezhcchi, thiruppAvai, AmalanAdhipirAn, first 10 NammAzhwAr pAsurams, sArrumurai, desikar mangaLam, taitriya upanishshads siksha valli, bruhuvalli, Anandha valli etc.).

We belong to Oratthi Thaiyaar Acchi Vangheepuram family and we belong to swamAchAryALs and hence, my thAtthA performed samAsrayaNam to me before I went to BITS, Pilani. I graduated in Mechanical Engineering from BITS. My thatha’s place is few kilometers from Navalpakkam village and he learnt from Navalpakkam Swami. My maternal grand mother hailed from Navalpakkam and even today we have our roots there.

With that back ground, and due to the infinite grace of PerumAL and Samasraya acharyan (Thatha’s) kataaksham it was my Mathematic professor Dr.V.KrishNamurthy, who gave a small talk on Hinduism (mainly advaithic philosophy-being an iyer) which IMPRESSED me greatly and almost left my studies to read only books on Philosophy. Later, I began to read about Sri Ramanuja, AzhwAs' Biographies which were nothing BUT a development and matured understanding of AdvaitA. I was proud of being a SrivaishNavA and was simply flabbergasted at the sweetness of Tamizh works of AzhwArs.

By this time, my grandparents attained acharyan thiruvaDi; I completed my degree; joined BHEL, Trichy (where my father was deputed from ICF to BHEL, trichy) and stayed at SRIRANGAM. (See how our lives are being dragged; Both my grand parents died in SriRangam). At Sri Rangam, seeing me totally involved in Philospophy, my parents trapped me with the married life (my wife, Brindha hails from Tirukkoviloor and is a medico). Alas, samsAgara sAgaram- I am now a father of 18 year old boy, Vijai Srinivas and 12 year old girl, HariNi. I came to Singapore and joined BECHTEL, Singapore (in search of more MONEY! and more material pursuits!_What a pity!) in 95. (before that from 90 to 95 I was deputed from BHEL to middle east - Saudi). In the meanwhile after my grand father's death, my dearest father slowly transformed himself into a parama vaidheeka and has been doing thiruvArAdhanam at my residence at srirangam; He slowly learnt more desikar sthothrams; divyaprapandhams; Rahaya traya saram, yajur vEdAs (7 kAndams), etc, etc. He is now retired and is full fledged 12 thirumaN, pancha kaccham, kudumi, does not eat outside any where; very devoted and very understanding always other person's view. He is still attending lots of kAlakshEpams at Ahobila Mutt, Andavan Ashram, and other Navalpakkam swamigals (we belong to Navalpakkam). He and amma performed bharanyAsam at the lotus feet of Navalpakkam Sri Ubhaya Vedantha Sri Valayapettai Ramanuja thathachar. He inspired me to read more and more of our scriptures and more of prapandhams (I even argue with my father that one enjoys the pAsurams, (since it is in Tamizh) than Sanskrit verses, which are also good but not understandable and relished immediately, unless mahAns like Sri VS or Sri AR or Sri SR help. Sri Mani Varadarajan was sent by Sriman NarayaNa to thadutthAtkoLLify me and came to my rescue through internet (which I browsed and caught him) and Archives from which I learnt REALLY a LOT- thanks to Sri V Satakopan Swami, Sri Anbil Ramaswamy swami and others.

I was working as Project Engineering Manager in a company called BECHTEL first and later in Halliburton before I joined this company Jacobs.

It has always been my habit to read loud and share with others whatever I have read, be it a joke, story or a poem. So, when I started to begin posting and reading articles, it was simply thrilling and that made me buy a PC immediately at home.

Incidentally I used to talk to my son for hours together (rather he talks) on VishishtAdvaitA. I am always a bit emotional and melt easily at any moving AzhwArs or adiyArgaLs' stories. That's the reason I wished to share.

With the great encouragements and inspiring pats through emails from so many persons for my rambling for the last ten years, I am motivated again and again to post (and torture you all). Sorry for boring you a lot. It is only to tell you that I am lower than the lowest adiyAr and have absolutely no pure, sincere, love and bhakti for the Lord. I belong to hypocrite category. As long as I run amuck for all these material pursuits and run after satisfying the sense organs, I am useless and of no worth for me to be considered for any salvation. It is He who has decided to capture me and has entered into my heart without my knowledge and refuses to get out.

It is He who has arranged for such a Most Merciful Acharya saarva bhouman His Holiness Srimad ParavakkOttai Andavan Swami Sri Gopaladesika Mahadesikan who performed Prapatti for me.

It is He who speaks through me to let the esteemed members of the discussion forum to like adiyEn posts and take up AzhwArs' works and recite them.

It is my desire to continue to share and learn in the process all AzhwArs works, and all acharyas¡ works.

Regards

Namo Narayana dAsan