Kaarthigai ROhiNi : ThirukkOshtiyUr Swamy

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Dear Sri Matam sishyAs :

 

Kaarthigai RohiNI is the Thirunakshathram for

ThiruppANa AazhwAr . On this day , adiyEn would

like to focus on one of the great Sri VaishNavite Scholars ,

Who was born also on Kaarthigai RohiNi .He was a pillar

of support for InjimEttu Azhagiyasingar .

 

One hundred and twenty one years ago , during a BahudhAnya

year , three Great Sri VaishNavite AchAryAs were born .

These were the INjimettu Azhagiya Singhar , Sri U.Ve .

PutthankOttam SrinivAsAchArya Swamy and Sri U.Ve.Sundara-

Sowmya NaarAyaNa Swamy known widely as ThirukkOttiyUr

Swamy .

 

An year before (Isvara Samvathsaram )was born another

great Sri VaishNavite AchAryA , Thirumalai ChathurvEda ,

Satha Krathu NaavalpAkkam Nrusimha TaathAyArya

MahA Desikan . He was also born under the constellation of

RohiNi during the month of VaikAsi .One of his prominent

sishyar is the great scholar with Naavalpaakkam

sambhandham ,U.Ve. Ayyaa DevanAthAchAr Swamy ,very

close to Sri Matam and the peetAdhipathis there .

 

In our MalOlan net is a member , who is a great grandson

of ThirukkOttiyUr Swamy and is the beneficiary of

BharanyAsam from Sriman U.Ve.Ayaa DevanAthAcchAr Swamy .

This article is written to remind us that the scions of

many famous AchArya vargams connected to Ahobila matam

are members of the MalOlan Net .

 

It is amazing how these MahAns adorned the stage of

Sri Vaishnavam almost at the same time and stimulated

each other to excell in the intrepretation of the Sri Sookthis

of AchArya RaamAnujA , Swamy Desikan and AzhwAr's aruLiccheyalkaL .

These AchAryAs were also adepts in Pancha Kaala PrakriyAs

prescribed by Paancha Raathram . In this posting adiyEn

will pay tribute to Sri ThirukkOttiyUr Swamy as a part of

the Kaarthigai RohiNi visEsha dinam , his Thirunakshathram .

Dr.S.M.S. Chari is one of the sishyars of ThirukkOttiyUr

(Goshtipuram ) Swamy.

 

ThirukkOttiyUr Swamy was well known for his immense scholarship

as well as his superior Aathma GuNams .These have been euologized

in a ManagaLam in Sanskrit composed by ThODAlam VidhvAn

Sri U.Ve. VeNugOpAlAchArya Swamy . Adiyen will use these

MangaLa slOkams as a base for this posting to offer our

salutations to GhOshtipuram Swamy .

 

** This revered AchAryA was born in the family of mahAns

belonging to VaathUla Gothram . His scholarly father's name was

Sri Sundara GopaalAcchAr . His Mother's name was Sundaravalli

AmmAL . The year of birth was BahudhAnyA ( Bahudha + anya ,

the year , which is different in many ways from the others .

The Month was Kaarthikai and the star in ascendance

was RohiNi . The name of the Lord of ThirukkOttiyUr

( Sri Sowmya NaarAyaNan )was given to the child by

the parents.

 

** Befitting his given name , Sundara Sowmya NaarAyanan ,

the child was beautiful to look at and as a sathkula

janithar had immense capacity to grasp as a young man

the intricate aspects of Sakala SaasthrArthams .

 

** When Sri Somya NaarAyaNa Swamy was quite young , he had

the blessings of pancha samskArams from HH the 35th Jeeyar

of Ahobila matam , Sri RanganAtha YathIndhra MahA Desikan .

The sambhandham with Ahobila matam will continue up to the

times of another great Sri matam Jeeyar , another Sri

RanganAtha Yathindhra mahA Desikan , (Viz)., InjimEttu

Azhagiya Singar . By the age of 16 , Swamy completed

VedhAdhyanam , mastered VyAkaraNam and Tarka Saasthram .

He continued studies with his grandfather , the great ThirukkOttiyUr

SundarAchArya Swamy , VedhAntha KaalakshEpam and Bhagavath

Vishayam and Rahasya granthams . He performed SaraNAgathi

at he feet of his revered grandfather as his AchAryan .

 

** At the request of his grandfather , Sri SowmyaNaarAyaNAcchAr

Swamy began KaalakshEpam for the ViashNava GhOshtis . His

AchAryan listened to them and was amazed at his grandson's

ability to explain the intricate meanings with elegance

and ease . After the ascent of his grandfather to Parama

padham , Swamy started his independent KaalakshEpams and

until his own ascent to Sri Vaikuntam ,he never slackened

on his KaalkshEpam calendar . He was easily approachable .

He shared generously with every one who approached him

his immense knowledge of Ubhaya VedhAntham .

 

** Dominant among Swamy's aathma GuNams were his soulabhyam

and Souseelyam . He had a ready smile and gave VidhyA dhAnam

to one and all .Samastha mangaLa GuNams had poorthi in him .

His knowledge of Srimath RaamAyaNam and Srimath BhAgavatham

were of the deepest quality and he gave lot of upanyAsams

on the SookshmArthams on them . The sampradhAyArthams ,

the VisEshArthams were covered in these upanyAsams with

great loukhic examples similar to the style of our revered

Prakrutham Azhagiya Singar .The attendees at these upanyAsams felt

that they were mingling with RaamA and KrishNa during the course

of their participations. Swamy travelled widely and stayed

at many dhivya desams for extended periods of time to bless

Sri VasihNavAs with his KaalakshEpams .In the mornings , he

will conduct KaalakshEpams on Srimath Rahasya Thraya Saaram

and Bhagavath Vishayam and the afternoons after anushtAnams

were devoted to other Sri Sookthis of AchAryAs and AzhwArs.

The sampradhAya pravachanam by ThirukkOttiyUr Swamy continued

until the last breath of his life and lit up the lamps of Jn~Anam

in many Sri VaishNavA homes .He was a referee for checking about

the correctness of granthams , when some one had doubts on

the pasages of the originals .He travelled with his Aaraadhana Moorthy

with 15 to 20 sishyAls on bullock carts during his sanchArams

and used the mode of trvel by train twice in his life and

gave up on it.

 

** Although Swamy spent much of his time at ThirukkOttiyUr

made famous by AchArya RaamAnujA's sambhandham with

ThirukkOttiyUr Nampi , he spent the latter part of his

busy life at Dhvayam ViLaintha Thiruppathi ,MadhurAnthakam .

His devotion to Sri KothaNda Raaman ( yEri Kaattha Raaman )

was most moving to experience .

 

** He was the closest freind , confidante to

HH the 42nd Jeeyar of Ahobila Matam . He was also

very close to Sri U.Ve. PutthankOttam Swamy . Both

these Mahaans stood on each side of HH InjimEttu

Jeeyar during his PattabhishEkam as the 42nd Jeeyar

of Sri Matam and performed the necesary rites .

Infact , the night before the pattAbhishEkam of

HH the 42nd Jeeyar , ThirukkOttiyUr Swamy was

sent by HH the 41st Jeeyar to console the dharma pathni

of the 42nd Jeeyar , who was heart broken about

her husband's choice to enter SanyAsAsramam .

 

** He performed dEha nyAsam in the middle of

Sri VaishNava Vidhvath GhOshti at Karumpatti

and the Lord of Sri Vaikuntam performed Parama

Padha youvarAjya PattAbhishEkam for His dear

Bhakthan From ThirukkOttiyUr right there in

the middle of assembled BhagavathAs .

 

AzhwAr , AchAryan ThiruvadigaLE saraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan