Part 1-Swami Desika Prabandams

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|| Swami Desika Prabandams ||

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SrImAn vEnkata nAthArya: kavitArkika kEsarI |

VedAnthAchArya varyOmE sannidhaththAm sadA hrudi ||

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rAmAnuja dayA pAtram jgnyAna vairAgya bhUshaNam |

SrImath vEnkata nAthAryam vandE vEdAntha dESikam ||

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SrImathE vEdAntha mahA dESikAya nama:

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The SAstra says that the human life span is hundred years.

Even if a person has hundreds of such hundred years, I feel

that it will be difficult for him to read all the divine works

of SwAmi DESika. This is not an exaggeration but truth, because,

each work of SwAmi DESika is peerless packed with ultimate

knowledge enshrined in vEda-vEdAntha, GitA, Brahma sUtras. They

are not only voluminous and numerous, but also each of them are

matchless in their value. KadAmpi AppuLLar's tiruvadi is SwAmi

DESika. SwAmi DESika has made the Bhagavath Ramanuja Darsanam

firmly established in the world through his srI sOkthis. The

works of SwAmi DESika are comprehensive and has not left even

a single aspect, which needs to be referred to some other source.

It is impossible to estimate the extent of mahOpakAram done by

SwAmi DESika. SwAmi DESika is VishNu GhantAvathAram. The GhantA

(bell) which is consecrated as per the scriptures and sounded in

vaidika-karma-anushtAnams for invoking divine presence and making

all the obstacles and devilish entities to perish. This is told

by " AavAhanArtham dEvAnAm, trAsanArtham suradviShAm GhantAm

ninAdayEth " . Similarly SwAmi DESika being the incarnation of

SrI VEnkatAdri SrInivAsa's GhantA, wrote innumerable grantAs

and with his divine words made SrI sampradAya to get firmly

established and all the other philosophies and practices to

perish. SwAmi DESika spent his life by enjoying the srI sOktis

of Swamy Bhagavath rAmAnuja yatirAja. " yati pravara bhArathi

rasabharENa nItham vaya: " . The manner in which Bhagavath Ramanuja

Darsanam is told by SwAmi DESika is simply unparalleled and

unsurpassed. That is why, SrI VaishNavas call Bhagavath Ramanuja

Darsanam as Swamy DESika Darsanam and Swamy Desika Darsanam as

Bhagavath Ramanuja Darsanam. After the period of Bhagavath rAmAnuja,

the tatva-hita-purushArthas as told by Bhagavath rAmAnuja yatirAja

was preached by few with own prejudices added to it with deviations

from the words of Bhagavath rAmAnuja. Bhagavan wanted to reestablish Bhagavath

Ramanuja Darsanam, and destroy the confusions created by

few people regarding tatva-hita-purushArthas. SrI Vaikunta nAthan

who is SrI Venkata SrInivAsan, by his divine sankalpam, made his

tiru-maNi-azhwAr to incarnate as SrI VenkatanAtha who is SwAmi

DESika. Being a divine incarnation, SwAmi DESika by the blessings

of VainatEya (Garuda-azhwAr), meditated upon SrI LakshmI HayagrIva.

SrI LakshmI HayagrIva appeared before SwAmi DESika and blessed him

with his pari-pOrNa-krupA-kataksham. SwAmi DESika wrote wonderful

grantams, which are listed below. SrI RanganAtha and SrI Ranga

NAchchiyAr blessed SwAmi DESika with divine titles. SwAmi DESika

is called with highest regards by all as VedAnthAchArya: and

sarva-tantra-swatantra:. SwAmi DESika's infinite wisdom made him to

be recognized as " kavi-tArkika-simha: " . All these words written here

are just like a drop from the ocean of SwAmi DESika's glory. Other

scholars have openly praised the unparalleled and unsurpassed

greatness of our SwAmi DESika as " Oorondru tAnE amayAdhO " .

 

SwAmi DESika himself has told that he has blessed us all with

innumerable grantas in various ways suitably comprehensively to

explain Bhagavath Ramanuja Darsanam. " samkshiptham visthrutam vA

saralasamuchitham sAvadhAnapriyam vA, prAdhAnyEna pragItham

paraf(p)aNithiparishkAravruthyAsthitham vA " . This means that SwAmi

DESika has written grantas in the following manners:

1. Summarized form

2. Elaborate form

3. In a form easily comprehensible for beginners and those who

are not scholars

4. In a form understandable only for scholars

5. Independent works

6. Commentaries on the works of scholars and portions of apowrusheya

Sruthi

7. Miscellaneous

 

The titles of the works of SwAmi DESika are as follows:

 

VedAnta grantas:

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MimAmsA pAdukA

SEsvara mImAmsa

Satha DushaNi

adhikaraNa sArAvaLi

tatva tIkA

nyAya parisudhdi

nyAya sidhdAnjanam

tatvamukthA kalApam

nikshepa rakshA

sachcharitra rakshA

srI pAncharAtra rakshA

vAditraya kandanam

dramidOpanishad tAtparya rathnAvaLi

dramidOpanishad sAram

 

vyAkyA (BhAshyams) grantas

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chatus slokI bhAshyam

stOtra ratna bhAshyam

rahasya rakshA

GItArtha sangraha rakshA

tAtparya chandrikA

IsAvAsyOpanishad bhAshyam

sarvArtha sidhdi

adhikAraNa darpanam (lost)

 

nAtaka grantam

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Samkalpa SoryOdayam

 

anushtAna grantam

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Bhagavath-AarAdhana vidhi

 

 

stOtra grantas:

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HayagrIva stOtram, dasAvatAra stOtram, bhagavath-dyAna-sOpAna,

gOpAla-vimsathi, srI-stuti, bhU-stuti, gOdA-stuti, nyAsa-dasakam,

dayA-satakam, abhIthi-stavam, devanAyaka-panchAsath,

varadarAja-panchAsath, yathothkAri, ashta-bhuja-ashtakam,

kAmAsika-ashtakam, paramArtha-stuti, saraNagathi-dIpikA,

achutha-satakam, dehalIsa-stuti, nyAsa-tilakam, mahA-vIra-vaibhavam,

sudarsana-ashtakam, sodasAyudha stOtram, garuda-dandakam,

garuda-panchAsath, yatirAja sapthati, vairAgya-panchakam, nyAsa-vimsathi.

 

KAvya grantas:

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hamsa-sandesam

subhAshita nIvi

yAdavabyudayam

pAdukA sahasram

 

Rahasya grantas:

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sampradAya parisudhdi

tatva-padavi

rahasya padavi

tatva navanItham

rahasya navanItham

tatva mAtruka

rahasya mAtruka

tatva sandesam

rahasya sandesam

rahasya sandesa vivaraNam

tatva rathnAvaLi

tatva rathnAvali pratipAdya sangraham

rahasya rathnAvaLi

rahasya rathnAvaLi hrudayam

tatva-traya suLakam

rahasya-traya suLakam

abhaya-pradAna sAram

rahasya sikAmaNi

anjali vaibhavam

pradhAna satakam

upakAra sangraham

sAra sangraham

munivAhana bhogam

madurakavi hrudayam (lost)

paramapada sOpAnam

paramatha bhangam (this is actually a peerless granta which

simply dismisses all sruthi-nyAyApEtha philosophies and practices

and establishes that only Visishtadvaita SrI VaishNavam is

" the philosophy and practice " )

hasti-giri mAhAthmiyam

SrImath Rahasya Traya Saram (One among the granta-chathushtayam)

SAra-sAram

VirOdha parihAram

Nigama-parimaLam (lost)

Tirumudi-adaivu (lost)

 

Tamil Prabandams

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amrutha Ranjani

adhikAra Sangraham

amrutha Swadini

paramapada sOpAnam

paramatha bhangam

mei-viratha mAnmiyam

adaikala-patthu

artha-panchakam

srI vaishNava dinachari

tiru-chinna mAlai

panniru nAmam

tiru-mantira-churukku

dwaya-churukku

charama-sloka-churukku

gIthArtha sangraham

mum-maNi-kOvai

nava-maNi-mAlai

pandu (lost)

kazhal (lost)

ammAnai (lost)

Usal (lost)

Esal (lost)

Prabanda sAram

AgAra (AhAra) niyamam.

 

Now a person can understand why even thousands of hundreds of

hundred years are not sufficient for a human to learn all the

grantas of SwAmi DESika. The list of grantas itself is breathtaking.

 

The Visishtadvaita SrI Vaishnava SidhdAntahm and anushtAnams

are preserved in its original form only in the guru-paramparas,

which has SwAmi DESika as its important member next to Swamy SrI

BhAshyakAra. This is the only Parama-Vaidika-Matham, which is

absolutely in strict accordance with the PrastAna-Trayam. SwAmi

DESika's teachings clearly prove this. There is no room for

prejudice here because it is SwAmi DESika who told Swamy SrI

BhAshyakAra's darsanam without any deviations. There can be no

second thought in this context.

 

" angAni vEdAschathvAra: mImAmsA nyAyavisthara: purAnam dharma

sAstram cha vidyA hyEthAschaturdaSa: " - this counts the components

of vidyA.

 

Our srI sampradAyam is parama-vaidika-matham as told before.

Any smallest deviation from its tatva-hita-purushArthas is not

allowed because Swamy SrI Bhagavath rAmAnuja yatirAja has clearly

ascertained the same without any doubt. In fact, there is nothing

called " new " to be done as intrusion in this regards because,

everything is ascertained by srI BhAshyakAra and retold by SwAmi

Desika clearly. All that is needed is to just study the grantas

of our pUrva-AachAryas like SrI Satakopa-namAlvar, Bhagavath

yAmunAchArya, Bhagavath RamAnuja yatirAja, Swami DESika under

the full guidance of a SrI VaishNava AachArya in our traditional

kAlakshEpam form. Let me stress this in a bit elaborate manner

as follows:

 

Swami Desika in his celebrated work called nyAya sidhdAnjanam

begins the work with divine words

" aSesha-chit-achit-prakAram-brahma-Ekam-Eva-tatvam " .

 

He who has certain eye problems collectively referred to as

" timirAdi-dhosham " , sees various objects incorrectly. When

medicinal ointment (anjanam) is applied to the eyes, the persons

eye problem gets rectified and he sees the objects properly. In

this granta, Swami Desika categorically ascertains the tatva-hita-purushArthas

of our Visishtadvaita SrI VaishNava

philosophy and practice. Assume that a person has understood

the tatva-hita-purushArthas incorrectly, this grantam rectifies

his understandings and correctly ascertains the

tatva-hita-purushArthas. At this point, we have to note that these

things can be known only from the apowrusheya Veda. The sUtra

" sAstra YonithvAth " has ascertained that the Brahman can be known

only through the Veda. Therefore a person who follows Bhagavath

Ramanuja YatirAja and identifies his swarUpam as " Ramanuja Dasan "

has to follow the words of Bhagavath Ramanuja without any deviations

from it. That is why Swami DESika has written so many grantas to

stress this. When I mentioned " deviation from parama-vaidika-matham " please do

not think that only mathams like " nirviSesha chin

mAtram brahma " are contradicting and deviating from

parama-vaidika-matham. Even if a smallest deviation is found in

a matham in terms of tatva-hita-purushArthas, we need to reject that

matham. Let me explain this as follows.

 

The stress is in the following words of Bhagavath Ramanuja Yatiraja

in his VedArtha Sangraha as follows:

 

SArAsAra-vivEkagnyA: garIyAmsOvimathsarA: |

pramANa tantrA: santIthi krutha: vedArtha Sangraha: ||

 

Our pUrva-AchAryas has ascertained the following. The brief regarding

tatva-hita-purushArthas is given below:

1. Tatva: " aSesha-chit-achit-prakAram-brahma-Ekam-Eva-tatvam " ; SrIman

NarAyaNa: is denoted by brahma-sabdam.

2. Hita: SadyOpAya - Bhakthi (Which is told in the VedAnta) and Prapathi;

SidhdOpAya:SrIman NarAyaNa's lotus feet.

3. PurushArtham: Eternal SrI Kainkaryam to the lotus feet of SrIman

NarAyaNa's lotus feet at SrI vaikuntam which is parama padam and thus

eternal Brahma-Ananda-anubhavam.

 

Even if some matham is deviating in terms of tatva that

" Iswara tatva is only NArAyana but not SrI Lakshmi " , it has

to be simply rejected because our pUrva-AchAryas have clearly

established as " sAstra YonithvAth " that

SrI LakshmI and NarAyana - divya dampathi is the Iswara tatva.

 

Even if some matham is deviating in terms of hita-sAdyOpAya,

not giving proper regards to bhakti or treating prapththi as

not a positive act, then it has to be simply rejected because

" sAstra YonithvAth " is violated. Also, if some matham is

deviating in terms of the sidhdOpAya that only NarAyana:

is upAya but not SrI who is just purushakAra, that matham

has to be rejected because " sAstra YonithvAth " is very important.

 

It is the same case in terms of rejecting any matham with

deviates in terms of purushArtham violating " sAstra YonithvAth " .

 

The same is the case in terms of various aspects of our

parama-vaidika-matham like the nirhethuka-sahethuka krupA of SrIman

NarAyaNa, mukthAthmA's state, the nature of Iswara-tatva, upAyam,

BhagavAn's Vatsalyam, bhara-nyAsam, upAyAnushtAna-yOgyatha,

karmAnushtAnam, nature of prapathi, prAyaschitha, tadhIya-bhajanam,

Iswara-tatva-vyApthi, kaivalyam etc. Even smallest deviation from our

pUrvAchAryas views has to be rejected because we are followers of

Bhagavath Ramanuja Yatiraja who stressed on the importance of

parama-vaidika-matham in the sloka quoted above.

 

With this prelude, adiyEn will start the series on Swamy Desika Prabandams.

 

Thanks & Regards

M.S.HARI Ramanuja Daasan.

 

 

 

 

 

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SrI:

SrI Lakshminrusimha ParabrahmaNE namaha

SrI Lakshminrusimha divya pAdukA sEvaka SrIvaN SaThakOpa-

SrI nArAyaNa yateendra mahAdESikAya namaha

 

namO nArAyaNa!

 

Dear SrI Hari,

 

Thanks for your very good prelude to your series on

SwAmi DESikan's Prabandhams. aDiyEn is sure that

all the members will enjoy this series, apart from

your good series on Bhagavad RAmAnuja's Works

(VEdArtha Sangraha at present). Everyone will certainly

be benifited by these postings which is on the divine

works of two greatest AchAryas of our sampradAyam.

 

> Our pUrva-AchAryas has ascertained the following. The brief regarding

> tatva-hita-purushArthas is given below:

> 1. Tatva: " aSesha-chit-achit-prakAram-brahma-Ekam-Eva-tatvam " ; SrIman

> NarAyaNa: is denoted by brahma-sabdam.

> 2. Hita: SadyOpAya - Bhakthi (Which is told in the VedAnta) and Prapathi;

> SidhdOpAya:SrIman NarAyaNa's lotus feet.

> 3. PurushArtham: Eternal SrI Kainkaryam to the lotus feet of SrIman

> NarAyaNa's lotus feet at SrI vaikuntam which is parama padam and thus

> eternal Brahma-Ananda-anubhavam.

 

SrI PerukkAranai Chakravarthi swAmi during his

kAlakshEpam/UpanyAsam has *many a times* told

about UttamUr SwAmi's wonderful nirvAham in

this issue to bring out certain excellent aspects of our

sampradAyam.

 

Tatvam : SrIman nArAyaNa << as Divya Dampati >>.

Hitam : SrIman nArAyaNa << SaraNya Dampati - SiddhOpAyam>>.

PurushArtam : SrIman nArAyaNa << as sEshi Dampati >>.

 

This beautiful classification has to be enjoyed in suppliment

with the other traditional classification as already mentioned by

SrI Hari.

 

< aDiyEn couldn't resist writing this because, even in today's

upanyAsam, SrI PerukkAranai swAmi mentioned this nirvAham

of UttamUr SwAmi :-) >.

 

Thanks once again to SrI Hari for taking so much of his

valuable time to kindly share his knowledge with the

members of our SrI MAlOlan Net.

 

AzhwAr,emperumAnAr,dESikan,Azhagiyasingar thiruvadigaLE SaraNam.

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,

KOmAndUr ELayavilli KaralapAkkam anantapadmanAbhan (alias Anand)

krishNArpaNam

[Guest guest]

>

> M.S.HARI (Madabhushi Sarangarajan Hari) [mshari]

> Sunday, August 20, 2000 6:44 AM

>

> Part 1-Swami Desika Prabandams

>

 

[..]

 

 

>

> With this prelude, adiyEn will start the series on Swamy Desika

> Prabandams.

 

 

Dear Sri Hari, most interesting prelude, such clarity of thought

and presentation, from one of the youngest members of our divine

net, thank you...

 

-- adiyEn

[Guest guest]

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE saranam

 

Dear Sri Hari:I am delighted to know that you have

initiated the major kaimkaryam of writing about

the magnificent and sacred collects (Desika

prabhandham )of Swamy Desikan .

 

Thnaks very much and May the dhivya dampathis ,

Swami Desikan and our AchAryan bless you with

strength and energy to complete this most

valuable project.

 

I would like to archive them in the Swamy

Desikan archive pages created by Sri Haresh

and myself. Your planned writings are a god send

in the sense that I was very interested in

creating a data base of writings for some time

for these home pages . There is another home page on

Swamy Desikan created lovingly by Sri madhavakkaNNan

and Sri Achutharaman .Between these two home pages ,we

should plan on having a wealth of information on

Swamy Desikan and His Srissokthis.

 

Best wishes,

V.SathakOpan