PurANa Desika and Abhinava Desika

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PurANa Desika and Abhinava Desika

A tribute to Abhinava Desika Uthamur SwAmi

Anbil Ramaswamy

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We celebrate this week (on 17th January 2001) the Tirunakshatram of one of

the greatest AchAryas hailed by scholars and layfolk alike as “Abhinava

Desikan, Sri Uthamur SwAmi”. I proudly recall that during my college days, I

had the bhAghyam of living at No. 6 of the same NAthamuni Street. T.Nagar

and having glimpses of this great Savant. I also recall vividly how even a

casual glimpse of this great

“Saint of SiddhAsramam” is enough to convince anyone that he was indeed a

Colossus, a legend in his lifetime. It is impossible to recount the glory of

the great mahAn but I wish to offer my humble homage on the occasion of his

Tirunakshatram.

 

About 730 years ago, a great luminary illuminated the SrivaishNava -

VisishTAdvaita firmament, viz. Swami Vedanta Desika, and firmly established

Sri Bhagavad RamAnuja Darsanam. About 630 years later, he came down to earth

again to live amongst us in the form of NallAn Chakravarthi Sri Uttamur

SwAmi, who became a legend in his own lifetime, like in his earlier

incarnation.

 

Sri Purisai Krishnamachariar Swami calls Swami Desika as “PURANA DESIKA” in

contrast to Sri Uttamur Swami who is known as “ABHINAVA DESIKA”

 

1. Both did not take to SannyAsa Ashrama, but though remained in

GrihastAsramam both lived with utmost austerity and dedication expected of

SannyAsis and earned the admiration of their contemporaries and generations

after them.

 

2. Both were prolific writers having authored more than 100 works, all

excelling in quality, clarity, originality, and variety as much as in

quantity so that anyone could grasp the fundamentals of our SathsampradAyam

- a stupendous feat for any single individual. No wonder, Uttamur SwAmi is

hailed as “Apara Desika”

 

3. If Swami Desika had the blessings of his Poorva AchAryas in what is known

as “madappaLLi maNam”(culinary flavor?) and of NaDADur AmmAL, Bhagavad

RamAnuja and Atreya RamAnuja, Abhinava Desika had the blessings of three

yathivaras of his time viz. KethANDipatti SwAmi, Tirupathi SwAmi and

KozhiyAlam Swami at whose feet he learned all the SAstras. In fact, it is

known to everyone that His AchArya, KozhiyAlam SwAmi acknowledged his

mastery in an open Sadas, saying –“If I have attained such adulation at the

hands of scholars, it is only because of my Sishya Sri Uttamur SwAmi. It is

very rare to find an AchArya openly praising his Sishya in this fashion.

 

4. If Lord RanganAtha conferred the title of “Vedantacharya” on Swami

Desika,which Desika strived proven right, when KozhiyAlam Swami, his AchArya

conferred on Uttamur Swami the honorific of “Abhinava Desika” our swAmi

strived to prove it right.

 

5. If SD wrote his VyAkhyAnam for Isavasya Upanishad, AD wrote a commentary

on it in his “AchArya BAshya TAthparyam”

 

6. If SD wrote his magnum opus, “Srimad Rahasya Traya SAra” at the fag end

of his life, so did AD who gave his wonderful VyAkhyAnam on the same.

 

7. For the “Tattva MuktA kalApam” of SD, he wrote a commentary on it called

“SarvArtha Siddhi”

 

8. If Lord Hayagriva was seated on the lion-throne at the tip of Swami

Desika’s tongue (jihvAgra simhAsana), for AD, Swami Desika himself seems to

have occupied his throne at the tip of Abhinava Desika’s tongue.

 

9. Swami Desika wrote that we get a clear perception on studying the Divya

Prabandhams (theLiyAdha marai nilangaL theLiginrOmE) May be, he had in mind

the emergence of Abhinava Desika whose works (like “ParishkAram” for

Sanskrit works and “Rakshai” for Tamil Prabandhams) give ignorant folks like

us, a much clear perception and correct interpretations of AchArya

SrIsooktis, which we could not have comprehend before.

 

10. It is acknowledged by all that there is none to match Abhinava Desika in

faithfully reflecting the “Tiru uLLam” of Swami Desika.

 

Considering all this, we are tempted to conclude that SwAmi Desika

reincarnated himself as Abhinava Desika for republishing his works and save

us from being misled by misinterpretations of some half-baked, self styled

scholars.

 

We will now consider a few unique aspects relating to our SwAmi.

 

1. As Sri RAma was the son of Dasaratha Chakravarthi, (Chakravarthi kulE

jAtha:) our SwAmi was born as son of ChakravarthyAchAriar in the vamsam of

NallAn Chakravarthi.

 

2. He bears the name of Sri Veera RAghavan of TiruvalLLUr. How did the Lord

get the title of Veera? It is his arch enemy who acknowledged it in his own

words

" Tham manyE Raghavam veeram NarAyaNam anA mayam”.

Our SwAmi’s majesty and erudition would evoke similar acknowledgements from

both friends and foes.

 

3. He was born in the month of Thai, the month in which was born

Tirumazhisai AzhwAr - “mazhisai vanda jOthi”- the amsam of Lord’s discus

“Sudarsanam”. No wonder, his brilliance in exposition revealed he was indeed

an “apara Mazhisai vanda jOthi”

 

4. He was born under the asterism of SwAthi nakshatram which is the

Tirunakshtram of Lord Nrisimha. He was verily a lion striking terror in the

hearts of spurious scholars who misinterpreted the meanings of Srisooktis.

 

5. He hails from Uthamanallur and is therefore known as Uthamur SwAmi.

ANDAL calls “Ongi ulagaLantha Uthaman”. Who is Uthaman? The one who harms

others is “Adhaman”; One who helps others expecting something in return is

“Uth”; One who helps others without expecting anything in return is

“uttara”; one who helps others even at the risk of sacrificing one’s own

comforts and good is “uthaman” Here is a SwAmi who not only gave

Kalakshepams, discourses etc to thousands of Sishyas untiringly without

expecting any return (monetarily or otherwise) but also wrote a staggering

volume of Granthas for the benefit of posterity -without minding personal

discomfort and inconvenience till his last breath. He is indeed “Uthamar”

 

6. SwaAmi Desika while referring to AzhwArs called them as “Abhinava

DasAvatAram” of the Lord. Among the AchAryas also there seems to be an

“Abhinava DasAvatAram” and “Abinava Desika” may be justly considered among

them as “NrisimhAvatAra”

 

7. In spite of his unfathomable erudition, he was always seen with a smiling

face, with sweet words and friendly disposition but without compromising on

self-discipline and in disciplining his Sishyas (PayananrAgilum,

pAngallarAgilum seyal nanrAga thiruthip paNikoLvAr”

 

A few comments by other great AchAryas on our SwAmi

 

1. TirukkuDanthai AnDavan praised his efforts to publish rare works saying

that there can be none equal to him in this regard.

“na hi mudraNa sAmarthyamruthEAbhinavadEsikam”

 

2. Mukkur Azhagiya singhar observed while releasing his “BAshyArtah darpana

VyAkhyAnam’ on SribhAshyam that it was not mere “SruthaprakAsikai’ but a

“Bahusrutha prakAsikai”

 

3. D.R.SwAmi praised saying that in every word of Abhinava Desikar, there

was substance -“BhAva’ - “BhAvassanthi padE padE’’ Does this not remind of

the certificate given by Appayya Dikshitar to SwAmi Desika?

 

4. Reviewing SwAmi’s “kusumAnjali vistharam” which our SwAmi wrote even as a

student, U. Ve. MahAvidwAn Sriperumpudur Aasoori RmAnujAchArya SwAmi

commented that “Only one had the divinity in him could write such a

work”“DeivAmsam illAthavarAl intha urai ezhuthiirukka muDiyAthu”

 

May this divine AchArya bless us all. It is our duty and privilege to

contribute our mite to see that his unpublished works are brought out in

print. Let us resolve to do this and receive his blessings.

------(Referen\

ces:

Based on articles in the Uthamur Sri Veera RAghava MahA Desikan SathamAna

MahOtsava Malar)

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