Sri U.Ve. Abhinava Desika Sri UtthamUr Swamy Thirunakshathram: January 17, 2001 ( Thai SvAthi)

[Guest guest]

Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha parabrahmaNE nama:

 

Dear BhakthAs : Today is the Thirunakshathram of

a great AchAryan. He would have been 103 years young

today .His Sathamaana Uthsavam (100th Birthday ) was

celebrated splendidly on January 31, 1997 at Chennai

by a committee headed by Sri K.G.KrishNan Swamy .Members

of the Bhakthi list presented a check for the Uthsavam

committee as a token of their reverence for the great

contributions of this apoorva Scholar-AchAryan of

an illustrious Guru Paramparai .

 

On this day , I am delighted to learn that a special

Home Page for Swami has been released by Sri K.G.K.Ananad

with help on web design from Singapore BhakthAs .The URL is:

http://www.abhinava-desikan.freeservers.com

 

Swamy's one hundred plus granthams , the centenary project

activities , Srimukhams from AchAryAs and SishyAs are

assembled there along with the plans for bringing out

books that are out of print at this time.

 

Duirng that SathamAna Uthsavam in 1997 , the third edition of

Periya Thirumozhi was released. adiyEn was reading it

today and enjoying this 562 page long vyAkyAnam of Swamy

following closely poorvAchArya commentaries and Swamy's

own apoorva insights on specific passages and words of

Periya Thirumozhi's 473 paasurams.

 

Just to illustrate the uniqueness of his commentary on

PeriyAzhwAr Paasurams , one can quote one or two examples:

 

(1) Fifth ThiruppallANDu Paasuram ( aNDaikkulatthukkapathiyAhi--):

Swamy explains that the four paadhams of this paasuram

contain the coverage of the four chapters of Brahma Soothram

(SaarIraka Saasthram). By choice of the word " aNDaikkulatthiRkku

adhipathyAhi " , AzhwAr refers to the saaram of the first

adhyAyam of Brahma Soothram : Our Lord is the Sarva-KaaraNa,

Sarva Swamy .The passage " asurar irAkkatharai-kaLaintha "

refers to the sAram of the second adhyAyam . The reference

here is to the " asurar irAkkatharai " and this relates to

the rejection of Veda Baahya and vipirItha Jn~Anam based

mathams(Kudhrushti Mathams). The third adhyAyam refers to

kaimkaryam in a spirit of VairAgyam and the observance of

Sath Karmams like Naama sankIrthanam ( ThoNDaikkulatthuLLIr

vanthadi ThozhuthAyiram naamam solli).The fourth adhyAyam is

referred to as the Phalan of proceeding by archirAdhi

Maargam and singing PallANDu at Parama Padham ( paNDaik

kulatthai tavirnthu PallANDu pallAyiratthANDenmin ).

 

(2) " sEvadi sevvu ThirukkAppu " : The translation of

" Sevvi " as the day in Chitthirai leading to the observance of

RakshA Bhandhanam (ThirukkAppu) for the Lord for His

BrahmOthsavam is a beautiful one to experience and

understand the Bhakthi Prakarsha BhAvanai ( Intensity of

the Bhakthi Driven anubhavam )of PeriyAzhwAr .

 

(3) The translation of " Panthanai " into Vaatam or

anukkam is another masterly insight . Normal translation

for Panthanai is nibhandhanai or kattu Paadu. Swamy says

that he came upon this translation (Vaattam ) for

SaamAnyAdhikAris to grasp it readily. Such is

Swamy's KaaruNyam in writing his commentaries for

Dhivya Prabhandhams so that one and all can enjoy .

 

(4) His summary of ThiruppallANDu is a gem of

a statement:

 

ThiruppallANDU is praNavam for the Tamizh Vedham of

Dhivya prabhandham. Just as the VedArthams are housed

in PraNavam ,Prabhandhaarthams are housed in Thiru-

PallANDu. In this great treasure of a Prabhandham ,

the entire VaishNava SamudhAchAram (noble Code of conduct

and Tattvams of VaishNavAs) is explained. These are:

 

EmperumAn ,His GuNa-vigraha VibhUthis, The glory of

Periya PirAtti , Our requirement to perform Kaimkaryam

in a spirit of Svayam PrayOjanam to Him ,the adhikAram of

Mumukshu's alone to perform antharanga kaimkaryam to

Them , the need for VairAghyam over Isvaryam and Kaivalyam ,

Engagement in Kaimkaryam after initiation with

Pancha SamskAram ,the coverage of Pancha SamskAram for

all the members of family to overcome dhOshams of any one

in the family being left out , the uniquenes of BhaagavathAs

(Bhagavath DaasAs ), who come from a kaimkarya paramparai ,

the way to recognize and revere new paramaikAnthis joining

the paramparai paramaikAnthis , the types and character

of Naama SankIrthanam and SaraNAgathy at the lotus feet of

Sriman NaarAyaNan .

 

Since ThiruppallANDU covers the entire gamut of the above

Taathvams and codes of conduct , it is like PraNavam serving as

the essence of VedAs.

 

This is just a small sampling of Swamy's commentary on

dhivya prabhandhams. The Sanskrit Sri Sookthis have

their own depth of Scholarship and excellence , which

will take many years for even scholars to comprehend

and appreciate.

 

Sri Abhinava Desikan has blessed us with many , many

Granthams , which need to be cherished .Reprint of

these granthams is a noble kaimkaryam undertaken by

the SathamAna Uthsavam Committee and it is our duty

to help with any support that we can give to them

in their noble endeavour .

 

All this week in Madras , reputed scholars have come

together to present UpanyAsams on the subject matter of

Swamy's Sri Sookthis and Sri VaishNava Tatthvams as well

as PoorvAchAryA's Sri Sookthis. I have requested

Sriman Anand to capture these UpanyAsams in tapes and

share it with us through postings for the benfit of

all of us , who could not be there in person. Sri Anand

has kindly agreed to undertake this kaimkaryam for

the benefit of Sri VaishNavA Community .Our thanks

are due to him .

 

 

adiyEn,Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan