KurEsar's Sri VaradarAja Sthavam: Part III

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Dear BhakthAs:

We will continue with the special background information

relating to the vaibhavam of Lord VaradarAjan of Kanchi

as a part of avathArikai(Introduction ) to KurEsar's

Sri VaradarAja Sthavam .

 

Sriman Nadadur Vijaya Raghavan Swamy of Bangalore

Srimath Andavan Aasramam has taken the trouble to send

this information to us . The long history of Sri VaishNava

Darsanam and Lord VaradarAjan's blessings --time and again--

to nurture His Darsanam with AchArya PurushAs of the highest

calibre are evident from this summary .

 

We will focus on Post-Swamy Desikan time today and add

some brief comments to the material provided by

Sri Vijaya Raghavan for our benefit. We will include

additional material on some of the personages mentioned

in this note from the 1979 Ph.D thesis of Dr.V.K.N.S.

Raghavan of Madras University.

 

We are now going back to Swamy Desikan's time

(1268-1369 C.E).We will conclude with present day

AchAryAs .

 

Vatsya VaradAchArya ( 1165-1275)also known as Nadadur AmmAL

(name of AmmAl given by Lord VaradarAjan Himself)

was presenting Sri Bhaashya pravachanam at Lord VaradarAjan's

Temple. Inspite of his advanced age , this great AchAryan

hailing from the agrahAram of Nadadur (near Kanchi) climbed

the Hasthi Giri , offered milk kaimkaryam to the Lord and

Grantha KaalakshEpa Kaimkaryam to his star disciples like

Atreya RaamAnujA ( maternal uncle of Swamy Desikan ) and

Sudarsana Suri, who will write the monograph of Srutha

PrakAsikA , the commentary on Sri Bhaashyam by His AchAryan,

NadadUr AmmAL. Lord Varadhan was listening to this great

pravachanam taking place on His west inner praakAram .

 

In the year 1273 C.E. , Swamy Desikan as a five year old

was brought before NadadUr AmmAL , who was struck with

the Tejas of the Child (nephew of his disciple ) and blessed

the child to become a great samprahdAya Pravarthakar .

Lord VaradarAjan concurred( TathAsthu). Swamy Desikan became

a great defender of Bhagavath RaamAnuja Darsanam.We have covered

his contributions resulting from the blessings of the Lord

of Kaanchipuram in the previous note.

 

Swamy Desikan had a brilliant son , who was like a bright

lamp lit from another bright lamp. His name was Kumara-

VaradaacchAr (1316-1410 C.E) . Bearing the name of the Lord

of Kaanchi, the Aaradhana Moorthy of His eminent father ,

Kumara VaradAcchAr blessed us with many granthams as

a direct disciple of his illustrious father .PrathivAdhi

Bhayankaram Annan (1300-1410 C.E) became a disciple of

Kumara VaradAcchAr and wrote the Sapthathi Rathna Maalika

on the life and works of Swamy Desikan. Later , he became one of

the ashta dhig-gajams under MaNavALa Maamuni (1370-1444 C.E),

who gave us the beautiful Sri DevarAja mangalam containing

slOkams like:

 

PurushAya PurANAya PuNyakODi NivAsinE

PushpithodhAra Kalpadhru kamaneeyAya MangaLam

 

MangaLAsAsanaparai: MadhAchArya PurOgamai:

Sarvaisccha poorvAchAryai: sathkruthAyAsthu MangaLam

 

Two more of the twelve sishyAs of Swamy Desikan with

connections to Kaanchipuram are (1) Veeravalli PerumAL

Iyyan ( whose name as a SanyAsi was PERARULAALA JEEYAR)

and (2) Thirumalai SrinivAsAcchAr . PeraruLAla Jeeyar was

conferred the title of Brahma Tantra Svanthrar by Swamy

Desikan later , when he heard of his sishyan's victory in

a debate with a MahA VidvAn. Thirumalai SrinivAsAcchAr

held tenure as Srikarya Durantharar at Lord VearadarAjan's

sannidhi for many years during Swamy Desikan's time.

Brahma Tanthra Svathara was requested by ThiruvenakdamudayAn

to become Srikaarya Durantharar at His sannidhi. KumAra

VardAcchAr built a temple for his father at Thuppul/

ViLakkoLi PerumAL Sannidhi and stayed at Kaanchi

engaged in grantha nirmANam.

 

Brahma Tanthra Svatantra ParakAla Yathi became the pontiff

of the ParakAla matam established by Swamy Desikan at Kaanchi

for worship of Lord HayagrIvan.The entire ParakAla Yathi

paramparai starts from here at Kaanchi.

 

Brahma Tantra Svatanthrar's pradhAna sishyar was

GatikAsatham AmmAL , fifth descendant of NadaadUr

AmmaaL .He became the AchAryan of Adhi VaNN SatakOpa

Yathi before latter assumed SanyAsAsramam from Lord

Narasimhan Himself at Ahobilam . The illustrious

Ahobila Matam paramparai has thus vital connection

with Lord VaradarAjan in Sri BhAshya paramparai.

Many of the Ahobila Matam Jeeyars come from agrahArams

close to Kaaanchi( Injimedu, Karalapaakkam et al)

and the worship of Lord VaradarAjan at PerumAL

Koil was their life breath prior to becoming Nrusimha

AarAdhakars.

 

GatikAsatham AmmAL had another distinguished sishyar

known as Varadha VishNavAcchAr(VVA) of Rahasya Grantha

paramparai.Sri VVA is the forerunner of the Munithraya

sampradhAyam ( VVA-->MahAdayAdhIsar--> Vaathsya

AhobilAcchAr--> Shashta ParAnkusa Swamy (Later

the 6th pontiff of Ahobila Matam )--> Pancha

matha Bhanjana Taatha Desikan--> 6 generations

leading upto SaakshAth Sawmy --> Thirukkudanthai

Desikan some three hundred years ago.Thus the whole

Munithraya SamprahdAyam and its branches of

Srirangam Andavan and PoundarIkapuram Andavan

originate from the Kaanchi AchAryAs deeply

attached to Lord VaradarAjan.

 

Many other AchAryAs with strong connections to

Lord VaradarAjan like MahAchAryaa/ DoddAchArya of

Thirukkadigai ( 1509-1591 C.E) lived during this time.

The special Garuda Sevai known as DoddAchArya Sevai

is given to this Parama Bhakthan by the most merciful

Varadan even today . DoddAchArya composed Sri DevarAja

Panchakam. ArasANippalai VenkatAdhvari created Hasthigiri

Cahmpu and Shravanandham , 90 slOkAs on PeraruLAlan

besides Lakshmi Sahasram on PerumdEvi ThAyAr(?) .

 

In more recent times , Tatha Desikan's family ,

Thirupputkkuzhi Swamy , VilliyampAkkam Swamy,

Kethandapatti Swamy, DEnakaNi Kottai Swamy ,

Garudapuram Swamy , KozhiyAlam Swamy ,UtthamUr

Swamy , NavalpAkkam Swamy have received the special

anugraham of Lord VaradarAjan.

 

Special mention must be made of TennAchArya SamprahsAya

AchAryAs like P.B.AnnangarAcchAr Swamy have done

yeoman service to Lord Varadahan . MahA SangItha

VidvAns like Saint ThyagarAjA , Sri Mutthuswamy Dhikshithar,

ShyAmaa Saasthrigal have composed beautiful Krithis

on the Lord of Hasthigiri.Eminent musicians like

SangItha kalAnidhi Damal K. PattammAL, Sri NayinA

PiLLai have received the abundant blessings of

Lord of Kaanchi .

 

The NithyOthsavams, PakshOthsavams and

SamvathsarOthsavams and special events in the long

line of Sri VaishNava SamprahdAyam from the Days of

Naatha Muni, AlavandhAr,Thirukkacchi Nampi ,

AchArya RaamAnujA,NadAdUr AmmAl and Swamy Desikan

continues unto this day. PerumAl Koil Varahdan

blesses us with Aravanai prasAdham every night .

On Fridays, PerumdEvi ThAyAr has Her patthi Ulaa.

It ius a great BhAgyam to reflect on Him always.

 

Sri PeumdEvi Nayaki samEtha Sri DEvarAja

Para BrahmaNE nama:

 

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan