Thirukkudanthai Desikan Thirunakshathram (Sep 25th)- PurattAsi- PoorAdam

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SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika Mahadesikaya namah:

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

 

Today Sep 25th is Thirukkudanthai Desikan - Sri GopAlArya MahAdESikan

Thirunakshathram (Purattaasi month- PoorAdam Star)

 

Given below is an extract from Sri V. N. VEDANTA DESIKAN's article in The

Hindu..

 

The Lord is a great benefactor even to this day. But 300 years back, He

blessed a couple from Royampettai with a divine child ? in the image of Sri

Desika who was similarly blessed by Lord Venkatesa ? this child growing in

later life as a great spiritual patriarch, called Thirukkudanthai Desikan.

He is to this day regarded as a great water-shed preceptor, head of a

fairly large family of the so-called Munitraya Sampradaya, since for one

reason among many others, three ascetics prostrated before this householder

and learnt Vedanta at his feet ? a rather unique phenomenon in Indian

spiritualism.

 

A GREAT luminary in the spiritual firmament of South India was born in 1700

A.D. in a hamlet called Royampettai, in Thanjavur district, on the northern

bank of the Cauvery, near Thiruvaiyaru. He was born in the year Vikrama

(corresponding to 1700 A.D.), in the month of Purattasi, under the star

Pooradam, to Krishnadesika. The child was named Gopaladesika.

 

The boy learnt, from his father, the Vedas, Divyaprabandha, Sanskrit and

Tamil grammar, rhetoric and Sastras. Even when he was in his teens, he was

sent to Srirangam to learn the ``Grantha-Chatushtayam' (Rahasyatraya-saram,

Sri

Bhashyam, Gita- Bhashyam and Bhagavad-Vishayam) from the great Vedanta

acharya, Ramanuja Muni.

 

Young Gopaladesika was advised to settle down in Kumbakonam after he

completed his course. He first undertook an extensive pilgrimage to the

holy shrines in South India and then settled down in a hermitage in the

Aravamuthan temple

premises, at Kumbakonam.

 

Gopaladesika lived a simple life, sustained by daily alms. Though such a

way of life is not necessary for the householder, one like Vedantadesika or

Gopaladesika, who had no need for money or savings or material

acquisitions,

would naturally, and instinctively, adopt this mode of life.

 

Three ascetics were attending on him, with implicit reverence, doing his

personal chores - a very unusual phenomenon. They had been drawn from and

near: one was from Watrap, who was devoted to solitude and meditation; the

second was

from Seyyanam (in Tirunelveli district), a prototype of Yamunamuni (or

Alavandar), who had a few disciples only; the third was from Vazhuthoor

near Ayyampettai.

 

He was indeed a second Vedanta Ramanuja Muni, whose service helped the

school reach a pre-eminent status. The particular ascetic, referred to as

Vazhuthoor Swami, Vazhuthoor Andavan, and Srirangam Swami, was the real

torch-bearer of Gopaladesika's mission from about 1750 A.D.

 

The reverence Gopaladesika commanded from the society then, is reflected in

his being addressed as ``Thirukkudanthai Desikan''. He is acknowledged as

the patriarch of the school (or sampradaya, as it is generally termed),

referred to

as Munitraya, since it is suppose to have been carried forward by his three

ascetic disciples. The tradition is essentially the same as that of

Vedantadesika; it marks no departure from the path; nor it is a branch

since it

was only continuing in the same direction. If it is referred to as the

Munitraya tradition or Thirukkudanthai Desikan tradition, it is only for

convenience and for conveying the regard that he was held in by a large

mass of

the religious community.

 

In the context of Indian spiritualism, we find two kinds of leaders; one

might be a great author but no great orator; another may be good at

discourses or instructions but may not have a flair for writing works for

posterity.

Gopaladesika combined both faculties in happy harmony. He inherited

Vedantadesika's spiritual legacy totally and from him different streams can

be recognised today. Among these, two are well organised Asharams: they are

the Srirangam Periasramam Andavan tradition and the Poundarikapuram Andavan

tradition.

 

There are a number of others, such as the Kethandapatti tradition, the

Annayaryamahadesikan tradition composed of many Tatacharyas (descendants of

Nathamuni) and Acharya-Purushas, the Denkanikottai stream and so on. One

could

make an estimate that some 40 per cent of the Desikasampradaya adherents

today would acknowledge Thirukkudanthai Desikan as their patriarch.

 

As an author, his reputation stands simply unassilable: an original work on

``Prapatti'' (``Nikshepatchintamani''), a commentary on Rahasyatrayasara of

Vedantadesika, commentaries on two works from Divyaprabandham, a commentary

on Tattvatika of Vedantadesika, a terse Sahasranama-stotra on

Vedantadesika; an Anhika work which is a valuable guide on

rituals of daily routine for pious men to followl and a unique work called

``Sri- Jayantyadi-Nirnaya'', where he codifies the criteria for fixing the

dates of such holy fests as Sri Krishna Jayanthi.

 

His devotion for the local deity, Aravamuthan, can be gleaned from two

short hymns he has composed.It was he who built the present shrine, with

the tower, for Vedantadesika, almost opposite to his hermitage, within the

temple premises.

 

He was a model of true humility. He used an unostentatious colophon in his

works, that read somewhat like this: ``written by Gopaladasa, son of

Krishnasoori and receiver of Vedanta knowledge from Sakshat Swami''. It is

said

that his grand-uncle Venkatadhwari was so much impressed by his stature,

that he sought to become Gopaladesika's disciple. But Gopaladesika would

not allow it! He commended the grand old man to his own Acharya, Sakshat

Swami.

 

However, he appears to have suffered the misfortune of begetting a misfit

son, for whom he could only plead with God. The son died young.

Gopaladesika had a scholarly nephew, Venkatacharya and a grandson,

Vedantacharya (of Elayavalli

line), who became his `sons' by adoption. They did much to perpetuate his

glorious memory.

 

At 82, he took sanyasa and died within a couple of days, in the Tamil Plava

year (corresponding to 1782 A.D.), in Karthigai month on a Krishna Shashti.

Just before he passed away, his loving admirers made an idol of his in

iron, which he approved and blessed with his touch.

 

This idol is now worshipped in the Vedantadesika shrine (in East Uttara

Street, Srirangam) which is under the management of the Poundarikapuram

Swami Asramam.

 

Sri Thirukkudanthai Desikan's Thaniyan:

 

Sri Krishna Desika Padaambhuja Bringaraajam Vedaanta Lakshmana Muneendra

Krupaatha Bodham /

Trayyantha Desika Yatindra Sataari Moorthim Gopaala Desika Sikhaamanim

Aasrayaamaha //

 

Meaning: (Translation by SrI Anbil Ramaswamy Swamin)

 

" Let us take refuge at the feet of Gopala Desika , the crown jewel, the

Acharya for the three great Sannyasis, who was like the bee surrounding the

lotus feet of Sri Krishna Desika and who was the recipient of the grace of

Vedanta Lakshmana Muni "

 

The above means that Tirukkutanthai Desikan Swami combined in his

persona;ity those of all the three AchAryas viz Sri Vedanta Desika, Sri

Bhashyakara and Sri Satakopa. It is interesting to note that those who

resorted to him were also three yathivaras

 

Thirukkudanthai Desikan SrI Gopaalaarya Mahadesikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Narayana Narayana

aDiyEn Narayana dAsan madhavakkannan