abhinava dESik-a SrI UttamUr Swamy Divya Charitham- 25

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SrI:

Sri Padmavathi Sametha Srinivasa Parabrahmane Namaha.

Sri Perundhevi Sametha Devadhiraja Parabrahmane Namaha.

SrimathE Bhagavad Ramanujaya Namaha:

SrimathE Nigamantha Mahadesikaya namaha:

Srimate Rangaramanuja Maha Desikaya Namaha.

Srimate Abhinava Desika Vatsya Satchakravarti Uttamur SRI

VIRARAGHAVARYA MAHA DESIKAYA NAMAHA

 

SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |

vedAntAcArya-varyome sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||

 

Thanian (Invocatory verse on Sri UttamUr swamy written by

Swamy's AchAryan Sri Kozhiyalam Swamy himself)

 

adbhutam yasya vikrAntam vEda vIthI ViSOdhanE |

aparam nigamAntAryam prapadyE vIrarAghavam ||

 

[Article in Tamil by SrI PayyampADi VEnkatavaradAchArya SwAmi; English write

up (based on Tamil) by SrI R.VenkatAchAri (SohattUr- Vankipuram -Oppiliappan

Sannidhi), a disciple of SrI UtthamUr SwAmi. Appeared in the souvenir

released during the SatAbhishEkam (80th birth anniversary) of SrI UtthamUr

swAmi on 10th Feb, 1977]

 

SIDHASHRAMA : (25, Nathamuni Street, T.Nagar, Madras.)

 

Most of the sishyas who attend the Kalakshepa Goshti used to feel that

the Tirumaligai of Our Swami at No.25, Nathamuni Street was too small for

the fast increasing Kalakshepa Goshti and the ever increasing requests for

Pancha Samaskara and Bharanyasa. Instead of purchasing a

different plot for building an Asrama for that purpose, it was decided

to extend the Tirumaligai on the eastern side completely independent from

the house, with a separate entrance, for carrying on the Acharyaka

activities. Eminent persons like Sri Madabhushi Sudarsanam Iyengar Swami,

Sri V.T.R.Swami, Sri N.R.Srinivasan (Engineer) Sri.K.Sounderarajan

(Advocate) and others contributed liberally themselves and also collected

from other Astikas and well-wishers. Sri N.R.Srinivasan undertook to do the

construction and the Ashrama wing was finished in record time at less than

the actual cost. The Ashrama was called “SIDHASHRAMA”.

 

SRI DESIKA GRANTHA NIRMANA :

 

Our Swami decided to start the “Pancha Kavyas” of Sri Desika first,

comprising of Yadavabhyudaya, Paduka Sahasra, Subhashitanivi, Sankalpa

Suryodaya and Hamsa Sandesa under the banner of Ubhaya Vedanta Granthamala

in a special “Sri Desika Grantha Publication Series”. Membership of Rs.50/-

paid in advance which would get them all the above (five) books, was

announced. The respnse was not very encouraging; but the work was started

with a Satvika Tyaga Sankalpa. As Our Swami had the necessary types,

purchased for the printing of Srutaprakasika and some more types in Sanskrit

and in Tamil were added. The Composing Section was geared to earnest work

by adding more Compositors.

 

Our Swami decided that publishing the Text only will not be sufficient. A

Sanskrit commentary for the North Indian scholars and a

 

Tamil commentary for local Astikas were decided upon for the Pancha Kavyas.

It was also decided to print, as far as possible, the ancient

commentaries with useful foot noties and if none available worth printing,

to write a new commentary in addition to the Tamil commentary.

 

YADAVABHYUDAYA was printed with Sri Appayya Dikshitar’s commentary, with

suitable foot notes. Sir Dikshitar had a great regard for Sri Desika which

could be seen from his words “BHAVASSANTI PADE PADE” and his commentary was

accepted as the best by our Ancient Acharyas.

The foot notes for the above contain some very interesting and useful points

for a better understanding of the Kavya. A fluent word by word

meaning in Tamil was added. The beauty of the Tamil commentary was that if

one, ignorant of even one word of Sanskrit, read through the Tamil meaning

in the order in which they were printed, he would get a complete sentence

and it would be continuous from sloka to sloka. Thus the complete Kavya

could be easily understood.

 

A munificent donation of Rs.5000/- from Madabhushi Sudarsanam Iyengar

Swami, and a donation of Rs.2000/- from T.T.Narasimhan of T.T.K. & Co.,

Madras helped Our Swami to complete the book. Kanchi Kama Koti Peetam

Sankaracharya Swamigal sent Rs.350/- towards from Sri Neelakanta Iyer under

instructions from Sri Sankaracharya Swamigal.

 

OTHER ACTIVITIES of Our Swami while the printing of Yadavabhyudaya were

in progress:

 

He made a trip to Bombay, by plane, (without detriment to his

Anushtana) at the request from the Bombay Astikas for a series of Upanyasas

at the newly constructed Desika Bhavanam. He went to Coimbatore, accepting a

series of Tiruppavai lectures, in the mornings and Srimad Rahasya Traya Sara

in the evenings.

 

He also did the usual yearly Upanyasa series of Srimad bhagavata Saptaham

arranged by Sri Vasudevachar, (grand son of Maharshi Sri Vasudevachar).

 

He presided over the lectures on Sri Bhashya every Sunday on the basis

of one Adhikarana per day arranged also by Sri Vasudevachar.

He gave a detailed Gita Upanyasa, with Sri Desika’s Tatparya Chandrika

at the house of Sri.S.N.Dave, which was attended by Sri

U.Ve.K.S.Krishnaswamy Iyengar Swami (Judge and Sri Sundarachariar of

Teralundur (Chrompet) who recorded the lectures on a tape recorder with an

intention of translation in English.

 

PADUKA SAHASRA :

 

A special lecture (during the 700th Tirunakshatra of Sri Desika) on Paduka

Sahasra was arranged in the house of Sri V.T.Rangaswamy Iyengar Swami,

Advocate, Balaji Nagar for limited and invited Desika

Bhaktas. The short Upanyasa appealed to Sri V.T.R.Swami and it

kindled a desire to hear the entire Kavya. Whe he heard that the

publication of the book `Paduka Sahasra’ was next in the list after

Yadavabhyudaya, he immediately announced to bear the entire cost of the

publication and gave Rs.10,000/- at once. He suggested that a word by word

meaning in Tamil would be welcome. The book was dedicated to the memory of

his illustrious father, Sri U.Ve.Velangupam Tatacharya and mother Srimat

V.T.Vedammal. The Sanskrit commentary of Sri Bharadwaja Srinivasacharya was

published. In the foot notes to the commentary of Our Swami for this book

he had established a SANGATI, a continuity of thought from sloka to sloka

and from Padhati to Padhati and proved and established the theory that the

whole grantha was formed in the author’s mind before writing. More details

could be had from the book. The Tamil commentary and word by word meaning

was provided as was done in Yadavabhyudaya.

 

SUBHASHITANIVI was printed with the Sanskrit commentary of Kanchi Koti

Kannikadanam, Sri Pattappa Swami for a part of the grantha and Our Swami

provided the rest. Sri Pattappa Swami had given more than 10 to

12 meanings for each sloke. Sri Rajappa, Advocate, Madras, Son. Of Sri

U.Ve. K.C.Varadachariar Swami, hereditary Trustee of Lakshmipuram Temple

(hailing from the family who built the temple) donated

Rs.5000/- for this book and was dedicated to Sri Rajappa’s grand father,

Karumbur Nallan Chakravarti Gopalaswami Iyengar Swami (C.I.D.)

 

HAMSA SANDESA :

 

This book was released with a commentary called SANJEEVANA and a Tamil

translation bringing out the essence of Sri Desika’s super poetic

intelligence and containing many Adyatmika meanings. A donation of Rs.3000

from Sri M.S.Pattabhiraman of M.D.Bros. was received for publishing this

book in memory of his father Sri Madabhushi Seshadriachar Swami.

 

SANKALPA SURYODAYA with a Sanskrit and Tamil commentary of Our Swami was

published with a donation of Rs.2500/- from Sri.K.Srinivasan, Advocate,

Sripuram, Madras, 14, and was released in memory of his parents Rao Bahadur

Sri U.Ve.R.Krishnamachariar Swami and Smt.Alamelu Ammal. A further donation

of Rs.2000 was made by Sri U.Ve.N.G.Krishna

Iyengar Swami, Adgocate, Triplicane for the same book.

 

OTHER GRANTHAS OF SRI DESIKA:

 

On the completion of the Pancha Kavyas of Sri Desika, Our Swami announced

that all the books of Sri Desika, so far released and to be published would

he given (almost at less than half the cost) to a person who would become a

member by paying Rs.200 in advance. [The offer is still open. Will Sri

Desika Bhaktas make use of this generous offer?]

 

GITABHASHYA-TATPARYACHANDRIKA:

 

Just before starting the publication of Tatparyachandrika, Our Swami felt

that a thorough scrutiny of the book would be needed and took up the book

for the Kalakshepa Goshti. During the Kalakshepa Our Swami had the chance

to study the commentary word by word. The Goshti consisted of mor than 20

sishyas the prominent among them was

Lt.Col.Dr.V.Srinivasan, Retd. D.M.S. b(Now no more). He gave a

donation of Rs.10000/- and agreed to bear the entire cost.

 

SESWARA MIMAMSA AND MIMAMSA PADUKA:

 

This grantha was published with the Sanskrit commentary of Acharya Kumara,

Sri Varadacharya called “Mimamsa Paduka Paritrana” and a commentary by Our

Swami called “SUKSHMARTHA TEEKA” and “SATPATHA SANCHARA”. Sri

U.Ve.N.R.Srinivasan (Urupattur Nallan Chakravarti, Nattuppattu,

Rajagopalacharya Srinivasacharya) Engineer, a sishya of Ahobila Mutt and a

regular member of the Kalakshepa Goshti from 1963 upto this day, donated

Rs.5000/- for this book, in commemoration of his Sashtiabdapoorti. Our

Swami used to call him “ASTIKA SIKHAMANI” as he

never used to miss even one day of Kalakshepa.

 

RAKSHA GRANTHAS:

 

(Nikshepa Raksha, Satcharitra Raksha, Pancharatra Raksha, Geetartha Sangraha

Raksha and Nitya Grantha of Sri Bhashyakara).

 

Sri Desika Seventh Centenary Trust donated half the cost and received 500

copies. This book did not include Rahasya Raksha as the same was published

earlier by the Trust in their book called Chatusloki and Stotra Ratna

Bhashya.

 

TATVA MUKTA KALAPA:

 

The book was published with a donation of Rs.16,000/- from the North Indian

Patron of Sri Desika Sampradaya, Sri Mangniram Govinda Bapuji (of Pushkaram)

from Calcutta.

 

ADHIKARANA SARAVALI was published with the ancient commentary of Acharya

Kumara Varadacharya called “Adhikarana Chintamani” and Our

Swami’s SARARTHA RATNA PRABHA”. A donation of Rs.13,000 to cover the

cost was received from Bombay, Dharmika Sikhamani, Sri.U.Ve.Ramanujachar

Swami.

 

TATVA TEEKA is a commentary on Sri Bhashya. Full grantha is not available.

The portions available were scrutinized by Srimad Koliyalam Swami at an

earlier date. Our Swami supplied Foot notes for

this grantha. The entire cost of the book, Rs.5000/- was paid by

Sri.U.Ve.Uruppattur, Nallan Chakravarti, Aviyur Sarangapani Iyengar

(popularly known as V.S.Rangan of Bombay). On the occasion of his

Sashtiabda Poorti celebrations. He was responsible for the erection of

“Desika Bhavanam”.

 

ISAVASYOPANISHAD BHASHYA with the commentary of Our Swami called “ACHARYA

BHASHYA TATPARYA” was published with a donation of Rs.2500 from

Sri.B.T.Kuppuswami and Sri B.T.Sampath in memory of their father, Balur,

Toopil, Seshadriacharya Swami.

 

NYAYA SIDHANJANA with the commentary of Upanishad Bhashyakara, Sri

Rangaramanuja Swami and the commentary of Mahamahopadyaya Kanchi Krishna

Tatarya called, “Ratna Petika” and foot notes from Our Swami was published

next.

To be continued..

AchAryan ThiruvadigalE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

aDiyEn

 

 

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