rAmAnuja darSanam-Part 2

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SrI:

SrImathE lakshmI nrusimha parabrahamaNE nama:

SrImathE vishvaksEnaya nama:

SrImahtE SaThakOpAya nama:

SrIman nAthamunayE nama:

SrImathE yAmuna munayE nama:

SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama:

SrImathE nigamAnta mahA dESikAya nama:

SrImathE Adi vaN SaThakOpa yatIndra mahA dESikAya nama:

SrImathE SrI LakshmI nrusimha divya pAdukA sEvaka SrIvaN SaThakOpa SrI

nArAyaNa yatIndra mahA dESikAya nama:

 

Part 2- rAmAnuja darSanam

 

In part 1 - rAmAnuja darSanam, I worte:

(Thus, the established VEdAnta sidhdAntam of Sages like VEda vyAsa (through

SArIraka SAstra etc) and the established sampradAyam of divine AzwArs like

poigai-muni, bhUtattAr, pEyAzwAr (through divya prabandams) was reestablished

by pUrvAcharyas like SrIman nAthamuni, SrIman yAmuna muni and SrImath rAmAnuja

muni through their grantams, upadESams, refutation of matAntarams and their

anushTAnams. Thus the SrI VaishNava sidhdAntam got the specific name " ubhaya

vEdAnta sidhdAntam " .)

 

We continue with the prelude.

 

SwAmi dESika in his masterpiece grantam SrI " tatva muktA kalApam " clearly

states the above mentioned important aspect as follows:

 

nAthOpagnyam pravrutam bahubhi: upachitam yAmunEya-prabandhai: |

trAtam samyagyatIndrayi: idam akhila-tama: karSanam darSanam na: ||

(read na: as naha)

 

When we read SrI periyavAchchAn piLLai's commentary on the divya prabandam

" mudal tiruvandAdi " , we find an interesting parallel.

 

" im-mUvarkkum artham onRe. mUnRu rishigal kUdi oru vyAkaraNattiRku

karthAkkaLAnAR pole, kartru bhEdam uNDEyagilum artha SarIram onRu. tri-muni

vyAkaraNam ennumAppOlE "

 

Even in the start of SrImath rahasya traya sAram, we find swAmi dESika to pay

rich tribute to SrIman nAtha muni, SrIman yAmuna muni and SrImath rAmAnuja

muni in three verses namely:

1. AaraNa nUl vazhi - SrImath rAmAnuja muni

2. nILa-vanda - SrImath yAmuna muni

3. kALam-valampuri - SrIman nAtha muni

and towards the end of SrImath rahasya traya sAram, swAmi dESika pays rich

tribute to the first three AzwArs - mudal AzwArs - poigai muni, bhUtattAr,

pEyyAzwAr through the verse " pATTukkuriya " .

 

I have been quoting certain verses from the divine works of swAmi SrIman

nigamAnta mahA dESika. But who is this AachAra to ascertain rAmAnuja darSanam?

Only the Lord SrIman nArAyaNan had the title " VEdAntAchArya " .

SwAmi dESika was made as the sovereign as the darSana-stApaka (establisher of

the VEdAnta darSanam - rAmAnuja darSanam - the darSanam established by Sages

like VEda vyAsa and AzwArs) by non other than SrImath ranga-nAtha and he

conferred the title " VEdAntAchArya - VEdAnta dESika " to swAmi SrImath tUppul

kula maNi VenkaTanAtha - swAmi dESika.

 

SwAmi dESika himself has stated this in several places in his SrI sUktis. In

SrI muni-vAhana bhOgam, swAmi says: " vEN periya viri-tirai-nIr vaiyattuLLE

VEdAntavAriyan endRiyampa nindRom " .

 

Also refer yatirAja saptati and such SrI sUktis.

 

ViSivag-vyApinyagAdhE yati-nrupati-yaSa:-sampadEkArNavE(a)smin

SradhdA-SudhdaavagAgai: Subhamathivhirasow vENkaTESO-abhishiktta: |

PragnyAdowrjanyagarjat-pratikathaka-vachastUlavAtUla-vrutthyA

saptatyA sAravatyA samatanuta satAm prItimEtAm samEtAm ||

 

swAmi dESika said - " The divine profound rich glory of bhagavath rAmAnuja

yatirAja spreads everywhere and it is a like a ocean. Great bhAgavatAs who are

outstanding vidwAns plunged into that ocean with pure dedication and purely

bathed in it. Such great bhAgavatAs who have divine purity and absolute

knowledge, did paTTAbhishEkam to me (SrI vEnkaTESa) - made me as the sovereign

as the parama vaidika darSana stApaka.. . "

 

AaSA-mathangaja-gaNAn-avishahya-vEgAn

PAdE yati-kshiti-bhrutha: prasabham nirundhan |

KArya: kathA-Ahava-kuthUhalibhi: parEshAm

KarNE sa Ehsa kavi-tArkika-simha-nAda ||

 

swAmi dESika said - " the maTAntara tArkikAs (scholars of other mathams who do

terrific debates to establish their side) are like mighty elephants, which run

with uncontrollable speed with desire to conquer others. They run towards

bhagavath rAmAnuja yatirAja who is like a great mountain. I (swAmi SrIman

nigamAnta mahA dESika) am not an ordinary simham-lion but kavi-tArkika-simham

- the lion among great kavis and tArkikAs. My garjana (roar - VEdAnta ghOsham

and irrefutable tarkam) will stop those mighty elephants awestruck at the foot

of the mountain itself! "

 

This can be clearly (and without any doubt) understood from the saptati ratna

mAlikA composed by prati-vAdi bhayankaram SrImath aNNan (who learned at the

divine feet of SrI kumAra varadAchArya - son of swAmi dESika), where

prati-vAdi bhayankaram SrImath aNNan has stated " iha ranga-pati prasAda

labdha-ubhaya-vEdAnta dhurandharandharatva kIrthi: " . This clearly states that

the " ubhaya vEdAntAchArya " divine title was exclusively conferred by SrI ranga

nAtha to swAmi dESika. Also he has made it explicit that swAmi dESika is the

sath-sampradAyArtha-darSI - he who made the real sampradAyam (based on

pramANAm) to be established and

spread.

 

At this stage, one must clearly understand the titles of swAmi dESika. They

are not comparable with anything. Similarly swAmi dESika is not comparable to

anyone because his greatness surpasses everything.

 

SrI ranga nAtha conferred the title " VEdAntAchArya: "

 

SrI ranga nAyakI conferred the title " sarva tantra swatantra: "

 

Great scholars of conferred the title " kavi-tArkika simham " & " samasya

sahasri "

 

The fourth title " samasya sahasri " is not known to many now-a-days. We find

swAmi himself to refer his title " samasya sahasri " at the end of SrImath

rahasya rakshA grantam. The greatness of swAmi dESika is even acknowledged by

matAntara scholars like SrI appayya dIkshitar (For proof,

please refer the commentary of SrI appayya dIkshitar on swAmi dESika's SrImath

yAdavAbyudayam). There, even the scholar SrI appayya dIkshitar has

acknowledged the greatness of the above-mentioned titles. Further, he too has

called swAmi dESika as " vEdAnta-rahasyArthOpadEshTu: " explicitly stating the

fact that as far as all the sadasya and rahasya arthams are concerned, what

ever swAmi dESika has established is the final and the way of swAmi dESika is

the way for establishing all VEdAnta rahasyArthams. Needless to say that the

same is the tiru-vuLLam of SrI ranga nAtha who conferred the title

VEdAntAchArya to swAmi dESika.

 

At this point, a true follower of bhagavath rAmAnuja should note that a

rahasyArtham is fit to be called as rahasyArtham only if it is within the

domain of VEdAnta sUtras - SArIrka SAStra. He who proved this irrefutably

was SrImath VEdAntAchArya.

 

Let me make a fact explicit here. The upadESa rUpa VEdAntam's purport was

established by VEda vyAsa through his brahma sUtras. Bhagavath SrI bhAshya

kAra (rAmAnuja yatirAja) protected it and reestablished through his SrI

bhAshyam. The rahasyArthams that came up to him through secret upadESa

paramparai was reestablished by swAmi dESika through his grantams like

nikshEpa rakshA, rahasya rakshA, SrImath rahasya traya sAram. Not only that,

swAmi dESika also reestablished the entire sadasya vishyams in his grantams

like adhikarANA sArAvaLi, tatva muktA kalApam, saTa-dhUshaNi.

 

None other than swAmi SrIman nigamAnta mahA dESika authors the prakarNa

grantam of ViSishTAdvaitam itself. It is not possible to comprehend our

sidhdAntam without referring to nyAya sidhdAnjanam. PrakaraNa grantam is the

grantam, which comprehensively covers a sidhAntam's tatva-hita-purshArthams

with pramANam and pramANAnuguNa tarkam. Is there anyone other than tUppul kula

maNi SrImath VENkaTanAtha called in this world is called as " VEdAntAchArya " ?

 

The above aspects about his titles and the greatness of those who conferred

them to our swAmi dESika are distinct and they are matchless.

 

In our rAmAnuja darSanam, there is no SrI bhAshya paramparA without swAmi

dESika. This shows that as far as the VEdAnta prastAnam is concerned, in our

sampradAyam, everyone belongs to swAmi dESika sampradAyam. SrI kumAra dESika

also ascertained this fact in his SrI piLLai antAti " uyyum vakaiillai "

pAsuram.

 

In SrImath rahasya traya sAram, 5th ahdikAram - tatva-traya-chintanAdhikAram,

swAmi dESika has categorically stated as follows:

 

" tarka-pANDithyattAlE ninaitatu ellAm sadhikalAyirukkach ceidEyiRE nAm pramANa

SaraNarAipf pOrukiRatu " - please note that this has been stated by

kavi-tArkika-simham.

 

SwAmi dESika says - " Anything as contemplated can be established by mere

strength of tarkam. Therefore, WE accept only pramANam - in ascertaining

tatva-hita-purushArtams " . This clearly shows that only our sampradAyam is

based on pramANam (prastAna trayam) perfectly.

 

In the next posting, we will see more on the term " sampradAyam " and

on the above mentioned SrI sUkti's deep meaning.

 

To be continued.. .

Thanks & Regards

naidrava mAdabhUshi S. HARI rAmAnuja dAsan (mshari)