Thiruvaheendhrapuram RathnAngi Kaimakryam: Part 145 ( Desika Prabhandham-- XXXVI:Introduction to Para matha Bhngam

[Guest guest]

Dear Swamy Desika BhakthAs :

 

AdiyEn will commence a number of postings now on

the next Desika Prabhandham , Para Matha Bhangam

in the overall series of postings linked to Thiruvaheendhrapuram

RathnAngi Kaimkaryam .

 

Introductory Comments on this Tamil Prabhandham

****************************************

This is a very important Prabhandham derived from

a very famous debate of Swamy Desikan with leaders of

other Mathams in front of Lord DevanAthan on the banks of

PeNNai river . Swamy Desikan defeated all his challengers and

firmly established the Supermacy of VisishtAdhvaitham

over 15 other SiddhAnthams . Lord DevanAthan was

very pleased at the accomplishment of His dear devotee

and blessed him profusely .

 

The avathAram of Para Matha Bhngam

******************************

After this historic debate , Swamy Desikan composed

the major MaNipravALa SrI Sookthi named " PARA MATHA

BHANGAM " to summarize the content of his debate

with the people of Para Mathams ( other SiddhAnthams) .

 

There are 24 chapters in that SrI Sookthi/Rahasyam .

Swamy Desikan took the first and the last paasurams of these

24 chapters that were in chaste TamiL and strung them

together as a garland along with 6 more special Paasurams

to create the FOURTH Desika Prabhandham with the same

name of " PARA MATHA BHANGAM " . There are thus

54 Tamil Paasurams in this Fourth Desika Prabhandham .

 

The Original SrI Sookthi in MaNipravALam

***********************************

The original MaNipravALa Version of " Para Matha Bhangam "

is an intellectual achievement of the highest magnitude. Abhinava

Desikan , Vaikunta Vaasi , SrI UttamUr Swamy has blessed us

with a commentary for this MaNipravALa version entitled

" AnapAya PrabhA " . It has 1168 pages of commentary .

Erudition to grasp the fine points of this grantham is beyond

the capabilities of many of us . Only a very few AchAryAs

can help us understand atleast a small portion of this extraordinary

creation of Swamy Desikan.

 

The SrI Sookthis of Swamy Desikan such as Tatthva Muktha KalApam ,

Satha DhUshaNi , SarvArTa Siddhi , MeemAmsa PadhukA ,

The Five RakshA granthams have material related to Para Matha

Bhangam. It will take many lives and SadAchArya KatAksham

to get even a glimpse of the deep doctrines covered by Swamy

Desikan in the original SrI Sookthi of Para Matha Bhangam .

 

For our benefit , Swamy Desikan has assembled the 54 Tamil Paasurams

of the original SrI Sookthi to realize the Fourth Desika Prabhandham

named Para Matha Bhangam . That Tamil Prabhandham will be

the subject of the subsequent postings for the next few days.

Please bear with adiyEn's incompetence to summarize them .

 

Swamy Desikan's Prayer to Lord DevanAthan

**************************************

The original MaNipravALa Version starts with the prayer of

Swamy Desikan to Lord DEvanAthan , who was waiting eagerly

on the banks of PeNNai River during one of His Uthsavam to witness

this debate between His intimate devotee and the challengers

from the other Mathams. The prayer of Swamy Desikan

to Lord DevanAthan at the beginning of this debate is :

 

" apaayAsthu tama: pumsAm anapAya prabhAnvitha:

AhIndhranagarE nithyam udhithOayam ahaskara: "

 

Word by Word Meaning

********************

anapAya PrabhA anvitha : = the Lord with never leaving lustre

(prabhA) of SrI HemAbhja Naayaki

 

AhIndhra NagarE = at His dhivya dEsam of AhIndhrapuram

 

nithyam = always

 

udhitha: = rising

 

ayam = this Lord , the origin of this SrI Sookthi

 

Ahaskara: = is shining as the radiant Sun

 

PumsAm Tama: nithyam apAsyathu = May He banish

the darkness (tamas) of nescience and viparItha Jn~Anam of

the chEthanams !

 

( Integrated Meaning ): Lord DEvanAthan with the unique

lakshaNam of His eternal Prabhai of SrI HemAbhja

Naayaki . Her is always resplendent as the rising Sun.

May this Lord of Thiruvaheendhrapuram chase away all

the spirtual darkness of people with His matchless lustre!

 

This prayer is linkable to the command of Manu in His Smruthi

according to Sri UtthamUr Swamy :

 

" yaa vEda-bAhyaa: smruthayO yaasccha kaasccha kudhrushtaya:

SarvasthA: nishphalA: prEthya tamOnishtA hi taa: smruthA: "

 

Para Mathams are born due to the influence of TamO guNam

and are rooted in that guNam . The prayer to the ishta dhaivam of

Swamy Desikan is to remove the Tamo GuNam of people through

study of the SrI Sookthi born out of Lord DEvanAthan's grace .

Paraphrasing Manu , the First Law giver , Swamy Desikan

condemns the Veda BAhya and Kudhrushti Mathams as

nishphalam ( fruitless) and prays to the Lord to banish

the TamO GuNam that stands in the way of the ChEthanams

to adopt the Vedam-prescribed UpAyam of SaraNAgathy

to gain freedom from the cycles of Births and Deaths

in the SamsAric world (Moksham ).

 

The Scope of Para Matha Bhangam

****************************

Swamy Desikan was a Master of all Darsanams . He was

one of the greatest scholars of all times to understand the faulty

assumptions and conclusions of Veda Baahya Mathams and

Kudrushti Mathams . He was also a Master of the tenets of

SrI VisishtAdhvaitham as developed by Rishis like

VyAsa-ParAsara-Parankusa and PoorvAchAryAs

like Swamy Nathamuni, EmperumAnAr and other AchAryas

like NadathUr AmmAL and AathrEya RaamAnujar (His own

AchAryan).

 

Swamy Desikan used his immense scholarship to provide

the logic-based critique about the deficiencies and pitfalls of

15 other Mathams(SaarvAkam , Four kinds of Bhouddha Matham ,

Jainam , Adhvaitham , BhAskara-Yaadhava Matham , VyAkaraNa

Matham , KaNAtha Matham , Gouthama Matham , MeemAmsaka

Matham , Saankhya Matham , Yoga and Paasupatha Mathams )

and established the unassailable superiority of VisishtAdhvaitha

SiddhAntham .

 

Swamy Desikan created the major MaNipravALa commentary

as his critique of all the other SiddhAnthams and to establish

the glories of VisishtAdhvaitha SiddhAntham over all of

them . There are 24 chapters in the MaNipravALa Rahasyam

known as " Para Matha Bhangam " .

 

These 24 chapters of Paramatha Bhangam are:

 

1.PrasthAvanAdhikAram ( The chapter serving as

an Introduction / Preface to this Sri Sookthi )

 

2. Jeeva TatthvAdhikAram (Sentient Tatthvam)

3. Achith TattvAdhikAram (insentient Tatthvam)

4. Para TatthvAdhikAram (Iswara Tatthvam)

 

Chapters 2, 3 and 4 deal with the Tatthva Thrayams of

ChEthanam , achEthanam and Iswaran .

 

5. SamudhAya DhOshAdhikAram

 

This chapter deals with the defects /blemishes (dhOshams)

common to all (samudhAya dhOshams) of the Para Mathams

 

6. LokAyadhika BhangAdhikAram /SaarvAka Matham critique

7. MadhyAmika BhangAdhikAram/ criticism of MaadhyAdhmikam

8. YogAchAra BhangAdhikAram/Criticism of YogAchAram

9. SouuthrAndhika BhangAdhikAram

10. VaibhAshika BhangAhikAram

11. Prachanna BHouddha BhangAdhikAram

12. Jaina BhangAdhikAram

13. BhAskara-Yaadhava BnagAdhikAram

14. VyAkaraNa BhangAdhikAram

15. VaisEshika BhangAdhikAram

16. Goudhama(NyAya) BhangAdhikAram

17. NirIswara MemAmsA BhangAdhikAram

18. NeerIswara Saankhya NirAkaraNAdhikAram

19. Yoga SiddhAntha BhangAdhikAram/Criticism of Yoga Matham

20. Paasupatha BhashikArAdhikAram

 

The above 15 chapters ( 6-20 ) serve as the criticism of

the specific dhOshams of each of the above 15 Para Mathams .

 

21. Salutation to PaancharAthra Saasthram/

Bhagavath Saasthra VirOdha BhangAdhikAram.

 

This chapter is constructed as the defense of Paancha Raathra

Aagamam and to establish that it does not belong to the category of

Para Mathams .

 

22. ParOkthOpAya BhangAdhikAram

23. ParOktha PrayOjana BhangAdhikAram

 

These two chapters assert that the UpAyam and Phalan /

PrayOjanam advocated by the 15 Para Mathams are

insubstantial, inappropriate and not lasting to gain

Moksha Sukham in distinct contrast with the UpAyam

and Phalan realizable with the Parama Vidhika Matham

of VisishtAdhvaitham.

 

24. Nigamana AdhikAram

 

Based on Tarkam , Nigamanam means conclusion

in a Syllogism. Nigamana AdhikAram can also be

intrepreted as that which has Vedic Sanctions.

This is the concluding chapter of the illustrious SrI Sookthi

of Para Matha Bhngam .

 

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan

 

SrimathE SrI Lakshmi Nrusimha Dhivya PaadhukA Sevaka

SrI VaNN SaThakOpa NaarAyaNa YathIdhra MahA DesikAya Nama: