Vatthal Swami- Periya Andavan Sri Srinivasa Mahadesikan Thirunakshathram- Maasi Pushyam

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SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:

SrImathE Srinivasa mahadesikaya namah:

SrImathE Ranganatha mahadesikaya namah:

SrimathE Srinivasa mahadesikaya namah:

SrimathE Narayana mahadesikaya namah:

SrimathE Srinivasa Mahadesikaya namah:

 

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

 

Today-Maasi Pushyam nakshathram is His Holiness Sri

Srinivasa Mahadesikan (also called as Periya Andavan

and Vatthal Swami)’s Thirunakshathram.

 

His Tanian reads as follows:-

SrI Rangesa Pathe Samarpitha Bharam Srutyanta

Raamaanuja

SrI Yogeendra Guroothamena Yaminah Srutyanta

Vidyaatmanah /

Praaptha Srutya vathamsa Yugma Hridayam Sri Vaasa

Raamaanujaath

Sri Srivaasa Muneendra Desika Manim Sreyonidhim

Samaasraye //

 

Meaning

 

I resort to Srivasa Munindra Desika; who is the gem of

ShrEyas; who did his Bharasamarpanam at the feet of

Sri Ranganatha- Lord Rangesa of Srirangam; who had

learnt all about Ramanuja darsanam from his Guru; to

whose heart resort all the Srutis.

 

SRIMAD PERIYA ANDAVAN a.k.a VATHAL SWAMI (Masi-

Pushyam)

(1801 - 1886 AD)

Periya Andavan, as he has come to be familiarly known

is the real architect of the Srimad Andavan

Paramparai, for he laid it on firm foundation. He

lived during the 19th Century AD- a most disturbed

period in the history of Vaishnavism, when the

Southern part of the Tamil country became a hotbed of

internecine wars. Carnatic Wars (1743-1767 AD) broke

out between the English and the French and both the

temple and the town of Srirangam suffered much. The

pilgrim town and the center of Vaishnavism became an

occupied territory. The Nawab’s army took shelter in

the Srirangam temple. The military fortunes of the

contending parties were fluctuating until the English

won the war and seized Tiruchirappalli and the

surrounding regions.

 

In his Poorvasrama, Periya Andavan was called Sri

Srinivasa Raghavachariar. The son of one

Krishnamacharya Swami, he belonged to the village,

Pillaiyaranai near Kanchi. He was born in the Kali

year Roudri in the month of Maasi when the star

Pushyam was in the ascendant and this corresponds to

25-2-1801. He came from a distinguished Dipa- Pradipa

family who were entitled to some special honors at the

Kanchi Perarulaalan temple. After Brahmopadesa at the

age of 8, his father himself instructed him in the

Vedas and Divya Prabhandam. He also administered the

Sudarsana Maha Mantram. He received his Pancha

Samskaram from one Sama Periyappan Swami, a descendent

of Tata Desika. In the course of a pilgrimage, Sri

Krishnamachariar and his family worshipped at the

Aravamudan Sannidhi at Kumbakonam, where he met one

Navalpakkam Raghavachariar Swami, an erudite scholar

and previous acquaintance. At the latter’s request,

Sri Krishnamachariar and his family stayed with him

for some years as his guest. At his departure, he left

his son to be instructed in Kavyas and Tamil lore at

the feet of Navalpakkam Swami. Later, Srinivasa

Raghavachariar studied Vyakarana and Mimamsa Sastras

at the feet of his paternal uncle. Goaded by an

intense urge to seek the feet of Sri Vedanta Ramanuja

Maha Desikan, he arrived at Srirangam and prostrated

himself before the Acharya. From him he sought and

received Bharanyasam at the Sannidhi of Lord

Ranganatha. Discovering in the Prapanna, the potential

Acharya, Srimad Andavan directed him to get instructed

in all Rahasya Granthas by Tirutturaip Pundi Andavan.

Soon, he became a scholar in all Vedaanta Sastras and

won the appreciation of the two Acharyas and their

disciples. He visited the Navalpakkam village six

months after his marriage and on that occasion, his

father-in-law presented him a gold ring. Srinivasa

Raghavachariar is said to have made golden image of

Swami Desika out of the ring and installed it in the

local temple. With an intense longing to become a

Sannyasi, he came back to Srirangam but both his

mother and wife pleaded with him not to take to holy

orders. Sensing the domestic compulsions, the Acharya

advised him to remain a householder till such time as

he is blessed with a child.

 

With the birth of a daughter, a few years later, Sri

Srinivasa Raghavachariar decided to take the Sannyasa

Asrama. But, still his mother would not allow him to

do so. Assuring his mother that he would not become an

ascetic unless he saw auspicious signs, he proceeded

to Srirangam. On the way, he encountered an astrologer

who predicted that he would turn either a great king

or a saint destined to blaze a new trail. Just about

the same time two Garudas were seen hovering in the

sky. The green signal for the new course of life was

given and his mother reconciled herself to the

inevitable and blessed her son. Taking leave of Lord

Devaraja, Sri Srinivasa Raghavachariar reached

Srirangam and received the ochre robes from Tirutturap

Pundi Andavan. Assuming the name of Srinivasa Maha

Desikan, he entered the holy order of ascetics at the

age of 30 in the year 1831 AD.

 

Srimad Srinivasa Maha Desikan led a simple, austere

life on the banks of Kollidam. Every day he would go

round the streets of Srirangam and accept alms from

the houses of only those who lived a pure life,

reciting and teaching Vedas. It is said that after

receiving the cooked rice, he would go to the river

and wash it so as to rid it of all fat and oil

content. The meager food he took lacked the vital fat

content rendering him frail and he was, therefore,

called _Vathal Swami_. He was a self-denying saint, a

Jithendriya who bent his Thirumeni to the service of

his soul. He taught rather by his practice than by

precept. Swamy lived like a thapasvI, a sage in the

ashram, meditating on ThiruvashtAkshara manthra as the

pastime. But disciplies wanted His Holiness to bless

them and teach as well.

 

He wielded a great influence on his disciples that

they hailed him _Periya Andavan_. When Tirutturaip

Pundi Andavan attained his Acharya’s feet, Periya

Andavan became the Acharya in due course. On hearing

about his succession, learned scholars of the day came

to see him and obtain his grace. A brilliant galaxy of

distinguished scholars flocked to his feet and the

Goshti consisted of such eminent persons as Vedaanta

Tatachariar Swami of Sankarapuram (who later became

Veliyanallur Andavan of this Asramam), Sri Tirupput

Kuzhi Tatachar Swami, Gopala Samudram Vidwan Sri

Narayanachar Swami, Mannargudi Vyaakarana

Narasimhachar Swami ( who late became the 39th Jeeyar

of Ahobila Mutt), Agnihotram Srinivasa Tatachar Swami,

Vidwan Paravastu Venkatachar of Srivilli puttur,

Tiruvaheendrapuram Ashtaavadhaanam Anantachar Swami (

who later became Tiruk Kudanthai Andavan) etc. etc.

Periya Andavan was a logician of great repute and many

of his disciples also excelled in this art. One

Govardhanam Rangachariar, a reputed logician of the

North arrived in Srirangam and challenged the scholars

of the day to a dialectical debate.

 

Mannargudi Rajagopalachariar, nominated by Srimad

Periya Andavan to accept the challenge defeated the

visiting scholar after several days of debate. The

vanquished gracefully accepted defeat and requested

Periya Andavan to spare Rajagopalachariar Swami for a

brief period, so that he could get further

instructions from him in Vedanta. At the end of the

period, he honored Mannargudi Rajagoplachariar and

conveyed his gratitude to Periya Andavan for putting

him in the right path of knowledge.

 

He set up the Asrama on the lands donated by a patron

and continued his Kalakshepam classes there

uninterrupted in the sylvan environment. He conducted

classes in Sri Gita Bhashya, Sri Bhashya, Rahasya

Traya Sara and Bhagavad Vishaya more than 30 times to

hundreds of disciples. His Sishyas listened entranced

wondering that so much Vedantic wisdom emanated from

so frail a body. He framed a code of conduct to be

strictly adhered to by his disciples. He undertook a

pilgrimage which took him to Tiruk Kudanthai,

Mannaargudi, Vaduvur and other places. Whatever he

touched he enriched and he left behind a tradition of

excellence, a spiritual touch for his worthy

successors to cherish and carry forward.

 

Such indeed is the glory of Periya Andavan. He

observed 55 Chaturmasya austerities (58 according to

SRP) during the span of 85 years. He attained the

lotus feet of his Acharya in the year 1886 that is the

Krishna Trayodasi in the month of Makara.

 

On his Thirunakshathram let us pay our anantha kOti

praNAmams at His Lotus feet and pay our obeisance to

see His blessings

 

[Given below is an extract from Sri Anbil Ramaswamy

Swamin’s complete write up on Acharya lineage and I

thank him for granting permission]

AchAryan ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dAsan

 

 

 

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