Magnificent Life History of Srimad Poundarikapuram Andavan Swami Sri Srinivasa Mahadesikan

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SrI:

SrImathE Goapladesika mahadesikaya namah:

SrImathE Srinivasadesika Mahadesikaya namah:

SrImathE Ranganathadesika Mahadesikaya namah:

SrImathE Srinivasadesika Mahadesikaya namah:

SrImathE Gopalarya Mahadesikaya Namah:

 

 

Sri Narayana Yogindra Varadaarya Kripaasrayam /

Rangesa Paada Vinatham Srinivaasa Munim Bhaje //

 

(meaning)

I hail Srinivasa Muni who obtained the full grace

of Sri Narayana Yogindra Varadaarya, who always bowed

at the feet of Lord Ranganatha.

 

About this Great mahaan, there are two slokas composed

by Sri RV Krishnamachariar: I am giving only the

translation (Please forgive my translation as well):

 

For those who take to sanyaas (renunciation), there

could be many reasons. Poverty, disinterest in

samsaaric afflictions, mental worries, non-cooperation

from spouse etc. For this Swamy (Sri Poundarikapuram

Andavan Swamy), lot of wealth (inherited), extremely

cooperative Pathivratha dEvigaL (spouse),; a great

vidwAn of the first kind. Simply due to his vairAgyam

alone, he took to sanyaasaasramam.

 

What kind of vidvathvam he has!

He is PaNinI in vyAkaraNam.

GaNAdhar in mImAmsA.

Vedantha Desikan in Vedantha!

 

Those vidwAns and scholars who acknowledge the above

whole heartedly also do not speak in front of Him

(with respect and fear- bhayam kalandha mariyAdhai)

 

May He reside (as alwayts) forever in the hearts of

such Great scholars and vidwAns! (in order to bless

them as he does always!)

 

This day about one hundred and fifty five years ago,

our land witnessed the holy birth of a mahaan in

Poundarikapuram; truly it was an avtaar of Sriman

Narayanan Himself, who out of His benevolence, and

sincere determination, Dhrida vratha, to save all

human beings comes into this world. And the Lord also

chooses the time, the place and the parents to take

birth from. it is all preordained by Him.

 

It was the day of days- Adi PoorAdam- Sowmya

year, August 1847, a child-prodigy was born in

Poundarikapuram village. This village with its sylvan

surroundings is very near to the famous

Oppiliappan Koil Divya Desam, whose praise has been

sung by Peyazhwar, Nammazhwar and Thirumangai Azhwar.

Enjoying, so to say, the Divya kataaksha of the

Lord, this cozy village has been the birth of many

great personages. Among them were the couple- Sri

Singaperumal Ayyangar, an effulgent scholar and a

man of unswerving principles of personal practice

and conduct and Smt Senkamalam Ammal, his wife. No

wonder that Sriman Narayanan chose to take His birth

from this noble couple as their seventh son and

was named after Lord Srinivasan. How so true this

about Srimad Andavan Poundarikapuram Srinivasa

Mahadesikan needs no elucidation to the

Srivaishnava world, more so to those unnumbered

beneficiaries. This multifaceted genius was a

repository of erudite scholarship endowed with an

uncommon acumen, which helped not only of acquisition

of knowledge of Kaavyarthas, Saasthras,

Vedanthaarthas, Granthachathushtayam, besides the

Vedas and the Divya prabandhas but also in the

exposition of these to an never ending chain of

disciples who flocked to him all the year around and

down the years.

 

A quick review of his biographical details will inform

us how great personages (in our Acharya parampara) are

born great and tower far above the commonality!

 

Young Srinivasan was given in adoption to his father’s

younger brother. After his upanayanam at 7, he

promptly sought to learn Sanskrit from illustrious Sri

Rangachariar Swami, father of reputed Tharka scholar

Sri Narasimhachariar. Soon followed his higher

education from mahavidwans like Ghattam Varadachariar

Swamy, Sogathur Vijayaraghavachariar Swami, Perumal

koil Thirupputkuzhi Swami, Kuricchi Rangachariar Swami

at Mannargudi, and in matter of time, he became an

accomplished scholar, a mahaa vidwaan himself., having

mastered Alankaara saasthra, Tharkaam, vyAkaraNam, and

mImAmsa besides the Vedas and Prabandhams. He had his

Pancha samskaaram from Sri Ghattam Varadachariar Swami

and Vedantha Grantha kaalakshepam and BharasamapraNam

at the feet of Srimad Andavan VeliyanallUr Narayana

Mahadesikan Swamy, an act indicating possibly things

to come, as later he succeeded Sri Narayana Desika

Mahadesikan Swamy.

 

He undertook pilgrimages to all divya desas from

Tirupathi to Thiruvananthapuram. In due time, he

married Smt Komalavilli Ammal hailing from Vagarai, a

nearby village and led his grihasthAsramam at

Poundarikapuram in a manner that was remarkable for

its simplicity and austerity in spite of belonging to

a family as affluent materially as erudite in

scholarship.

 

When his (adopted) mother Srirangammal passed away, he

migrated to Srirangam and settled down there. He led

his life strictly as ordained by the elders,

performing Pancha kaala kriyas, the observance of

which gives no room for accepting any material gift

whatsoever it be nor aspire of ill-gotten wealth. His

scholarship and mastery in Sahithya, Alankara,

Tharkka, mImAmsA, Sri Bhsahya and vyAkaraNa was

legendary and little wonder that those who aspired to

gain knowledge of these sought after him and learnt at

his Feet.

 

In good time, he heard the call, the divine call for

taking up sanyaasa Ashramam and to become a “light

house:, guiding the parched souls tossed about the

samsaara saagara. It was a definite call and he went

and prostrated repeatedly at the feet of Srimad

Andavan Veliyanalloor Narayana Mahadesikan who after

thorough scrutiny of his disciple’s genuineness,

offered him upadesa of Preksha mantra and Prapatti

Prayoga and admitted him to Sanyaasa Asramam, more

fittingly called ThurIya Asramam (the fourth stage).

 

Thereafter he went to live in the Srimad Andavan

Asramam at Srirangam hallowed by the footprints of

Srimad PeriyANdavan and spent years there offering

Samasrayanam, BharaNyAsam, and daily kaalskhepa

Goshtis to the innumerable disciples thirsting

spiritually. But as there were hindrances to the

peaceful functioning of Asramam, he decided to move

out of Srirangam itself so as to more effectively

carry on with his spiritual mission. When the

disciples came to know of this, they prevailed

upon him to continue his stay at Srirangam.

 

Through their efforts, a separate Asrama was set up

and it came to be known as the " Sri Poundarikapuram

Andavan Asramam”, in the same line of Srimad

Periyandavan Guruparampara, verily because Sriman

Narayana willed it so there shall be another

illustrious seat of munithraya Sampradayam, to cater

to the spiritual needs of the ever growing

Sishyavarga, ever seeking new nuances and creeping in

to the crevices of the Sampradaya. And so from this

center this great Acharya traveled on foot across

South India at the request of countless disciples who

considered that their places became sanctified by the

very touch of the Acharya’s feet. Eventually he stayed

at Srirangam itself following the footsteps of

Emeprumaanaar Sri Ramanujacharya.

 

Thus started a great era, a Saga of monumental service

to the Lord. Not a day passed without a Kaalakshepa

Goshti in the Asramam. It became the confluence of

great minds seeking more and more scholarship in

Sribhashyam, Bhagavath vishayam, and all else with a

thirst and enthusiasm as witnessed never before.

 

Sri Poundarikapuram Swami had a large stock

of affluence in his grahasthAsramam. He left off

all in his supreme self-denial and became an ascetic

by almost compelling his preceptor to grant him the

saffron robe. He swayed, as spiritual king, the

Srirangam town for almost five decades. He was no

ordinary scholar, nor an ordinary ascetic, nor even an

ordinary pontiff at that. He taught many; taught

Sri Bhashya every day; believed that it was his chief

goal and inaugurated the present headquarters of the

Asramam on the banks of the Coleroon river, a

few yards west of Sri Dasavatharam Sannidhi (of Sri

Ahobila Mutt).

 

A special kind of link between the Ahobila Mutt

and Sri Poundarikapuram Andavan Asramam deserves

mention in this connection. Down from 1750 to this day

the Acharya hierarchy is unbroken, uniquely continuous

in this Asramam. The Acharyas are also native to

the school; inbred and brought up by Kalakshapam /

invitation by earlier Pontiffs at some time. Once

a gap occurred in the Ahobila Mutt; for some

five years (1900-1905). The Poundarikapuram Andavan

of this Asramam had proudly helped in securing a

deserving candidate and giving him Sannyasa order

and installing him as the Pontiff (the 38th). This

happened in 1905.

 

Thus, from Srirangam, he continued his mission. The

Asramam under Sri Srinivasa Maha Desikan was a center

of religious activities and philosophical

discussions. The Acharya was an erudite scholar in

Vedaanta Sastras; he possessed an extraordinary power

of mind by which he could accurately recall any

passage, sloka or Sutra with ease.

 

Many learned scholars came to study Adhyatma Sastras

under his feet.

Apart from the saamaanya sishyas and countless

extraordinary sishyas, mention must be made of a few

outstanding sishyas who distinguished themselves by

their startling mastery of the sampradaya granthas in

all their facets and left an indelible mark in the

form of permanent contributions to the growth and

spread of the Munithraya sampradayam.

 

And thus the three Acahrays who succeeded him after,

Srimad Ranganatha Mahadesikan, Srimad ViNNaRRankarai

Srinivasa Mahadesikan and Sri Gopaladesika Mahadesikan

are manifestations of the Great AchArya Himself as

they follow his footprints in the sands of time,

offering spiritual succour to the ever growing

disciples. In their succession lies the clue to great

Acharya’s prophetic gift, the Visionary that he was.

 

In 1934, in the month of Vaikasi on Pornami day, the

AchArya's look finally fell kindly on the great

scholar disciple from Mannaargudi as he had decided

that he should succeed him and carry forward the

intellectual and spiritual service that he had so

deftly given a new dimension to. Thus Sri Mannargudi

Anadavan, (followed then by sri ViNNaaRRankarai

Andavan) succeeded Sri Srinivasa Mahadesikan

(Poundarikapuram Anadavan). And Prakritham Andavan is

Srimad Andavan ParavaakkOttai Gopaladesika

Mahadesikan, whose 81st Thirunakshathram is being

celebrated.

 

While this was the Great Acharya’s work to keep the

line of succession continuous, he did not rest content

there; he knew the coming days would demand more than

this. While this was the Great Acharya Srimad

Poundarikapuram Andavan Sri Srinivasadesika

mahadesikan's work to keep the line of succession

continuous, he did not rest content there; he knew the

coming days would demand more than this, that the

future upkeep of our sampradaya would need not merely

" ships " and " light houses " , but also, pillars and

foundation Structures. Among the many hundreds of

Ashthikas/Sishyas, mention should be made of Sri A.V

Gopalacharyar of Anbil, of Sri Krishna thathachariar

Swamy of Bangalore, and of Sri C.M

Vijayaraghavachariar Swamy also of Bangalore, not

because others were less equal, but because these

scholar disciples

carved for themselves a unique position.

 

Sri A.V Gopalacharyar was at the feet of this great

Acharya for 42 years of his life, practically everyday

learning the nuances of our sampradayam. A man of

shrewd intellect, a lawyer matchless in his profession

at Tiruchi and affluent, learned in Poorvapaksham

forms of Advaita found full enlightenment from

Acharya's responses and answers to his full load of

doubts and questions.

 

Srimad Andavan well versed in the intricacies of

Advaita completely and fully satisfied the disciple's

lurking doubts so well that Sri Anbil Gopalcharyar

Swami was enabled to author many books in elucidation

of Advaitha philosophy, - a contribution of very

crucial importance for the very understanding of

Greatness of unparalleled and unambiguous

Visishtadvaita; he also brought out a few other

granthas. He perpetuated the memory of this great

mahan thus, in the form of granthas and idealized it

by instituting the " Srinivasa Mahadesikan Vidhwath

Sadhas " , munificently endowing for its conduct. It is

an annual feature since then, in this ashramam that

brings in congregation scholars of repute for

intellectual and philosophical discussion, disputation

and authoritative assertion of our sampradaya Gnana.

 

What Sri AV Gopalchariar had done – the Granthas he

brought out and the vidwath sadhas he instituted

standing “concretized” in the form of an elegant front

mandapa named after the great Savant, reverberating

with the sonorous voices of the great scholars who

congregate there- will for ages speak of the glory of

his master – Srimad Andavan Poundarikapuram Swamy.

 

So was the great scholar from Bangalore, Sri Krishna

Thathachariar who sat at the feet of the great Acharya

for several years and in turn in multiplication of

those years, imbibed with a sense of purpose and

mission, he enthusiastically undertook the propagation

of our Munithraya Sampradaya by teaching many

disciples in and around Bangalore- a contrbution of

great value requiring Bhashanthara Gnana to cater to

the Spiritual well being of the Kannasa Desa

sishyavarga so dear to Srimath Bhashyakarar and Swamy

Desikan.

 

Equally great was the life of Sri CM

Vijayaraghavachariar of Bangalore. Itw as all a divine

dispensation; how else could a retired police circle

inspector who had casually gone to prostrate at the

feet of this Acharya, get transformed, metamorphosed,

so to say into an erudite scholar with such depth,

thorughness and accuracy of knowledge as to be able to

write and publish many of our sampradaya granthas in

Kannada language for the invaluable benefit of the

disciples in kannada desa.

 

And you will be wonderstruck when known how did it

happen. This Swami, after ten interesting and

enlightening years of Gurukulavasam, at Srirangam

Poundarikapuram Ashramam and gratified at the

Acharya’s commitment with which he taught him all

these years right from Sanskrit alphabet to Vedanthas

and Saathras in great depths, offered even in those

days, an enticing Rs 10,000 as Guru dhakshiNa. Srimad

Andavan looked up and asked him, “Is this what you

have learnt and understood me?”. The disciple

persisited in offering it as a token of his gratitude.

The Acharya consolingly told him, “If I accepted this

from you, great harm will follow- in future, our

disciples may stop coming to mearn from me unable to

make a GurudhakshiNa; also this may incite me an

expectation of the same too”. The disciple knew that

the Acharya was sincere but still he persisted. Now

the Acharya spoke- “Think what one in my state can do

with this money; with you perhaps, it may find immense

use in making our Sampradayam Granthas so much needed

for the future”. This was the divine spark that

impregnated in the mind of Sri CM Vijayaraghavachariar

the passion and the spirit for writing many books in

kannada language which are available even today as

source books for reference and research in Karnataka –

something which Bhagawan Ramanuja would have approved

of. Words do not suffice to extol the importance of

this service to Srivaishnava community. Srimad Andavan

was noted for his vairAgya – inassailable spirit of

total renunciation of worldly, material things. It was

Bhagawath Sankalpa, that in this manner a whole range

of our Samparadya Granthas should be born in Kannada

language.

 

It is pertinent to mention here of just two sweet

anecdotes illustrating Srimad Andavan Poundarikapuram

Swamy’s depth of knowledge and a wealth of

interpretations whether it be Swamy Desikan’s

Srisukthis or Bhagavath Bhashyakarar’s Sri Bhashya or

Gita Bhashya or any grantha whatsoever. The article

will remain incomplete without recalling these

incidents. One relates to Sri CM Vijayaraghachariar’s

personal experience. Late one night at Srirangam, East

Utthara Veedhi Sri Vijayaraghavachariar – while

bringing back to his mind the explanation of Acharya

Srimad Andavan on the Abheethi sthava sloka 7:

 

ramaa dhayitha rangabhUramaNa… na thasya yamavasyathaa

narakapaatha bhIthi krutha:

 

It proclaims Swamy desikan’s declaration of Lord

Ranganatha’s certain protection to Prapannas from

falling into the clutches of Yamakinkaras if they

chant this sloka. Sri CMV Swamy could not digest it.

He found it difficult to understdnmand as to how one

sloka could be so specific to Sri Ranganatha;s

protection! Perhaps, swamy would have said this due to

Bhagavath Abhimaanam and abhimaanam towards Swamy

Desikan’s abhIthis sthavam.” – thus, he was pondering

and was having a sleepless night.

 

Srirangam Divya Dampathi appeared in Acharya Srimad

Andavan’s dream and said, “Your sishya has got a doubt

on SrI Vedantha Desikan’s sthuthi on Us. Go and

explain the greatness and speciality of this sloka.

Within an hour, Srimad Andavan knocked at the dorr of

Sri CM Vijayaraghavachariar and right there at the

door step, explained the meaning of sloka and

greatness of the compassion of Divya Dampathi with

tears rolling down his cheeks. This is a proof of his

depth and clarity and explains how Lord Himself was

prathyaksham (visible to his eyes) to him. Swamy

desikan has packed into this sloka all the

Beejaaksharaas contained in the Praanaprathishta

Manthra and Saannidhyaachana manthra – installation of

energizing mantras pertaining to Lord Ranganathan.

 

Another famous anecdote: Srimad Andavan had tremendous

Sri Hayagriva Mantrasiddhi. One there was a young Boy

of five years walking in front of Swamy when the

parents of the boy came to the Ashramam for offering

their obeisance and dhaNdavath praNamams to swamy. The

boy walked towards where Swamy was delivering his

kaalakshepam. Swamy looked at the child, pausing the

kaalakshepam and aksed him, “un peyar enna?” (what is

your name?) The boy did not utter a word. The Father

of the boy told Swamy that he is born dumb (mute).

Immediately Srimad Andavan asked the boy to come near

and asked him to sit in front of him. He taught him as

kind of “aksharaabhyaasam,” and recited:

 

SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |

vedAntAcArya-varyome sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||

 

(May the glorious Venkatanatha, the greatest of

teachers of Vedanta, and the lion among poets and

debaters, reside forever in my heart.) and

 

jnAnanda mayamdEvam nirmalaspaTikAkruthim |

AdhAram sarva viganAnAm hayagrIvam upAsmahE ||

 

The five year old boy repeated both slokas. The one

who did not speak a single word in his past five years

spoke due to swamy’s merciful kataaksham. Today that

boy has grown to His Holiness Sri Rangapriya

Mahadesikan Swamy of Bangalore.

 

The Great Sri Kozhiyaalam Raghavachariar Swami came

to Srirangam and sought Sannyaasa Sweekaranam at the

feet of Srimad Poundarikapuram Andavan who

initiated him into the Sannyaasa Asrama in 1920 in

the year Roudri- Aani- Pournami day. The Aasthaana

Vidwan of Tirumalai Tirupati Devasthanam, Kapisthalam

Desikaachaarya submitted to Swami for approval his

Grantha " Adhikarana Ratna Maalai " . The Swami accorded

his approval.

 

When the affluent devotees of Poundarikapuram

village nevertheless not his disciples had arranged

for renovation and consecration, It was H H Sri

Poundarikapuram Andavan who was invited to lend the

'holy hand' for karasparsam (by a great man). With

what results! All can see today how the small shrine

of Oppiliappn has grown as Southern Thiruppathi, with

gala and festivity, fund-flow and pomp and fame and

attraction, all after 1928! The event has a

precedent in Thirukkudanthai Desikan lending his

'kara-sparsam' to Araavamuthan some 200 years back!

 

This was Srimad Andavan Poundarikapuram Srinivasa

Mahadesikan, a creative genius, a perennial spring who

made himself an institution and a legend with his many

sided qualities. He was a great servant, a teacher

unsurpassed, an organizer with an eye for protection,

a missionary with a vision and a visionary with a

mission. No wonder that he was known as Gnana Vairagya

Anusntana Sampanna. A little known truth about this

unassuming practitioner mentioned by Sri Navalpaakaam

NS Devanathachar who got it authoritatively from

Srimad Andavan ViNNARRankarai Swami.

 

This mahaan made it a daily practice to chant praNavam

even during brief leisure hours following the precepts

of Upanishads, thereby experiencing the thrill of the

union of JivAthmA with the ParamAthmA. That he was

practicing this was not known to anybody. It was not

necessary to inform anyone, it being the individual

communion of Jivan with Sriman Narayanan. How did then

others come to know of? It was the custom to invite

four Srivaishnavas and feed them in the Ashramam on

the completion of every one crore (ten millions) of

PraNava japam. Such was his accuracy in keeping count

of a small GREAT mantra. Sri VennaaRRankarai Andavan

Swami chanced to notice this and humbly enquired and

got to know the truth.

 

Does this not testify to the unassuming nature and

greatness of the AchArya, his gnAna, anushtAnam and

VairAgyam?

 

Whenever there were doubts on sri Bhashyam Grantham

and its interpretations, Srimad Andavan was always the

Judge to pass his final judgement as to who is right.

- " was the statement of Srimad Azhagiyasingar (41st

Pattam).

 

What a wonder! He attained the everlasting Bliss of

AchAryan Thiruvadi on 20th October 1934, a day after

completion of one of the many Sri Bhashya Grantha

saaRRumuRais, signifying Sri Bhashya Bhakti.

 

Let us pay our obeisance to this Great Acharyan His

Holiness Srimad Andavan Sri Poundarikapuram Swamy on

His 160th Thirunakshathram, today.

 

Acknowledgement:

1. Biography of Srimad Andavan Poundarikapuram

Srinivasa Mahadesikan- by Prof. P.R. Srinivasan,

Perugavazhndhan, Bangalore.

2. Sri Anbil Ramaswamy’s write up.

3. Dr. Sri VN Vedantha Desikan Swamin’s article

4. Sri Delhi Hari Nagar Rajagopachariar Swamy’s

article

 

adiyEn places the head at the lotus feet of this

Acharya saarvabhouman..

 

asmadhAchArya paryanthAm vandhE Guru paramparaam..

 

Regards

namo Narayana

dAsan