Book Review- from the Hindu- Srimad Rahasyathrayasara Saaram- in tamil by Svachhandham Sri Aravamudhachar and in english translation by Smt Prema Nandhakumar

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImathE Nigamantha mahadesikaya nama:

Dearest all,

few days back Sri Sadagopan Swami of New York wrote

about these two books on Srimad Rahasyathrayasara

Saaram- in tamil by Svachhandham Sri Aravamudhachar

and in english translation by Smt Prema Nandhakumar..

 

I just received the books yesterday and I quickly

glanced thorugh to find very lucid explanations both

in tamil and in english versions. Thanks to Sri

Srinivasaraghavan and Sri Krishnan [proud sons of the

author Sri Aravamudhachar Swami].

 

Here is the book review I found in today's Hindu...

 

Regards

Namo narayana

dAsan

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

http://www.hindu.com/br/2006/08/22/stories/2006082200491400.htm

 

 

Abridged magnum opus of Desika

 

M. NARASIMHACHARY

 

 

 

SRIMAD RAHASYATHRAYA SAARA SAARAM — Text in Tamil by

Svacchandam S. Aravamudhachariar; English translation

by Prema Nandakumar; Both published by A. Srinivasa

Raghavan and A. Krishnan, No. 72 (Old No. 15), Luz

Avenue, Mylapore, Chennai-600004.

Rs. 60 each.

 

Srimad Rahasyathraya Sara is the magnum opus of the

post-Ramanuja polymath, Vedanta Desika. This work in

Manipravala style, comprises 32 chapters called

Adhikaras. According to one section of Srivaishnavas,

one should study four classical works. Desika's work

joins this group along with the Sribhashya and

Gitabhashya of Ramanuja and the Bhagavadvishaya

(commentary on the Tiruvaymozhi of Nammalvar) composed

by Kurukesa, a disciple of Ramanuja.

 

The Rahasyathraya Sara deals in great detail with the

three Tattvas: Chit (individual souls), Achit (matter)

and Isvara (the Supreme Being) and the five important

topics to be known, called Arthapanchaka, and the

importance of Prapatti (whole-hearted surrender) as a

means to liberation. Desika's work teams with

innumerable quotations from a variety of sources. It

also contains verses in Tamil and Sanskrit. It is very

difficult to read and understand for an ordinary

person. Keeping this in mind, the well-known preceptor

of the Svacchandam family, Aravamudhachariar,

condensed the work of Desika in simple Tamil, for the

benefit of laymen. This work has appeared twice in

print.

 

Translation

 

 

But even this work proves difficult to many of the

present generation. Even those whose mother tongue is

Tamil may not be able to understand it because of the

technical terms used in the Srivaishanava tradition.

Keeping this in mind, Aravamudhachariar's two sons

thought of getting the work of their father translated

into English.

 

They took the right decision in requesting the

well-known literary personality, powerful writer and

speaker, Prema Nandakumar. Known for her superb

diction marked by clarity and sweetness, she has done

a wonderful job. Though a translation, it reads like

the original. The work has now secured a powerful

exponent in Prema.

 

The publishers have brought out the Tamil original and

the English translation as two different volumes. They

have to be congratulated for their decision to have

the Tamil original translated into English, and for

the realisation of that decision through the present

publication. This work, we hope, will serve the

purpose for which it was originally designed