Acharya vaibhavam - 57- Acharya Paramparai- Post Ramanuja period....

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dearest all,

 

Let us continue with the Acharya paramparai vaibhavam.

 

“Except for the works of Swamy Desika’s contemporary

Sri PillailOkAchArya (1264 C.E to 1369 C.E) , and

later the commentaries of Sri Manavala maamunigal,

(1370 C.E to 1443 C.E), there is no other work could

stand in comparison with the brilliance, originality

and depth of scholarship of Swamy Vedanta Desika”-

says Sri SMS Chari in his book on Vaishnavism. He also

adds, “the remarkable development of Vaishnavism was

through the scholarly works of Vedanta Desika along

with the works of Sri Pillailokacharya. Sri

PillailokAryar wrote a total of 18 works in

Manipravala language (style) which are collectively

called “”ashtadasa rahasya”.

 

Sri Manavala mamuni later commented extensively on the

works of Sri Pillailokacharya and also on other

AchAryas, one on the PeriyAzhwAr pAsurams, and three

independent works.

 

The subsequent acharya lineages after Vedanta Desika /

Sri Pillailokacharya give rise to the establishment of

various mutts and Ashramams, like Sri Parakala mutt,

Sri Ahobila Mutt, Srimad Andavan Ashramams, Sri

Navalpakkam Swami, Sri kedaNdapatti Acharya

paramaparai etc., in vadakalai sampradayam; while in

thenkalai sampradayam, we have Vaanamaamalai mutt,

Tirumalai Jeer mutt, Sriranga Narayana Jeer mutt,

Yathiraja mutt at melkote, and other Swamacharyas.

 

An extract from Sri T A Varadan’s post few years ago

on thennAchArya

lineage from svAmi emperumAnAr comes to our help:

 

1. svAmi emperumAnAr

2. svAmi embAr

3. svAmi parAsara bhattar

4. svAmi nanjIyar

5. svAmi nampiLLai

6. svAmi vadakkuth thiruvIdhip piLLai

7. svAmi piLLai lOkAchAriAr

8. svAmi thiruvAymozhip piLLai

9. svAmi maNavALa mAmuni

 

then vAnamAmalai maTam continues -

 

svAmi periyavAchchAn piLLai was the approximately

living in the same time period as svAmi vadakkuth

thiruvIdhip piLLai - svAmi azhagiya maNavALap perumAL

nAyanAr was the brother of svAmi piLLai lOkAchAriAr -

both of them were sons to svAmi vadakkuth thiruvIdhip

piLLai.

 

There are numerous maTams that are part of the

thennAchArya parapmara,

the main ones being

 

1. vAnamAmalai jIyar maTam

2. thirupathi chinna jIyar/periya jIyar maTams

3. srIragam srIranga nAraNa jIyar maTam

4. srIperumbUdUr ethirAja jIyar maTam

5. srIperumbUdUr embAr jIyar maTam

6. kAnchIpuram azhagiya maNavALa jIyar maTam

7. AzhvAr thirunagari emperumAnAr jIyar maTam

8. thirukkuRungudi jIyar svAmi maTam

9. thirukkOvilUr emperumAnAr jIyar maTam

10. thirunArAyaNapuram yadgiri yatirAja jIyar maTam

11. srI. tridaNdi china jIyar svAmi maTam

 

In addition to the maTams, there are numerous AchArya

paramparAs that

trace their lineage back to one of the 74

simhAsanAdhipathis - Some main thirumALigais (i.e. the

ones with most following) are

 

1. svAmi mudaliyANdAn thirumALigai

2. kOvil kandAdai aNNan thirumALigai

3. pratiAdi bayankaram svAmi thirumALigai

4. bhattar thirumALigai (parAsara bhattar lineage)

 

These thirumALigais can be more than one in number -

i.e. different branches of the same family could have

settled in different divya dEsams - a prominent

example is the prativAdi bayankaram thirumALigai -

there is a branch in kAnchipuram (that had great

stalwarts in the past 100 years - gAdi anantAchAr

svAmi and aNNangarAchAriar svAmi) and there are many

branches in the thirunAngUr divya dEsams .

 

As seen earlier:

 

The chart upto Swamy Desikan (on samAsrayaNa

paramparai) is as follows:

 

Thus Acharya paramparai [as a recap]:

 

1. PERIYA PERUMAL and 2. PIRAATTI

3. SRI VISHWAKSENAR [aippasi pooraadam]

4. SRI NAMMAZHWAR [saTakOpar- Vaikaasi Visaakam]

5. SRI NATHA MUNIGAL [822 C.E – 930 C.E] Aani anusham]

6. SRI UYYAKKONDAR [826 C.E.- 930 C.E.]

PuNdareekakshar- Chithrai Kaarthikai]

7. SRI MANAKKAL NAMBHI [Ramamisrar- Maasi makham]

8. SRI YAMUNAMUNI [916 CE- 1036 CE] Alavandhaar – Aadi

UtthirAdam]

9. SRI PERIYA NAMBHI [997 CE- ] and Thiruvaranga

PerumAL arayar for Thiruvaymozhi; other sthothras

ThirukkOttiyoor Nambhi for RahasyArttham; Thirumalai

ANdaan for Thiruvaymozhi vyAkhyAnam; Thirumalai Nambhi

for Srimad RamayaNam]

10. SRI RAMANUJACHARYA [1017 CE- 1137 CE- Chitthirai

Thiruvaadhirai]

 

After Ramanuja, the paramparai splits off into various

traditions. Ramanuja had appointed 74

simhaasanaadhipathis [principal disciples], each of

whom were major teachers in their own right. However,

there are acharyas, who deserve special mention.

PERIOD BETWEEN BHAGAVAD RAMANUJA AND SWAMI DESIKA

Let us look firstly at Category 1- Sri Bhashya and

GitA Bhashyam and Category 3- bhagavad Vishayam [Note

that 1 to 10 are from Sriman Narayanan upto Sri

Ramanujacharya]

 

11. Thirukkurhai Piraan PiLLaan [KurukESar- 1033 CE-

Aippasi pooraadam]

12. engaL AzhwAn [VishNu chitthar-1088CE- Vaikaasi

Swathi ]

13. Nadaadhoor ammAL [Vaathsyavaradaguru – Chithrai

Chithrai]

14. Kidambi AppuLLAr [vaadhihamsaambuvaahar- Chithrai

Thiruvaadhirai]

Category 2- SamasrayaNa paramparai: [Rahasya

granthams]

15. Kidambi Aachaan [PraNathaartthiharar ]

16. Kidambi RamanujapPillaan, [AthrEya Ramanuja-

Chithrai ThiruvAdhirai]

17. Kidambi Rangarajar [AthrEya Rangarajar – Panguni

RohiNi]

14. Kidambi Appullaar [vaadhihamsaambuvaahar -Chithrai

Thiruvaadhirai]

18. Swamy Desikan [Purattasi ThiruvONam- 1268 – 1369

CE]

 

Somewhere along after Swamy Desikan’s period, the

Srivaishnavam later became two sects- parallel – one

sect owing its allegiance to Swamy desikan and the

other to Sri manavala Mamauni. It is not our intent to

dwell into the origin or reason for these two sects.

Swamy Desikan himself says in Sri SampradAya

parisuddhi.. “There is no difference in “artha

virOdham” among the sishyAs of Ramanuja sampradAyam.

The difference is only in “vAkyArthayOjanAbhEdham”.

 

The respect, reverence, and great highest regards

between the AchAryAs belonging to these two sects have

always been there till date. It is we- half baked ones

who don't understand the concepts, nor the bhakti, but

misunderstand everything:-( May God and Acharya bless

us with the right jnAnam and mutual respect for ecah

other. May we be united for ever for the

Raamaanujaarya dhivya aagnyA to flourish and grow from

strength to strength.

 

More on Acharya paramparai follows:

AchAryan ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dAsan

 

 

 

______________________________\

____

Cheap talk?

Check out Messenger's low PC-to-Phone call rates.

http://voice.