Varadanatha Nayanaracharyar Thirunakshatram - Avatara Vaibhavam - Part I

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Swamy Deshikan Thiruvadigale Sharanam !!!

Swamy Varadanatha Nayanaracharya Maha Deshikan Thiruvadigale Sharanam !!!

 

Note - The avatara vaibhavam of Nayanaracharya is based purely on 3000 padi

guruparampara prabhavam of Srimath Triteeya Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakala

Yatindra Maha Deshikan (III Jeeyar of Parakala Matham).

 

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Avataara Vaibhavam

 

Swamy Deshika once had a beautiful dream in which appeared Lord Varada

telling him that a son will be born to him with His amsam and that he should

be named as Varada. As per the divine grace of Lord Varada, a son was born

to Swamy Venkatanatha (Vedantha Deshika) and Thirumathi Kanakavalli

Nachchiyaar in the year Kali 4418, month of Avani, Nalavarsham in the

asterism of Rohini.

 

Swamy Deshika, after having named the child as Varada, performed the

Jatakarma, Aksharabhyasam and other rituals. He later taught to the child,

Veda vedangam, Thirumanthrartham and all other shastras himself. Being the

divine amsham of Perarulalan, Varadanatha was very grasping, brilliant and

wise.

 

In the year 4430 vibhava varsham, month of chitrai, in the asterism of

punarvasu, Varadanatha began his Sribhashya kalakshepam at the feet of Swamy

Deshika. Earlier Sri Perarulalaiyya Jeeyar had submitted a taniyan on

Deshika to be sung during kalakshepam of Sribhashyam.

 

This taniyan was -

namaH padamidaM bhUyAttasmai veNkaTasUraye yadvAgamRitasekena sanjIvitamidaM

jagat |

bhagavantamivAnantakalyANaguNasAgaram vedAntadeshikaM naumi

veNkaTeshagurUttamam ||

 

Sri Varadanatha recited another taniyan " Sriman VenkatanAthAryaH ...

sannidhattAm sadAhRdi " along with the taniyan that was submitted by

Perarulala Jeeyar earlier. Sri Sudarshana Bhattar proposed that this taniyan

be sung from now on before beginning kalakshepam. Deshikar treated this as

Perarulalan's anugraha vishesham and agreed to it and obeyed the order of

Sudarshana Bhattar.

 

All the disciples of Swamy Deshika had great love and devotion towards

Nayanaracharya similar to the bhakti that Ramanuja's disciples had towards

Pillan.

 

A few years later, during the muslim onslaught episode, Deshikar left

Srirangam and came to Satyakalam along with his family. He stayed here on

the banks of Kaveri close to the temple of Varada teaching Sribhashyam and

other works to his disciples. Along with his family, Swamy then proceeded to

Thirunarayanapuram.

 

It was here that Sri Bhashyakara in a spiritual epiphany through the Archaka

proclaimed Varadacharya to be the next sampradaya pravartaka after Deshika.

It was at this place, Varadacharya studied Thiruvaimozhi with Aarayirappadi

and Deshikar's vyakhyanam to it titled Nigama Parimalam. When Deshikar

enquired his other prime disciple Sri Perarulalayya Jeeyar as to why he did

not chose to study this along with Varadanatha, Sri Perarulalayya Jeeyar

replied that since Varadacharya had the special grace of Ramanuja, he has

chosen not to have sateerthyatva buddhi (colleague/peer relationship) with

Varadacharya anymore but wishes to accept him as his acharya. Saying so he

requested Swamy Deshika to allow him to study bhagavad vishayam under

Nayanaracharya.

 

In the Kali year 4440, Bahudhanya avani shukla dviteeyai, asterism of hasta,

Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Jeeyar submitted a taniyan on Varadacharya and

started Bhagavad Vishaya kalakshepam under him. This taniyan is none other

than -

Srimallakshmana yogIndra siddhAnta vijayadhvajam

vishvAmitra kulodbhUtam varadAryam aham bhaje ||

 

During the last days of Swamy Deshika, it was again affirmed by Yatiraja at

Srirangam that Sri Nayanaracharya shall be the next sampradaya pravartakar

after Deshika. Sri Nayanaracharyar received a pair of shankham and chakram

used during samashrayanam and also the murthy of Sri Varadarajar from Swamy

Deshika. He later sung the last taniyan on his acharya and father - Swamy

Deshika, glorifying him as -

 

Kavitaarkika simhaya kalyANa guNashAline

shrImathe veNkaTeshAya vedAnthagurave namaha ||

 

To be contd...

 

Sri VedAntha Deshika samyami sArvabhouma kaTAksha labdha sArvajna,

Srimath Sri kavikathaka kanteerava charaNa naLina yugaLa vinyasta samastAtma

bhara,

Sri Kumara Varadanatha Nayanaracharya Maha DeshikAya namaha