Thuppul PiLLai- 20- Lord Hayagriva's grace on Swamy Desikan

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImathE Nigamantha Mahadesikaya namah:

SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |

vedAntAcArya-varyo me 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.

 

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

 

At the age of seven, Anantasuri conducted the upanayanam samskara ]the

investiture of the sacred thread and the initiation into Gayatri mantra] to

his son Venkatanatha. From that day, Appullar took charge of educating

Venkanatha and began the teaching of the several saasthras. There was no

need for the teacher to repeat next day the previous day’s lesson since the

pupil was able to grasp and remember it by hearing it just once.

Venkatanatha studied all the Vedas with all its six auxiliaries. [siksha-

phonetics; Chandhas- Prose; vyAkaraNa- grammar; niruktha- etymology;

Jyothis- Astronomy and Kalpa-ritual or ceremonial. The first two are for

correct pronunciation and recitation of the Vedas; the next two are for

understanding them correctly and the last two for their applications] He

also studied tarkka, and meemaamsa, and acquired mastery over systems of

philosophy Saankhya and Yoga, Dvaita and Advaita, Bhaskara and Pasupatha,

Budhha and Jaina.

 

The following slokas of Saptapati ratnamalika (26-29) give us a detailed

list of the saasthras studied and mastered by Sri Venkatanatha.

 

[Let us read only the translations]

 

26. Sri Venkanatha, the Sarvathanthra swathanthrar- and the son of

Anantasuri, was like the Sage Vyasa himself in the knowledge of the Vedas

with their various methods of recitation like Jata, Varna and Carca and of

the Kalpa sutras during the conduct of the rituals.

 

27. He was an expert in the proper interpretation of the subtle thoughts of

the various smrithis written by Sages Bharadwaja, Saandilya, Harita and

others. His mastery over the Puranas and the Agamas was unique.

 

28. He had an extraordinary skill in the sciences of Astrology, Prosody and

Grammar and was perfectly acquainted with epic poetry, drama and poetics. He

was the creator as it were, of the Karma – meemaamsa and Brahmma meemaamsa.

 

29. He was the victor in disputations by refuting the proud arguments of

those belonging to the various schools of though like Sankhya and Yoga,

Bhatta and Prabhakara, Saiva and Sankara, Yadava and Bhaskara and Buddha and

Jaina.

 

All this Sri Venkatanatha was able to do even before he was twenty years of

age as stated by himself in Sankalpa Suryodhaya [1.15]

 

“vimSathyabdE visutha nAnAvidhavidya:

 

Daily routine of Venkatanatha:

 

At the end of study- period (Brahmmacharya) Sri Venkatanatha entered into

the grahasthasrama [the life of a house holder] by marrying one Thirumangai,

suited to him in all respects. He scrupulously observed the duties of that

asrama like the dial;y worship of fire [aupasana] at home, visit to the

temple of Lord Varadaraja for worship, Bhagavadh Aradahana and athithi

pooja, He had a very simple and austere life devoid of all luxury and

comfort. Every day after finishing his morning rites, he would go around the

temple, along the streets reciting the sthothras and songs of the Lord to do

what his known as uncchavritthi (gleaning of the grains). Whatever was

offered voluntarily by the residents at Kanchi he gathered and brought it

home. His dutiful wife would receive it and prepare a simple food. At noon,

he would worship the household deity Varada and offer the food to the Lord.

Then he would take it as Prasada [the gift of the gracious God].

 

Appullar was very much pleased with the qualities and the way of life of

Venkatanatha. He wished to widen him knowledge and enrich him. So he

initiated him into Vainatheya mantra (Garuda mantra) and advised him to

concentrate on the manthra and meditate upon Garuda to acquire his grace.

 

When he began to think of a suitable place for his meditation on Garuda, it

struck him that Aindhai (Thiruvaheendrapuram) would be an ideal place;

because there is a river, Garuda nadhi by name as well as a mountain named

OushAdhri, both of which have been sanctified by the divine presence of

Gaudra himself. He left Kanchi and proceeded to that shrine. There first he

bathed in the sacred Garuda nadhi and worshipped Lord Devanatha and His

consort Hemambhuja nayika in the temple. Then he went to the top of the

Hill, Oushaadhri and chose a lonely place at the foot of a big and shady

Asvattha tree. Being seated, he controlled his mind and senses and began to

meditate on Garuda. Some days passed in deep meditation. Garuda, the deity

who is Veda incarnate, appeared before Venkatanatha and after initiating him

in the mantra of Lord Hayagriva, the horse faced Supreme God presiding over

all knowledge and instructed him to propitiate that god by meditation.

Venkatanatha engaged himself in that act with great perseverance for

sometime till Hayagriva was pleased and appeared before him. The Lord

bestowed on him the nectar of knowledge flowing from his mouth. The devout

Vankatanatha was full of joy with the blessing and at once realized that a

complete knowledge of all sciences was at his back and call by the grace of

Lord Hayagriva. He prayed that the Lord should be pleased to enthrone

himself at the tip of his tongue so that every word of his should be correct

and authoritative because of this divine origin and it should be all

right-thinking people as such – Here is his prayer to Lord Hayagriva:

 

Oh Lord! In the assemblies of erudite scholars and in the arena of batches

of cleve men, when I begin to speak with a desire to defeat the best of

poets and dialecticians, be pleased to take the seat on the throne of the

tip of my tongue.

 

viSEshavith parisadhEshu nATha! vidhagdhagOshti samarAnganEshu |

jigeeshathOmE kavitaarkkakEndrAn JIHVAAGRA SIMHAASANAMABHYUPEYAH ||

 

The prayer was granted – Venkatanatha realized that deep thoughts and

melodious words were raising within him waiting for the suitable time and

place to stream forth. He began to compose works in poetry and prose,

Sanskrit and Prakrit, in Tamil and manipravala. There are more than 120

compositions to his erudite which came out one after another in the course

of his life as occasions arose. Some are in the form of lyrics on God and

Goddess; some on their paraphernalia [weapons]; and attendants; some on

fundamental doctrine of Ramanuja philosophy. Many are his original works and

rare commentaries on the work of earlier acharyas like Sri Yamunacharya and

Sri Ramanujacharya.

 

Sri Venkatanatha was the master of all scriptural texts like the Vedas and

the Upanishads, Agamas and Puranas (epics written by sages). He had a

perfect knowledge of mantra saasthra (science of mystic syllables). He has

incorporated the mantras presided over by several deities in his works for

the benefit of seekers. Movement of the divine constellations and geography

of the world sculpture and architecture, state craft and sorcery, music and

dance, poetry and drama, prosody and poetics, ethics were all at his

finger’s ends. He was the writer of an epic poem, a miracle play a dance

drama. He was familiar with other literary writes like Kalidasa and Bhasa,

Bana, and Bhavabuti. In short there was no branch of knowledge literary or

scientific, in which he was not proficient.

[The life history is from the beautiful book " The life and works of Sri

Nigamantha Mahadesikan written by Prof A Srinivasaraghavachariar]

 

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo narayana

dAsan

kavi-tArkika-simhAya kalyANa-guNa-SAline |

Srimate venkateSAya vedAntagurave namaH ||

 

Salutations to Sri Venkatesa, in whom all perfections reside, who is the

teacher of Vedanta and the lion among poets and debaters

 

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