15th chAturmAsya sankalpaH at SrI parakAla maTham

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Dear Bhaktas,

 

Following is an appeal for your help with upcoming

events in the ParakAla MaTham in Mysore. Please find

additional information at the end of this message...

Thanks in advance for your attention!

 

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ParakAla maTham

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Paraan kaalaH iti parakaalaH ~ the nemesis of opponents!

With its illustrous beginnings dating back to the time

of Vedanta Desika, KumAra VaradAcharya, and Brahmatantra

Swatantra -- this monastic institution has been a beacon

light of SriVaishnava AchAram and anushtAnam (precept

and practice) for over 6 centuries, bringing the divine

message of RAmanuja to its present day devotees.

 

(see: http://www.parakalamatham.org/jeers/founder.shtml)

(and: http://www.parakalamatham.org/jeers/jeer1.shtml)

 

From its original home in Thooppul (across from the maNi

maNDapam where our Acharya sArvabhouman SwAmi Desikan

was born), the ParakAla maTham traveled to Thirupathi,

where its AchAryas remained custodians of the shrine of

SrinivAsa PerumaL for centuries, eventually to arrive in

the kingdom of Mysore as rAjagurus of the Wodeyar dynasty

(which they continue to be even till this day). Due to

elimination of the princely states of India and most

significantly, due to overall decline in the practice

of orthodox Hinduism, today all of the Parakala Matham's

former glory does not manifest before the fleeting eye.

But thanks to generous support by disciples, Vaishnava

and otherwise - the maTham is able to continues its

activities today and keep alive the ancient tradition

of HayagrIva upAsana ~ worship of the sacred Lakshmi

HayagrIva archa passed down through AchArya paramparA,

from SharadA devI herself to rAmAnuja, to Vedanta Desika,

to Brahmatantra Swatantra and thereafter.

 

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The chAturmAsya sankalpam of Sri ParakAla MaTham Jeeyar

is from 15th July to 7th Sept. 2006. In addition, the

maTham is celebrating the following events:

 

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24/07/06 Abhinava RanganAtha ParakAlaswAmi Thirunakshatram

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33rd paTTam parakAla Desikan was the greatest exponent

of Sri BhAshya in the last century, an erudite grantha-

chAtuSThaya vidvaan, and a beacon light of Sri

SampradAyam as a whole, during his 42+ years at the

divine peeTham of the ancient parakAla maTham. His

numerous scholarly works and his fostering of several

great vidvAns, alongwith his far-reaching influence on

our SampradAyam via yathis who studied under him such as

SriRangapriyaSwAmi, prakrtham ParakAla swAmi, prakrtham

PoundarIkapuram Srimad Andavan swAmi, and shishyas like

KotthamangaLam VaradAchArya and E.S. VaradAchArya ~ can

simply not be overstated. 33rd parakAla swAmi was

regarded as God by his followers, and people are known

to have literally worshipped the ground he walked on

during his sanchAram to villages and towns. One of the

last wishes of PoundarIkapuram Srimad Andavan's father

in PoorvAshrama, back in 1948 was that his son complete

vedAnta kAlakshepam at the feet of Abhinava RanganAtha

ParakAlaswAmi ~ an extraordinary requirement not only due

to magnitude of learning involved, but more importantly

-- having to measure upto 33rd ParakAlaswAmi's standards

of perfection, which were expected among both existing

shishyas as well as disciples to-be! Needless to say the

future AchAryan of PoundarIkapuram not only met those

exacting standards but completed his studies of vedAnta

within a few years, obtaining great brahma-gnyAnam from

a preceptor who was SrI BhAshya itself personified...

During this period and in later years, both SrIRangapriya

swAmi and prakrtham (36th) paTTam parakAlaswAmi in their

poorvAshrama, would join the ranks of many illustrous

disciples of Abhinava RanganAtha parakAla mahAdeSikan --

the one AchAryan whose scholarly contributions to modern

day SriVaishnavam remain unparalleled.

 

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14/08/06 Sri Krishna Jayanthi

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More uniquely referred to as " JayantI " by vedAnta deSika

in his poem gopala vimshatiH (jayantI sambhavam dhAma

vaijayantI vibhUshaNam), SrI JayantI marks the vibhava

avatAraH of our beloved Lord Krishna, celebrated in the

10th canto (dashama skandaH) of the great epic ~ Srimad

BhAgavatam. He is the vanquisher of the Kauravas, slayer

of Kamsa, JarAsandha, SishupAla, and Naraka, protector of

Draupadi, embodiment of Dharma itself, Lord of celestial

dances in BrindAvanam, and the ultimate deliverance for

countless devotees in the bhakti cult from Vishnuchittan

(periyAlvar) to mIrabai. From a birth surrounded by the

danger of infanticide by his own maternal uncle, through

the enchanting childhood exploits of a divine toddler

growing up in gokulam, and into a powerful monarch of

the kingdom of DwAraka who became the arbiter of Dharma

across AryavartaH, the vaibhavam of our Lord Krishna is

perhaps the most magnificent among all principal avatAras

of MahAVishnu. It is only befitting that an institution

like ParakAla Matham celebrate SrI Krishna janmAshtami of

this vyaya samvatsara (beautifully described by prakrtham

Srimad Azhagiyasingar as " pArthivOvyayaH " -- exercise of

divine privilege by the Lord!) alongside thiruNakshatrams

of its very own renowned AchAryas such as the 33rd

(http://www.parakalamatham.org/jeers/jeer33.shtml)

and 35th

(http://www.parakalamatham.org/jeers/jeer35.shtml)

ParakAla swaminou.

 

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05/09/06 Abhinava RAmAnuja ParakAla SwAmi Thirunakshtram

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Scholar of many languages and the AchAryan who gave SrI

H.S. Varada DesikAcharya the preksha mantram in order to

initiate him into sanyAsam (as Sri Rangapriya MahAdesikan)

in 1989; this 35th ParakAlaswami was also the sanyAsa

AchAryan for prakrtham (36th) ParakAlaswAmi. Abhinava

rAmAnuja ParakAla swAmi was instrumental in translation

and publication of numerous ancient ParakAla MaTham

manuscripts into Telugu and Kannada languages from their

original Samskrtam, Tamil and ManipravALa. He was also

responsible for creating an awareness in ParakAla Matham

of the need for widespread financial support, in the

absence of royal patronage which the institution had

continuously enjoyed since the time of 21st paTTam (periya)

parakAlaswAmi. The vision of 35th parakAla swAmi to create

stability for this ancient maTham, is being pursued

relentlessly by his successor the 36th paTTam parakAlaswAmi,

SrImad Abhinava VagIsha Brahmatantra Swatantra...

(http://www.parakalamatham.org/projects)

 

Contributions towards SrI ParakAla MaTham may be sent to

the following address. Checks must be payable to NAMA Inc.

 

(NOTE: Contributions to NAMA Inc are tax deductible in USA)

 

Smt. Nagu Satyan

7821 W. Alder Drive

Littleton

CO 80128-5522

 

Phone: (303) 973-4847

email: satyan

 

dhanyavAdaH,

SrI Rangapriya dAsan,

-Srinath C.