Sri UpakAra Sangraham Part -1

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SrI rAma jayam

 

 

SrImathe SrI LakshmInrisimha Parabrahmane Namah

SrImathe rAmAnujAya Namah

SrImathe nigamAntha mahAdesikAya Namah

SrImathe AdhivaNsatakopa Yatheendra mahAdesikAya namah

SrImathe SrIvaNsatakopa SrI vedanta Desika Yatheendra mahAdesikAya Namah

SrImathe SrI lakshmInrisimha divyapAdukAsevaka SrI vaNsatakopa -

SrI nArAyana Yatheendra mahAdesikAya Namah

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srI:

 

SrI upakAra sangraham

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Samarpanam

 

AdiyEn, Anbil S. Srinivasan offers many praNAmams to Sri BhAgavathAs who will

be looking at this maiden venture of adiyEn. He requests them to pardon if they

find mistakes and take the few ones that may be correct.

 

Every task is begun with a vandanam to our AchArya purushAs but for whom we

would not be srIvaishanvites, in the Ramanuja-Desika tradition.

 

Having been initiated into the sampradAya of srI ahobila madam by srI Mukkoor

azhagiya singar, the 44th Pontif of srI Madam, adiyEn offers praNAmams at his

feet.

 

It would be a repetition to describe the great contribution made by the great

AchArya, SrImad nigamAntha mahAdesikan to the VisistAdvaita system of vedantha.

Taking a clue from Sri ANdAl, we can describe him as “kathir mathiyam pOl

mugatthAn”. SwAmi Desikan’s face was fierce towards “kumathi” opponents who

interpreted Upanishads and vedantha sUtrAs wrongly without any basis and misled

the people. So, SwAmi Desikan was “kathir pOl mugatthAn” (sun-like face).

 

To the ardent followers of our sampradAya, SwAmi Desikan was merciful through

his innumerable literary works which are like a “Light House” to guide us to the

shore of Divya Dampathi’s lokam. Hence, SwAmi Desikan was “mathiyampOl

mugatthAn” (moon-like face).

 

Among the works of SwAmi Desikan are the Rahasya literature, of which the

magnum opus is Sri RahasyatrayasAram. Before writing it, he wrote a large number

of Rahasyams which are known as Chillarai Rahasyams. These granthas are

classified into three groups as Amrtaranjani-rahasyas, AmrtAsvAdinee-rahasyas

and Thani-rahasyas.

Amrtaranjani Group contains 17 Rahasya-granthAs, AmrtAsvAdinee Group has 11

Rahasya-granthAs and three Thani rahasya-granthAs. Of these, four

rahasya-granthas are extinct.

 

The subject matter of this presentation, “UpakAra Sangrahah”, belongs to the

second group, namely, srI amrtAsvadinee-rahasyas.

 

Many are aware what is meant by “upakArah” which, according to Apte

Dictionary, means:- Service, help, assistance, favour, kindness and obligation.

“Sangrahah” means :- Seizing, grasping, guarding, protection, storing,

accumulation, gathering, collecting, conglomeration, compilation, epitome,

summary, compendium, etc.

 

Hence, we can understand that this grantha means “A compilation of favours”.

 

We will be wondering, as SwAmi Desikan himself has done us innumerable & great

favours through his works, whether this is a compilation of the favours done by

him? Definitely, he will not list the favours done by himself. He was a selfless

AchAryA who sacrificed everything for the good of Srivaishanavites and he will

not do so.

Then, automatically we can understand that this work of his is about the

favours done by someone else. Who is that someone? The question may arise in

our minds.

Who else? No one but the Parabrahmam, SrIman nArAyanA Himself.

This grantha, therefore, lists out the favours done by Him. Normally, one does

favours to another who is either a close relative or a friend or one who had

done favours to him/her.

But SrIman nArAyanA is not one such. Being a dayA-incarnate Himself, He has

done, is doing and will do countless favours to jiva-s enabling them to ascend

to His Abode.

SwAmi Desikan has recorded in this grantha all that He did to us in the past,

is doing to us at present and is going to do in the future.

 

AdiyEn may be allowed to quote the words of Prof. A.SrInivAsarAghavan, a great

scholar of yester-years and whose English translation of SrI parAsara bhattar’s

commentary on SrI Vishnu SahasranAma is a treasure in our homes. He says:-

 

“upakAra – sangraha : SrI Desika has dealt with in this small tract (i) the

nature of Para Tatva (Supreme Reality, i.e., Lord SrIman nArAyana) and the

innumerable helps, favours, and obligations rendered by Him to the whole world

of humanity forever. (The Tamil word, “nambi” connotes “upakAraka”, one who

helps always.)”

 

According to the volume of SwAmi Desikan’s granthas published on the occasion

of his Seventh Centinary Celebrations in 1968, this is the 28th Rahasyam and the

seventh among amrtAsvAdinee-rahasyas, written in Sriranga Kshetram.

 

(to be continued)

dAsan

Anbil S.SrInivAsan

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