Thuppul PiLLai-4- Placing VisishtAdvaita on firm basis and 4000 on par w/ Vedas

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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,

 

Even to read the list of Swamy’s granthas will take so much time. Swamy

alone can compose so many works in one lifetime. When we see /enjoy later

these works individually later, we will realize that what sweetness, depths,

literary values, rhythms, grammars, variety of meanings they contain! How

true are those words and fully in accordance with Sri Ramanuja’s works and

Vedas and saasthrAs! We will have to read to believe it!

 

Sri Ramanuja is reputed to have authored nine works- Sri Bhashyam, Sri Gita

Bhashyam, VedArttha Sangraham, Vedanta Deepam, Vedanta Saram, Sharanagati

Gadyam, Sri Vaikunta Gadyam, Sriranga Gadyam and Nityam. Sri Bhashyam,

Vedartha Sangraham, Deepam and Saram are aimed at elucidating the purport of

the Brahma Sutras and select Veda Vedanta passages, and are, as such,

polemical works aimed at establishment of the VisishtAdvaita Darsanam on a

sound pedestal after demolishing the faulty structures put up by other

schools of philosophy

Swamy’s aim in writing is more than one.

 

1. The system of Visishtadvaita should be kept on very strong basis.

2. Sriman Nathamuni was the earliest scholar to write the nyAya tattva. The

systems of Jaimini, Gautama were in vogue during Nathamuni period. These

were not written on the basis of Vedas. The nyAya tattva of Sriman Nathamuni

deals with the topics of nyAya, VaishEshika, meemaamsa, and treated in a

manner to interpret the Vedanthic system.

3. Ramanuja’s concepts [expounded from Nathamuni, Yamunacharya’s works] and

theories were attacked by the opponents and the refutations had to be

answered and dismissed as they were baseless [as they are non-vedic] and

where Vedic, they violate some of other vedic statements [even if they claim

that it is based on Vedas]. Counter arguments had to be framed in defence

strongly as well.

4. The writers who came after Ramanuja, were not in a position to evolve

the metaphysical and logical theories consistent with the teachings of

Ramanuja. These all were required to be given a shape in the light of

Ramanuja’s teaching. NONE BUT Vedantha Desika achieved this professional

success- though he never claimed or declared the same- due to his utter

humility.

5. Some of the Acharyas who came after Ramanmuja did good service to the

cause of Srivaishnavam by their expositions in Tamil hymns of the AzhwArs,

but could not establish their position in unshakeable foundation in an

unparalleled and unambiguous manner.

6. Finally, it is only Desika that repulsed the attacks on the importance of

the Tamil hymns of AzhwArs and placed them on a string basis on par with

Vedas if not more; as the fountain source of Vedantha system. He himself

wrote some wonderful tamil hymns on par with azhwAr’s works.

 

Let us enjoy his avathAra vaibhavam, life history first and then his

sthOthras in brief summaries. Also, it is my intent to let us pay our

obeisance to our ThUppul PiLLai through his son’s works.. and then come back

to Acharya’s works. Glorifying our Acharya and his works pleases the Lord

and all Acharyas as well. So let us begin. [with the blessings of Divya

Dampathi and Acharyas]. May They pardon me for my daring venture with no

qualifications at all – except being under the shadow of Their lotus feet-

for any errors and omissions caused unintentionally.]

 

The life history of our Acharyas and Alwars in an enigma. There is no

historical record or evidence by which we may definitely say how many years

they lived in a particular place, what miracles they had performed therein,

when and in which city they wrote several works and in what serial order

were their compositions were etc… They had not chosen to write about these

things for they lived, moved and had their devotion fully on the Lord. Their

aim in life was jnAnam, vairAgyam (detachment) and devotion (bhakthi). They

spent their whole life all hours in the service of the Lord and the godly

and in doing things for the enlightenment and redemption of humanity. They

had absolutely no desire for a biography or an autobiography. If at all

there is any reference to their life in their works, it will be only to

their pilgrimage to the divya desams- temples, to their Acahryas under whom

they studied. The only source from which we are able to know the life

history of Acharyas is the Guru parampara which has been written by those

who were not their contemporaries and they have written what they have heard

by tradition- first one probably written within few years after the

disappearance of Acharyas.

 

There are several Guruparamparas which narrate the life and works of

Acharyas. Though they agree in some cases, they also differ at few places

because the authors had written the portion of the Acharya’s life that had

appealed to them. There are contradictions as well sometimes. This is

equally true in the life of Vedantha Desika; but Swamy’s drama Sankalpa

Sooryodhaya gives us some sort of evidence.

 

Let us enjoy his avatara vaibhavam first in next few posts.

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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