नभस्यमासि श्रोणायामनन्तार्यगुरूद्भवम् । श्रीवेङ्कटेशघण्टांशं वेदान्तगुरुमाश्रये॥
nabhasyAmi SroNAyAm anantAryagurUdbhavam | SrIvenkaTeSaghaNTAmSam vedAntagurumASraye ||
Among the seven mukti kshetrams, the most important one is at Kanchipuram and near it, is the divya deSam of Tiruttanka. The sannidhi of Lord dIpaprakASar is here. Near by is the agrahAram of tUppul. It means sacred grass - viSvAmitram (darbham). Learned people state that tUppul agrahAram is named that way because of many scholars born in the ViSvAmitra gotram were living there. There lived one by the name, Ananta SomayAji who was performing yaj~nAs. His son was PuNDarIkAksha dIkshitar whose son was AnantasUri. ApiLLAr gave away his younger sister, totArambA, daughter of SrIrangarajacharyar in marriage to AnantasUri. This dampati’s life went on smoothly observing bhagavad bhAgavata ArAdhanam and the daily rites done during the five divisions of the day (pancakAla parAyaNar).
They did not have any child for many years. One night, the Lord of Seven Hills appeared in their dream and promised them a good son, if they come to His sannidhi at Tirumala. At dawn, AnantasUri told his wife about the sacred dream that he had earlier. totArambA told her husband that she too had the same dream. They felt that the sacred dream indicated the fulfillment of their cherished desire to have a child. They left immediately on pilgrimage to Tirumala.
The Lord of Tirumala presenting His sacred bell to the Couple
There is no place more sacred than Venkatadri and there is not going to be any place like Venkatadri in future. SrIman Narayanan left SrI VaikuNTha lokam and is residing happily with MahA Lakshmi on the banks of SvAmi PushkariNI. In Kali yugam, Venkatacalam is going to shine with great fame. Here, Lord Srinivasan is resplendent with His presence. There is no doubt about that. For the sinners, there is no other refuge and protection other than TiruvenkadamudaiyAn. SrI AnantasUri dampatis arrived at Tiruvenkadam hills. They took a bath at SvAmi PushkariNI, observed their daily sacred rites and then at the [[103]] sannidhi of the Lord had a sevA from the sacred feet to His crowned head. There, they recited the TiruvAimozhi pAsuram –
’அகலகில்லேன் இறையும்’என்றலர்மேல் மங்கையுறை மார்பா! நிகரில் புகழாய்! உலகமூன்றுடையாய்! என்னை ஆள்வானே! நிகரில் அமரர் முனிக்கணங்கள் விரும்பும் திருவேங்கடத்தானே! புகலொன்றில்லா அடியேன் உன் அடிக்கீழமர்ந்து புகுந்தேனே.
akalalillEn iRaiyum enRalarmEl mangaiyuRai mArpA! nikaril pukAzhAy! ulakamUnRuDaiyAy! ennai ALvAnE! nikaril amarar munigaNankaL virumpum tiruvEnkaTattAnE! pukalonRillA aDiyEn un aDikkzhamarntu pukuntEnE. — TiruvAimozhi, 6-10-10
After reciting this pAsuram, they worshipped at the sacred feet of the Lord, received tIrtha prAsAdams and took leave of the Lord. They returned to their place where they were staying. They invoked YogAsanam and slept. During the night, Tiruvenkadamudaiyan left His sannidhi as a young boy, reached the place where the dampatis were resting and entered in to their dreams, commanded them to receive His Sannidhi bell and said that a gem of a son will be born to them, who will shine as a genius in establishing SrI Ramanuja siddhAntam on a firm footing and protect it gloriously. The Lord gave the sacred bell to AnantasUri and who in turn gave it to his wife. She swallowed that bell. When the dampatis woke up from their sleep at dawn, described the auspicious dream that they saw and were very joyous. People nearby heard about this auspicious dream and were happy.
In the morning, the doors of the sannidhi were opened. The priests went inside the sannidhi. They were surprised to find that the sannidhi bell is missing. When the administrators of the temple came to know of it they were about to punish the priests. The Tirumalai Jeeyar, who was near the Lord at His sannidhi, described the dream that he had that morning about the Lord presenting His Sannidhi bell to a couple and the lady swallowing the bell. The people standing near by attested to hearing about such news. Now, the temple administrators called on the visiting couple and asked them about the dream. On hearing about this dream, they were wonder struck. So, the temple administrators did not want to punish the priests and let them off. On that day itself, totArambA became pregnant.
[[104]] The Incarnation of the Sacred Bell of Lord Srinivasa.
Twelve years after her conception, totArambA gave birth to a most resplendent son, during the year, Vibhava, Purattasi month, SravaNa nakashatrm day. It was Tiruvenkadamudaiyan’s tIrthavAri day at Tirumala at the end of the Lord’s annual Brahmotsavam. For that child, an amSam of the Lord’s sannidhi bell, the name of Venkatanathan, the Lord’s name, was given by the parents. At the appropriate time, anna prAsanam et al rites were carried out. The completion of the first year of birth (abdha pUrti) was celebrated. During this occasion, the parents took the child to Lord Varadarajan and SrI Perumdevi tAyAr sannidhis to receive the blessings of the divine couple. At that time, the arcakAs (priests) blessed the child to become the protector and nourisher of ViSishTAdvaida philosophy like AcArya Ramanuja. The parents were happy over the blessings conferred by the arcakAs and thought that Lord Varadarajan Himself blessed the child through the arcakAs. SvAmi DeSikan later referred to this blessing of the Lord and saluted the Lord of Kanchi as the One who gave protection for him (அன்றே அடைக்கலம் கொண்ட நம் அத்திகிரி திருமால் anRE aDaikkalam koNDa nam attigiri tirumAl).
anugraham by Nadadur Ammal
At the fifth year of the birth, Venkatanathan was initiated in to reading and writing (akshsharAbhyAsam) by his father, AnantasUri. On another occasion, his uncle AppiLLAr took his nephew, Venkatanathan to the Lord’s sannidhi. He stopped at the site, where Nadadur Ammal rendering his kAlakshepam on the esoteric meanings of granthams to his SishyAs. Ammal cast his merciful glances on the child. One of the participants in that kAlakshepa ghoshThI, VaDakku Tiruveedhi PiLLai asked as to who this child displaying such lustre like that of a bright flame was. The fellow members of the assembly answered that the child is the nephew of AppiLLAr and the child from tUppul is the incarnation of the sacred bell of the Lord of Tiruvenkadam. He incarnated like ParASara after spending twelve years in the womb of his mother. After this brief distraction and small talk, Ammal wanted to resume his kAlakshepam. He asked his SishyAs about where he stopped before. The SishyAs did not remember and were quiet. They turned their glances here and there out of embarrassment. Now, the five year old child described the topic that was being stopped, when he arrived on the scene and pointed out where the kAlakshepam was stopped. Ammal was very happy with the child’s recall and invited [[105]] Venkatanathan to come near and embraced him. Ammal blessed the child like BhagavAn Pulastya blessed ParASara —
प्रतिष्ठापितवेदान्तः प्रतिक्षिप्तबहिर्मतः। भूयास्त्रैविद्यमान्यस्त्वं भूरिकल्याणभाजनम् ॥
pratishThApitavedAntaH pratikshiptabahirmataH | bhUyAH traividyamAnyaH tvam bhUrikalyAnabhAjanam ||
The great AcAryan blessed the child to defeat avaidika matams (Veda virutta matams), establish Vaidika matams and achieve much auspiciousness.
Nadadur Ammal commented further thus, “This child is a sacred incarnation. SrI BhAshyakArar commanded PiLLAn to present sacred texts like SrI BhAshyam to deserving ones. PiLLAn in turn entrusted EngaLAzhvAn and latter in turn commanded me to distribute this sacred lore to well qualified scholars. This boy is going to be one such outstanding candidate. I am getting older and am not able to have the good fortune of providing personal upadeSams for Venkatanathan”. Now, Ammal invited KiDAmbi AppiLLAr to teach Venkatanathan, the sAmAnya SAstrAs such as, tarkam, mImAmsa et al. Ammal also asked AppiLLAr to initiate his nephew in to the mantrAs as well as their meanings and teach him the esoteric texts like SrI BhAshyam in a manner that would please AcArya Ramanuja. He united the hand of Venkatanathan with that of ApiLLAr and commanded AppiLLAr to carry out this task.
VidyAbhyAsam
When Venkatanathan was seven years old, his father AnantasUri performed upanayanam for Venkatanathan. After the first upAkarmA (the Vedic Ritual), he started learning the recitation of the Vedas from his father. His father served as the AcAryan and was very happy with his son’s talent to grasp and retain in his memory the Vedas even when he heard it once only (eka grAhi) like SvAmi Alavandar. The exceptional genius displayed by his son made the father elated. Venkatanathan now learnt the complicated ways of reciting Vedas like jaTa and other orders (varNa kramam) and shone like Veda VyAsa Maharishi. After these studies, ApiLLAr took over the training of Venkatanathan in to the mantrAs and their esoteric meanings. [[106]] There after, instructions began on the VedAnta granthams like SrI BhAshyam, gItA BhAshyam, Bhagavad vishayam and followed along with their viSesha meanings.
Venkatanathan became an expert in the grasp of the essence of Sruti, smrti and PurANAs. He was matchless in the comprehension of the sAmAnya SAstrAs. He was immensely distinguished in the understanding of ViSesha SAstrAs. He became an embodiment of pUrvAcAryAs like NathamunigaL, Alavandar, EmperumAnAr, PiLLAn, AcchAn and Ammal in understanding the subtle meanings of the sacred mantrAs and had an in depth knowledge. Venkatanathan had the perfection in the auspicious attributes of an AcAryan and demonstrated Sishya guNa pUrti like KoorattAzhvAn. The parents of Venkatanathan identified a girl now with the name of Tirumangai for marriage with their son, tUppul KulamaNi. The marriage took place as per the command of AppiLLAr. Venkatanathan was initiated in to Vainateya mantram by AppiLLAr to ward off any inauspiciousness that could come the way of his nephew. At that time of the mantropadeSam, AppiLLAr blessed his nephew to become the founder of SrI Bhagavad Ramanuja siddhAntam. Venkatanathan observed all the daily rites of VaishNavAs at Perumal Koyil. He performed bhagavad bhAgavata AcArya kaimkaryams and taught many SishyAs, sAmAnya and ViSesha SAstrAs.
After some time, AppiLLAr fell ill. AppiLLAr told his nephew at that time that it was Ramanuja’s wish that Venkatanathan become the firm establisher of Bhagavad Ramanuja siddhAntam as per his AcAryan, Nadadur Ammal. ApiLLAr presented now Udaiyavar’s pAdukAs in anticipation of this important role that tUppul KulamaNi was going to play. Venkatanathan welcomed AcArya Ramanuja’s sacred pAdukAs with reverence and worshiped them. After AppiLLAr’s ascent to SrI VaikuNTham, Venkatanathan got conducted the final rites through AppiLLAr’s son, SrI Padmanabhacharyar.
On experiencing the elegant simple way in which SrI Venkatanathan rendered the complex kAlakshepams, SrI Veeravalli Perumalaiyyan sought tUppul KulamaNi as his AcAryan and completed VedAnta grantha kAlakshepam under him. SrI Veeravalli Krishnamacharyar and others also sought refuge of the sacred feet of SrI Venkatanathan.
Acquisition of Vainateya mantra siddhi
During the period of kAlakshepams on SrI Bhagavad Ramanuja siddhAntam, SvAmi DeSikan thought about obtaining siddhi [[107]] (perfection) from the intense japam on Vainateya mantram which was initiated to him by AppiLLAr. For that purpose, SvAmi DeSikan traveled to Tiruvaheendrapuram, where, Lord DeivanAyakan residing permanently (nitya vAsam) as the One, who is always unfailing to His bhaktAs (adiyavarkku meyyan). At Tiruvaheendrapuram, he took his bath in Garuda nadhi, completed his daily rituals, worshipped Senkamala NacchiyAr and Devanathan. Thereafter, arrived at aushada Giri. Here, SvAmi DeSikan worshipped Lord Narasimhan. He selected a place near Lord Narasimhan’s sannidhi where there was a peepal tree (araSa maram/aSvatta vrksham). SvAmi DeSikan sat under that tree with sacred dharbham (SelAjina- kuSottaram) under his seat and completed reciting many rounds (Avrutti) of the Vainateya mantram. Lord Garudan (Vainateyan) appeared before SvAmi DeSikan and initiated him in to SrI HayagrIva mantram. From that time onwards, SvAmi DeSikan was performing SrI HayagrIva mantra japam.
Lord HayagrIvan’s anugraham
Lord HayagIvan was very pleased with the tapas (penance) of SvAmi DeSikan. He appeared before SvAmi and presented His saliva, which is like nectar. SvAmi DeSikan consumed it and the power of Lord HayagrIvan’s powerful glances made it possible for acquiring the assembly of all VidyAs. SvAmi now composed first, SrI HayagrIva stotram to celebrate the Lord of VidyAs. He then composed SrI Garuda PancASat as a mark of gratitude to Lord Garudan for initiating him in to SrI HayagrIva mantram. In addition, SvAmi DeSikan composed nine more SrIsUktis on the Lord at Tiruvaheendrapuram on DevanAyakan - DevanAyaka PancASat in Sanskrit, SrI Acyuta Satakam in PrAkrutam and seven more in chaste Tamil. The Tamil works are: MummaNikkOvai, Pantu pA, Kazhal pA, ammAnaippA, Ucal pA, Ecal pA and NavaratnamAlai. SrI DeSikan resided in Tiruvaheendrapuram for a while, worshipping the divya deSa dampatis of Tiruvaheendrapuram. During this extended stay there, SvAmi DeSikan created Paramata bhangam (KaNDhana grantham on Paramatams), RaghuvIra gadyam on Lord Ramachandran and SrI Gopala VimSati on Lord Gopalan. Both RaghuvIran and SrI Gopalan have their sannidhis inside the temple of Lord Devanathan.
Arrival at Kanchipuram
While at Tiruvaheendrapuram, SvAmi DeSikan had a longing to visit Perumal Koyil (Kanchipuram) and perform MangaLASAsanam of PeraruLALan (Lord Varadarajan). SvAmi took leave of Lord [[108]] Devanathan and on the way went to Tirukkovalur divya deSam and did his MangaLASAsanam of the EmperumAn, Ayan (Kannan). SvAmi DeSikan composed dehaLISa stuti on Ayan and presented to the Lord. From Tirukkovalur, SvAmi traveled to Kanchi. He bathed in the temple PushakaraNi, Ananta Saras and performed MangaLASAsanam of Perumdevi tAyAr first and thereafter arrived at Lord Varadarajan’s sannidhi. There, SvAmi DeSikan enjoyed to his heart’s content the beauty of the Lord’s angams from the sacred feet to the crowned head. Next, he reflected on the esoteric meanings of Prapatti housed in the SaraNAgati gadyam of AcArya Ramanuja as revealed to him by his own AcAryan, AppiLLAr and performed SaraNAgati at the sacred feet of Lord Varadarajan. Thus, SvAmi DeSikan completed Prapatti linked to arthapancakam and stayed free from any fear and the worries about the burden of protecting the self. After that Prapatti, the Atma rakshAbhara samarpaNam, SvAmi received tIrtham and prasAdam from the Lord and took His leave and returned to tUppul agrahAram. There, he was engaged in kAlakshepams for his SishyAs on various granthams of our pUrvAcAryAs in ubhaya VedAntam and the construction of new SrI sUktis. Thus, arose nyAsadaSakam which described the way in which he performed his SaraNAgati at Lord Varadan’s sannidhi. He continued with his composition of stutis in Sanskrit like SrI Varadaraja pancASat, a stotram on Lord Varadarajan of attigiri (Kanchi) and five more prabandhams in Tamil, aDaikkalapattu, arthapancakam, SrIvaishNava dinacari, tiruccinnamAlai, and PannirunAmam. He created the grantham of attigiri MahAtmyam to describe the sacredness of the abode of Lord Varadarajan on Attigiri. He composed SaraNAgati dIpikA to cover the doctrines of SaraNAgati and presented it as samarpaNam to Lord dIpaprakASan of tUppul. Four more Sanskrit stutis were also completed at Kanchi, VegAsetu stotram on Lord YatokttakAri, ashTabhujAshTakam on the Lord of ashTabhujan, KAmasIkAshTakam on Lord Narasimhan and ParamArtha stuti on the Lord presiding over the divya deSam of Tirupputkkuzhi.
Receiving the divya magaLa vigraham of Lord HayagrIvan
Pundareekakshar was the son of PiLLAn. He served as the instructor for the King. He was married to the daughter of AppiLLAr. She came to her parent’s home in Kanchipuram to give birth. She gave birth to a male child during Sobhakrt year, PurattAsi month when SravaNa Nakshatram was in ascendance. SvAmi DeSikan sent the message about the birth of a grand son to Pundareekakshar, who was away at the Royal Court. SvAmi DeSikan performed the protection (rakshA) rites to the child and named it Srinivasan. Pundareekakshar got the [[109]] message and made his plans to return home to see his first born son. That night, Pundareekakshar had a dream in which the arcA vigraham of Lord HayagrIvan worshipped by PiLLAn, BhAshyakArar and Pundareekakshar appeared. That sacred vigraham commanded Pundareekakshar to give Him as a present to tUppul KulamaNI (SvAmi DeSikan) so that he can perform daily ArAdhanam for Him. Pundareekakshar informed the king about this dream. The king, KrishNarAyan sent Pundareekakshar with all royal honors to Kanchipuram, where Pundareekakshar was welcomed with the high honors. SvAmi DeSikan was in the ghoshThI welcoming Pundareekakshar to Kanchipuram. After exchange of good wishes, Pundareekakshar presented the arcA vigraham of SrI HayagrIvan to SvAmi DeSikan, who himself had such a dream. SvAmi DeSikan accepted Lord HayagrIvan and took to his home with great joy saying that Lord HayagrIvan earlier (at Tiruvayindai) had appeared in person before him and now He is appearing in arcA Vigraha rUpi. SvAmi DeSikan united Lord HayagrIvan’s arcA with Lord Varadarajan’s arcA at his pUjA gruham, which was been worshipped by his grandfather and great grandfathers.
Venkatanathar’s Pilgrimage to Tiruvenkadam
SvAmi DeSikan had a great desire to worship the Lord of Tiruvenkadam, who was the primary and important cause for his avatAram. He started on his pilgrimage and arrived at Cholasimhapuram. There, he performed the MangaLASAsanam of akkArakkani, the Lord of this kshetram. From there, SvAmi DeSikan arrived at Tirucchanur and worshipped Alarmelmangai tAyAr. Then, he performed MangaLASAsanam of SrI Govindaraja Perumal at lower Tiruppati before he started his climb to Tirumala. At Tirumala, he circumambulated the temple utsava Veedhis. He completed his daily anushThAnams at SvAmi PushkaraNi. He offered his praNAmams to VarAha Perumal first. Next, SvAmi DeSikan proceeded to Lord Srinivasan sannidhi after prostrating before the bali pITham many times and gaining the permission of the dvAra pAlakAs. Then, SvAmi DeSikan arrived at the Kulasekhara paDi and from this vantage point; he was able to enjoy the darSana saubhAgyam of the Lord of Seven Hills at close proximity. He enjoyed the divine beauty of the Lord from His sacred feet to His head adorning the Crown. He was presented with tIrtham and Bhagavad prsAdams at the conclusion of the MangaLASAsanam. SvAmi DeSikan felt fulfilled. He composed ‘dayA Satakam’ on the overwhelming guNam of dayA of the Lord. SvAmi DeSikan stayed for a few more days at Tirumala and then reluctantly left Tirumala. He concluded his yAtrA of Tirumala with a [[110]] MangaLASAsana Slokam (praSamitakalidoshAm) to the Lord praying for eternal auspiciousness and wealth for this divya desam.
VaDadeSa yAtrA
SvAmi DeSikan started from Tirumala on a journey to the divya deSams in Northern India. In the middle of the way of that journey, he met SrI VidyAraNyar on the banks of Tungabhadra River. From their student days, they were related to each other with great affection. Now, VidyAraNyar who had given up the worldly things and entered in to sanyAsASramam was on his way for yAtra to Ganga. The boyhood friends exchanged information since they met last time. At that time, the local king sent a close official from his court seeking the intervention of VidyAraNyar to chase away the brahma Rakshas that possessed his daughter. VidyAraNyar requested SvAmi DeSikan to drive away the evil spirit. SvAmi DeSikan, the leader among the ghoshThI of dispassionate ones, politely disregarded that request and continued with his journey northward. He visited Dwaraka, Gokulam, BrundAvanam, Mathura, Mayapuri, Avanti, Ayodhya and other mukti kshetrams. On his return journey back to home, he visited SrI Koormam, Purushottamam (Puri), Ahobilam, Tiruvenkadam, Tiruvellur, Tiruninravur, Tiruvallikkeni, Tirukkadanmallai et al divya deSams and performed MangaLAsAsanams of the Perumals there, before reaching Sriperumbudur. There, SvAmi worshipped AcArya Ramanuja. EmperumAnAr cast his merciful glances on SvAmi DeSikan. He concluded his journey at Kanchi, worshipped SrI Perumdevi tAyAr sameta DevAdirajan and continued with his siddhAnta pravacanam.
Draining the water out of a stone pillar
An advaita sanyAsi came to SvAmi DeSikan for a debate on the advaita darSanam and got defeated. This sanyAsi was conversant with lowly mantrams. He went to a pond, recited the mantram and drank a handful of water. SvAmi DeSikan’s stomach began to swell and caused discomfort and pain. SvAmi guessed the cause of this peculiar effect. He drew a line on the nearby pillar. Immediately, water drained out of the pillar. All the water inside SvAmi DeSikan’s swollen stomach drained off. The mAyAvAdi sanyAsi, who was standing nearby watched this and sought the pardon of SvAmi.
The creation of VairAgya Pancakam
VidyAraNyar, who drove away the Brahmarakshas that possessed the daughter of the King of Vijayanagaram Empire, became the adhyaksha [[111]] (counselor) for the Raja SabhA. He felt bad as his boyhood friend, SvAmi DeSikan, had to take care of his livelihood through seeking uncavruthi. VidyAraNyar wanted to provide some financial support from the royal court. He sent therefore a letter to SvAmi DeSikan stating, “Oh the famed and shining ornament of the tUppul Kulam! The king has heard about your fame through me. From that time, he meditates on you. He wants to meet you in person and wishes to use his wealth to support you. He looks forward to drown in the nectar of your speech. Therefore, the king requests you to come and reside at his kingdom and bless him and myself”.
SvAmi DeSikan read that invitation. He sent his response through a Slokam starting with the words, “kshoNi koNa”. The meaning of the message is, “In one corner of this vast Earth, kings rule small corners of land. We do not wish to eulogize them with our choice words. We do not seek any wealth from the kings for indulging in such praises. We have firmly decided to meditate on BhagavAn alone. He is the Only One, who can grant all the boons that we seek. We are reminded about Lord Krishna blessing KuSela Muni with all kinds of wealth”.
After some time, VidyAraNyar sent another letter reminding SvAmi DeSikan about the earlier invitation from the king. SvAmi DeSikan saw this latest letter and responded with an answer containing five Slokams. These five Slokams together are known as “VairAgya Pancakam. Their meanings are:
-
It is not necessary that one has to seek the patronage of the king for food to eat, water to drink and clothes to wear. Can’t we collect scattered grains from the harvested fields to chase one’s hunger? Can’t we quench our thirst from the water in the ponds? Can’t we collect rags from the streets and use it to wear as a loin cloth? All of these resources are readily available to any one. What a pity that people approach the king for these gifts and beg the king to bless them with these items through the exercises of praising him!
-
Similar to the vaDavAmukhAgni (face of a mare) in the ocean, the jADharAgni in our stomachs grow and make us suffer from hunger and thirst. Even if we are subjected to the pangs of hunger and thirst, we will not approach any king for favors by singing about them with our fragrant speech reminding one of the fully blossomed Jasmine flowers.
[[112]] 3. We possess the supreme wealth of the dark hued Krishna seated as decoration to the chariot of Arjuna, as our wealth. This wealth is never exhausted from usage. Therefore, we do not need to wait at the front doors of these evil kings seeking sorrowfully wealth from them. Would not the wealth obtained from Lord Hari be used readily?
- The wealth that we seek from the kings would be temporarily helpful to curb our hunger and quench the thirst. To earn this wealth and the favors, we have to make immense effort to get this wealth and create sorrow. Until he dies, he has to try to please the rich by praising them to accumulate wealth little by little. It is a pity that they spend their lives in these useless activities. Therefore, this type of wealth is useless. This wealth (dhanam) known as BhagavAn instructed Arjuna at the battle field brought him great auspiciousness. This wealth diminishes the jADharAgni. This dhanam protects only those who are affluent. In contrast, that dhanam lifted Govardhana Hill and protected the cows and the cowherds (GopAlakAs). Further, this wealth named BhagavAn protects the devAs and the VidvAns, who seek the protection. Hence, the dhanam known as BhagavAn is the best among the dhanams.
One can think that the wealth earned by one self or that which has been handed to a wealth seeker from his ancestors might make us ignore and insult the kings offering such dhanams. One can think that a poor person using unjavrutti for his life cannot afford to think of insulting the king’s offer of help. This view is not correct.
- We do not have anything that has been earned by us or gifted to us by our ancestors. We have only the dhanam that is bequeathed to us Brahmadevan. This cannot be stolen by anyone. It is at Hastigiri.
SvAmi DeSikan described this imperishable wealth through these five Slokams of SrI VairAgya Pancakam.
Rejecting Gold as worthless worm
SvAmi DeSikan’s life supported by unjavrutti driven by his matchless VairAgyam became well known to all. A few well minded rich people felt sad that SvAmi had to practice unjavrutti for his jeevanam. They knew that SvAmi will not accept any dhanam. They worried about [[113]] finding a way to support him with material means. One of the concerned people placed in the unjavrutti vessel of SvAmi, rice mixed with some gold coins. SvAmi did not notice the gold coins during his unjavrutti activities. On reaching his home, SvAmi handed over the vessel containing the day’s amudupaDi (unjavrutti) to his wife. She unloaded the content from the vessel on the floor for cleaning the rice for the daily Bhagavad ArAdhanam. She found the gold coins also. She was taken aback on seeing the gold coins. She ran to SvAmi’s side and mentioned that there were some shiny objects along with the rice and asked SvAmi to come and look at these metallic objects. SvAmi looked at them and recognized that these are gold coins. He took a twig and separated them. He described them as worms and asked his wife to throw them away. Some DeSika bhaktAs observe that the Navaratnamalai and MummaNikkOvai prabandhams alone are the priceless ornaments for SvAmi DeSikan’s Devi and rejected the gold coins.
The Gift of Gold to a BrahmacAri
A few residents of Kanchi were jealous over SvAmi DeSikan’s life as a supreme VairAgyasAli. They sent a BrahmacAri to SvAmi DeSikan’s tirumALikai (home). The BrahmacAri told SvAmi that he wishes to marry and that he has no money to seek a bride. He said that no parent is willing to give their daughter as bride because of his the poverty. He observed further that some residents of Kanchi have suggested that SvAmi would give large amounts of money for the BrahmacAri to get married. He earnestly appealed to SvAmi DeSikan to help him. On hearing this moving plea, SvAmi prayed to Perumdevi tAyAr and created Sri Stuti. During the recitation of the auspicious stotram, the rain of gold poured from the sky and the BrahmacAri collected the gift from tAyAr. He could hardly lift this abundant present from the tAyAr and went his way. The jealous ones, who watched this scene were ashamed over their deed and lowered their heads in shame. When VidyAraNyar heard about this matter, he developed more affection for SvAmi DeSikan.
SrI Venkatanathan at Tiruvarangam
At one time, many scholars of adavita VedAntam came in a group to Srirangam and demanded that the scholars of Ramanuja siddhAntam should answer their questions. They threatened that if there is no response to their demand, the adhyayana utsavam should be stopped and the losers should join their advaita siddhAntam. SrutaprakASikAcharya (Sudarsana Bhattar) and other residents of [[114]] Srirangam were very old. He was engaged in Bhagavad Ramanuja siddhAntam at Perumal Koyil as per the niyamanam of his AcAryan, Nadadur Ammal. “para mata niraSanam” was the way suggested for sva-siddhAnta sthApanam. The residents thought that Sudarsana Bhattar as the most appropriate AcAryan to defend the Bhagavad Ramanuja siddhAntam against those clamoring for debates and win over the debate. As Bhattar was quite old, he thought that SvAmi DeSikan was the right AcAryan to respond to the challenge of the advaitins. Bhattar wrote a letter (SrImukham) requiting SvAmi DeSikan to come to Srirangam immediately, saying that it was the command of Vishvaksena, the commander-in-chief of SrI Ranganathan thus –
श्रीमच्छ्रीरङ्गनाथस्य विष्वक्सेनस्यशासनम् ।। तद्भक्तभक्तभक्तानां शिरोभूषणतांगतम् ॥
SrImad SrIranganAthasya vishvaksenasya SAsanam | tadbhaktabhaktabhaktAnAm SirobhUshaNatAm gatam ||
Bhattar sent this SrImukham to SvAmi DeSikan at Kanchipuram. SvAmi read the SrImukham and took leave from Lord Varadarajan and left for Srirangam.
At Srirangam, after completing his nitya karmAnushThAnams (daily rituals) on the northern bank of Cauvery, went to Perumal sannidhi. The temple officials met SvAmi DeSikan with all the temple honors. Inside the temple, SvAmi DeSikan had the darSanam of Sri Ranganayaki and proceeded to SrIranganathan sannidhi going around (pradakshiNam) Chandra PushkaraNi. There, he had the sevA of Periya Perumal from His sacred feet to the Lord’s crowned head following the way in which TiruppANAzhvAr performed his MangaLASAsanam of Lord Ranganathan. SvAmi received Perumal tIrtham and prasAdams. Outside the sannidhi in the big maNTapam, Sudarsana Bhattar and other vidvAns of Srirangam were present.
The visiting advaita scholars assembled there and started their debate. This debate went on for seven days. On the eighth day, SvAmi DeSikan won in the debate. The points of the everyday debate were noted down during the night by Veeravalli PerumALaiyyan, a Sishya of SvAmi DeSikan. At the end of the eighth day, the Sishya who wrote down everything showed to SvAmi DeSikan. SvAmi reviewed it and [[115]] approved. SvAmi DeSikan named this grantham as “SatadUshaNI”. The advaitins acknowledged their defeat, prostrated before SvAmi DeSikan and left. SrI RanganAthan commanded SvAmi DeSikan to stay at Srirangam and continue with his ubhaya VedAnta grantha kAlakshepams.
Lord Ranganathan heard the Sri BhAshya pravacanams of SvAmi DeSikan and was very pleased. He gave the title of “VedAntAcAryar” to SvAmi DeSikan. SrIranganacchiyar honored SvAmi DeSikan with the title of “sarvatantra svatantrar”. SrI Sudarsana Bhattar and others standing near SvAmi DeSikan were very happy with the honors conferred by the divya dampatis. As a recipient of these extraordinary honors and anugraham, SvAmi DeSikan continued his kaimkaryams at Srirangam gloriously.
The local citizens of Srirangam and other outsiders flocked to the siddhAnta pravacanams of SvAmi DeSikan and sought refuge at His sacred feet. During this time, SvAmi created the stotram of SrI Bhagavad dhyAna sopAnam on Lord of Srirangam, bhUstuti, and daSAvatAra stotram. On one Chittirai ArudrA day, SvAmi created YatirAja saptati to celebrate AcArya Ramanuja. Thereafter, SvAmi followed the command of Udaiyavar to create many new granthams like tattvamukta KalApam, its commentary named sarvArthasiddhi, nyAyasiddhAnjanam, nyAyapariSuddhi, seSvara mImAmsA, tattva TIkA, adhikaraNa sArAvaLi, tAtparyacandrikA as a commentary for gItA BhAshyam, ISAvAsya Upanishad bhAshyam, saccaritrarakshA, nyAsavimSati, SrI pAncarAtrarakshA, rahasyarakshA (a commentary on gadya trayam, catuSSloKI and stotra ratnam). The learned scholars like SrutaprakASikAcharyar honored SvAmi DeSikan with the title of “kavitArkika simham”.
Serving as a mediator in the debate between Akshobhya Muni and VidyAraNyar
At Vijayanagaram, a debate was held between Akshobhya Muni, the scholar representing dvaita darSanam and VidyAraNyar, a sanyAsi representing advaita darSanam. Their arguements were sent to SvAmi DeSikan in the form of a letter requesting to determine as to who won. SvAmi DeSikan reviewed thoroughly the points of both of them and declared that Akshobhya Muni was the victor. SvAmi sent accordingly his decision in the form of a SloKam:
[[116]] असिना तत्वमसिना परजीव प्रभेदिना।। विद्यारण्य महारण्यं अक्षोभ्यमुनिः अच्छिनत् ॥।
asinA tatvamasinA parajIva prabhedinA | vidyAraNya mahAraNyam akshobhyamuniH acchinat ||
The king was happy to know that SvAmi DeSikan was impartial in his review in spite of his being a childhood friend with VidyAraNyar. VidyAraNyar, the advaitin was angry and let SvAmi DeSikan know that he will be happy to review SatadUshaNI and show the defects in that. SvAmi DeSikan sent SatadUshaNI for review. VidyAraNyar reviewed it thoroughly and could not find any defect. The only comment of VidyAraNyar was that a letter च ca (“ca"kAram) has been unnecessarily added and placed a dot to indicate its location. SvAmi DeSikan reviewed the comment of VidyAraNyar and sent his response in the form of a grantham with the title of “cakAra samarthanam”. SvAmi DeSikan put another dot next to the one placed by VidyAraNyar and sent SatadUshaNI back. VidyAraNyar saw the response and declared that he had no power to defeat the VishNu ghaNTAvatArar and sarvatantra svantrar. From that day on, his devotion to SvAmi DeSikan was much more than earlier.
Victory over KrishNamiSrar
A scholar by the name of KrishNamiSrar jealous over SvAmi DeSikan being celebrated as sarvatantra svatantrar, KavitArkika simham and VedantAcAryar, came to debate with SvAmi DeSikan. He was defeated by SvAmi in three days. After that KrishNamiSrar requested SvAmi DeSikan to look over his work, a nATakam (drama), “Praboda candrodayam”. SvAmi reviewed it and created a nATakam entitled “sankalpa sUryodayam” and gave it to KrishNamiSrar to read. On reading this nATakam by SvAmi, he was elated. Sudarsana Bhattar and others were amazed about SvAmi DeSikan’s creation of such a condemnatory grantham, “sankalpa sUryodayam after reviewing “Praboda candrodayam of KrishNamiSrar.
Victory over DiNDima Kavi
On knowing about the defeat of KrishNamiSrar, DiNDima Kavi, a renowned scholar, came to debate with SvAmi DeSikan. When he was [[117]] coming to Srirangam, he was proclaiming himself with Slokams as a great scholar, one who has defeated quite easily famous learned scholars. He also stated that he had heard of a lesser learned scholar who was no match to him. SvAmi DeSikan responded that one need not afraid of the loud proclamations of DiNDima Kavi. On close examination, one cannot find even one aksharam. He was an ignoramus. His very name (DINDiman) itself reveals this. DiNDIram means the frothy foam of the ocean waves. What is inside DiNDIra? It collapses when one touches it and there is nothing inside it. There is not much of a difference between DINDiman and DiNDIram. He is an unlettered simpleton. SvAmi DeSikan sent a Slokam (meaning niraksharakushi) as his response to the invitation for the debate by DiNDiman. The debate took place and DiNDima Kavi was defeated soundly. Next, DiNDima Kavi requested SvAmi to read the kAvyam, “rAghAvAbhyudayam” that he had written. SvAmi read it and returned it with a kAvyam of his own with the name of “yAdavAbhudayam”. DiNDima Kavi was totally astonished by the poetic genius of SvAmi DeSikan.
SvAmi’s yAtrA to Southern divya deSams
SvAmi DeSikan traveled to southern divya deSams to perform MangaLASAsanams at Tirumalirumcholai, TirukkottiyUr and other divya deSams and then arrived at Srivilliputthur. There, he worshipped PeriyAzhvAr, RangamannAr and ANDAL and composed GodA stuti. From here, SvAmi traveled to AzhvAr Tirunagari and performed the MangaLASAsanam of SvAmi NammAzhvAr. After that, SvAmi returned back to Srirangam, took the permission of SrI Ranganathan to return to Perumal Koyil (Kanchipuram).
Vicory over a snake Charmer
One day, a snake charmer came to SvAmi. He was goaded by few jealous people to challenge SvAmi in the area of his mastery over mantrams. He said that SvAmi cannot call himself as a sarvatantra svatantrar unless and otherwise SvAmi defeats him in mantra SAstram. If SvAmi looses in this contest, he has to renounce the title. He made a lot of noises with utterances like that. SvAmi DeSikan was not interested to respond to the challenge with some one, who was not his equal. The disciples of SvAmi DeSikan however prayed to their AcAryan to defeat the arrogant snake charmer. SvAmi DeSikan drew now seven lines on the floor. The snake charmer sent a few snakes to cross those lines. They could not even cross the first line. Next the snake charmer sent a very poisonous snake to cross the lines. [[118]] That snake crossed with struggle two or three lines and not further more. The exasperated snake charmer sent finally a very poisonous snake named SankhapAlan. This snake crossed all the seven lines. At that time, SvAmi created Garuda daNDakam and recited it. Immediately, Garuda BhagavAn descended from the sky and lifted SankhapAlan in His beak and flew away. The snake charmer was grief stricken and begged SvAmi to forgive him and help with the retrieval of SankhapAlan, which was the basis for his livelihood. SvAmi DeSikan recited Garuda PancASat and prayed to Garuda BhagavAn to return SankhapAlan. That snake was retrieved and all the observers were delighted to see this incident.
The leelAs (sport) of Sri HayagrIvan during the yAtrA
SvAmi DeSikan wanted to spend some more time at Tiruvaheendrapuram. He started from Kanchipuram. When he approached Tirukkovalur, due to some inconveniences, he could not prepare prasAdams for his ArAdhana mUrti. SvAmi presented water to the Lord and partook it. That night, he lied down on the pyal of a VaiSyan’s (merchant) house. As he did not have any food whole day and was very tired due to the long travel, he slept soundly. During the night, a white horse began to eat the ground nut crop stored on the pyal by the owner of the house. The vaiSyan heard the sound of the horse consuming his crop at night, came out of the house and tried to chase the horse away. The horse did not move. The merchant woke up SvAmi DeSikan and asked him to tie down his white horse. He complained that all his harvest has been eaten up by the horse. SvAmi DeSikan was surprised. He recognized that it was Lord HayagrIvan’s sport. He asked the owner of the house to bring out some milk if there was any in the house. He brought the milk. SvAmi offered the milk to the Lord HayagrIvan and he took a little of it as Bhagavad PrasAdam. Immediately, the white horse disappeared from the scene. The owner of the house was very happy to have witnessed this scene and felt fortunate. He presented material for the worship of the Lord in the morning and was very happy.
Construction of a Well
SvAmi DeSikan arrived at Tiruvaheendrapuram via Tirukkovalur. There, he was teaching VedAnta granthams for his SishyAs. Meanwhile, few locals got jealous over his title of sarvatantra svatantrar (conferred by SriranganAyaki on SvAmi DeSikan). They incited a stone mason to challenge SvAmi to build a well. He said that SvAmi can hold on to his title of sarvatantra svatantrar, if he could [[119]] complete the construction of the well so as to prove that he deserves the title. SvAmi decided to build a well for Lord HayagrIvan. He used the bricks given by the stone mason and completed the construction of this well. After that challenge, SvAmi visited Veeranarayanapuram, Tiruvaali and other places to offer his mangaLASAsanams to Nathamunigal and Tirumangai AzhvAr.
Creation of sacred Rahasya granthams
Some pious people with a limited j~nAnam wanted to improve their knowledge about VaishNavaite traditions and doctrines. They prayed to SvAmi DeSikan to bless them with the esoteric meanings of the mantrams for their spiritual advancement. Our KavitArkika simha SvAmi agreed to do so. For attaining the supreme goals of life, there should be awareness about the means (upAyam) to achieve them. For accessing the upAyam, one should be aware of the fundamental tattvams (doctrines). For the generation of knowledge about tattvams, one needs an authentic AcAryan. That teacher (Guru) should have sampradAya Suddhi (depth of knowledge about our authentic traditions). Having these qualifying factors in mind for a blessed AcAryan, SvAmi created first the rahasya grantham of sampradAya pariSuddhi. A rahasya grantham has to be learnt in privacy from the AcAryan on a one to one basis by the Sishya. These were followed by other rahasya granthams like –
- tattvapadavI 7. tattavaratnAvaLI 2. rahasyapadavI 8. tattvaratnAvaLI pratipAtyArtha sangraham
- tattva navanItam 9. rahasya ratnAvaLI 4. rahasya navanItam 10. rahasyaratnAvAlI hrudayam 5. tattvamAtrukA 11. tattvatraya cuLakam 6. rahasya mAtrukA 12. sArasankshepam 13. sArasAram 18. pradAnaSatakam 14. abhayapradAnasAram 19. upakArasangraham 15. tattvaSikhAmaNi 20. sArasangraham 16. rahasyaSikhAmaNi 21. paramapadasopAnam 17. anjalivaibhavam
and other granthams and taught these to aspiring sAdakAs.
The first Sishya to seek the protection of SvAmi DeSikan’s sacred feet was Veeravalli Perumalaiyyan. He was disenchanted with worldly desires and wanted to enter in to sanyAsASramam. SvAmi DeSikan helped him to enter in to sanyAsASramam and gave him the ASrama [[120]] tirunAmam of PeraruLaLa jIyar. When Veeravalli Krishnamacharyar entered in to sanyAsASramam, he was named VeNNaik kUtta jIyar. KOmANDUrappan was named PrAbhAakara jIyar by SvAmi DeSikan
SrI Pillailokacharyar noting the exceptional way in which SvAmi DeSikan was imparting j~nAnam, was delighted and undertook kAlashepams on SrI BhAshyam and other granthams from SvAmi DeSikan. At that time, SrI Pillailokacharyar noting the glories and greatness of the granthams SvAmi DeSikan, presented a taniyan,
சீரொன்று தூப்புல் திருவேங்கடமுடையான் பாரொன்றச் சொன்ன பழமொழியுள் - ஓரொன்று தானே அமையாதோ தாரணியில் வாழ்வார்க்கு வானேறப் போமளவும் வாழ்வு.
cIronRu tUppul tiruvenkaTamuDaiyAn pAronRac conna pazhamozhiyuL - OronRu tAnE amaiyAtO tAraNiyil vAzhvArkku vAnERap pOmaLavum vAzhvu.
This pAsuram is now recited as the taniyan for rahasya grantha kAlakshepam.
SvAmi’s Atma guNams (noble attributes)
Few jealous ones invited SvAmi DeSikan for a debate, when they saw SrI Pillailokacharyar performing kAlakshepam under SvAmi DeSikan. The invitation for debate was rejected by SvAmi DeSikan since he had the principle of not debating SishyAs, who have studied SrIbhAshyam under sadAcAryAs. The jealous ones interpreted the rejection of their invitation to mean that SvAmi DeSikan cannot win over these challengers and that they have won. They hung a row of old sandals (pAdarakshAs) at the entrance door of SvAmi’s house. When SvAmi DeSikan came out by chance, saw these hanging sandals and he responded with a Slokam:
कर्मावलम्बकाः केचित्केचित्ज्ञानावलम्बकाः। वयंतु हरिदासानां पादरक्षावलम्बकाः॥
[[121]] karmAvalambakAH kecit kecit j~nAnAvalambakAH | vayam tu haridAsAnAm pAdarakshAvalambakAH ||
SvAmi said here, “A few observe karma yoga. A few others practice j~nAna yoga. As for ourselves, we seek the pAdarakshAs of Vishnu Bhakta”. The jealous ones learnt about the noble Atma guNams of SvAmi DeSikan and sought his pardon for their misconduct.
The SrAddham for his Father, AnantasUri
One day, the SrAddham day for SvAmi’s father, SrI AnantasUri arrived. Earlier, SvAmi requested (nimantraNa) three persons for taking part in the Pitru karmAs. A few jealous ones bribed the three chosen by SvAmi DeSikan earlier and persuaded them to withdraw from serving the official roles in the SrAddham ceremony. The three were asked to inform SvAmi DeSikan about their inability to participate. But they refused to cooperate. The said jealous persons got angry. They sprinkled some powder on their heads. That caused to them disturbance of mind (buddhibramam). The three SvAmis ate food before the commencement of the SrAddham and thus they got disqualified themselves. The mischief mongers used black magic to create some disabling fevers to them. These three SvAmis because of the pressure from the group gave some excuses for not being able to come. The jealous ones were enjoying the troubles they caused. In spite of searching for other nimantraNa SvAmis, and as time passed, SvAmi Desikan could not find any other SvAmis (for the nimamtraNam). So in order to protect the SrAddham at the proper time, SvAmi DeSikan took bath, performed ArAdhanam and began the SrAddham. He completed the appropriate homAs and invoked deva, Pitru and VishNu devatAs in the kUrcams (dharbhams) and carried on the SrAddham. annam and bhakshyams (eatable items) were served on the plantain leaves while VishNu sUktams were recited at the end. All the food served had been eaten fully. The sound of “sakalam sampUrNam” was heard. After getting up from their seats (udvAsanam), the three SvAmis took tAmbUlams and walked in front of the observers outside. SvAmi DeSikan did the piNDa dAnam and completed the SrAddham. When SvAmi DeSikan came out, the jealous ones who tried to sabotage the SrAddham inquired as to who are the three SvAmis that officiated in the SrAddham. SvAmi answered that the Lords of Srirangam (Ranganathan), Tirumala (SrinivAsan) and Perumal koyil (Varadarajan) officiated in the SrAddham. The mischief makers being afraid sought SvAmi DeSikan’s pardon.
[[122]] Distribution of Pongal on ekAdaSI day
On an ekAdaSI day, SvAmi DeSikan was in the sannidhi of SrI Ranganathan. The arcakA under the goading of a few jealous ones presented VeN pongal prasAdam to SvAmi DeSikan, saying that it is the command of Lord Ranganathan to partake the prasAdam. SvAmi was confused, received the prasAdam and asked the Lord, “Oh Lord! You have stated in VishNu dharmottaram that Srutis and smrtis are Your commands. One has to follow them thoroughly. One who does not observe these commands are my drohis (enemies). You stated that even if such a person is my bhakta, he is not a VaishNava. Prabho! Ranganatha! How come You have ordered aDiyEn to partake mudgAnnam (annam/Pongal made with unbroken rice) on an ekAdaSI day?” Lord of the Srirangam temple through another priest said that He did not order so. The miscreant priest who was tempted through bribery asked for the pardon of SvAmi DeSikan.
The Creation of pAduA sahasra kAvyam
A skilled poet challenged SvAmi Desikan in front of SrI Ranganathan, saying that the title of Kavisimham from the Lord can only be appropriate for a poet, who can compose one thousand (1,000) Slokams in a single night. He stated that he will create a stuti with thousand Slokams on the lotus feet of the Lord. SvAmi Desikan agreed to create thousand Slokams in praise of the pAdukAs of Lord Ranganathan. SvAmi Desikan completed pAduka sahasram in the night in one yAmam. He woke up next morning and completed the daily ritulas. After that, he went to the temple and presented the pAdukA sahasram to the Lord. After that, he went to the Temple and presented the pAdukA sahasram to the Lord. The poet who had challenged SvAmi could not compose more than three hundred Sloakms in one yAmam. He stood in front of Sri Ranganathan with his head bent in shame. At that time, SvAmi observed:
सूते सूकरयुवतिः सुतशतमपि अत्यन्तदुर्भगं झडिति। करिणी चिराय सूते सकलमहीपाललालितं कलभम् ॥
sUte sUkarayuvati: sutaSatamapi atyantadurbhagam jhaDiti | kariNI cirAya sUtE sakalamahIpAla-lAlitam kalabham ||
[[123]] The pig gives birth to hundreds of ugly young calves. The elephant gives birth to a calf once in twelve years and the kings fondle (lAlitam) it lovingly.
SvAmi’s intent here was to indicate that those who follow the Bhagavad Ramanuja siddhAntam should not lower themselves by the display of jealousy. SvAmi observed further:
ApAdacUDam anapAyini darSane asmin ASAsanIyamparam na vipakshahetoH: | ApAda SAntimadurAn punarasmadhIyAn anyonya vairajananI vijahAtvasUyA ||
Ramanuja darSanam is blemishless from the foot to head. There are no reconciliations needed to defeat contending Paramata vAdis. What needed to be stated have already been stated. There is hence nothing that remains to be brought out anew. May all the pangs of jealousy between us be removed from us, who cultivate tranquility and peace of mind!
SvAmi Desikan went about creating many more granthams.
Following the command of SvAmi NammAzhvAr, tUppul KulamaNi created dramiDopanishad sAram, dramiDopanishad tAtparya ratnAvaLi, nigamaparimaLam et al. He wrote commentaries for amalanAdipirAn named, “munivAhana bhogam” and for KaNNinuN ciRuttAmpu, named “madhurakavi hrdayam”. He also blessed us with additional granthams like tirumantira curukku, dvaya curukku, carama Sloka curukku, gitArtha sangraha curukku and AhAra niyamam etc.
Upadesam for MadhavAtmajan
The Vaibhavam of SvAmi DeSikan engaged in grantha kAlakshEpams, creation of new granthams, leading his life as the foremost among ParamaikAntis, the holder of Birudus (honorifics) as sarvatantra svatantrar and KavitArkika simham spread over in the Northern parts of the country as well. Saravaj~na Singappa Naayakan, the son of the king, Madhavan was deeply devoted to SvAmi Desikan. Singappa Naayakan sent a few SrI VaishNavAs to Srirangam to bless him with some sadupadeSams (good counsel) to lead a pious life. The compassionate SvAmi agreed to help and wrote a series of instructions in the form of sandeSams (messages) and sent to him. This sandeSam [[124]] is known as “tattva sandesam” and is an elaboration of Alavandar’s and Ramanuja’s words, “svAdhIna trividha cetanAcetana svarUpa sthiti pravrtti bhedam”. At the end of tattva sandeSam, SvAmi says this passage as upadesam on hitam:
सत्त्वस्तान् निभृतं प्रसादय सतां वृत्तिं व्यवस्थापय त्रस्य ब्रह्मविदागसस्तृणमिव त्रैवर्गिकान् भावय। नित्ये शेषिणि निक्षिपन् निजभरं सर्वंसहे श्रीसखे धर्मं धारय चातकस्य कुशलीन् धारादरैकान्तिनः॥
sattvastAn nibhrtam prasAdaya satAm vrttim vyavasthApaya trasya brahmavidAgasaH trNamiva traivargikAn bhAvaya | nitye SeshiNi nikshipan nijabharam sarvamsahe SrIsakhe dharmam dhAraya cAtakasya kuSalIn dArAdaraikAntinaH ||
Thus, SvAmi DeSikan completed the hitopadeSam about the means for a good life.
In addition to tattva sandeSam, SvAmi sent and blessed Madhavan with rahasya sandesam, rahasya sandeSa vivaraNam and subhAshitanIvi. He received the SrImukhams from SvAmi with great reverence and took it to his palace. He studied them and following the command of the AcAryan performed SaraNAgati and lived with unchanging devotion for the lotus feet of SvAmi DeSikan.
avatAram of Son
SvAmi DeSikan had no offspring (child) for many years. With the anugraham of Lord Varadarajan, a male child was born to SvAmi during a NaLa year, AvaNi month, when RohiNi nakshatram was in ascendance. SvAmi performed the jAta karma rites for the child and chose the name of Varadan for his son. All the sacred rites such as [[125]] aksharAbhyAsam, mantropadesam, Saastra studies etc., were performed by SvAmi DeSikan himself. The child was a genius and did not need to be taught twice. He absorbed the essence of what he was taught and looked beautiful. In Vibhava samvatsaram, SvAmi blessed the child with SrI BhAshya upadeSam. At that time, Kumara Varadacharyar presented his father cum AcAryan with a taniyan –
श्रीमान् वेङ्कटनाथार्यः कवितार्किककेशरी। वेदान्ताचार्यवर्यो मे सन्निधत्तां सदा हृदि॥
SrImAn venkaTanAthAryaH kavitArkika keSarI | vedAntAchAryavaryo me sannidhattAm sadA hrdi ||
Those who were near SvAmi DeSikan at this time like Sudarasana Bhattar (SrI SrutaprakASikachAryar) were happy to listen to this beautiful taniyan and suggested that this taniyan should always be recited before grantha kAlakshepams. Until this time, the taniyan composed by the pradAna Sishya, Veeravalli Perumalaiyyan (PeraruLAla jIyar) was used to be recited before the commencement of the kAlakshepams.
namaH padamidam bhUyAt tasmai venkaTasUraye yadvAgamrtasekena sanjIvitamidam jagat | bhagavantamivAnantakalyANaguNasAgaram vedAntadeSikam naumi venkaTeSagurUttamam ||
Just as the elderly scholars like KoorattAzhvAn and others showed their bhakti to TirukkurukaippirAn PiLLAn as the successor for AcArya Ramanuja, senior SishyAs of SvAmi Desikan displayed deep bhakti towards the dear son of SvAmi Desikan, Kumara Varadacharyar.
Arrival at Satyamangalam
One day, a reputed AcAryan (AcArya Purushar), Kantadai Lakshmanacharyar was traveling in a palanquin carried by his SishyAs through the street, where SvAmi DeSikan resided. SvAmi sitting on the pyal at the front portion of the house was so engrossed in looking at a grantham intensely focused on the anubhavam, did not notice as to what is happening in the street. One of the SishyAs of Kantadai [[126]] SvAmi came running to the pyal, where SvAmi was sitting. He asked SvAmi DeSikan as to whether he did not notice the AcAryan passing through in front of his house on a palanquin. The angry Sishya pulled SvAmi by his feet and pushed SvAmi down to the floor. SvAmi got up with difficulty and went to Kantadai SvAmi, paid his respects and requested the AcAryan to forgive him for his lack of attention. Then, SvAmi DeSikan went back to the inside of the house. On that same day, SvAmi DeSikan left Srirangam with his family and disciples for Tirunarayanapuram. SvAmi on the way arrived at Satyamangalam, situated on the banks of Cauveri River. He stayed at the Varadaraja temple there and was teaching his SishyAs.
tIrtha PiLLai
Back at Srirangam, Lakshmanacharyar was not aware of the troubles caused by his SishyAs to SvAmi DeSikan, which led him to the abrupt journey to Satyamangalam. Patches of skin all over the body of Kantadai AcAryan turned in to different color (vaivarNyam), causing much discomfort. He became very weak. He also had no children. His wife was worried about the impending untimely death of her husband from this fierce disease. She asked her husband whether he was aware of any apacAram committed to any BhAgavatA which would have led to the suffering from this disease. Kantadai SvAmi replied that he was not consciously aware of any wrong doing. His wife wondered whether any of her husband’s SishyAs might have committed any misdeed and the fruits of such apacAram would have caused the sufferings. She thought that since the SishyA’s sins extend to the AcAryan as well according to the saying, “Sishya pApam gurorapi”. She inquired the SishyAs about any bhAgavata apacAram committed by any one of them. One of the SishyAs said that he pushed SvAmi DeSikan to the floor from the pyal as SvAmi DeSikan while reading some grantham, did not get up when our AcAryan was passing through the street. According to them this led to SvAmi DeSikan’s abrupt departure from Srirangam.
On hearing this, Kantadai AcAryan and his wife fainted. After some time, they recovered. He told angrily to the Sishya that the name “pIDAkaran” (causing of trouble/pain) to him was very appropriate. Kantadai SvAmi decided to seek the pardon of SvAmi DeSikan. He and his wife left Srirangam. They arrived at Satyamanagalam. They prostrated before SvAmi DeSikan. SvAmi DeSikan asked about Kantadai SvAmi about purpose of the visit to Satyamangalam and the reason for the discoloration of the skin on the body of the AcAryan. Kantadai AcAryan explained that the apacAram committed by his [[127]] SishyAs to SvAmi DeSikan led to this disease. He sought the pardon of SvAmi DeSikan. They declared their intention to partake the SrIpAda tIrtham SvAmi DeSikan for a year. Every day, the couple had the SrIpAda tIrtham. The skin discoloration disappeared and the disease got cured. During this time, Lakshmanacharyar’s wife became pregnant and a male child was born to them. The couple returned for Srirangam after requesting SvAmi DeSikan to return to Srirangam in a year’s time. The child was named as “tIrtha PiLLai because he was born of the glories of SvAmi DeSikan’s SrIpAda tIrtham, which also cured Lakshmanacharyar’s disease. The child was also given another name as AyiAzhvAn PiLLai.
Brahmatantra Svatantra jIyar
While he was residing in Satyamangalam, SvAmi DeSikan had a longing to perform the MangaLaSAsanam of SrI Ranganathan. He left his wife and son at Satyamangalam and went to Srirangam with PeraruLALa jIyar and other SishyAs. At Srirangam, he had the darSana saubhAgyam of SrI Ranganathan to his heart’s content. The sorrows from his long separation from the Lord of Srirangam got reduced. While at Srirangam, a reputed VidvAn came to SvAmi’s side and expressed his desire to have a debate on the meanings of VedAnta mantrams. SvAmi asked PeraruLala jIyar to represent him at that debate. The jIyar took part in the debate and defeated the visiting scholar in three days with the help of SatadUshaNI and other granthams. The jIyar returned to his AcAryan’s sannidhi and briefed him the way by which he conducted that debate. SvAmi DeSikan was very pleased and called his Sishya as “brahmatantra svatantrar”. From then on, PeraruLALa jIyar was called as “brahmatantra svatantrar”. Sudarsana Bhattar and others were very happy about the honor to the jIyar.
At this time, the troubles caused by the invading army of Muslims were significant at Srirangam. The Temple officials constructed a stone wall before the mUlavar and placed a replica of the utsava mUrti before the stone wall. They carried away the original utsava mUrti with His two PirATTis to Tirumala. At Srirangam, the army of the invaders caused a lot of trouble to the VaishNavAs there. Now, Sudarsana Bhattar gave the grantham of SrutaprakASikA and requested SvAmi DeSikan to examine it critically and then expand its outreach through kAlakshepams. Bhattar explained that it was indeed the wish of his AcAryan, Nadadur Ammal. Besides SrutaprakASikA, Bhattar handed over his sons to the care of SvAmi DeSikan for protection. Bhattar followed the ghoshThI carrying the utsava mUrtis out of Srirangam. [[128]] The Muslim soldiers killed Bhattar. SvAmi DeSikan hid the grantham in the earth and he lay down in the middle of the heap of corpses. After sun set, SvAmi took out the hidden grantham and walked with the sons of Bhattar to Satyamangalam through the forest. SvAmi’s heart was full of grief over the loss of Bhattar. PeraruLALa jIyar who got separated from DeSikan’s party met him again unexpectedly and got reunited. SvAmi DeSikan continued with his lessons on SrutaprakASikA. SvAmi DeSikan conducted the sacred thread ceremonies for the children of Bhattar and initiated them in to the tradition of grantha kAlakshepams.
Arrival at Tirunarayanapuram
Later on one day, SvAmi DeSikan visited Tirunarayanapuram with his family and SishyAs. There, he performed the MangaLASAsanams of Selva PiLLai, Yadugiri NacchiyAr and BhAshyakArar and felt very happy. Here, TirunarAyanan decreed through the arcaka mukham that his son, Kumara Varadacharyar should succeed SvAmi DeSikan in spreading Bhagavad Ramanuja siddhAntam. SvAmi DeSikan was very happy to hear the Lord’s command. He stayed at Tirunarayanapuram for a few days.
avatAram of taniyan “rAmAnuja dayA pAtram”
Kumara Varadacharyar started with Bhagavad Vishaya kAlakshepam at Tirunarayanapuram. SvAmi DeSikan inquired Brahmatantra svatantra jIyar about starting of Bhagavad Vishaya kAlakshepam. JIyar replied, that the special anugraham of Tirunarayanan and EmperumAnAr are with Kumara Varadacharyar and therefore he would like to perform Bhagavad Vishaya kAlakshepam under Kumara Varadacharyar and consider him as his AcAryan for the Bhagavad Vishaya kAlakshepam instead of relating to him as a satIrthya (classmate) in that kAlakshepa ghoshThI. The jIyar requested the permission of SvAmi DeSikan for this decision. SvAmi DeSikan granted his permission. VeNNai Kootta jIyar also wished to join this ghoshThI. The series of kAlakshepams started on an AvaNi Hastam day of bahudhAnya samvatsaram. At that time, the taniyan of “SrImallakshmaNa yogIndra” was presented to Kumara varadacharyar by Brahmatantra svatantrar. Next, the jIyar presented the taniyan of “rAmAnuja dayA pAtram” for SvAmi DeSikan and then recited Guru paramparA for kAlakshepams on Bhagavad Vishayam. The series started in the presence of SvAmi DeSikan.
[[129]] When SvAmi DeSikan heard this, he observed that the taniyan “SrImAn venkaTanAthArya” describes his (SvAmi DeSikan’s) vaibhavam. The taniyan of “rAmAnuja dayA pAtram” speaks about the vaibhavam of the sadAcArya kaTAksham that we have been blessed with. SvAmi DeSikan was very happy over these taniyans. He recommended the recitation of the taniyan of “SrImAn venkaTanAthArya” at the beginning of SrI BhAshya kAlakshepam and the taniyan of “rAmAnuja dayA pAtram” before Bhagavad Vishaya kAlakshepam. This tradition continues even today. SvAmi created a Slokam in praise of Tirunarayanan, starting with, “nava nava bahu bhogAm”. After the MangaLASAsanam of Tirunarayanan, SvAmi took leave of the Lord and returned to Satyamangalam.
Out of the sorrow of being separated from the Lord Ranganathan and intense desire for the Lord to return to Srirangam as before and enjoy His utsavams and blemishless tiruvArAdhanams, SvAmi DeSikan created a stuti, “abhIti stavam” and performed Prapatti to Lord, SrI Ranganathan.
Lord Ranganathan pleased with this, decided to return to Srirangam. At this time, GoppaNaryan, the local chieftain of Chenji brought SrI Ranganathan from Tirumala. For some time, he was doing kaimkaryam and worshipping the Lord there. He then returned the Lord to Srirangam. The utsavams at Srirangam continued as before. When SvAmi DeSikan heard about it, his eyes shed happy tears. SvAmi returned now to Srirangam with his family and SishyAs. He received tIrtha prasAdams at the Lord’s sannidhi. SvAmi lived permanently at Srirangam, performing MangaLASAsanam of Sri Ranganathan, praising the Lord to live until the end of kAla tattvam/ones’s time with great aiSvaryam and free from any deficiencies (“இனிக் கால தத்துவம் உள்ளவரையில் ஒரு குறையுமென்றிக்கே பெரும் செல்வத்தோடு வாழ்ந்திடுக வாழ்ந்திடுக” -inikkAla tattuvam uLLAvaraiyil oru kuRaiymenRikkE perum selvattODu vAzhintiDuga vAzhintiDuga).
During this time, a VaishNava from Tillai tirucciitrakoodam (Chidambaram) visited SvAmi DeSikan. He told SvAmi that the deekshitars of Tillai were fighting with each other and if the kings were favorable, Lord Govindarajan could be consecrated again. SvAmi informed this news to GoppaNAryan of Chenji. GoppaNAryan consecrated Lord Govindarajan as before. SvAmi performed MangaLASAsanam for Lord Govindarajan at Tillai and bid farewell to GoppaNAryan. Thereafter, SvAmi DeSikan returned to Srirangam. [[130]]
Then, Tirumalai Srinivasacharyar came from Perumal Koyil (Kanchipuram) and performed VedAnta kAlakshepam under the sacred feet of SvAmi DeSikan.
Subsequent to the consecration of Lord Govindarajan at Tillai, the Saivites of Tillai were very angry at SvAmi DeSikan. They thought of suppression of speech faculty (Vagbandhanam) for SvAmi DeSikan and make him suffer. They came to Srirangam and got the administrators of Periya Koyil under their influence. They stopped the conductance of the adhyayana utsavam. Using mantrams with dushTa devatAs in command, they suppressed the speaking power of SvAmi DeSikan. SvAmi understood that black magic was used by the Saivites. He recited mentally dvaya mantiram followed by “SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH”. He regained control of the faculty of speech and began the debate with them. SvAmi DeSikan with his limitless mantra Sakti, made them unable to speak. Later, the Saivites fell at SvAmi’s feet and sought SvAmi’s refuge and protection. SvAmi drove away the harm causing lowly mantrams from them. Thereafter, the adhyayana utsavam continued.
SvAmi DeSikan now composed SrImad Rahasya traya sAram, which teaches us the means to gain moksham, the supreme goal of one’s life through the performance of SaraNAgati in the prescribed manner. The esoteric granthams of “sAradIpam” and “Virodha parihAram” followed.
SvAmi DeSikan blessed us with Prabandha sAram that describes the day of incarnation of the AzhvArs, their place of birth and the month. He stayed at Srirangam as the most eminent protector of SrImad Bhagavad Ramanuja siddhAntam.
There are twelve SishyAs who sought the protection of SvAmi DeSikan’s sacred feet and became leading defenders of the VaishNava siddhAntam and became dear to him. They are:
- Kumara Varadacharyar 2. Brahamatantra svatantra jIyar 3. VeNNeykootta jIyar 4. KunchappUr Ramanuja jIyar 5. PrabhAkara jIyar 6. Kantadai EmpAr www.sadagopan.org AcArya Vaibhavam 131
- Tirumalai SrInivasacharyar 8. Tirumalai NallAn 9. tIrthappiLLai 10. KiDAmbippiLLai 11. KomANDur PiLLai 12. tUppul appai
Victory over the Sculptor
A sculptor belonging to a mAya matam, being angry at SvAmi DeSikan defeating the tenets of his darSanam through granthams like SatadUshaNI et al, came to SvAmi. He challenged SvAmi DeSikan in a contest telling, “SvAmi, you being a “sarvatantra svantarar” and if you also know Silpa SAstram, you have to sculpt a vigraham closely resembling you”. SvAmi accepted the challenge. During the night, Sri Ranganathan appeared in SvAmi’s dream and commanded him to make an arcA vigraham with j~nAna mudrA on the right and a SrI koSam on the left hand. SvAmi completed the task given by the Lord. The master sculptor saw the vigraham created by SvAmi and his happiness and confidence were diminished. SvAmi asked the sculptor to create a base (pITham for the vigraham. The sculptor created an appropriate pITham and presented it to SvAmi. At that time, the sculptor noticed a defect on one of the cheeks of the vigraham. He decided to remove it with his chisel. Immediately, blood began to gush out from the physical body of SvAmi DeSikan. The sculptor was frightened now and admitted his ignorance about the fine points of Silpa SAstram. SvAmi consoled him and there after created a grantham named “SilpArthasAram”. At that time, SvAmi was one hundred years old.
avatAra samApanam (Conclusion of Svami’s incarnation)
On the Saumya samvatsaram, Krittika month, PaurNami day, SvAmi DeSikan gave to Kumara Varadacharyar his ArAdhana mUrti, PeraruLAlan and sudarSana pAncajanyams that he received from AppuLLAr. SvAmi gave SrI HayagrIva mUrti to Brahmatantra svantara jIyar for ArAdhanam. SvAmi DeSikan placed now his holy head on the lap of Kumara Varadacharyar and his holy feet on the lap of Brahmatantra svatantra jIyar. This was at SvAmi DeSikan’s home in Vadakku Tiruveedhi opposite the sannidhi of SrI Ranganayaki tAyAr. [[132]] SvAmi DeSikan meditated on the sacred feet of his AcAryan AppuLLAr and ascended to Paramapadam.
Kumara varadacharyar and the other SishyAs were very sad. Kumara Varadacharyar consoling himself got up and created a Slokam:
कवितार्किकसिंहाय कल्याणगुणशालिने।। श्रीमते वेङ्कटेशाय वेदान्तगुरवे नमः॥
kavitArkka simhAya kalyANa guNaSAline | SrImate venkaTeSAya vedAnta gurave namaH ||
Kumara varadacharyar paid his daNDavat praNAmams to the mortal remains (carama tirumEni) of SvAmi DeSikan. After that, he completed all the final rites for his father cum AcAryan.
After the conclusion of the final rites for SvAmi DeSikan on the command of SriranganacchiyAr, KumAra VaradAcharyar consecrated a Vigraham of SvAmi DeSikan in a sannidhi opposite Her and was performing ArAdhanam for that arcA mUrti. He conducted kAlakshepams for his SishyAs and lived at Srirangam.
(Note by aDiyEn Sadagopan: After several years, on the niyamaman of SrI Ranganayaki tAyAr, SrI Adi vaN SaThakopa jIyar renovated the sannidhi of SvAmi DeSikan. This kaimkaryam of the jIyar was also mentioned under the vaibhavam of the jIyar. This sannidhi of SvAmi DeSikan is under the AdhInam/administartion of SrI maTham). This arcA is different from the arcA sculpted by SvAmi DeSikan himself. This was later moved from SvAmi DeSikan’s tirumAligai to Thiruvaheendrapuram and was consecrated by his tirukkumArar in the sannidhi of SrI Devanathan and received AradhAnams there).
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