Srimath Andavan Ashamam--Guru Pramapara--Chapter 6

Thirunakshatram: Karthigai - Magam Thaniyan:

Sriman naatha muneendra yaamuna muni Srisamya mindraathmanaha
Sri Srivasa muneendra desika mane: praapthaaga maanthath dvayam

Sri rangesha padhe thadharpithabharam Sri paadukasevaka
Sri ramanuja yoginam guruvaram vandhe dayasagaram

Karthigai - Magam is the thirunakshtram day of one of the foremost and illustrious acharyas of Srirangam Srimath Andavan Periasramam, Srimath Chinnandavan - Sri Paduka Sevaka ramanuja maha desikan.

^{This mahan was born in the year sarvadhari (1828), in the month of Karthigai in a hamlet called velliyanallur. His janma nakshatram is Magam. He belonged to satamarshana gothra. His father, Sri Krishna Thathacharya. named his son as Srinivasaraghavan. It is a great coincidence that two other Acharyas in this illustrious lineage who adorned the peetam were also named as Srinivasaraghavan in their poorvasramam namely Srimath Periandavan who was Srimath Chinnandavan’s direct predecessor and the other Acharya was none other than the famous Srimath Thirukkudanthai Andavan who was instrumental in spreading the Periasrama parampara to length and breadth of the country and made it reach dizzy heights of glory in our sampradaya.}

Younger days of Srimath Chinnandavan

Sri Krishna Thathacharya performed upayanam and other vaithika samskarams to his son at the right age. SrinivasarAghavan swami also underwent veda adhyayanam and learnt kavya alankara grantham. He went to Mysore. And There He met SriRama Sastri who was the Asthana vidwan of the Mysore raja samsthanam. He learnt nyaya sastras and advaita philosophy under his tutelage and thus became an exponent With his radiant brilliance. he even cleared the doubts Sri sastri encountered on sastraic research and earned his awe and accolades. In particular, swami was extremely proficient in tharka sastras. He went to Srirangam in pursuit of the studying ampradhaya granthas and reached the holy hermitage of Srimath Periandavan who was the paragon of Gnana and vairaghya and prayed at His holy feet for the same. Observing Srinivasaraghavan Swami, Srimath Periandavan was very much pleased with His modesty and His sastraic knowledge and accepted Him as His sishya. He rendered Grantha chathustayam ( namely Srimath Rahasya thraya saram, Geetha Bhashyam, Sri Bhashyam and bhagavath vishayam) and satha dhooshani to Srinivasaraghavan. Srinivasaraghavan swami went back to vellianallur after completing the kalakshepam. i

Taking up sanyasa

When swami was in vellianallur observing his panca kala anushtanams and leading a very regimented life of a true srivaishnava paramAikanthi, Srimath Periandavan due to His severe penance and austere life, became very weak.. For the sampradaya to continue to flourish and grow, Srimath Periandavan wanted to choose His successor .After makingseveral tests,Peria Andavan decided that Srinivasaraghavan swami was the right person to succeed Him as the acharya of the periasramam. In the meantime, Periandavan’s health deteriorated.

Srinivasaraghavan swami went back to Srirangam from vellianallur and prostated before srimath periandavan and prayed to him that he be granted sanyasa. With great modesty, he went through the explanation of qualification of oneself to take up sanyasa thereby indicating his readiness for the same. swAmi told srimath periandavan that he did "Sarvasanga parithyagam", completely renouncing samsara bhandham and prayed to Srimath periandavan to grant Him sanyasa. Srimath periandavan was filled with extreme happiness to have chosen the right successor and granted Srinivasaraghavan swami, sanyasa on an auspicious day. He was given the title "Sri Paduka sevaka ramanuja maha desikan".

Since both were Acharyas together at the same time, they were fondly called as periandavan and chinnandavan by the sishyas and admirers alike. This period lasted for a very short duration though with Srimath periandavan reaching parama padam within 4 months of Srimath chinnandavan taking up sanyasa.

Srimath chinnandavan was serving as guiding light of the sampradaya and authored rarest of several granthas when he was the Acharya of the periasramam- They are as follows:

1. Ahnikartha prakasikai 2.Sri Jayanthi nirnayam 3.ukthyacharya nishta vicharam 4.sathpadha rakshai 5. Janmashtami nirnayam ..6.thathkrathu nyaya vicharam.7.Acharya sambavanai kramam...8.Aasowcha sangam

Sishya parampara:- Several erudite scholars became the disciples of srimath chinnandavan, foremost being:- 1.Eyunni SriVaradhachar swamy(who later became Terazhundur Andavan) 2 Sri Villiputhur Ammalachar swami 3.Vidvan ukkur Srinivasaraghavachar.4.Akkur Srinivasaraghavachar. 5..Vidvan Tembarai Ramabadrachar

Yathra

Srimath chinnandavan traveled to Sri kanchi from Srirangam and gave several sampradayic pravachanams(discourses) during His yathra and came back to Srirangam.

Srimath Chinnandavan attained Thirunadu at the age of 68 leaving behind grieving disciples in the year Vijaya (1895), on the sukla sapthami thithi in the tamil month of Thai. Swami was in thureeyasramam was 10 years observing that many chaturmasyams.

Srimath Kadanthethi Andavan

Thirunakshatram: Aavani-Moolam

Thanian

Srimath Srivasa yogi pravarasa kaaruNa paanghasanghaadha BHangaath
VEdhaantha dvandva vidhya madhu rasa lahari chchanchari kaayamaaNaha
THEnaachaaryENa ranga prabhu charaNa yugE daththa rakshaa BharaSri:
Srimath Srivasa raamaavaraja muNimaNis santhatham srEyasE syaath

Srimath KAdandhEthi Andavan was born in the Avani month of Virodhi varusham (1829 A.D) in Moolam nakshatram in a village just south of river KAveri called KAdandhEthi to Srimathi Janaki Ammal and Sri RaghunAthAchar. Sri RaghunAthAchar was performing kainkaryam to Srimath Thiruthuraipoondi Andavan, the second Andavan of Srimath Andavan Ashramam. The child was named Sri Varada VedAnthAchAriAr. He was initiated into Brahmacharyam with upanayanam at the prescribed age and was taught vEdAs and upanishads. He learnt Tharka ShAstras in ,RajamannAr Koil under the tutelage of Sri U.Ve. SamiyAchchAr swAmi.

In his young days itself Sri Varada VedAnthAchAriar, with sincere devotion and strong vairAgyam meditated on the sacred Moola manthram, AshtAkshara manthram and gAyathri manthram vigrorously and attained manthra sidhdhi and power. Later he visited Mysore Asthanam and further mastered in tharka shAstrAs from Mysore samasthAna vidwan named Aakki Azhwan. During this period he also received Sri Hayagreeva ManthrOpadEsam from Sri Parakala Jeeyar Swami and Sri Nrusimha ManthrOpaDesam from Sri Ahobila Matam Azhagiyasingar. Thus he attained various manthra sidhdhi and SathAvadAna shakthi at a very young age as a bramhachAri. He mastered the four shAstras and also had poetic prowess as an "Aasu Kavi".

Sri Varada VedAnthAchAriar was married at the age of 35. Immediately after his marriage, he started on a yathra and visited various samasthAnams.

At Nagapattinam ,a request from the town’s Tashildar Sri Rangaswami Nayakkar, Sri Varada Vedanthachariar swami displayed his Satavadhana skills in Vellipalayam Krishna Sannidhi. (Sathavadanam is a skill where the person performing this skill will tackle 100 questions or acts at the same time). The people were awed by this display. At the end, he asked a palanquin to be brought and he got into the palanquin. He asked it to be lifted only in the back of the palanquin. With his manthra sidhdhi he went on a procession in the palanquin, with no one lifting the front side of the palanquin.

At Thirumala, he was gifted an ivory Planquin as a sanmAnam on one occasion. He later donated this palanquin to Swami Desikan Sannidhi at Thirucherai. He stayed in Thirupati till he completed 60 years.

At Thirukkudanthai

After celebrating his sasthiabdapoorthy at Tirumala, he desired to come and live in Thirukkudanthai. He sold his properties at Tirupathi and came to Thirukkudanthai. He purchased a house in Sri Aravamdhan Sannidhi Street and stayed there. He did many kainkaryams and ubhayams at the sannidhi of Sri Aravamudhan. He was very much devoted to Sri Komalavalli Thaayar and donated a Simha Vahanam for Komalavalli ThAyAr.

Swami’s Compositions

Adbudha vAmanam". Aaraat Prabhandham Swapna Sathakam" When his eyesight had weakened considerably due to his old age, he composed a grantham called "Sri Komala Dandakam" on Thirukkudanthai Komalavalli Thayaar. . By reciting this wonderful grantham he regained his vision completely. HH Kadenthethi Andavan had a special attachment to Komalavalli Thayar.He has given a Gold Karai ( Jewel ) and a Silver Simha vahana to Thayar

Srimath Chinnandavan attained Thirunadu at the age of 68 leaving behind grieving disciples in the year Vijaya (1895), on the sukla sapthami thithi in the tamil month of Thai.. In 1905 after 11 years without acharya, Andavan sishyas went to Thirukkudanthai. Having known the greatness and gnana, anushtana and vairagyam of Sri Varada Vedanthachariar, Andavan Ashramam sishyas went to Thirukkudanthai and requested him to become their Acharya , to continue the Andavan Sampradhayam.

Sri Varada Vedanthachariar was already 76 years old then. He decided to accept the sanyasa ashramam with the intent of satisying the longing of Andavan sishyas for an Acharya and also with the intent of appointing Therezundur Varadachariar as the next Andavan at an appropriate time.

38th pattam Thirukkudanthai Azagiyasingar

He approached 38th pattam Azhagiyasingar Srimath Srinivasa Sadagopa yatheendra Mahadesikan (Thirukkudanthai Azagiyasingar) with other Andavan sishyas and requested him to give sanyasa ashramam to him. Sri Varadha Vedanthachariar accepted the Preksha manthram and sanyasa ashramam from Srimath Azhagiyasingar and became the 6th Andavan of Andavan Ashramam in Avani month of 1905 (Tamil year Visvavasu) at Nrusimhapuram in front of hundreds of sishyas of Andavan Ashramam, Ahobila Matam and srivaishnavas of Tirukkudanthai. He was given the name "Srinivasa Ramanuja Mahadesikan" and was called as Thirukkudanthai Andavan and also as Kadandethi Andavan. An Andavan thiruvadi, Tiruvaheendrapuram Ashtavadani Sri Anathachariar composed and offered the tanian "Srimath SrivAsa yOgi.." for Kadandethi Andavan at the sannidhi of Sri Ranganatha Perumal. But due to his old age, Srimath Andavan used to faint and lose conciousness during pravachanam.

Srimath Nammandavan

In 1908, as Srimath Andavan was getting older and weaker day by day, he decided it was time to hand over the Acharya peetam to Therezhundur swami and communicated this to him through his sishyas. On hearing this, Therezhundur swami rushed to Srirangam leaving his family and properties. He gave all the manthra powers of saptha koti (7 crores) Thiruvastaakshara manthram he had earned to Therezhundur swami and said it will help in his winning over everyone to our sath-sampradayam. He gave preksha manthram and sanyasa ashramam to Theruzhundur swami in Aug 1908 (tamil year Keelakam) and made him the 7th Andavan with title Srimath Vedantha Ramanuja Mahadesikan who was also called as Nammandavan and Therezundur Andavan. After having restored the Andavan Ashramam sampradayam to its glory and after appointing a great avathara pursha like Nammandavan as the succeeding Acharya, Srimath Kadandethi Andavan graced His sishyas in leela vibuti for 6 more months and in early 1909 attained Thirunadu (Tamil year Keelaka, Masi month, Krishna paksham, Dwadasi thithi) after 3 chaturmasyams at the age of 79 years.

In the next chapter(7) adiyen will continue with the history of acharyas beginning with Srimath NammAndavan.

Srimath Andavan Thiruvadi

Perungadambanur Parthasarathy Sreenivasan

(of  Besant Nagar,Chennai)