Guru Parampara--Chapter 2

Avathara Sthalam - Kanchipuram

Aatreya Gotra Sambhootham AasrayE sritha Vatsalam |
Yateendram AahAnAsikam PranathArthiharam Gurum ||

He is also known as KidAmbi AchAn. He was born in the month of chithirai with Hastham as his birth star in AthrEya gothram at Perumal koil. He was a very devout and close sishya at the holy feet of Sri Ramanujar and earned the titles "VedAntha Udhayana Acharyar" and "Madapalli AchAn".

The sincerity, perfect discipline, implicit obedience, ardent love and respect that he had towards his Acharya earned him the opportunity of offering Biksha and Madukaram to Sri Ramanuja, his master. Sri Ramanuja blessed Kidambi AchAn with and all the rahasya meanings of Vishistadvaida granthas and Hayagreeva upasanA. Kidambi AchAn strictly adhering to Sri Hayagreeva Aradhana, became the rahasyArtha Pravarthakar to his disciples.

11. AthrEya rAmAnujar

Aatreya Gotraambudhi Poorna Chandram

Aachaara YukthaAatma Gunopapannaam |

Nathaarthi Hridh Desika Ratna Soonum

Raamanujaarya Gurum Aasrayaamah ||

He was born to PranarthArthiharan in the month of chithirai with Arudra as his birth star. He had studied sampradhaya granthas at the holy feet of his father and imparted the sacred meanings to his son AthrEya Rangaraja Pillan.

RAmAnujArya Thanayam ramaniya vEsham

Aatreyam Atma Guna Poornam anarga seelam |

Sri RangarAjamiva Tad DayayAvatheernam

Sri RangarAja Guru varyam Aham Prapadhye ||

He was born to AthrEya rAmAnujar in the month of Panguni with Rohini as his birth star. He had his vidyAbyasam under the tutelage of his illustrious father AthrEya rAmAnujar and imparted the religious teachings to his son, AppuLLar who was also called vAdhi hamsAmbhuvAhAchariAr.

YasmAd asmAbhirEthadh yathipathi kathitha prAkthana prakri yOdyath

Karma brahmAvamarsa prabhava bahupalam sArthamagrAhi shAstram

Tham vishwakbhEda vidyA sthithipada vishaya sthEya bhootham

Prabhootham vandE Aathreya rAmAnuja gurumanagam vAdhi hamsAmbhuvAham

He was the prime disciple of NadAdur ammAl, and born in the year vikrama , in the month of chithirai with arudhra as his birth star to Rangaraja pillan in AthrEya gothram.

He studied Sri Bashyam, Geetha bashyam and Bhagavath vishyam from his guru Nadadur Ammal. He studied Rahasya thraya saram from his father Rangaraja Pillan. He was adorned with the title "VAdhi hamsambuvAhar" meaning one who wins over his vadhis in establishing sampradhaya siddhantham. He had a sister by name Thothathamba, who was later married to Anatha suri (Swami Desikan’s father). He was the maternal uncle and AchArya of our illustrious Swami Desikan.

AvathAra sthalam: Thoopul, Kanchipuram

SrimAn vEnkata nAthAryaha kavitharkika kEsari |

VEdanthacharya varyOme sannidhaththAm sadA hrudhi ||

Swami Desikan was born in the month of Purattasi, in the vibhava year according to Tamil Almanac in the nakshathra was Shravanam, the sacred nakshatram of ThiruvenkatamudayAn. The infant was given the name Venkatanathan by his parents, Anathasuri and Thotharamba. Samskaras or ceremonies like Jatakarma, Namakarana, anna prAsana and shauLa were all conducted to the boy, by their parents at appropriate years. Venkatanatha grew up in the atmosphere of devotion to Bhagavan and his bhakthas.

It was a memorable day in the life of Venkatanatha at the age of five. His uncle Appullar took him to the temple of Varadaraja where his Acharya Nadadur Ammal was expounding Sri Bhashya to his disciples. The disciples, who were so much absorbed in the appearance of the boy, forgot the trend of the lesson. When asked by NadAdur Ammal to his disciples where he left the kAlakshebham, the young boy, with the permission of the teacher Kidambi AppuLLAr lisped out the words to the surprise of all. Nadadur Ammal was so much pleased by the boy’s intelligence that he blessed him with long life, great knowledge, and worldwide reputation.

At the age of 7, Upanayanam was conducted for venkatanathan. From that time Appullar took charge of the education of the boy Venkatanathan. Venkatanathan was initiated with Sri Vainateya manthra by his uncle, who began teaching sasthras and the vedas. He also studied Tarka and Mimamsa and acquired mastery over other systems of philosophies. Due to the constant meditation on Lord Hayagreeva, Lord Hayagreeva was pleased and bestowed Venkatanathan the great virtue of nectar of knowledge..

When he was residing at Kanchi, His unique gifts of poetics and dialectics earned him the name of Kavitharkika simham. His sovereignty in the field Vedantha earned him the title of Vedanthacharya. His sishyas called him Swami Desikan. He channeled all his varied powers, to establish Sri Ramanujas systems on firm and secure foundations, rendering it ever impregnable to adverse attacks.

Swamy Desikan has authored over a hundred works in number both Sanskrit and Tamil. Sthothra granthas (28), Kavya granthas (4), Natakam(1), Vedhantha Granthas (14), VyAkyA granthas (8), Anushtana granthas (2), Rahasya Granthas(32) and Tamil Prabhandams (32). He composed one work in PrAkrutham (Achuya Sayayam) on Lord Devanathan of Tiruvaheendrapuram. His magnum opus in Manipravala is RahasyathrayasAra. Brahmathanthra Swathanthrar and Kumara Varadharya were prominent among his disciples.

In the next posting (chapter-3) we wll continue from Sri Brahmathanthra Swathanthra Swami.

 This article contributed by

Srimath Andavan Thiruvadi

Perungadambanur Parthasarathy Sreenivasan (Besant Nagar, Chennai)