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Sri Desika SthOthra MaalA : The Audio CD ROM release : Parts I-III

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • July 31, 1999 


Dear BhakthAs : 

Sriman Nadadur Madhavan announced recently the release
of three audio CD ROMs that cover  18 of the 28 SthOthrams ;
the remaining 10 sthOthrams have been recorded and should 
be ready for release around Sri Vaikunta EkAdasi day of this year.
Altogether there will be six CD ROMs of high audio fidelity 
recitations recorded with great care and devotion in 
the most sampradhAyic way by two brothers from 
TamilnAdu .

The two young Sri VaishNavA brothers are the grandsons of 
a devout BhagavathA by the name of PerumgaDamannUr 
U.Ve.Sriman ParthasArahty , who has studied deeply ubhaya 
VedAntham at the sacred feet of two Andavans (viz).,
H.H. Aakkur Andavan and H.H. Thirukkudanthai Andavan .

Sriman ParthasArathy taught his two grandsons --
Srimans ShyAmsundar SrinivAsan and VenaktanAthan Srinivasan--
the 28 sthOthrams of Swami Desikan , SthOthra Rathnam and
ChthuslOki of AlavandhAr , Sristhavam of KurEsA and
divya prabhandham at  the tenderage of 5 to 9.AdiyEn met 
these gifted brothers for the first time at Sri RanganAthA 
Temple during the 600th anniversary celebration of the founding of
the Ahoboila Matam last year .They helped adiyEn in my presentation
on the Life and works of Swami Sri Desikan with recitations
of the appropriate slOkAs from the sthOthrams that are 
closely connected to the different phases of life of 
our Kavi ThArkika Simham .

The chaste Sanskrit pronunciation , the respectful
sampradhAyic recitation , the sweetness of the voices 
and the blending of the two voices of the brothers into
one made a lasting impression in adiyEn's mind at that time . 
One of the most beautiful experience was to hear
Swami Desikan's Achyutha Sathakam being recited 
in PrAkrutham . Many of us  will be hearing 
like adiyEn Prakruthic recitation of Achyuaya
Sayayam for the first time in our lives . This is 
a rare and anubhavam-filled experience that 
captures the mood of Sri Venakata Naayaki(Swami Desikan ) 
and "her" overflowing love for "her" Naayakan, 
Sri Achyuthan (natha Satyan )of Thiruvaheendrapuram .
 
All in all , it was a most thrilling experience 
to listen to the auspicious and beautiful
sthOthrams recited in the ancient way that we hear at 
Thiruvahindrapuram during the annual PurattAsi
SravaNa uthsavam for our Sarva Thanthra Svathrar ,
Swami Sri Desikan .The revered Jeeyar of Ahobila
Matam is spending his ChAthurmAsyam at ThiruvahIndra-
Puram this year to be close to both the divya dampathis
of KshEthram and Swami Desikan .

AdiyEn was dreaming at that time as to how wonderful 
it would be to capture the entire sthOthra MaalA of 
Swami Desikan for the benefit of all of us 
to get closer to these magnificient sthOthrams
and learn to recite them with the correct 
pronunciations and stops.

Few weeks later , I was thrilled to hear that 
Sriman Nadadur Madhavan of Sri RaamAnujA Mission of 
Srirangam Srimadh Andavan PeriyAsramam acquired high fidelity 
audio recording equipment and started to record the 28
sthOthrams of Swami NigamAntha MahA Desikan as recited
by the two brothers . VaikuntavAsi U.Ve Sri KaNNan Iyengar
Swamy , a distinguished Sri Vaishnavite Scholar 
in his own right  guided the brothers and Sriman
NadadUr Madhavan in realizing these recordings. The brothers
live in New Jersey and work in New York City .They
travelled to Virginia during many week ends to have 
the recordings done at Sri Madhavan's house /studio .
 
It is a pity that U.Ve Sri KaNNan Swamy did not get 
to hear the completed recordings prior to being called to 
perform nithya Kaimkaryam at Parama Padham .Thereafter , 
Sri Madhavan asked adiyEn to review the content of 
the first three volumes of these CD ROMs as a ParisOdhakar.
It was adiyEn's bhAgyam to be engaged in this kaimkaryam . 
AdiyEn's reward was the receiving of the first set of
the three CD ROMs from the hands of the president of
Sri RaamAnujA Mission , Sri PooNDI Vijayaraghavan 
on AchArya RaamAnujA's Thirunakshathram at New jersey
VenakatEsA's temple . 

These recitations of the immortal slOkams of
our GhantAvathAran (avathAram of the Koil MaNi of 
ThiruvEnkatam ) begins appropriately
with the mangaLa dhvani of the big bells of 
the lord of Sapthagiri . Sriman Nadadur Madhavan
gives a brief introduction to the Life and works 
of Swami Deikan , which is a result of significant
research on his part . He also prefaces each of 
the slOkams with a short introduction to highlight 
the unique points about the individual sthOthrams  .
These introductions are followed by the recitations of 
the individual sthOthrams by the brothers in 
a masterly fashion .Each volume ends with 
the mangaLa dhvani of the bells peeling joyously 
from the top of the seven hills .

The titles of each of the three CD ROMs have esthetically 
chosen color schemes and the sacred images of ArchA murthys
eulogized in that CD ROM in addition to the images
of Swami Desikan and AchArya RaamAnujA . These images
of the ArchA mUrthys are a delight to the eye and mind.
The set of CD ROMs will be a wonderful addition to
the AchArya RaamAnujA multimedia CD ROM awaiting
release in a month's time .

As Sriman Nadadur Madhavan observed in his introduction,
about Swami Desikan "no framework in words can do justice
to this towering personality , the wide range of his knowledge
and the burning faith of his simple life".The sthOthrams 
are a very significant part of the monumental contributions
of the towering intellect of Our NigamAntha MahA Desikan .
As Sri Madhavan observed in the context of the avathAram 
of Swami Sri VedAntha Desikan , his day of appearnce on
this earth and his ascent to Sri Vaikuntam to join the divya
dampathis coincided with the days of birth of the First 
AzhwAr and the return to Parama padham of the last AzhwAr ".
These are no coincidences. 

AdiyEn appeals to all the BhakthAs in all sincerity
to acquire these CD ROMs and use it for introducing 
the beauty and auspiciousness of the sthOthrams to 
youngsters to grow their Bhakthi in our sampradhAyam
and sanAthan dharmam with Nigama ParimaLam . Please 
contact Sri Madhavan at the above address to acquire
copies of these rare recordings for Yourself and Your 
families .

AdiyEn will conclude this posting with Swami Desikan's
quintissential upadEsam housed at the end of his Chillarai
Rahasyam named " Tattva sandhEsam " :

sathvasthAn nibrutham prasAdhaya
 sathAm vrutthim vyavasthApaya 
thrasya BrahmavidhAgasthruNamiva 
 thraivargikAn bhAvaya I
nithyE sEshiNi nikshipan 
 nija Bharam sarvamsakhE SrisakhE
dharmam dhAraya chAthakasya
 kusalin dhArAdharaikAnthina: II 

(meaning): Conduct yourself in  a manner that
pleases the SaathvikAs.Perform your duties to 
Saadhus (AchAryAs) to perfection . Stay in fear
of commititng apachAram to Brahmavidhs . Stay away 
from those , who engage in material pleasures and 
consider them as equivalent in value to blades of 
grass. Have MahA viswAsam in Sriman NaarAyanan ,
who is eternal Isvaran with parama dayai to forgive
our despicable trespasses.Place at the feet of
the Divya Dampathis the protection of your aathmA 
through SvarUpa, Bhara and Phala SamarpaNam in
the manner taught by ancient AchAryAs of our paramparai.
After the Bhara SamarpaNam , stay in this world 
awaiting the Lord's call to His parama padham 
like a Chathaka Pakshi waiting  for the water from
the rainy clouds alone.

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,
Daasan , Oppiliappan koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan