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Rahasya GranthAs of Swami Desikan

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • February 23, 1998 


Dear Friends : 

I am truly delighted to learn about
the initiative of the most revered 
Poundarikapuram Andavan to undertake 
the reprinting of the Sixteen Rahasya-
GranthAs of Swami Desikanin MaNipravALam .
This kaimkaryam is a magnificient one 
like the earlier release of Volume 3 of 
Chillarai Rahasyams of Swami Desikan
that were made available to us by Navaneetham
Swami Of Oppiliappan Koil . I pledge support 
for this kaimkaryam and hope that we can together 
help to make progress on this project of
utmost importance to Sri VaishNavAs .

Sri Ub. Ve . Vangipuram Navaneetham Srirama-
DesikachAr Swamy and his scholarship is 
legendary . Since Swami Desikan's time ,
no one has attempted to write commntarties 
on the AmruthasvAdhini Rahasyams . The enormous
and painstaking efforts of Navaneetham Swami 
to collect the palm leave manuscripts , 
compare them for authenticity , comment on
them and proof read the pages in print 
is beyond imagination . We are truly blessed
to gain insights into Swami Desikan's
multifacted genius thanks to the elegant
and clear commentary of Navaneetham Swami .
His ability to explain complex doctrines 
in an easily understandable manner is a true 
gift for us . Even when Navaneetham Swami 
was recovering from cataract operations
and angina pectoris , he continued with his 
extraordinary labor of love and blessed us 
with these and other monographs on 
Swami Desikan's brilliant master pieces 
that serve as foundation stones 
for our SiddhAntham . 

SWAMI DESIKAN'S GRANTHAS
************************

The prolific output of the giant of an
AchAryA is housed in 130 works summarized 
in Sri Viashnava home page maintained by 
Sri Mani Varadarajan . They are usually divided 
into the following six categories :

1. Those pertaining to Philosophy and Religion
   in Sanskrit ( 25 works )

2. Kaavya granthAs & other literary works (5 more )

3. SthOthrAs ( 30 items )

4. Rahasya GranthAs in maNipravALa ( 34 items )

5. Tamil Works ( 24 items )

6. Miscellaneous Works (12 Items ) 

Rahasya GranthAs 
*****************

These are the fourth among the six categories
of our AchAryA's illuminating works . There are 
34 Rahasya GranthAs in ManipravaLA . Among them ,
TattvasikhAmaNi , Madhurakavi Hrudhaya , 
Steya sangraha and Saara DheepA are no longer 
available to us .

Navaneetham Swami covered 16 of the remaining 30 
chillarai rahasyams in Part I of his series ,
four more in Part II and the seven more in 
Part III . Only three are not covered in this 
series : (1) Srimadh Rahasyaytraya Saaram (RTS )
(2) GuruparamparaasArA , which is incorporated 
in the beginning part of RTS (3) Paramatha Bhangam .
Srimadh RTS and Para Madha Bhangam are magnificient
and huge treatises in their own right and hence ,
they have been covered separately . The GuruparamparAsAram
gets folded into Srimadh RTS . 

The 16 works covered in Part I to be reprinted
**********************************************

They fall into the Following Categories :

(1)Padhavis:( Tattva Padhavi , Rahasya Padhavi ).
Padhavi means either a position or path . 

2. Maathrukais :( Tattva Maathrukai , Rahasya 
Maathrukai , Rahasya mathrukai Hrudhayam ).
The term MaatrikA connotes the 52 letters of 
sanskrit , which in turn relates to the 52
aspects of tattvAs including the three types
of souls , three GuNAs , the 24 divisions 
of Achith and its relationships to the other
two tatthvAs ( Chith and IsvarA ) .   
 
 
3.SandEsams: ( Tattva SandEsam ,Rahasya SandEsam ,
Rahasya SandEsa VivaraNam ). SandEsam means 
a message . 
 
4. RathnAvaLis: ( Tattva RathnAvaLi , Rahasya
RathnAvaLi , Tattva RathnAvaLi PrathipAdhya 
Sangraham ) . RathnAvaLi means a necklace
of Jewels .

5. Navaneethams : (Tattva navaneetham ,
Rahasya navaneetham ). Navaneetham 
refers to the delicious mixture of
VeNNai and sugar , the favorite food of
Lord KrishNA .
 

6. ChuLakams: ( Tattva Traya ChuLakam ,
Rahasya Traya ChuLakam ). ChuLakam is the 
small shape of the palm holding water for 
Achamaneeyam .This refers to a small tract
of the great doctrines.  

7. Sri SampradhAya Parisuddhi deals with 
the importance of AchAryAs in our sampradhAyam 
and the purport of the three rahasya manthrAs .
In this work , the most merciful AchAryA 
emphasizes the need to avoid the schisms 
among the followers of Sri RaamAnujA . He 
reminds us tactfully that among the different 
sishyAs of AchArya RaamAnujA , there are no 
arthavirOdhams although there might be
Vaakhya YojanAbhedhams . 

The topics covered in these 16 Rahasya 
Granthams are :

The three TattvAs ( Chith , Achith and 
Isvara/ soul , Matter and God ) , the nature
of the Soul , the three types of Souls ,
the four kinds of Achith , Kaalam , Sudhda sattvam ,
Dharma BhUtha Jn~Anam , Prapatthi , Bhakthi ,
the meditation on the Lord and the experience
of reaching Him , Artha Panchakam  , elaborations of 
Athmasiddhi of YaamunAchArya , Reflections on 
the Mitha gadhyAs ( Sriranga gadhyam and 
Vaikuntha Gadhyam ) of AchArya RaamAnujA , 
the significance and purport of the three 
sacred Rahasya ManthrAs dear to Sri VaishNavAs .

In summary , the opportunity to study these 
Rahasya GranthAs of Swami Desikan is  a great
blessing , thanks to the yeoman service rendered 
by the scion of the illustrious AchArya Paramparai 
of Vangeepuram Navaneetham Swami of Oppiliappan Koil . 

May I invite the AsthikAs of the Bhakthi list 
to help with this kaimkaryam and
receive the blessings of Navaneetham Swami
of revered memory and His Holiness Poundareekapuram
AchAryan nourishing our Sacred SampradhAyam 
through many timely initatives such as this one .

Subhamasthu . 

Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan