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Let us pay our respects to our AchAryAs !

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • November 25, 1999 


Dear Sri VaishNavAs :

I recently brought to your attention 
the plans to celebrate the Thirunakshathram 
of a great AchArya cum Scholar , U.Ve. 
Sri MadhurAnthakam VeerarAghavAchaar Swamy . 

May I request your valued support for the forthcoming 
March 2000 celebrations at Srirangam of this great AchAryA's 
significant aniversary celebrations under the auspices of 
HH the Poundarikapuram Andavan , Sri GopAla YathIndhra 
MahA Desikan ? Thanks to you all for any contributions that 
you can pledge to remember fittingly the enormous contributions
of this great VaishNavite Scholar-Savant . This
is the only way we can " pay back " the immense
services of these selfless mahAthmAs .

Today , I will summarize the highlights of the life
and works of another great Contemproary of 
U.Ve. MadhurAnthakam VeerarAghavAcchAr Swamy ,
who was born on the blessed Kaarthigai RohiNi ,
Sri U.Ve.ThirukkOttiyUr Swamy .It so happens that 
Kaathigai RohiNi is also the Thirunakshathram of
ThiruppANar , NampiLLai and ThirukkOttiyUr Swamy .
 

One hundred and twenty one years ago , during a BahudhAnya 
year , three Great Sri VaishNavite AchAryAs were born . 
These were the INjimettu Azhagiya Singhar , Sri U.Ve .
PutthankOttam SrinivAsAchArya Swamy and Sri U.Ve.Sundara-
Sowmya NaarAyaNa Swamy known widely as ThirukkOttiyUr
Swamy . 

An year before (Isvara Samvathsaram )was born another 
great Sri VaishNavite AchAryA , Thirumalai ChathurvEda ,
Satha Krathu NaavalpAkkam Nrusimha TaathAyArya 
MahA Desikan . He was also born under the constellation of 
RohiNi during the month of VaikAsi .One of his prominent 
sishyar is the great scholar with Naavalpaakkam
sambhandham  ,U.Ve. Ayyaa DevanAthAchAr Swamy ,very
close to Sri Matam and the peetAdhipathis there . 


It is amazing how these MahAns adorned the stage of 
Sri Vaishnavam almost at the same time and stimulated 
each other to excell in the intrepretation of the Sri Sookthis
of AchArya RaamAnujA , Swamy Desikan and AzhwAr's aruLiccheyalkaL .
These AchAryAs were also adepts in Pancha Kaala PrakriyAs 
prescribed by Paancha Raathram . In this posting adiyEn
will pay tribute to Sri ThirukkOttiyUr Swamy as a part of 
the Kaarthigai RohiNi visEsha dinam , his Thirunakshathram .
Dr.S.M.S. Chari , whose marvellous books on
ri VaishNavam that we enjoy , is one of the sishyars of 
hirukkOttiyUr (Goshtipuram ) Swamy.  

ThirukkOttiyUr Swamy was well known for his immense scholarship
as well as his superior Aathma GuNams .These have been euologized
in a ManagaLam in Sanskrit composed by ThODAlam VidhvAn 
Sri U.Ve. VeNugOpAlAchArya Swamy . Adiyen will use these
MangaLa slOkams as a base for this posting to offer our
salutations to GhOshtipuram Swamy .

** This revered AchAryA was born in the family of mahAns 
belonging to VaathUla Gothram . His scholarly father's name was 
Sri Sundara GopaalAcchAr . His Mother's name was Sundaravalli
AmmAL . The year of birth was BahudhAnyA ( Bahudha + anya :),
the year , which is different in many ways from the others .
The Month was Kaarthikai and the star in ascendance 
was RohiNi . The name of the Lord of ThirukkOttiyUr 
( Sri Sowmya NaarAyaNan )was given to the child by 
the parents.

** Befitting his given name , Sundara Sowmya NaarAyanan ,
the child was beautiful to look at and as a sathkula 
janithar had immense capacity to grasp as a young man
the intricate aspects of Sakala SaasthrArthams .

** When Sri Somya NaarAyaNa Swamy was quite young , he had
the blessings of pancha samskArams from HH the 35th Jeeyar
of Ahobila matam , Sri RanganAtha YathIndhra MahA Desikan . 
The sambhandham with Ahobila matam will continue up to the 
times of another great Sri matam Jeeyar , another Sri 
RanganAtha Yathindhra mahA Desikan , (Viz)., InjimEttu
Azhagiya Singar . By the age of 16 , Swamy completed 
VedhAdhyanam , mastered VyAkaraNam and Tarka Saasthram .
He continued studies with his grandfather , the great ThirukkOttiyUr
SundarAchArya Swamy , VedhAntha KaalakshEpam and Bhagavath
Vishayam and Rahasya granthams . He performed SaraNAgathi
at he feet of his revered grandfather as his AchAryan .

** At the request of his grandfather , Sri SowmyaNaarAyaNAcchAr
Swamy began KaalakshEpam for the ViashNava GhOshtis . His
AchAryan listened to them and was amazed at his grandson's 
ability to explain the intricate meanings with elegance
and ease . After the ascent of his grandfather to Parama 
padham , Swamy started his independent KaalakshEpams and 
until his own ascent to Sri Vaikuntam ,he never slackened
on his KaalkshEpam calendar . He was easily approachable .
He shared generously with every one who approached him  
his immense knowledge of Ubhaya VedhAntham .

** Dominant among Swamy's aathma GuNams were his soulabhyam
and Souseelyam . He had a ready smile and gave VidhyA dhAnam
to one and all .Samastha mangaLa GuNams had poorthi in him .
His knowledge of Srimath RaamAyaNam and Srimath BhAgavatham
were of the deepest quality and he gave lot of upanyAsams
on the SookshmArthams on them . The sampradhAyArthams ,
the VisEshArthams  were covered in these upanyAsams with 
great loukhic examples .The attendees at these upanyAsams felt 
that they were mingling with RaamA and KrishNa during the course 
of their participations. Swamy travelled widely and stayed
at many dhivya desams for extended periods of time to bless
Sri VasihNavAs with his KaalakshEpams .In the mornings , he
will conduct KaalakshEpams on Srimath Rahasya Thraya Saaram 
and Bhagavath Vishayam and the afternoons after anushtAnams 
were devoted to other Sri Sookthis of AchAryAs and AzhwArs.
The sampradhAya pravachanam by ThirukkOttiyUr Swamy continued
until the last breath of his life and lit up the lamps of Jn~Anam 
in many Sri VaishNavA homes .He was a referee for checking about 
the correctness of granthams , when some one had doubts on
the pasages of the originals .He travelled with his Aaraadhana Moorthy 
with 15 to 20 sishyAls on bullock carts during his sanchArams
and used the mode of trvel by train twice in his life and 
gave up on it. 

** Although Swamy spent much of his time at ThirukkOttiyUr
made famous by AchArya RaamAnujA's sambhandham with 
ThirukkOttiyUr Nampi , he spent the latter part of his
busy life at Dhvayam ViLaintha Thiruppathi ,MadhurAnthakam .
His devotion to Sri KothaNda Raaman ( yEri Kaattha Raaman )
was most moving to experience .

** He performed dEha nyAsam in the middle of 
Sri VaishNava Vidhvath GhOshti  at Karumpatti 
and the Lord of Sri Vaikuntam performed Parama
Padha youvarAjya PattAbhishEkam for His dear
Bhakthan From ThirukkOttiyUr right there in
the middle of assembled BhagavathAs .

AzhwAr , AchAryan ThiruvadigaLE saraNam ,
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan