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Sri Ranganatha Temple and Srimad Bhagavad Geeta

From the Bhakti List Archives

Bharadwaj, Jaganath • April 30, 1998 


To commemorate Sri Ramanuja Thirunakshatram, adiyen wishes to undertake
an 18 brick kainkaryam to support Sri Ranganatha Temple as well as make
a contribution to the English speaking Srivaishnava community of North
America.  adiyen has obtained the blessings of Sri V. Sadagopan and Dr.
Venkat Kanumalla for the launching of this project.  There is currently
a good book out in English on Srimad Bhagavad Geeta by Dr. V. N. Gopala
Desikan.  However upon reading the Tamil book by the late Sri. U. Ve
Thirukullam Narasimharaghavachariar, adiyen found that the book was
divided into four sections for each chapter.  One chapter is called the
Parama Saaram and presents that chapter in soap opera style dialogue
requiring no knowledge of in-depth philosophy.  The philosophy is
conveyed through the emotions and words of the actors in the play
(Dhritarashtra, Sanjaya, Arjuna and Sri Krishna).  It is this part that
adiyen wishes to translate in 18 postings on the Bhakti list.  It will
be published as a booklet once the postings are completed.  The other
section is an elaboration on Sri Alavandaar's Gitartha Sangarham.  The
third section is a verse by verse commentary with emphasis on the main
points of each shloka as well as brief statements about Sankara and
Madhwacharya's interpretations.  The last section deals with the
Puranas' narration of benefits of chanting each chapter.

About the author.  Sri Thirukullam Narasimha Raghavachariar was born in
Thirukullam in 1924.  He had his early education in Thirukullam, middle
education in Tirupati and finally obtained a Shiromani degree in
Sanskrit from Madhurantakam oriental college.  He was one of its first
graduates.  He later did Kalakshepam under Srimad Injemedu Azhagiya
Singar and spent the rest of His life specializing in lecturing on
Srimad Bhagavad Geeta alone.  This book is the result of a lifetime of
such specialization.

After Srimad Mukkur Azhagiya Singar received instructions in a dream to
build the Raja Gopuram, simply by giving these lectures Sri
Narasimharaghavachariar raised two hundred thousand rupees for this
project at a time when people were still scoffing at the idea.  adiyen
prays to Sri Thirukullam Narasimharaghavachariar Swamy who attained
Paramapadam in 1982, to bless this kainkaryam with an accurate portrayal
of the drama in English as well as the resources needed to construct the
temple.  The first chapter will placed at the feet of Bhagawath Ramanuja
at Sri Ranganatha Temple on Saturday May 2, and will be posted to the
Bhakti list next week.

This translation will be useful for both those who have read the
philosophy and for those who are new to the subject and would like a
presentation in layman's language.

If anybody finds this translation useful and would like to give a
dakshina to the Acharyas who made this possible, then please visit,

http://dileepan.busi.utc.edu/ahboard.html

Finally for Sri Ramanuja Thirunakshatram, if anybody wishes to buy a
book on the life of Sri Ramanujacharya in English, it is available for
$15.00  Please make your check to Sri Ahobila Muth 1908 Preswood Drive,
Hixson, TN 37343.