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Swamy Desikan-8- SatadUshani- ThUppul maNdapam kaimkaryam

From the Bhakti List Archives

Madhavakkannan V • August 17, 2001 


SrI:
SrImathe Ramanujaya namah:
SrImathe Nigamantha mahadesikaya namah:
SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |
vedAntAcArya-varyome sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||

May the glorious Venkatanatha, the greatest of teachers of Vedanta, and the 
lion among poets and debaters, reside forever in my heart.

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

I am continuing on my appeal and posts on Swamy Desikan and appeal for 
Thuppul mandapam kaimkaryam. URL: 
http://www.geocities.com/lsriniva/thoopulappeal.html
It is my humble request to please contribute your mite towards this 
kaimkaryam, as remembering Acharyan, and talking alone will not suffice.

Let us continue to enjoy SwamyÂ’s GREAT works.

Swamy Desikan wrote 12 works in Sanskrit which can be grouped under three 
heads.

Under the first group, are included seven independent works, all on 
philosophy of VisistAdvaita. The first ones Tattvamuktakalapam and 
Sarvaarthasiddhi were seen last week.

The second work is AdhikaraNasaaraavaLi in 562 stanzas. As the title 
indicates, this work gives the gist of the 454 sections (adhikaranas) into 
which the BrahmasUthras are classified. These sUthras contain the exposition 
of the knowledge of Brahman as contained in the Upanishads. Each stanza 
offers in remarkably crisp manner the contents of each section. 
AdhikaraNadarpaNa is a smaller work on this topic and is not extant.

SathadUshaNi is the Third work which is incomplete containing 66 sections 
only. There is no evidence to find out why Acharya did not write further. 
Each section is called Vaada.
Sri SMS Chari writes in his book on Advaita and Visishtadvaita- “The 
SatadUshaNi is an important classic of Visishtadvaita Vedantha in which as 
the title suggests, one hundred philosophical issues have been chosen for 
systematic criticism directed against the school of Advaita. The text as 
available at present contains only 66 topics (Vaadas). These are mainly 
based on the arguments advanced by Sri Ramanuja in the early portion of his 
monumental work Sri Bhashyam. The arguments are elaborated by Swamy Desikan 
with his metaphysical profundity and mastery over the art of disputation.

The topics developed in the SatadUshaNi each one of which is devoted to a 
discussion of an independent controversial doctrine of Advaita, refer to 
various issues bearing on epistemological, metaphysical, cosmological, 
religious, and ethical problems.

It appears from the order in which the Vaadas are presented give us an 
impression that the work must have been based mainly on the arguments 
advanced in the debate. Though there is no logical sequence in the 
arrangement of the topics, (Sri SMS Chari says), the work is complete and 
highly comprehensive so far as the criticism of Advaita doctrines is 
concerned. It exhibits fully Swamy DesikanÂ’s mastery of the art of 
disputation.

The sixty six vaadas though each of them deals with a specific controversial 
issue, may be grouped under the following eight broad headings:

1.	PramaaNaas
2.	Perception and Difference
3.	The nature of Consciousness (anubhUthi)
4.	The individual Self and the Absolute
5.	The NirguNa Brahman
6.	Universe
7.	The doctrine of Avidyaa
8.	Saadhana amd mukti

A cursory glance at the titles of each Vaada and its bearing on its contents 
would reveal the AcharyaÂ’s zeal in defending the system of Ramanuja from the 
attacks of the Advaitins and also in launching arguments abounding in 
incisive logic, the like of which is hardly found in the field of saasthras. 
The Acharya was conferred the title of “Vedanthacharya”, by the Lord of 
Srirangam in appreciation of this work.

Chakrasamarthana is a work which is lost and which indicated the use of the 
particle “cha” which was sought to be shown by VidyaraNyar as superfluous.

The fourth work is Nyaayaparisuddhi. The Acharya establishes that the nyAya 
system as it is based on the sUthras of Gautama and maintained as a system 
by the commentators, is opposed to the Vedantha doctrines. The logical and 
epistemological aspects of the Nyaya systemare subjected to a very rigorous 
scrutiny and criticized whenever they run counter to the vedathic 
disciplines. The art of ddebate which was developed by Gautama and his 
followers, is assailed using their own weapons. This work contains two 
parts, one on pramaaNaas, means of valid knowledge and pramEyam, the objects 
of knowledge.

The fifth work NyaayasiddhAnjanam is a master piece containing six sections 
on Jadadravya, Jiva, NithyavibhUthi, Buddhi, and Adravya. In the main, the 
Acharya takes up the VaishEshika system for study. According to the title, 
this work offers the magical ointment (siddhAnjanam) in the form of good 
logical arguments to know the Reality accurately. Hence, the Acharya takes 
up the treatment of Soul, God, and mOksham in separate chapters, which are 
clubbed.

Please donate according to your shakthi. The money can be sent to "Thuppul 
Trust" and the address is:

Thuppul Trust
Old No.20, New No.24, Thiruvengadam Street
West Mambalam, Chennai-600033, India
Phone No: 91-44-4741559 / 91-44-3715771

Please contact Sri. V.K. Sudharshan at vksudarsh@vsnl.com or Sri Lakshmi N 
Srinivasa  lsriniva@hotmail.com (He can collect and send it as single amount 
in USA).

The address:

Lakshminarasimhan Srinivasa
3 Old Towne Road, #212
Ayer, MA-01432

For those in the South East Asia, please contact me at 
srivaishnavan@hotmail.com . Please pass on this kaimkaryam to as many people 
as possible in order to complete the same.

kavi-tArkika-simhAya kalyANa-guNa-SAline |
Srimate venkateSAya vedAntagurave namaH ||

Salutations to Sri Venkatesa, in whom all perfection resides, who is the 
teacher of Vedanta and the lion among poets and debaters!

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Narayana Narayana
NarayaNa dAsan madhavakkannan


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