Search:
Bhakti List Archives

Trip to India

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • December 20, 1998 


Dear Members of the Bhakthi group :

The " trip report " of Sri Srinivasan 
on his eventful visit to India is most enjoyable
to read .

I am so glad that he had the bhagyams of AchArya Sambhandham
and AchArya kataksham of our great Jeeyar of whom
Sri Anbil Swamy gave such endearing accounts thru
his many lovely vignettes recently .H.H.the Jeeyar is my
prathamAchAryan and only AchAryan in the AchArya paramparai 
and hence I hasten to deflect the well-meant and moving words 
of Sri Srinivasan to the holy feet of our revered AchAryan ,
H.H. Prakrutham Jeeyar .

The sambhandham of the devout people like 
Sri Srinivasan and others alone is fulfilling for me 
to compensate and perhaps ovecome many of my limitations . 
Rest is AchArya anugraham .In honor of our Srinivasan's
receiving SamAsrayaNa BhAgyam from the hands of 
the Revered Jeeyar of Ahobila Matam and to pay my 
own sincere tribute for all his blessings to us ,
I will post the article on the Narasimha Vaibhavam
by Sri mukkUr Lakshmi NrusimhAchAr Swamy that I
promised to Sri Anand . I will also include referecnes
to Sri Thyagaraja Swamigal's and Sri MutthuswAmi Dikshithar's 
Krithis on Thirukkadigai/GatikAchalam  (Sholingar) periya malai 
Narasimha BhagavAn dear to Sri Srinivasan , Sri Rengarajan ,
Sri Venkatesh Elayavalli and many others .The web page created 
by Sri Elayavalli on this divya desam is beautiful and handy 
for our nithya sEvai . 
  
Sri Srinivasan has now become a fellow sishyA in 
this great AchArya Paramparai reaching all the way back
to Swami Sri Desikan , AchArya RaamAnujA , AlavandhAr ,
Naatha muni and the SaraNya Dampathis .Nothing but
auspiciousness can come out of this sambhandham . 

Thanks to the Sathsangam , we all have come together and 
grown together and gotten to know our Sri VishNavA families 
here and abroad , build kinships and develop mutual respect
for our kula dhanams and illustrious AchArya paramparais
of Sri Bhagavadh RaamAnuja SiddhAntham .

We then went on to one of my >favorite koils, again not a divya desam,
Sri Perumbudhur. Here I was more than ecstatic to see and have 
the darshan of our favorite, Sri.Ramanuja. For the >first time, 
we had darshan of HIS Thirumeni, probably, because the Bhattar saw
the Sankhu and Chakram embossed on my shoulders. I am not sure if tears rolled
down, but it was the BEST part of my trip. We also had the fortune of paying our
respects to  Jeeyar Swami (from a distance). As planned, I recited Nootrandhadi
and Gadya trayam. In short, one of the happiest day of my life.

This anubhavam is so beautiful to read about . 
I recall a similar experience of Sri Murali Rangaswamy ,
who recited Daya Sathakam of Swami Desikan as he went
around the prAkArams of ThiruvEnkatamudayAn's sannidhi .
>
>Nov.25: I visited Vedantha desikar hall, and enjoyed the thiruvaradhanam of Sri
>Malolan. For some reason, I am scared when i am facing HH Srimad Azhagiya
>Singar, a feeling that I have never had to this extent. But, i did convey all
>the Pranamams that several bhakthas had asked to convey, and in paritcular
>Sri.Sadagopan, and asked if I could carry some Prasadam (akshathai) for all the
>US bhagavathas, and spread my uthiriyam, with my head bowed. As HH heard the
>initial part, he smiled, but then I remember standing there for atleast half a
>minute. My first thought was I messed up real bad, and started cursing myself.
>but then, he gave me the akshathai. Little, did i realise that HH truly blessed
>the prasadam, and I was brimming with joy, everafter.  that evening, I had the
>privilrege of meeting Sri.Sadagopan's sister, Srimathi.Padma Veeraraghavan.
>(Like Brother, Like Sister). She gave me a vigraham of Sri Lakshmi Hayagreevar,
>and I almost broke down. In a way, i think Perumal is cruel. Why does HE
have to put all good people in one family? Why not distribute them around,
so that all of us can benefit.

The Bhagyam of receiving the specially blessed manthrAkshathai
from the holy hands of Sri Azhagiya Singhar that perform nithyArAdhanam to
MaalOlan is one of the greatest BhAgyams .Sri Srinivasan , Thank
you for thinking of us and requsting our most merciful jeeyar
to bless our various kaimkaryams .
>
>My request was granted, when Srimathi.Padma Veeraraghavan introduced me to her
>achrayan, Sri Agnihottram Ramanuja Thathachar. My respect for Sri Sadgopan
>increased several folds when I heard Sri. Agnihottram swami praise Sri
Sadagopan (Sri. Sadagopan is truly Nam-acharaya). He was very pleased to see
me take the step towards saranagathi, and I sat there mesmerized at his
mini-discourse. He blessed all the Bhagavathas annd handed me the prasadam
from the Sowmya Yagam that he performed recently. If possible, I would
request members of this group to add a note on this Yagnam. The one thing
that typically characterizes this mahan is his Smile. Its captivating and I
was actually reminded of Sri Tirupaan alwars prabhandham "Yen amudhinai
kanda kanngal....kanave", and was relating the same to his smile. I would
strongly recommend fellow bhagavathas to get this Acharyan's blessings. He
was amused at the NAMA newsletter bearing Vadagalai and
Thengalai thiruman's side-by-side.

I have no words to describe the scholarship and 
greatness of AgnihOthram Swami . He si in his nineties now.
His soulabhyam and daya have been extraordinary 
as the AchArya of KumbakONam Taatha Desika Paramparai.
His attachment and devotion to AarAvamudhan is legendary.
He personally participates even today in the ChaithrOthsava 
Veda PaarAyaNa ghOshti at Thirukkudanthai and organizes it.
For those , who have not had the bhAgyam of meeting him ,
I would suggest that you meet this mahAn as soon as you can .
He has started a project now to write about HIndu VivAhams 
and compare them to marriage practises around the world .
His Vedic Scholarship has very few matches . Please particpate
in this project and help it come to fruition . 
  
>
>Srimathi.Nagu Satyan has agreed to carry some of the Prasadam (akshathai and
>ashes from the sowmya Yagnam) to the NAMA conference. If u are not planning to
>attend this conference, please feel free to send me ur home-address, and i will
>be more than happy to mail u some of the prasadam that i have retained for this
>purpose. (my e-mail is : vasan@lexmark.com)

Sri AgnihOthram RaamAnuja Tatachar Swamy has performed
many Yajnams in his life and the prasAdham from his hands
realted to the most recent yajnam ( PoorNAhUthi ashes and
MantrAakshathais )would be a great prasAdham for our households.
KshEma karam .

with PraNAmams to H.H. Sri naarAyaNa YathIndhra MahA Desikan,
AdiyEn SadagOpan