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Vaibhavam of U.Ve. Sri Madhurantakam Veeraraghavachariar Swamin

From the Bhakti List Archives

muralidhar rangaswamy • February 4, 2000 


Sri:

SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

Dear Bhaktas,

Adiyen is reproducing the following summary from the centenary
celebration announcement of U.Ve. Sri Madhurantakam Swamin. Adiyen
requests all Bhaktas to come forward and generously support the 100th TN 
celebration of U.Ve. Sri Madhurantakam Swamin. Your tax exempt
contributions for this cause may be sent to:
SMSA Inc.,
c/o Smt. Nagu Satyan
7821 W Alder Drive Littleton, CO 80128

Namo Narayana,

SriMuralidhara Dasan

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SrilakshmI tragAsya lAsya viBhavasThAnAyithAsyAmbuja
SrIsrIvAsayathIndra divyakaruNAsadvIkshaNaIkAspadam
SrImadvIraraGhUtthamam guNagaNai: sadvidyayApyunnatham
nithyam shrEyasi dIkshitham nathajanE BhakthyA nathOham BhajE

Echambadi Achan, belonging to Koudinya Gotram, was one of the 74 
SimhasanAdipatis chosen by Sri Ramanujacharya for propagating Ubhayavedanta 
Siddhantam. Echambadi Achan's descendents chose to
follow Sri Vedanta Desika Sampradaya and serve the cause of Sri Vaishnavism 
through the succeeding generations. Sri U.Ve. Tirumalai
Echambadi Veeraraghavachariar Swami carried aloft the great tradition
of spiritual ministry in the 20th century.

Born on 28.02.1900 under the asterism of Avittam to Sri T.E. 
Krishnamachariar Swamin, the first TeerthakArar of Sri Kodandaramaswamy 
temple at Madhurantakam, Veeraraghavachariar Swamin
had his early education in sanskrit at his native place, speedily
gaining enviable scholarship in the Vedas. At the same time, he also
mastered the 4000 verses of the Divyaprabandham, the tamil Vedam. After 
Upanayanam and Pancha Samskaram, Sri Swami moved to Tiruvaiyaru to 
specialize in Nyaya Shastra at the renowned Rajah's college under the 
eminent Vidvan Sri U.Ve. Swachchandam Swami.

When he returned to Madhurantakam, he was blessed with the presence of the 
legendary U.Ve. Garudapuram Rajagopalachariar Swamin, who later
on became a Sanyasi with the name Srinivasa Mahadesikan (popularly addressed 
as H.H. Sri Garudapuram Swamin). The latter taught him
Sri Bhashya and the Gota Bhashya of Acharya Ramanuja and Swami
Desikan's Rahasya Trayasara as well as Arayirappadi of Tirukurugai Piran. 
Sri Madhurantakam Swamin learned Tatvamukta Kalapam from Sri
U.Ve. Goshtipuram Soumyanarayana Mahadesikan Swami.

Well equipped thus, Sri Madhurantakam Swamin became a professor of Nyaya at 
Raja's college. For close to three decades hundreds of students benefitted 
from his deep knowledge of Nyaya, Vedanta, and
Mimamsa.

After his retirement in 1955, Madhurantakam Swami settled down in
Srirangam, keeping with the tradition of innumerable Acharyas of
Srivaishnavism from Nathamuni onwards, who made the pilgrim center
their place of Jnana yoga. He was associated with the Ranganatha
Paduka Vidyalaya as a teacher during these days. Always in demand for
scholarly congregations, he was scintillating as a powerful debater.
His expositions were clear and to the point. Blessed with a prodigious
memory, he could effortless recall the right message for his argument.
Those who heard his Kalakshepams go into raptures when they remember
how he used to extensively quote from Adikarana Saravali, Tatvamukta 
Kalapam, the Upanishads and the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. Sri Swami
had begun teaching Nyaya and Vedanta Shastras when he was just twenty years 
old, and so he taught the Sri Bhashyam for nearly six decades, expounding on 
it no less than thirty times. In recognition of his
deep erudition, the revered Swamin was given a certificate of Honour
by the President of India in 1981.

A prolific writer on the philosophy and literature of Sri Vaishnavism,
Sri Madhurantakam Swami regularly contributed articles to journals
like Sri Vedanta Dipika, Sri Nrusimha Priya and Sri Ranganatha Padhuka. His 
works include

1. Tamil translation of "Anumana Adyaya" of "Nyaya Parishuddhi" of
Swami Desikan

2. Tamil commentary of Nyasa Tilakam

3. Tamil rendering of Swami Desikan's commentary on Alavandar's GitArttha 
Sangraha

4. Sri Sampradaya Sudha

5. Sanskrit translation of Siriya Tirumadal of Tirumangai Azhwar

6. Nikasha Satha Dushani

7. Tamil commentary on Jitante Stotra

8. Tamil commentary on Abhiti Sthavam and Sri Stuthi

The celebration of this Mahan's 100th Tirunakshatram is scheduled for
March 4, 2000 (Masi Avittam) with special programs starting on
February 29, 2000. The agenda includes

1. Recitation of Vedas, Divya Prabandham, Sri Bhashyam, Gita Bhashyam, 
Srimad Rahasya Trayasaram, and Bhagavad Vishayam.

2. Vidwat Sadas for five days

3. Discourses by eminent scholars in the evenings

4. Publishing the collected works of Sri Madhurantakam Swami

5. Tadiaradhanai for all the participants during the five days
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