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Sadagopan • January 19, 2001 


Dear BhakthAs :

A friend of mine sent me a copy of this note.
You might be interested to know about the contributions
of two great stalwarts to our illustrious sampradhAyam .

Sriman Velukkudi Krishnan is organizing this 
important celebrations  at Chennai.

A few BhakthAs from here and Singapore have 
contributed funds towards this celebration .

An inexpensive set of Dhivya prabhandham Text will 
be printed and distributed to people in villages
besides scholarly upanyAsams by invited VIPs 
at this sathas.

V.SatakOpan    
>Source: The Hindu (http://www.the-hindu.com)
>
>Crusaders of Sri Vaishnavism 
>The 81st birthday of two eminent Sri Vaishnavite scholars, Sri 
>Velukkudi Varadacharya Swami and Sathabhishekam Govinda 
>Narasimhacharya Swamy, will be celebrated on Jan. 21. A tribute. 
>
>VELUKKUDI VARADACHARYA Swami was a star among the galaxy of 
>Vaishnava scholars of the 20th century. His contribution to the 
>growth of Sri Vaishnavism through his oration and writings during 
>the post-Independence era is outstanding.
>
>Born in a traditional Sri Vaishnava family to Krishnamacharya and 
>Lakshmiammal on January 31, 1921, in Velvikkudi, he had his early 
>education at the S.V. Oriental College, Tirupati, and acquired 
>Nyaya Vedanta Siromani from the University of Madras in 1941. He 
>mastered ancient texts such as Sri Bashya, Vedanta, Gita Bashya, 
>Sri Ramayana, Bhagavat Vishyam, Sri Vishnu Puranam, Sri Vishnu 
>Sahasranama Bashya and so on under many erudite scholars such as 
>H. H. Sadhu Ramanuja Pedda Jeer Swami, H. H. Sriranganarayana 
>Jeer Swami and Karpangadu Venkatacharya Swami till 1953. As an 
>ardent disciple of Karpangadu Venkatacharya, he began rendering 
>discourses in 1946 and echoed his soothing voice that enthralled 
>the audience on different subjects in Ubhaya Vedanta. He 
>presented discourses on ``Tiruppavai'' more than 75 times; 
>Bhagavat Vishyam 12 times; Sri Bashyam three times and other 
>topics, through the length and breadth of India since 1948, till 
>he breathed his last in 1990. A year-long discourse on ``Bhagavat 
>Vishyam'' at the birth place of Nammalvar, Alwar Tirunagari, 
>during 1973-74 and a non- stop discourse on ``Bhagavat Vishyam'' 
>for 24 hours at Chennai in 1985 were remarkable.
>
>The discourses or ``kalakshepams'' on different topics reveal his 
>ideas in a methodical, simple and assimilable form. For his 
>fluent and powerful use of language, the Bharatiya Purvasika Sri 
>Vaishnava Sabha, Tiruchi, conferred the title `Vak Amruta Varshi' 
>(orator of nectar like sweet words). His astute knowledge in 
>Ubhaya Vedanta was acknowledged by conferring many more laurels 
>like Adhyatmatatva bhoda Bhaskara, Ramanuja Siddanta Divakara, 
>Ubhaya Vedantacharya, Dravidam naya Kamadhenu and so on, by 
>reputed organisations such as the Academy of Sanskrit Research, 
>Melkote.
>
>Besides being a voracious reader of ancient texts, he produced 
>immortal works on Sri Vaishnavism. His works ``Sri Bashya 
>Saram'', ``Arulicheyal Anubhavam'', ``Ingum Angum'', and ``Pancha 
>Ratnam'' are a treasure for every Sri Vaishnava. His extensive 
>commentary for Alagiya Manavala Perumal Nayanar's ``Arulicheyal 
>Rahasyam'' (14th century) called ``Arulicheyal Rahasya 
>Bhushanam,'' by quoting passages of rare Purvacharya Granthas, is 
>a rare piece. His followers are bringing out audio cassettes of 
>his discourses that were then recorded in a series of books.
>
>M. VARADARAJAN 
>Master of words
>
>Sri Sathabhishekam Swamy, popularly known as he was, learnt the 
>Sri Vaishnava Texts early in his childhood at Melkote and later 
>obtained the Vyakarna Sironmani Title from the Vedha Patasala at 
>Sriperumbudur. He had the benefit of studying the texts under the 
>benevolent care of five Acharyas, namely, Sri Govindappangar 
>Swamy of Sri Rangam (Pancha Samskara Acharya), Sri Elayavilli 
>Sadagopachariar of Alwar Tirunagari, his elder brother 
>(Arulicheyal), Sri Aasoori Ramanujacharya of Sri Perumbudur 
>(Sanskrit Vedas), Sri Pratiwadhi Bhayankaram Annangaracharya of 
>Kancheepuram (Rahasya Granthas), and Sri Karpangadu Venkatacharya 
>of Tiru Mayilai (Bhagavad Vishayam and Sri Bashyam).
>
>Sri Sathabhishekam Swamy was conferred the title of ``Saratha 
>Sookthi Sundarar'' (``sollazhagar'', in Tamil, meaning beautiful 
>exponent of inner meanings of words and phrases). He would advice 
>that one's intention should be good, unmindful of the 
>difficulties and self-sacrifice he may face in executing a deed. 
>When such a person raises the step to do that deed, then the Lord 
>would take up the responsibility on Himself to see that this 
>person puts his foot down correctly and firmly so to reach the 
>desired goal. If the intention is otherwise, then the Lord 
>remains a mere spectator and the person may be thinking that he 
>is proceeding in the right direction due to the small fruits he 
>gets on the way, but the final doom will fall on him as in the 
>case of Ravana and Duryodhana.
>
>It is this conviction and Faith in Him which led to successful 
>renovation of some Divyadesams and shrines of Alwars and Acharyas 
>in his later days. As president of Shri Manavala Mamunigal 
>Kainkarya Sabha, Srirangam, his zeal in this aspect resulted in 
>the discovery of beautiful stone images of Sri Aadhinathar, the 
>presiding deity at Alwar Tirunagari and of Swami Nammazhwar, 
>whose works in Tamil in praise of the Lord are equated with the 
>four sacred Vedas.
>
>Shri Sathabhishekam Swami and Sri Velukkudi Swami had studied 
>together under Shri Karpangadu Swami. On the demise of Shri 
>Velukkudi Swami recalling the famous lines in the Tiruppavai 
>Pasuram ``Thoomani maadathu'', he remarked: ``Shri Velukkudi 
>Swami was dumb in speaking ill of others, deaf in hearing ill 
>about others and blind in seeing ill in others; like Shri 
>Alavandar he was ``eka chantha grahi'' i.e. he had the capacity 
>to grasp and retain in memory at the very first instance of 
>learning itself. Shri Velukkudi Swami reached the abode of the 
>Lord on January 17, 1991, and Shri Sathabhishekam Swami joined 
>him on January 26, 1993.Swami Nammazhwar (India) Foundation is 
>arranging a two-day function when Jeeyars and a host of other 
>scholars would pay homage by recalling their association with 
>these two scholars. The programmes on Tirumangai Alwar, Divya 
>Nama Sankeerthanam would be an added attraction.
>
>K.E.B. RANGARAJAN 


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