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abhinava desika -SrI UttamUr Swamy Divya Charitham-4

From the Bhakti List Archives

Madhavakkannan V • January 1, 2002 


SrI:
Sri Padmavathi Sametha Srinivasa Parabrahmane Namaha.
Sri Perundhevi Sametha Devadhiraja Parabrahmane Namaha.
Sri Bhagavad Ramanujaya Namaha.
Srimate Rangaramanuja Maha Desikaya Namaha.
Srimate  Abhinava Desika Vatsya Satchakravarti Uttamur SRI
VIRARAGHAVARYA MAHA DESIKAYA NAMAHA

SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |
vedAntAcArya-varyome sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||

Thanian (Invocatory verse on Sri UttamUr swamy written by
Swamy's AchAryan Sri Kozhiyalam Swamy himself)

adbhutam yasya vikrAntam vEda vIthI ViSOdhanE |
aparam nigamAntAryam prapadyE vIrarAghavam ||

Let us continue with the divya charitham of Sri UttamUr Swamy.

[Article in Tamil by SrI PayyampADi VEnkatavaradAchArya SwAmi ; English 
write up (based on Tamil) by SrI R.VenkatAchAri (SohattUr- Vankipuram 
-Oppiliappan Sannidhi), a disciple of SrI UtthamUr SwAmi. Appeared in the 
souvenir
released during the SatAbhishEkam (80th birth anniversary) of SrI UtthamUr
swAmi on 10th Feb, 1977]

At Tiruvaiyaru college, as it was the middle of the academic year, Our

Swami could not join the regular course.  He was   permitted to sit along 
with the students in one class lower to Siromani.  Our Swami studied MIMAMSA 
NYAYA PRAKASAM, MUKTAVALI, DINAKAREEYAM, VYAKARANA MANORAMA, AND MANY 
Kavyas, Nataka and Alankara granthas,  Side by Side he also studied the 
first half year portions he missed and in the final examination, he got a 
very high rank which helped him to get admission to the Siromani class next 
year without any difficulty.

Apart from the Tarka Granthas prescribed for Siromani examination, Our Swami 
studied other Tarka granthas privately under his Guru, Sri Swachandam Swami. 
  Most of the days, Our Swami used to sit in the mandapam on the banks of 
river Kaveri under the feet of his guru and study for two hours in the 
morning, after both completing their morning Anushtana, and before coming 
home.  Such was the trouble taken by the guru to instruct the sishya.  This 
helped Our Swami to pass the
UTHANA PARVA at Pudukottai Samasthanam examination with distinction. Along 
with Tarka, Our Swami studied, in addition to MIMAMSA BHATTA DEEPIKA as a 
portion for Siromani, other Mimamsa granthas also privately under the famous 
Mimamsa authority.  Brahmasri Venkata Subramania Sastri (also known as 
Chinnaswami Sastri).  The genious of our Swami impressed Sri Sastri so much 
that he even gave to Our Swami, the manuscripts of Sriman SastriÂ’s yet 
unpublished MIMAMSA KAUSTUBHA
and other original owrks of his, for taking notes.  One day Brahmasri Sastri 
called all the students and told them that Our Swami would one day become 
the undisputed authority on all the four Shastras and also will be claimed 
as the “Acharya Par Excellence” amongst the Visishtadvaitins.   It is only a 
genius who can spot another budding genius.  It was Brahmasri Sastri who did 
that then and just as he was saying that, a Garuda Bird was circling the 
assembled people in a clockwise direction.  Sriman Sastri pointed out this 
to others and said that no less than Vedatma vihageswara himself has come 
there to confirm what he said and aslo to bless Our Swami.  At Tiruvaiyyaru 
College, it used to be a regular feature, that Our Swami will pass all the 
examination always in FIRST RANK and snatch away all the prizes. Very soon, 
Our Swami was elected to the Sanskrit Debating Club at the campus and he 
spent his spare time in ably managing the affairs of the club.  Students of 
the lower classes used to come to him almost every day to clear their doubts 
and Our Swami became very popular.  At the time of his final examination, 
Our Swami fell sick and he was forced to return to Madurantakam and stayed 
there for about two months to recoup his health.  The illustrious father of 
Our Swami got worried and prayed to Lord Ramachandra Moorti at the 
Madurantakam temple for the speedy recovery of his son, and finally Our 
Swami recovered his normal health and came back to Tiruvaiyyaru in time for 
the final examination.  The Prinicipal of the college, Sri Vedantacharya 
Swami predicted that Our Swami will pass his examination so creditably that 
the college authorities will automatically take him in the college as a 
staff member.  His prediction came true and Our Swami passed the Siromani 
examination, and stood FIRST IN THE PRESIDENCY.  This got him the post of a 
Research Scholar in the same college in the same year.

Thus, one can see very easily from Our SwamiÂ’s with an illustrious son, but 
prepared and kept ready a galaxy of Pandits and Vidwans on all Shastras, who 
were all experts in their branches of learning and provided chances to Our 
Swami to come into contact with them at appropriate times.  Is there any 
other proof necessary to prove that Lord Viraraghava Perumal blessed Our 
Swami to become
known as Abhinava Desika at the end, when he blessed Our SwamiÂ’s parents 
with a son!

During this period Sri Swachandam Swami used to attend the Sadas at 
Tiruchandur conducted by the then Head of the Utharadi Mutt, Sri Satya 
Dhyana Teertha, the famous authority in Nyaya Shastra.  Our Swami also used 
to accompany his Tarka ACHARYA, and there, our Swami used to answer all the 
questions raised in the Sadas,in a very creditable manner.  Still the Sadas 
wanted to test him on all other Granthas before giving the full Sambhavana 
and Our Swami did this to the entire satisfation of all those present.  On 
the final day of the Sadas,
Mysore Maha Vidvan Sri Krishnamurthiachar, raised some doubts in “Samanya 
Mirukti”.  Permitted by Sri Swachandam Swami, Our Swami presented a 
different angle to the subject and proved that the objections raised were 
not valid.  The presiding Madadhipathi proclaimed as “Uttheenosi” and 
presented full Sambhavana to Our Swami, to the approval of all.  This visit 
to Mysore became a regular
yearly feature.  During one such trip, on their way back, The Guru and

Sishya stayed overnight at Tirupathi.  Sir Kapistalam Swami made an offer to 
our Swami, the post of a professor in Tirupathi college of Vedanta.  He also 
promised to get permission to Our Swami to conduct classes in Sri Bhashyam 
in his house if he feels that such Sampradaya granthas could not be taught 
in open classes and that it is enough if he taches other granthas in the 
regular class hours.  Our Swami consulted his Revered Achary, Sri Koliyalam 
Swami and with his aproval
gave his formal application form.  But after coming back to Tiruvaiyaru he 
found that his commitments at Tiruvaiyaru prevented him from going to 
Tirupathi at that time.  Then Our Swami stayed in Tiruvaiyaru for FIVE more 
years and wrote two books called, VAISESIKA DARSANA VIMARSAM, PRACHYA 
PARCHADYA DARSANA VIRMARSAM”.  In the meanwhile he had already started 
writing the grantha  “MIMAMSA
SUDHASVADAM”, a commentary for Mimamsa Nyaya Prakasa.  The college 
authorities and other pandits felt that this new commentary will help 
students to understand the tough granthas like Tarka Shastra Sarani.

Mahamahopadyaya Sri Kuppuswami Sastri also praised this book and also felt 
that Sri Swami should write a commentary on Bhatta Deepika itself.

But the real turning point in Our Swami's career was the accidental and 
God-sent chance he got to start his VEDANTA SHASTRA ADHYAYANA.  It is a 
wonder that according to Our SwamiÂ’s horoscope the `Guru DasaÂ’, which 
started in his eight year when he had his Brahmopadesa, saw towards the 
later half of the Guru Dasa itself, his initiation into the learning of 
Vedanta Shastras and was completed in a few years.  It is a wonder that even 
the Stars seemed to have co-operated in the
final making of the Abhinava Desika as a full fledged Acharya.  What else 
can the Star do when it is the wish and blessing of Lord Viraraghava Perumal 
of Tiruvellore.

Let us read further in the next part.
AchAryan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Namo Narayana
aDiyEn dAsan

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