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abhinava dESika - SrI UttamUr Swamy Divya Charitham- 11

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Madhavakkannan V • January 14, 2002 


SrI:
Sri Padmavathi Sametha Srinivasa Parabrahmane Namaha.
Sri Perundhevi Sametha Devadhiraja Parabrahmane Namaha.
SrimathE Bhagavad Ramanujaya Namaha:
SrimathE Nigamantha Mahadesikaya 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]

THE POET:

In between his duties as a Professor in the college, whenever he had
time, Our Swami was devoting the spare hours to writing a KAVYAM
called VENKATESA KALYANA CHARITAM.  Even while staying in
Madurantakam, as a student, Our Swami had a taste for writing poems.
He wrote a Stotra Grantha called JANAKI SATAKAM on Janakavalli Thayar
and also two chapters as a “Kalpana Kavyam.  The then Supervisor of
the Patasala, Sriman R.V.Krishnamachariar Swami, very much appreciated

Our SwamiÂ’s Poetic Genius.  Normally, as a habit, Our Swami used to go on 
composing Poems but never used to go on composing Poems but never used to 
preserve them.  As a student at Tiruvaiyaru, he had to study two Shastras at 
the same time and he never had much spare time for his 
“Poem-writing-Avocation” and hobby.  He used to write Poems during holidays 
with avidity, mostly of his family deity. Lord
Tiruvengadamudaiyan.   As he wrote his Final Siromani Examination,
after worship at Lord Aravamudhan Sannidhi, at Kumbakonam in which he
passed as Presidency First, he wanted to show his gratitude to Sri
Komalavalli Thayar for Her blessings.  He then wrote a Stotra called
KOMALAVALLI PANCHASAT.  Manuscripts of may of the poems are not
available now but they served the purpose alright as thanks-giving to
the various deities on whom the poems were composed at appropriate
times.  What remained today, from the lots of Poems written at his
early age are the Poems written on Lord Tiruvengadamudaiyan and the
Tayar at Tiruchanur etc.  Most of these poems were published by
Devasthanam by its Director Sri Krishamachariar Swami, in the book
called VENKATESA KAVYA KALAPA, and hence saved from misplacement and
loss of manuscripts.  Our SwamiÂ’s talent as an Outstanding POET can be very 
easily appreciated if one goes throught the various Verses at the Opening 
and Closing of chapters of all his granthas and also in the middle, whenever 
the need arises to make some points easily
remembered.

His book will be abundant with such Poems in various
VRITTAS and as Karikas in Anushtup.  Especially, in his mammoth
publication, PARAMAARTHA BHOOSHANAM (which, we are told, is used a text book 
in Beijing University for advanced study of Vedanta) and
PARAMARTHA PRAKASIKA, we can find many Slokas pregnant with meaning
and if all of them are gathered and published in a book form, it will
itself become a big grantha worth preserving.  Even during ordinary
correspondence to his scholar-friends and to his father also, Our
Swami used to write only a poem form.  Once at Pudagraham, he was
asked by his Revered Acharya to send a message to Sri U.Ve.
Srinvatsangacharya, asking him to come over to Pudagraharam at once.
Our Swami wrote a poem conveying the message.  When Sri
U.Ve.Srivatsangacharya came to Pudagraharam he said that the poem was
so good that he could not have stayed back without coming as he wanted to 
come in person to congratulate Our Swami and to share his pleasure of 
reading the poem, with others at Pudagraharam.  Our SwamiÂ’s Revered Acharya, 
after going through the Poems on Lord Tiruvengadamudayan praised saying that 
the poems are just in the style of ancient Acharyas and will be a good treat 
for those who want to read a good poem.  In one such similar mood, Our Swami 
started writing a Full Kavyam on Lord of the Seven Hills and about four 
chapters were completed starting from the Avatara of Tayar at Tiruchuganur, 
her joining Lord Tiruvengadamudayan and His marriage to Princess Padmavathi 
Devi.  (This was also published later).  But another important work came in 
between which prevented Our Swami from devoting any time for writing more on 
this subject and the work was temporarily suspended; (but Alas! Was never 
taken up for completion).  This important work that interfered was the 
command of his Revered Acharya to write a Kandana Grantha for the book 
called ADVAITHAMODA written by one Vasudeva Abhyankara Sarma, a famous 
pandit from Poona, at that time.  He was the same person who printed and 
published our SRI BHASHYA with Pramana Akaram  from Poona earlier.  This 
book
Advaitahamoda was a kandanam for the Advaita mata criticism in JIGNASA 
ADHIKARANAM of Sri Bhashyam.  The above book was brought to
Kanchipuram by one Sir Dikshitaji, the Head of the Sri Vallabhacharya
Sampradaya, and handed over to Sri Koliyalam Swami with a request that if 
anybody could come forward to write a Kandana grantha for the book 
Advaithamoda, he would bear the entire cost.

The same day, in the evening, Our Swami accidentally came to Kanchipuram 
from Tirupati to pay his homage to his Revered Acharya and Sri Koliyalam 
Swami handed over the book to Our Swami and explained to him how he came to 
have the book.  He then ordered Our Swami to undertake the work as he felt 
that the coincidence of Our SwamiÂ’s arrival on the same day as the book 
shows that it is the wish of Lord Varadaraja Perumal that only Our Swami 
should do the work.  Eventhough Our Swami was at that time busy with the 
printing and publishing his book, the Commentary on Nyaya Kusumanjali, Our 
Swami wrote the Kandana Grantha called PARAMARTHA PRAKASIKA, in reply to the 
kandanam found in Advaithamodam, within two months, at Tirupathi.  Our Swami 
was waiting for the arrival of his Revered Acharya to Tirupati, to show his 
completed book.

In the meanwhile, Our Swami casually discussed certain topics
in the book, Paramartha Prakasika, with a Goshtipuram Swami, and he
congratulated him for the quick work done.  Later on when Sri Koliyalam 
Swami was going through the book after arrival at Tirupathi, Sri Goshtipuram 
Swami also came there accidentally.  Sri Koliyalam Swami mentioned to him 
about this book and remarked that Our Swami had written a Kandanam not only 
for the book Advaithamodam but also for other books on the same subject.  He 
opined that though the objections are all answered very well, the book is 
very concise and short probably because, Our Swami had in his mind the cost 
that may be required for a detailed grantha.  The reply which Sri 
Goshtipuram Swami gave to the above remark was as follows, it seems: “The 
book written by Sri Viraraghavacharya wami will not contain even one 
unnecessary word; only a person who goes through the book at leisure can 
appreciate this.  You will remember that when the request came from 
Annamalai Viswa Vidyalaya,, for scrutinising the book
NYAYAKULISAM of Sri Appullar, we finished only two arguments on the
subject when both of us had to part company on Sancharam from Perumal
Koil.  We entrusted the further work on the book only to Sri
Viraraghavacharya.  You also can remember that Sri Viraraghavacharya
codified the chapters and also suggested portions to be added to the
original; and he finished the work we entrusted to him in a very
worthy and creditable manner.  The suggestions given by him on the
missing portions were very satisfactory and clearly showed his
genius.  I had already, on a previous occasion, noted his genius, when I 
came across how he corrected one or two mistakes in the text of Sri DesikaÂ’s 
Isavasyopanishad Prakasika. Thus, it is fit for publication at once”.
This conversation was narrated to Our Swami by Koliyalam Swami himself at a 
later date).  Later on with the financial help from Sri Dikshitji of Bombay 
the book was printed and published at Bombay and the book was very well 
received by all in the North.

Side by side the work on the book NYAYA KUSUMANJALI, with the
commentary, was also published and was well received by the college
authorities, teaches, and students, as this book helped the students
to pass the Siromani examination without any more difficulty.  It
seems that after going through this book, Sri U.Ve. Asoori Peria
Ramanujachariar Swami, the famous scholar from Sriperumbudur college
remarked that the author of this book should have had the intuition
from Lord Hayagriva and certainly he is not an ordinary one like us all.

Sri Koliyalam Swami also remarked that this book alone is quite
sufficient to fetch full fame to his Sishya, Our Swami.  He also
opined that the style and language used in the commentary are so
unique and good that the most tough portions are explained in a very
easy and understandable manner even by a dull student; and that this
shows the genius of the author.
To be continuedÂ…
AchAryan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Namo Narayana
aDiyEn

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