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InjimEttu Azhagiya Singhar Vaibhavam : Part 3

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • January 14, 1999 


Dear BhakthAs :         

In this posting , I will cover factual details 
on the life and works of H.H. the 42nd Jeeyar
of Ahobila Matam to illustrate the greatness 
of this MahA Purushan . It is important for us to
understand the power of the divine light that 
guides and grooms these great AchAryAs in preparation
for the extraordinary role that they have to
play for fulfilling their assigned missions .
We have a great deal to learn from his life 
devoted to Saasthra Grahanam , AchArya Bhakthi ,
Joy in performing AarAdhanam to Sri MalOlan,
his choice of sthOthrams for nithyAnusandhAnam , 
his four immense achievements to preserve 
the SampradhAyam and selection of another 
illustrious AchAryA a sa successor for 
the Peetam (viz)., H.H. the DevanArviLAgam
Azhagiya Singhar . 

1. Birth : January 21 , 1879 at Injimedu agrahAram
alias Narasimhapuram established by the great 
6th Jeeyar of Ahobila matam , who entered the cave
of JwAlA Nrusimhan at Ahobilam in February , 1513,
some 366 years before his birth .His parents named  
this great future AchAryA as Sri Ranganathan .

2.InjimEdu is the same village , where another great
Azhagiya Singar ( the 34th Jeeyar , the Atthippattu 
Azhagiya Singhar ,Sri SatakOpa RaamAnuja YathIndhra 
MahA Desikan )was born in 1813 ,three hundred years after 
H.H. , the 6th Jeeyar entered the cave of JwAlA Narasimhan 
to perform nithyAarAdhanam for the Lord .

3. The birth constellation of H.H , the 42nd Jeeyar was 
UtthirAdam , which is shared by both AlawandAr and 
the Atthipattu Azhagiya Singhar .

4. Pancha SamskAram at the age of Eight by KaLatthUr
(H.H. the 35th Azhagiya Singhar , Sri SatakOpa 
Ranganatha yathIndhra MahA Desikan )in the year 1887 A.D. 

5. Completion of the vedAdhyayanam by the age of Thirteen 
(1892 A.D.).Completion of the studies of Kaavyam and the first
portion of NyAya Saasthram soon after ; this was continued 
with the initiation and completion of the Tarka Saasthram
in Kaasi under Sri SithArAma Saasthri from MahArAshtrA .

6.Entering grahasthAsramam and the Conductance of 
Deha YaathrA through unchavrutthi like Swami Sri Desikan , 
Approaching the 37th Azhagiya Singhar 
(Sri VeerarAghava SatakOpa YathIndhra MahA desikan ) 
for Sri Bhaashya KaalakshEpam followed . 
The Interruption to that effort occured due to 
H.H , The 37th Jeeyar reaching Sri Lakshmi Nrusimhan's 
PaadaadhAravindham before such a kaalakshEpam could  
start. This Azhagiya Singhar adorned the throne for only 
11 months. After he ascended paramapadham ,   
the Ahobila matam throne had no occupants 
for six long years(1899-1905).Sri Ranganathar
was 26 years now . 

6. InjimEdu Sri RanganAthar was thus left without
the benefit of grantha ChAthushtya KaalakshEpam from 
an Azhagiya Singar directly . Therefore , he approached 
a great scholar by the name of SwarNam KrishNamAchAryar 
of SrimushNam , a direct disciple of H.H ,the 37th Jeeyar .
The eager sishyar completed the KaalakshEpam undr
SwarNam Swami and performed Prapatthi at this 
AchAryA's feet in front of Kaanchi VaradarAja PerumaaL.

7. VidvAn Sri InjimEdu Ranganathar spent 8 years with 
SwarNam Swami engaged in sarvagrantha grahaNam
and pariseelanam .Thus a strong foundation was laid 
for a great role as an AchAryan in his own right .
He was now Thirty Four years old and had a daughter.
He visited a number of divya desams -- Thirukkudanthai,
ThiruviNNagar , Nava Thiruppathis at ThirunAngUr , 
Thiruvananthapuram and MalainAttu Thiruppathis ,
Nava Thiruppathis of paaNdya Naadu , ThiruvEnkatam ,
Srirangam-- with his AchAryan and finally settled 
down in Kanchipuram with him in Sannidhi Street of 
Sri VaradarAjan .He was around 44 years of age 
at that time . He had been deeply involved as an 
examiner ( parIkshAdhikAri ) at many a Sadhas , 
a great upanyAsakar and a deeply  respected grantha 
karthA .His scholarship ,AchAram and devotion to his 
AchAryA and Sri PerumdEvi samEtha Sri PeraruLALan 
were recognized as exemplary .He was offered positions
with good remuneration potential and he turned them
down in the spirit of Swami Desikan's VairAgya 
Panchakam ( asthi mE hasthi sailAgrE vasthu
paithAmaham dhanam ).

8.The year was 1923 A.D . InjimEttu Sri RanganathAchAr 
Swamy's talents in giving most enjoyable upanyAsams , 
answering difficult questions about the fine points of our
SampradhAyam and skills in writing about granthams
( grantha lEkana chAthuryam ) were very well 
recognized . InjimEttu Swamy was requested to become
the AasthAna VidwAn by the new Azhagiya Singhar 
( Kaaraikkuricchi Azhagiya Singhar , H.H. the 41st 
Jeeyar ). He  accepted this offer rightaway and 
served the 41st Jeeyar . Outstanding granthams 
on SaraNAgathi were written during this time .

9. In 1929 A.D. the 41st Azhagiya Singar 
asked Sri InjimEttu RanganathAchAr swamy 
to succeed him and initiated latter into 
sanyAsAsramam. Twelve years later , H.H.
The 41st Jeeyar reached the lotus feet of 
MaalOlan and Sri InjimEttu RanganAthAchAr 
became the next Azhagiya Singhar and 
reined from 1941-1953. He was chinna 
Azhagiya Singar from 1929-1941 .In 1951 A.D.,
Sri InjimEttu Azhagiya Singar iniitiated
Sri DevanArviLAgam Lakshmi NarasimhAchAr 
Swamy as his  successor and for two years ,
both the Azhagiya Singars blessed the matam 
sishyAs .

10. InjimEttu Azhagiya Singhar took  avow at
the time of his pattAbhishEkam in 1941 A.D.
to accomplish four things(karthavya Prathignai) :

(a) The Creation of a Veda PaatasAlai at
dhvayam viLaintha Thiruppathi: MadhurAnthakam.
For more than five decades , it has been 
thriving and has produced great scholars and
AchAryAs .

(b) The holding of Sri MalOla Vidhvath Sathas
every year to provide a forum for the great scholars
of our darsanam to assemble and discuss 
our Sri Sookthis and maintain the vitality
of our darsanam .VaakhyArthams are debated 
in front of the Azhagiya Singar and this 
tradition has been maintained for the past 
50 plus years to protect our kula dhanams.

(c) The Creation of  a new Journal to publish
articles about SampradhAya granthams , Sri Sookthis
and AchArya anugraha BhAshaNams . H.H. The 42nd Jeeyar
blessed this Journal with the celebrated name of 
Nrusimha PriyA . The treasures that this journal 
houses are too many to describe here . 

(d) The construction of an Ahobila matam in
 " the North ". That was completed in 
the Jeeyar's life time at Bombay and is  
a model for so may other thriving centers 
elsewhere in " the North " now.

11. During his life time of 74 years , this great
AchArya Purushan has been a link in the chain of
the AchAryas of the Ahobila matam paramparai from 
the 35th (KaLatthUr Azhagiya Singar ) to the current
45th Jeeyar , H.H. Sri NaarAyana YathIndhra MahA Desikan .
H.H, The 42nd Jeeyar  had pancha SamskAram from 
the KaLatthUr Azhagiya Singhar(35th ) and iniitated H.H. 
the DevanAr ViLaagam Azhagiya Singhar(43rd Jeeyar) 
in to SanyAsAsramam as his successor. The two AchAryAs 
to be , H.H. the 44th and the 45th Jeeyars , served 
the InjimEttu Azhagiya Singhar in different roles 
in their pUrvAsramams and have been deeply influenced 
by the InjimEttu Azhagiya Singhar.During his last 
two years, he stayed at ThiruveLLUr and had
the mangaLAsAsanam of Sri Vasumathi SamEtha
Sri VeerarAghavan . His BrindhAvanam is at 
this divya Desam . Next to his BrindhAvanam are 
those of his illustrious predecssors , who adorned 
the AchArya Peetam at the Ahobila Matam Paramparai:

A. The 32nd Jeeyar ( AathanUr Azhagiya Singhar )
B. The 33rd Jeeyar ( Great Kaimkaryas to ThiruveLLUr PerumAL)
C. The 34th Jeeyar( Atthippattu Azhagiya Singhar ) 
D. The 35th Jeeyar ( SamAsrayaNa AchArya for the 42nd Jeeyar)

Thus a span of 106 years (1847-1953) are covered 
by these four AchAryAs between themselves as
PeetAdhipathis of AhObila SimhAsanam and AarAdhakars
of Sri MaalOlan.

12. The illustrious InjimEttu Azhagiya Singhar has written 
profusely and blessed us with the following 8 Granthams :

NyAsa NishtA mImAmsA , Ukthi NishtAbharaNam ,
Ukthi NishtAbharaNOdhyOtham , GeethArtha Sangraha VyAkhyA ,
KritthikA Deepa Kaala NirNaya: , UpAkarma Kaala NirNaya: ,
Sri Saara BhOdhini ( Rahasya Thraya VyAkhyA ),
VisishtAdhvaitha VedAntha kOsa :

The Thirunakshathram of this avathAra Purushan
is being celebrated by the IdhAnim H.H. The 45th Jeeyar 
at ThiruveLLUR for 10 days from Jan 13 . This is
his 120th Thirunakshathram that is being celebrated 
in this BhaudhAnya Year . Please participate and
contact Sri Anand regarding your support .

I mentioned earlier about the greatness of BahudhAnya 
year . One more important event associated with 
the BahudhAnya Year is the one that happened at 
MelkOte. It is there that Sri Brahma Tantra Svathanra
Swamy  placed at the sacred feet of his AchAryA ,
Sri Swami Desikan , the celebrated Taniyan :

RaamAnuja DayA Paathram Jn~Ana VairAgya BhUshaNam
Srimath VenkatanAthAryam VandhE VedAntha Desikam .

Swami Desikan was in his 70th year ( 1338A.D.)
That was 660 years ago ; One hundred and twenty
years ago on another BahudhAnya Year , Our revered
InjimEttu Azhagiya Singhar was born for our upliftment.
This great AchAryan 's birth year , BhaudhAnyA ,
happens to be also the year in which Adhi VaNN
SatakOpa Jeeyar  was initated by Sri MalOlan 
Himself at AhObilam to become the First pontiff 
of the Sri matam in the year 1398. We celebrated 
the 600th anniversary of the founding of the Mutt
in 1998 . The second Jeeyar , Sriman NaarAyana 
Yathindhra NahA Desikan (1458A.D.), the 17th Jeeyar , Sri 
VeerarAghava YathIndhra MahA Desikan III (1698 A.D.),
the 23rd Jeeyar , Sri VeerarAghava Yathindhra MahA 
Desikan IV (1758 A.D.)became the pontiffs in 
the other BahudhAnya years .

Thus H.H. the 42nd Jeeyar of InjimEttu AgrahAram
gives aditional srEyas to BhaudhAnya years and 
is a resplendent diamond in the Naayaka Haaram
of our illustrious AchAryAs .

AchAryan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam on this Pongal eve
and wish You all a delightful makara SankarAnthi ,

Oppiliappan Koil varadachAri SadagOpan