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KurEsar's Sri VaradarAja Sthavam: Part III

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • Wed Jun 20 2001 - 20:03:09 PDT 


Dear BhakthAs:
We will continue with the special background information
relating to the vaibhavam of Lord VaradarAjan of Kanchi
as a part of avathArikai(Introduction ) to KurEsar's
Sri VaradarAja Sthavam .

Sriman Nadadur Vijaya Raghavan Swamy of Bangalore 
Srimath Andavan Aasramam has taken the trouble to send 
this information to us . The long history of Sri VaishNava
Darsanam and Lord VaradarAjan's blessings --time and again-- 
to nurture His Darsanam with AchArya PurushAs of the highest
calibre are evident from this summary .

We will focus on Post-Swamy Desikan time today and add 
some brief comments to the material provided by 
Sri Vijaya Raghavan for our benefit. We will include 
additional material on some of the personages mentioned 
in this note from the 1979 Ph.D thesis of Dr.V.K.N.S. 
Raghavan of Madras University.

We are now going back to Swamy Desikan's time
(1268-1369 C.E).We will conclude with present day 
AchAryAs .

Vatsya VaradAchArya ( 1165-1275)also known as Nadadur AmmAL 
(name of AmmAl given by Lord VaradarAjan Himself) 
was presenting Sri Bhaashya pravachanam at Lord VaradarAjan's 
Temple. Inspite of his advanced age , this great AchAryan 
hailing from the agrahAram of Nadadur (near Kanchi) climbed
the Hasthi Giri , offered milk kaimkaryam to the Lord and
Grantha KaalakshEpa Kaimkaryam to his star disciples like
Atreya RaamAnujA ( maternal uncle of Swamy Desikan ) and
Sudarsana Suri, who will write the monograph of Srutha
PrakAsikA , the commentary on Sri Bhaashyam by His AchAryan,
NadadUr AmmAL. Lord Varadhan was listening to this great
pravachanam taking place on His west inner praakAram .

In the year 1273 C.E. , Swamy Desikan as a five year old
was brought before NadadUr AmmAL , who was struck with 
the Tejas of the Child (nephew of his disciple ) and blessed
the child to become a great samprahdAya Pravarthakar .
Lord VaradarAjan concurred( TathAsthu). Swamy Desikan became 
a great defender of Bhagavath RaamAnuja Darsanam.We have covered 
his contributions resulting from the blessings of the Lord
of Kaanchipuram in the previous note.

Swamy Desikan had a brilliant son , who was like a bright 
lamp lit from another bright lamp. His name was Kumara-
VaradaacchAr (1316-1410 C.E) . Bearing the name of the Lord
of Kaanchi, the Aaradhana Moorthy of His eminent father ,
Kumara VaradAcchAr blessed us with many granthams as
a direct disciple of his illustrious father .PrathivAdhi
Bhayankaram Annan (1300-1410 C.E) became a disciple of 
Kumara VaradAcchAr and wrote the Sapthathi Rathna Maalika 
on the life and works of Swamy Desikan. Later , he became one of
the ashta dhig-gajams under MaNavALa Maamuni (1370-1444 C.E),
who gave us the beautiful Sri DevarAja mangalam containing
slOkams like:

PurushAya PurANAya PuNyakODi NivAsinE
PushpithodhAra Kalpadhru kamaneeyAya MangaLam

MangaLAsAsanaparai: MadhAchArya PurOgamai:
Sarvaisccha poorvAchAryai: sathkruthAyAsthu MangaLam

Two more of the twelve sishyAs of Swamy Desikan with
connections to Kaanchipuram are (1) Veeravalli PerumAL
Iyyan ( whose name as a SanyAsi was PERARULAALA JEEYAR)
and (2) Thirumalai SrinivAsAcchAr . PeraruLAla Jeeyar was
conferred the title of Brahma Tantra Svanthrar by Swamy
Desikan later , when he heard of his sishyan's victory in 
a debate with a MahA VidvAn. Thirumalai SrinivAsAcchAr
held tenure as Srikarya Durantharar at Lord VearadarAjan's
sannidhi for many years during Swamy Desikan's time.
Brahma Tanthra Svathara was requested by ThiruvenakdamudayAn
to become Srikaarya Durantharar at His sannidhi. KumAra
VardAcchAr built a temple for his father at Thuppul/
ViLakkoLi PerumAL Sannidhi and stayed at Kaanchi 
engaged in grantha nirmANam.

Brahma Tanthra Svatantra ParakAla Yathi became the pontiff 
of the ParakAla matam established by Swamy Desikan at Kaanchi 
for worship of Lord HayagrIvan.The entire ParakAla Yathi 
paramparai starts from here at Kaanchi.

Brahma Tantra Svatanthrar's pradhAna sishyar was
GatikAsatham AmmAL , fifth descendant of NadaadUr 
AmmaaL .He became the AchAryan of Adhi VaNN SatakOpa
Yathi before latter assumed SanyAsAsramam from Lord
Narasimhan Himself at Ahobilam . The illustrious 
Ahobila Matam paramparai has thus vital connection 
with Lord VaradarAjan in Sri BhAshya paramparai.
Many of the Ahobila Matam Jeeyars come from agrahArams 
close to Kaaanchi( Injimedu, Karalapaakkam et al)
and the worship of Lord VaradarAjan at PerumAL
Koil was their life breath prior to becoming Nrusimha 
AarAdhakars.

GatikAsatham AmmAL had another distinguished sishyar 
known as Varadha VishNavAcchAr(VVA) of Rahasya Grantha 
paramparai.Sri VVA is the forerunner of the Munithraya
sampradhAyam ( VVA-->MahAdayAdhIsar--> Vaathsya 
AhobilAcchAr--> Shashta ParAnkusa Swamy (Later 
the 6th pontiff of Ahobila Matam )--> Pancha
matha Bhanjana Taatha Desikan--> 6 generations
leading upto SaakshAth Sawmy --> Thirukkudanthai 
Desikan some three hundred years ago.Thus the whole
Munithraya SamprahdAyam and its branches of 
Srirangam Andavan and PoundarIkapuram Andavan
originate from the Kaanchi AchAryAs deeply
attached to Lord VaradarAjan.

Many other AchAryAs with strong connections to
Lord VaradarAjan like MahAchAryaa/ DoddAchArya of 
Thirukkadigai ( 1509-1591 C.E) lived during this time.
The special Garuda Sevai known as DoddAchArya Sevai
is given to this Parama Bhakthan by the most merciful
Varadan even today . DoddAchArya composed Sri DevarAja
Panchakam. ArasANippalai VenkatAdhvari created Hasthigiri
Cahmpu and Shravanandham , 90 slOkAs on PeraruLAlan 
besides Lakshmi Sahasram on PerumdEvi ThAyAr(?) .

In more recent times , Tatha Desikan's family , 
Thirupputkkuzhi Swamy , VilliyampAkkam Swamy, 
Kethandapatti Swamy, DEnakaNi Kottai Swamy ,
Garudapuram Swamy , KozhiyAlam Swamy ,UtthamUr
Swamy , NavalpAkkam Swamy have received the special
anugraham of Lord VaradarAjan.

Special mention must be made of TennAchArya SamprahsAya 
AchAryAs like P.B.AnnangarAcchAr Swamy have done
yeoman service to Lord Varadahan . MahA SangItha
VidvAns like Saint ThyagarAjA , Sri Mutthuswamy Dhikshithar,
ShyAmaa Saasthrigal have composed beautiful Krithis 
on the Lord of Hasthigiri.Eminent musicians like 
SangItha kalAnidhi Damal K. PattammAL, Sri NayinA 
PiLLai have received the abundant blessings of
Lord of Kaanchi .

The NithyOthsavams, PakshOthsavams and
SamvathsarOthsavams and special events in the long 
line of Sri VaishNava SamprahdAyam from the Days of 
Naatha Muni, AlavandhAr,Thirukkacchi Nampi ,
AchArya RaamAnujA,NadAdUr AmmAl and Swamy Desikan 
continues unto this day. PerumAl Koil Varahdan
blesses us with Aravanai prasAdham every night .
On Fridays, PerumdEvi ThAyAr has Her patthi Ulaa.
It ius a great BhAgyam to reflect on Him always.

Sri PeumdEvi Nayaki samEtha Sri DEvarAja
Para BrahmaNE nama:

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan 
 

   


   
  






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