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Uttamoor Swamy's books : Reprinting is IMPORTANT

From the Bhakti List Archives

Krishna Kalale • March 22, 2000 


Dear friends,  PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT REQUEST and HELP.

Protection and transmission of shastraic knowledge is very important.  When 
we get into a dilemma of "to do or not to do" shastraic knowledge is what 
comes to use in every walk of our lives,  as stated in "tasmat shastram 
pramanam te karyakarya vyavastithau" - Bhagawat Gita.  Each of us have to 
be exposed to knowledge of shastras, vedas, upanisads, Gita, puranas, 
itihasas, stotras, naalayiram and other prabandhams.  Our next generation 
should be introduced to "spiritual knowledge". This is possible if we 
protect all the great books written by our great acharyas and gurus.  To 
reprint all the out of print books and translate them to popular languages 
cost much less than other expensive kainkaryams which are predominantly in 
the form of material contributions.  Currently, in general, funds allocated 
for reprinting books and writing new ones is probably just 1 or 2% of the 
total funds utilized for real estate / temple renovation / ornaments to 
archamurthis (which is also important).  However, we definitely have to 
change this wide gap and imbalance in the funding for religious purposes. 
 This is the reason for visistadvaitic pundits are becoming slowly extinct. 
How can we protect our system of thought?  Most of our traditional 
philosophical books are vanishing quickly. How can we sit quietly and not 
do anything about it?  If we do not work on this project no amount of Gold 
or Silver or Ornaments is going to bring them back once these living 
pundits are gone and the books are completely destroyed without originals. 
 I am sure if Lord srimannarayana wants, he can bless us with anything he 
wills, like how he allowed sri Nathamuni to bring back naalayiram from 
extinction. However,  adiyen feels that we have to make a conscious effort 
to protect books and work on the transmission of their rich contents 
worldwide.

When people are suffering in this world in different places, on a day to 
day basis what brings peace of mind is clearly "right knowledge".  This 
"right knowledge" is obtained through the instructions of our preceptors 
and books pertaining to them.  It is our fundamental duty to support our 
acharyas and books.

Sri Vaishnava Seva Samithi (SVSS) was established in 1998 to nurture the
important and urgent kainkaryams like Books Publication, Vedic Studies,
and also Divya Desams maintenance. We have made slow progress in this 
regard.
However, the SVSS volunteers are concerned about the slow obsolescence
of scholars, and the lack of support for books publication.

In this regard, we are honored and excited to inform you all that we
will be focusing on two major projects.

1. Support for Sri Parakala Mutt (details on the plan will follow)

2. Publication of Sri Uttamar Swami's Books

SrI Anand Karalapakkam representing "Sri Uttamur Viraraghavachariar
Centenary Trust" has given us the details about the Printer's quotation
regarding the cost of publication of certain books.

The vidvAns in India are extremly happy about the re-printing work. Some
are frustrated that our ViSishtAdvaita classics (esp. with the
outstanding insightful commentry of UtttamUr SwAmi) are not in
circulation. For instance, during the recent Sri MadhurAntakam SwAmi
Centenary celebration at SrIrangam, one of the leading vidvAns of our
sampradAyam named SrI U.Ve. KAniambAkkam DEvanAthAchArya, a chatur
sAstra pandita, working at the Kendriya VidyApeet at tirupathi as a
professor in VEdAnta has passed on his concerns to SrI Anand
Karalapakkam. This scholar was very upset about the status of our
granthams. He stated that, Satadushani of Sri Vedanta Desika, which clearly 
establishes the rational superiority of Visistadvaita over Advaita is out 
of print currently. .  However, he added, a recent advaitic work of Anantha 
Krishna Shastry, SatabhUshani, which is supposed to be an answer to 
Shatadushani or Sri Vedanta Desika is in wide circulation and about 5000 
copies were distributed to every nook and corner of the philosophical 
world.

In contrast, the invaluable jewel
"ParamArtha BhUshanam", which is a befitting reply to Satabhusani,  written 
by UttamUr SwAmi is not even in many libraries
and doesn't have much publicity also. We are letting our generation and the 
next generation be influenced by "anti visistadvaitic" literature and hence 
facilitating them to embrace Advaita and other viewpoints just because of 
lack of availability of visistadvaitic books.

 The same is the case with many of
UttamUr SwAmi's works. He, (SrI U.Ve. KAniambAkkam DEvanAthAchArya) very 
much wanted to bring out the books of
UttamUr SwAmi to make the whole philosophical world know about the
unparalleled soundness of ViSishtAdvaita.

In the Gita Lecture sessions, we have studied most of Sri Uttamoor 
Viraraghavacharya's comparitive analysis of Advaita, Dvaita and 
Visistadvaita Bhasyas.  Uttamoor Viraraghavacharya's shastraic knowledge is 
unquestionable and indeed so useful  for all of us to really understand the 
beauty of Visistadvaitic interpretation. No wonder that he was given a 
title - Abhinava Desika - He has clearly established the appropriateness of 
Visistadvaitic commentaries as opposed to other systems.  I hope we will 
not be standing still at a time when such wonderful books  are no longer 
available and even the few copies available are getting destroyed due to 
the neglect and ageing.  Eventhough some of these works are completely in 
sanskrit, which many people may not understand well, it is important for us 
to save these books and get some scholars to translate them to different 
popular languages.

The following are the books of immediate interest to be re-printed:

1. SrImad Bhagavad GIta, with Bhagavad RAmAnuja's commentary.
GItA BhAshya and SwAmi dESIkan's gloss "GItA TAtparya Chandrikai",
alongwith Uttammoor swamy.'s tippani and bhUmikai.

Around 680 pages totally; Costs around $3000.00 for 1000 copies.

2. ParamArtha BhUshanam, as refutation to SatabhUshani of
MahAMahApodyAya Ananthakrishna SAstri.

Around 1110 pages (length and breadth as that of magazines like
Nrusimha  Priya etc); Costs around $2750.00 for 1000 copies.

3. TattvamuktA KalApA, along with SarvArthasiddhi of SwAmi dESIkan and
U.S.'s gloss.

Around 850 pages; costs around $3250.00 for 1000 copies.

This is the first phase for this kainkaryam.  There are two to three
other books on upanishads (with the commentaries and gloss of various
Upanishads printed in one book) costing around $2700 each to complete
the Upanishads section. Then comes other granthams like ParamArtha
PrakASika (a vAda grantham like ParamArtha BhUshanam  against
Advaita, written prior to PB, in refutation to AdvaitaModa),
SatadhUSaNi, Tattvateeka of SwAmi DESikan, NyAya SiddhAnjanam etc.

We request all Srivaishnavas to come forward and contribute liberally
to the individual's capability towards this great kainkaryam. We also
request you to kindly come forward even individually for sponsoring the
publication cost of the whole book(s), if one is capable of doing so.  We 
need volunteers who can individually take care of each of these book 
publication responsibilities by contributing or raising contributions from 
close friends and relatives.

" Na hi jnanena Sadrisham Pavitram Iha Vidyate" - There is nothing more 
sacred than knowledge - according to Bhagawadgita. Hence this is priority.

Contributions should be sent by check payable to SMSA Inc (non profit tax 
deductible organization)  and be mailed to

Nagu Satyan
Sree Vaishnava Seva Samithi
7821 West Alder Drive
Littleton
CO 80128-5522

adiyen Krishna Kalale, Nagu Satyan, Anand Karalapakkam

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