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asmadhAchArya paryanthAm vandhE guruparamparAm- 13

From the Bhakti List Archives

Madhavakkannan V • March 9, 2001 


SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:

Dearest Sisters and Brothers,

Please accept adiyEnÂ’s dhaNdavath praNAmams at your feet.

Following is the list of most benevolent contributors from Singapore. It 
reflects their AchArya bhakti and reverence/ abhimaanam towards 
AchAryasaarvabhouman His Holiness Srimad Andavan Paravaakkottai Sri 
Gopaladesika Mahadesikan Swamy. In spite of adiyEn's disqualification, these 
Srivaishnava BhagawathOtthamAs have liberally donated their mite, responding 
to even this siRiya jnAnatthan adiyEn's appeal. Though they do not expect 
any sort of acknowledgement or thanks due to their magnanimity, it is our 
duty to pay our sincere thanks and praNAmams /gratitude for their 
contributions. (Sri Muralidhar Rangaswamy joins me in thanking each one of 
you and he will send a separate list for US Bhagawathas who have 
contributed.)

Sri Sudharsan Parthasarathy
Sri Vijaykumar
Sri Vedantam Ayyangar
Sri Achutharaman
Sri MS Hari
Sri Madhusudhanan
Sri Ravikumar Seshadri
Sri Haresh Balasubramanian
Sri Sridharan
Sri Prof Sundararajan
Sri Kannan
Sri Mukundan
adiyEn

Total: Rs.260, 000.
(Equivalent Indian rupees)

Sri AnanthaKrishnan (from Jakarta) has collected from Srivaishnava 
Bhagawathas there and sent Rs 50,000 to India directly last month.

Sri Damal Patthangi Kannan, who has come on short visit to Singapore  has 
also sent directly.

adiyEn intends to continue with asmadhAchAryan series.

After Srimad Poundarikapuram Andavan Sri Srinivasa desika Mahadesikan, Sri 
Ranganthadesika Mahadesikan (RAJAMANNAR KOIL ANDAVAN) took over.
In 1934, in the month of Vaikasi on Pornami day, the AchAryaÂ’s look finally 
fell kindly on the great scholar disciple from Mannaargudi as hed had 
decided that he should succeed him and carry forward the intellectual and 
spiritual service that he had so deftly given a new dimension to. Thus Sri 
Mannargudi Anadavan, (followed then by sri ViNNaaRRankarai Andavan) 
succeeded Sri Srinivasa Mahadesikan (Poundarikapuram Anadavan). And 
Prakritham Andavan is Srimad Andavan ParavaakkOttai Gopaladesika 
Mahadesikan, whose 81st Thirunakshathram is being celebrated.

Today, let us be blessed to enjoy reading the life history of Sri Mannargudi 
Andavan. (This is from Sri Anbil mamaÂ’s article- thanks to Sri Anbil mama 
for his permission))

Sri Mannargudi Andavan
(Vikrama- Vaikasi- Mrigaseersham)
(8-6-1880 - 17-11-1954)

There  was  in  Mannargudi  one  Ramanujacharya  Swami,  one  of  the
descendants  in the lineage of Nadadur Ammaal, one of the immediate 
disciples of Sri  Bhashyakara.  He  belonged  to  Srivatsa  Gotram and was a 
well known Vedic scholar.  His  forefathers  were famed for their 
proficiency in Vedic recitation which  would  charm  the ears of the 
listeners. Sri Ramanujachar Swami organized and  led  the Veda Parayana 
Goshti during the festivals of Sri Rajagopala Swami. He  was  married to one 
Senkamalathammaal. To them was born on 28th Mrigasirsha, Vikrama,  Vaikasi  
(8th  June  1880)  a  male  child  who  was given the name of
Srinivasagopalan.

After Upanayana Samskara, he started his early studies at the feet of his 
father who  also  administered  the Pancha Samskara. Later, he learnt 
Vyakarana Sastras under  the  famous Vyakarana Pandit Uruppattur Sri 
Rangachariar Swami (who later became the 39th Pontiff of Sri Ahobila Mutt).

In the beginning he served as Adhyaapaka in the Sastra Patasala at 
Orattanad. Sri  Srinivasa Gopalan married at the early age of 10 to one 
Nachiyar Ammaal who belonged  to  a very orthodox Sri Vaishnava family. He 
arrived at Srirangam with his  wife and fell at the feet of Srimad 
PoundarikaPuram Andavan and was given a room  in  the  rear  of  the  
Asramam.  He studied under the Acharya the Grantha
Chatushtayam.  At  the  end  of  his  studies,  he  received Bharanyasa from 
his Acharya.  On hearing about his proficiency in Vyakarana Sastras, the 
authorities in  Kerala  Sanskrit College invited him to serve as Professor 
of Vyakarana. Sri Srinivasa Gopalan served in the Sanskrit College at 
Pattambi for 20 years.

Then, when he completed his assignment at Pattambi, he visited Srirangam. 
Srimad Poundarika  Puram  Andavan,  considering  the  Vairaghya  and 
scholarship of Sri Srinivasa Gopala Swami desired that he should succeed him 
and accordingly he was given  Preksha  Mantropadesa and admitted into the 
holy order of ascetics and was given  the  new name of Sri Ranganatha Maha 
Desikan. He was just 54. When Srimad
Poundarika  Puram Andavan attained the lotus feet of his Acharya on 20th 
October 1934  (*Bhava-  Vaikasi-  Pournami  day* ), Sri Ranganatha Maha 
Desikan took charge of the Ashramam with all sincerity and seriousness.

Many  scholars  who  had  intimately  known  and  moved  with  the  Swami in 
his Purvasrama  came  to  study  at his feet, notable among them are Sri 
Tatachariar Swami of Cuddalore, and Sri Ramaswamy Iyengar of Thanjavur. 
Srimad Andavan spent his leisure hours in meditation and Ashtakshara Japa. 
At the conclusion of every 10  million  japam,  a  _Thadeeya  Aaraadhana_  
used  to be held. He advised the disciples  to celebrate the Tirunakshatra 
day of Srimad Poundarika Puram Andavan
in  their  own  homes  so that more and more Srivaishnavas could come to 
know of Swami's greatness. Srimad Andavan was averse to receiving gifts in 
cash or kind. Once, when he was presented an amount of Rs.4,000, he handed 
over the amount to Sri  V.R.  Ramaswamy  Iyengar, Advocate, Thanjavur with a 
request that the money should  be  utilized  to  bring  out  a  new  edition 
  of  Rahasya Traya Sara in Devanagari  script.  The instruction  was  
complied with and today we have this beautiful edition in our hands with the 
superb commentary of Vangeepuram  Navaneetham  Sri  Rama  Desikachariar  
Swami. It remains a monument to SwamiÂ’s vision and generosity and devotion 
to Swami Desikan.

Srimad Andavan Ranganatha Maha Desikan attained the lotus feet of his 
Acharya on 17th November 1954 ( Jaya/ Kartigai/ Krishna Saptami) when he was 
75.

His Tanian reads as follows:-

Aadhya Srinidhi Yogi Labda Manuraat Sri Vaatsya Raamaanujaath
Sampraaptanguna Mantra Jaatham /
Apara Sri Vaasa Yogi Swaraat  Gnaanaabdim Suguna Karam
Munivaram Sri Ranganatham Bhaje //

(meaning)
I take refuge at the sacred feet of Sri Ranganatha MahA  Desikan, the  ocean 
of Jn~Anam and the treasure house of all auspicious attributes,  who  
received  his  manthrOpadesam  from  the  first SrinivAsa MahA
Desikan, his samAsrayaNam from Sri RaamAnuja MahA desikan of Srivathsa 
gOthram and  his  Bhara SamarpaNam, thuriyAsramam and  Ubhaya VedAntha 
Isvaryam from the other Srinivasa MahA Desikan .

AchAryan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards
Narayana Narayana
AdiyEn AchAryan thiruvadi Narayana dAsan madhavakkannan

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