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The Mutisided genius of Swamy Desikan as an AchAryan: Part I

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • November 8, 2002 


SrI:

Dear Swamy Desika BhakthAs:

The abundant genius of Swamy  Desikan flows brilliantly
through every one of His SrI Sookthis , be it Kaavyams,
SthOthrams , Prakarana granthams on VisishtAdhvaitha darsanam,
Para Matha KaNdannam , Rahasya granthams in MaNipravALam ,
Tamil Prabhandhams (Desika Prabhandhams) and VyAkyAna 
granthams  or silpa saasthram or Geography et al. 

His genius is versatile and mutifaceted earning the titles
of  Sarva Tantra Svatantrar and VedAntha AchAryan from the dhivya dampathis
of SrIrangam . He did nothing but extoll Sri Bahgavad RaamAnuja
SiddhAntham in His philosophical, religious SrI Sookthis. 
SrI BhaAshyam , Bhagavad GitA BhAshyam ,Gadhya Thryam of 
AchArya RaamAnujA were his daily diet. He wrote commentaries 
for GithArtha Sangraha (GithArtha Sangraha Rahsha) and 
ChathuslOki  of Yaamuna Muni. His commentary on Swamy NammAzhwAr's 
ThiruvAimozhi is housed in the two SrI Sookthis of
DramidOpanishad Taathparya RathnAvaLI and 
DhramidOpanishad Saara ; due to our misfortune , 
His elaborate Tamil commentary on ThiruvAimozhi 
known as Nigama ParimaLam or the Seventy Four thousand
collect is lost to posterity.

His magnum opus , SrImad Rahasya Thraya Saaram and its
sequel, VirOdha ParihAram as well as the ChillaRai 
rahasyams are elaborations of doctrines that Bhagavad RaamAnuja 
developed from the ancient VisishtAdhvaitha Darsanam . 

In any one of these works, Swamy  Desikan was rooted in 
the Bhagavad RaamAnuja SiddhAntham and elaborated
on them and defended this parama VaidhIka darsanam.

adiyEn plans to post a series on Swamy Desikan's SrI Sookthis
to salute the many sided genius of this Great Ubhaya VedAntha
AchArya Saarva Bhouman.

adiyEn will cover the follwing SrI Sookthis during 
the next few months:

1. Nyaya Parisuddhi and NyAya SiddhAnjanam ,
   where Swamy  Desikan attempted and  succeeded
   in  the unification of NyAya and VedAnta.
   NyAya Parisuddhi intreprets the NyAya SoothrAs
   of Gouthama in a way that is not opposed to
   VisishtAdhvaitha darsanam. In this scholastic 
   work, Sawmy Desikan examines tersely NyAya SoothrAs 
   in the light of Brahma SoothrAs of Sage BadarAyana 
   and criticizes the commentaries of VatsyAyana 
   and UdayanA on NyAya SoothrAs, which refute 
   Brahma SoothrAs.

   While NyAya Parisuddhi deals exclusively with 
   the unification of NyAya and vedAnta through 
   the route of PramANAs( Means of Knowledge) ,
   NyAya SiddhAnjana (NS)continues with the same
   effort of unification with the use of PramEyAs or 
   the objects of valid knowledge . NS has been considered 
   as the second part of NyAya Parisuddhi.

   Swamy Desikan completed the effort to unify NyAya-
   VaisEshika Systems with VedAnta started by Swamy
   Naatha Muni in His NyAya TatthvA and Swamy ALavanthAr
   in His Aathma siddhi. Swamy Desikan achieved a grand
   synthesis of the systems of NyAya and VedAnta in
   conformity with the VedAs, Smruthi , Soothra granthAs
   and the SrI Sookthis of AchArya RaamAnujA to strengthen
   SrI VisishtAdhavaitha system of Philosophy.

2. Meemsa PaadhukA and Seswara MeemAmsa: The MeemAmsa 
   PaadhukA is a metrical SrI Sookthi (173 verses in 
   the majestic Sragdhara  metre ) and analyses the MeemAmsa
   Saasthram developed by Sage Jaimini in the form of SoothrAs.
   Jaimini's MeemAmsam is recognized as Poorva MeemAmsam 
   and His AchAryan , Sage Veda VyAsa's MeemAmsa is celebrated
   as Utthara MeemAmsa. Poorva MeemAmsa deals with the study
   of Dharma and Utthara Meemsa focuses on the study of 
   Brahman. Swamy  Desikan condemned the NirIswara Vaadham
   developed by the commentators of Jaimini's Poorva Meemsa
   Soothras and established the true and inner meanings of
   those Soothrams . Swamy  Desikan demonstrated that the soothrAs
   of Poorva MeemAmsam are in harmony with the Brahma SoothrAs
   (Utthara MeemAmsam ) of Sage BadarAyana . Swamy  Desikan 
   proves in the Seswara MeemAmsa SrI Sookthi that Sage Jaimini
   accepted Isvaran as the Universal Lord (Jagath KaaraNan,
   jagath rakshakan ) . Swamy  Desikan goes on to establish 
   through these two SrI Sookthis on MeemAmsa that the Poorva
   and Utthara MeemAmsa SaasthrAs are Eka SaasthrAs and are
   not inconsistent with each other.  

   Recently , SrIman P.N.Sridharan Swamy mentioned about 
   a brilliant and clear commentary on the first 12 chapters
   of Sage Jaimini that  appeared in the precursor journal
   to Nrusimha PriyA . adiyEn hopes that he will summarize 
   those articles or publish them in toto for the benefit of
   all AastikAs.

   Returning to the two SrI Sookthis of Swamy  Desikan on 
   MeemAmsa, the summary of these two granthams as recorded
   by an author , who prefers to be anonynous in SrI ThUppul 
   MangaLAsAsana Malar of 1993 are:

   (a)MeemAmsa Saasthram is a commentary on Vedam and hence
      there is no contradiction between the two MeemAmsams.

   (b)Jaimini Maharishi has established in Poorva MeemAmsa
      that Isvaran (SrIman NaarAyaNan) has to be worshipped by
      karmAs prscribed by VedAs to attain the appropriate fruits.

   (c)DEvathAs have roopan (sarIram ) and their preethi yields
      the fruits of karmAs ( vedic rites). SrIman NaarAyaNan is 
      the antharyAmi (indweller ) of all the Devathais and empowers 
      the DevathAs .

    (d)Dharmam is of two kinds : Siddham ( that which can not 
       be executed by us) and Saadhyam (that which can be
       undertaken by us: Yaagam et al ). Jaimini had both 
       dharmams in mind , when he blessed us with Poorva MeemAmsa 
       soothrams.

     (e)The darsanam that states Brahmam is sathyam (UNmai) and
        the prapancham (jagath) is unreal (Poy)is not consistent 
        with the VedAs (Veda Virudhdam).Like Brahman ,the items
        referred to in Poorva MeemAmsam like karmAs , their fruits , 
        the jeevan that performs these karmAs are all real.

     (f)In the third chapter Soothram , Jaimini refers to 
        sEshathvam loudly. He defines seshathva lakshanam as 
        " sEsha: parArthvAth". That which exists for the upakAram of 
        others is Sesham. That which uses that UpakAram is sEshi.
        Sage VyAsa in his Utthara MeemAmsa defines the sentient Jeevan 
        (chethanam) and the insentient achEthanam are the Sesham 
        for the ParamAthmA , who is Sarva Seshi in His soothrams:
        " TadhInathvAth arTavath" .

We conclude with a meaningful prayer by an AchAryan of recent times:

VishNurEva Param brahma jign~Asyam Tatthvam utthamam
MeemAmsA Saasthra-samvEdhyam ithi prOktham GurUtthamai:
VijayathAm Gurupankthi sikhAmaNi:VijayathAm YathirAja Mathadhvaja:
VijayathAm kavitArkika KesarI VijayathAm NigamAntha GurUtthama:

Swamy  Desikan ThriuvadigaLE SaraNam  
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan    
       

                                       
       
   





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