Search:
Bhakti List Archives

Sri Parakala Matham Vaibhavam - VI

From the Bhakti List Archives

Rajeev • October 16, 2001 


Sri:
Sri Laxmi Hayavadana Parabrahmane Nama:
Sri Vakula Bhushana Maha Desikaya Nama:
Srimate Ramanujaya Nama:
Srimate Nigamantha Maha Desikaya Nama:
Srimate Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakala Maha Desikaya Nama:
Srimate Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakala Guru Paramparaayai Nama:

Dear Bhaktas

In the last posting, we were reading about Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Jeer,
his ascent to the acharya peetham of Sri Parakala Matham and Srikaryam at
Sri Varadarajaswamy koil at Kanchipuram. We also read about how Swamy
Brahmatantra Swatantra Jeer was able to win over debates on Vedant and
recieve the title "Brahmatantra Swatantra" from Swamy Desikan.

Continuing on our road of Sri Parakala Matha vaibhava anubhavam, we are
treated
with yet another example of Swamy Brahmatantra Swatatra Jeer's devotion
towards his acharya, Swamy Desikan. He composed a tamil paasuram in praise
of Swamy Desikan, when the aadaikaai sambhavanai was offered to him and to
all the Azhwars as per the ordainment of Bhashyakarar:

"naaNilamuntaan vaazha naanmaRRaigaL taam vaazha
maanagarin maaRRanmaRRai vaazha - jn~yaaniyargaL
senniyaNisEr tUppul vEdaanta dEsikanE !
innumoru nURRaaNDirum"

Having studied entirely at the feet of Swamy Desikan, Sri Brahmatantra
Swatantrar
was now a great genius. Swamy Desikan appointed Sri Brahmatantra Swatantrar
along with Swamy's son Sri Kumara Varadacharya as his successors and
ordained
them with the duties of propagating Sri Ramanuja sampradayam.

His polemic style was so wonderful that Swamy Desikan gave him the title
"Parakala"-
-Destroyer of all other faiths and philosophies, when he won over advaitins
at a nearby
agraharam in Melkote in the year 1338, in a powerful debate lasting many
days.
Sri Brahmatantra Swatantrar would never speak a word unless and until his
acharyas
Swamy Desikan and Kumara Varadacharya had finished. But on that day he had
to
take the initiative as both of his achaaryas were unable to be present. He
recalls this title
in his work on Swamy Desikan titled "Acharyaavataaraghattarthah" wherein the
first
shlokam runs as follows:

"brahmatantra swatantrENa parakaala yatiindunaa |
aaryaavataara ghaTTartha: sangrahENa prakaashyatE ||"

Swamy Desikan also gifted the vigraham of Sri Lakshimi Hayagrivar that he
was
worshipping to Sri Brahmatantra Swamy who made it the presiding deity of the
Sri Matham. Swamy Desikan also gave Sri Brahmatantra Swatantrar a pair of
Shankham and Chakram used during Chakrankanam. Swamy Deshikan gave all
instructions regarding the establishment and administration of this
aasthaanam till
1369. Swamy Desikan in the year 1369, while placing his feet on Sri
Brahmatantra
Swatantrar and his head on Nayanacharya's lap, attained his acharya's
thiruvadi.

LIFE AFTER SWAMY DESIKAN
-------------------------------------

After Swamy Desikan attained paramapadam, the head quarters of the Matham
remained at Kanchipuram for some time. Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Jeer took
over the entire administration of the Sri Matham at Kanchipuram.

Sri Kumara Varadanatha Nayanacharya, the distinguished son of Swamy Desikan
provided a great deal of support to Brahmatantra Swatantrar in administering
the
day to day activities of the matham.

Sri Brahmatanra Swatantra Swamy along with Nayanaacharya completely
catalogued
all works of Swamy Desikan, produced many copies of the same and safeguarded
them with great care. At Vennaatrankarai they arranged for the recitation of
taniyans of
Naalaayira (4000) Divya Prabandhams, Desikan taniyan and Desika prabandham
during times of anadhyayanam. Sri Brahmatantra Swatantrar Jeer also arranged
for
Nayanaachaarya's Pillai Anthaadi and Vaazhi Thirunaamam to be recited along
with
these. These can be seen followed till to this day. If not for their efforts
Swamy
Desikan's works would have come to us this day.

He later took to a pilgrimage of holy shrines and reached Tirupati. During
this period the
Jeer at Tirupati attained paramapadam. By divine ordainment Sri Brahmatantra
Swatantrar
was handed the responsibilities of the entire temple administration. Sri
Brahmatantra
Swatantrar then built a new building for the Sri Matham at Tirupati and
shifted the Matham
headquarters to Tirupati in 1379. Sri Lakshmi Hayagrivan presented by Swamy
Desikan was
then installed at the Sri Matham.

It soon became a chief propagating center of Ramanuja Sampradayam. Shrines
to Swamy
Desikan was also built at Govindaraja pattanam and at Thirumalai, and Sri
Brahmanatantra
Swatantrar took over the overall temple administration efficiently and was
appointed as the
Srikaryam of Tirupati shrine in succession to Tirumalai Srinivasacharya
Swamy.

Sri Brahmatantra Swatantrar fulfilled the wishes of his master Swamy Desikan
very well.
He conducted Vedantic discourses, debates on philosophical issues,
prabandham
recitations and many more and in the process, attracted numerous disciples.

(contd...)

Sri Laxmi Hayagriva Parabrahmane Nama:

-rajeev karamchedu

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
            #                #    |   #            __#__
       #        #           #    |   #          # \__ _#
    ##    #    ##        #    |   #        ##    |    ##
     / #        # \         #    |   #          / \   |   / \
   /        #       \           ###           /     \#/     \
                          Saranagathi
                        ooooO   Ooooo
                        (       )     (      )
                          \   (         )   /
                            \_)       (_/
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~


--------------------------------------------------------------
           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
To Post a message, send it to:   bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com
Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/
 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/