Biography of Kotthimangalam S. Varadacharya

Fifteen kilometers west of the ancient town of Mahabalipuram (Tirukkadalmallai) lies Kotthimangalam agrah�ram, just off the coast of Tamil Nadu. A century ago, Kotthimangalam was a small hamlet lush with trees, pristine water sources, and alive with the sounds of nature. The village was noted for being the home of Sri Vaishnava br�hmaṇas resolutely dedicated to the Vaidika way of life. Without a temple of their own, the Vaidikas of Kotthimangalam proudly held that the Veda itself was their local deity.

Into such a traditional Vaidika family was born Sri K.S. Varadacharya Swami in 1922. His parents were Smt Srīrang�mb� and Sri Sundarar�j�ch�rya. Sri Varadacharya Swami’s great-grandfather Sri V�tsya Chakravarti Vīrar�ghavach�rya (“Kotthimangalam Appa�) was known in his day as a great scholar of all ś�stras. This heritage came down to Sri Sundarar�j�ch�rya, who had studied with several leading scholars of the time.

Sri Varadacharya Swami’s education began under his father at the age of three. He was also sent to a government school at nearby Tirukazhukundram where he learnt English. After upanayanam he learnt Veda, vy�karaṇa, and s�hitya from his father. As a young student, Sri Varadacharya Swami stood out for his prodigious speed in learning and thoughtful, questioning manner. He was also a keen observer of nature. He would say that while his brother and cousins would play he would be engaged in thought. He recalled that he was often scolded in his youth for asking probing questions that did not have easy answers.

His father noticed his brilliance and sent him to Madras for higher education, where he attended the K�kum�nī Ādikeśavulu Sanskrit College. He then attended the Tirupati Sanskrit College for advanced study in Ny�ya.

The 1940s saw a turning point in the life of Sri Varadacharya Swami. He and a close friend resolved that they would dedicate themselves to spiritual life and secretly ran off from Tirupati for the Himalayas. With very little money and with the friend in poor health, they were only able to make it to Maharashtra. Sri Varadacharya Swami had been attracted by the reputation of Sri Sri Abhinava Ranganatha Parakala Swami, the head of the Parakala Maá¹­ha in Mysore, so he decided not to return to Tirupati and instead went straight to Mysore. He presented himself to Sri Parakala Swami who was impressed and graciously accepted him.

For over ten years, he remained under the continuous tutelage of the Swami and his chief disciple Sri Ātmakūr Dīksh�ch�rya Swami. He studied the great works of all darśanas, including the various schools of Vedanta, Pr�cīna and Navya Ny�ya, S�ṅkhya, Buddhism, Jainism, etc. He was inspired by the Swami to develop an objective, research-oriented approach to ś�stra that aimed to move beyond textualism. Independently, he also studied the Bible and Quran and appreciated

Later in this period he was employed as a research scholar at the Mysore Oriental Research Institute, where he was exposed to many other ancient works. He made several seminal contributions, such as authoring the critical edition of Jayanta Bhaṭṭa’s Ny�ya Mañjarī with lucid commentary, and editing the R�m�yaṇa Amṛtakataka of M�dhava Yogi.

In 1948 Sri Varadacharya Swami married Smt Rajalakshmi of Kanchipuram. Together they settled in Mysore and went on to have six children.

Sri Varadacharya Swami often remarked that the most momentous change in his life happened in 1961, when he met Sri Srinivasa Ranga Mahaguru, a mystic yogi from the nearby village of Hedathale. In Sri Ranga Mahaguru he found his adhy�tma guru and discovered a new outlook on life and philosophy. Through the gift of these insights he felt he was able to resolve some of the most vexing questions that had arisen during his many years of ś�stra study.

Sri Varadacharya Swami never sought fame, wealth, or honorary awards of any sort. He often remarked that these were a hindrance to proper spiritual pursuit. Yet, without his seeking he received honors throughout his life. In 1953, when he was just over 30, he was blessed with the title “Paṇ�itaratnam� title by Sri Sri Chandraśekharendra Saraswati Swami of Kanchi Kamakoti Pīṭha, who was pleased by his far-sighted comments in sadas. In 2002 he was honored with the President of India’s award. In 2003 he received the Mah�mahopadhy�ya title from Tirupati.

Sri Varadacharya Swami spent his latter years teaching ś�stra and philosophy in Mysore and Melkote. He attracted students from various traditions from all over India. In 2003 he wrote Sarvankaś�, a wide-ranging commentary on Sri Vedanta Desika’s Tattva Mukt� Kal�pa. Here Sri Varadacharya Swami asks and addresses some of the most difficult questions in Indian philosophy. He demands that the student reflect deeply on the boundary between logic, the intellect, and tapas and Divine Grace. This is the work presented in this volume.

Sri Varadacharya attained Vaikuṇṭha in 2021 as he approached 99 years of age.