THE TWELVE AZHWARS ( MYSTICAL SRIVAISHNAVA SAINTS) OF SOUTH INDIA. (PART 5 OF 5) - conclusion
HIGHLY LOVED AND ESTEEMED SRI VEDANTA DESIKAN ACHARYAN
Sri Vedanta Desikan acharyan is always seen holding the Shruta-Prakashika in His hand, which Sri Sudarshana Suri had asked reverential Desikan acharyan to protect, as it was a detailed commentary on SriRamanujacharya’s Sri Bhashyam.
Sri Vedanta Desikan swami ( Desika in Sanskrit means acharyan ), also known as Nigamantha Mahadesikan is one of the greatest profounder of the Vishisthadvaita principle of Srivaishnavism, after Sri Ramanujacharya. He was born in 1268 CE( approximately 750 years back), to Sri Anantha Suri and Smt.Thotharamma, in Thoopul in Kanchipuram, in the month of Bhadrapada, on the Sravana star ( Lord Sri Govinda's Nakshatram too), which also coincided with Vijayadashami. His parents were devout bhakthas of Lord Govinda of Tirupati and when Smt. Thotharamma was pregnant the couple went walking from Kanchipuram to Tirumala hills, at the time when there were no buses , trains or public transport and climbed the holy hills ( such an arduous journey and that too during pregnancy, countless salutations to the divine couple, ). Lord Govinda of Tirupati was so pleased with their devotion that he blessed them with an illustrious son called Venkatanatha, who is our dearest of dear Sri Vedanta Desikan acharyan, an incarnation of the temple bell of Sri Tirupati temple. He was a master of Vedas, Tarka shastras, Puraanas etc at a very young age for his ever eager heart and superlative intellectual quest and inclination led him to the height of wisdom, compassion and all pervasive knowledge of Brahman , the one and only one Sriman Narayana. He entered grahastha ashram at the age of around 21 years. Sri Vedanta Desikan acharyan’s monumental works in Tamil, Sanskrit and Manipravalam ( mix of Tamil and Sanskrit) are numerous in number and most revered , respected and read with the greatest devotion by every aspirant in search of PARMATMAN Sriman Narayana. Amongst his highly scholastic works , very large in number , Sri Paduka Sahasram is one of the most divine magnum opus of 1008 shlokas written in praise of the most divine paduka (divine sandals )of our greatest of great, one and only Lord Sri Ranganathar ( Sriman Narayana) which he wrote in not more than six hours. If the most divine padukas of our dearest lord is so pure, lovely and worthy of countless pious thoughts and permanent salvation how much so is his divine lotus feet ! Beyond human comprehension for it has to be looked at, only from a transcendental plane nothing less. He has been conferred with superlative titles such as Kavi Tarkika Simha (Lion among poets and logicians), Sarva Tantra Swatantra ( master of all science, philosophy, arts ) etc Vedanta Acharya etc.
Sri Vedanta Desikan swamigal led a life of a saint and hence went door to door for grains as a bhiksha. Seeing this , his most loving devotees felt that a person of a Himalayan stature such as him should live a life of comforts and hence in the rice they mixed gold coins for they knew for sure he would never accept any material possession. When his wife was about to start making the annaprasadam she saw these coins, she too was so saintly she did not know what these coins were and showed it to our dearest acharyan , he separated them with the durba grass since he did not want to touch it at all. Countless pranams to such renounced saints who are the strongest foundations of our Bharata culture, our values and ethos which at all times they not only preserved but spread with unconditional love to all of us for our redemption. We need to practice at all times what they preached which will surely lead us closer to Parmapadam. Another heart rending event in his life is once during the annual rites of his parents none of the Brahmins were willing to partake of the prasadam, our acharyan laid all the prasadam in the plantain leaf and prayed Sriman Narayana. Lord Varadaraja Perumal of Kanchipuram, Sri Govinda of Tirupati and Lord Hayagreeva ( god of knowledge) of Tiruvaindripuram personally appeared and partook the prasadam . Height of celestial sight.!
So many enriching moments, so many spiritual encounters of our dearest of Acharyan can be only felt at a mental level, pondered and prayed upon. Our acharyan left for Parmapadam at the age of 101 years. Sri Ranganayaki amma ( Sri Lakshmi amma) , of Srirangam requested his sannidhi to be constructed near her sanctum sanctorum and after that no other acharyan should be accorded this exalted stature was her message. Is there a necessity of even one syllable after our dearest mother’s desire….Till date our dearest of dear Sri Vedanta Desikan acharyan is revered, worshipped and accorded the highest respect not only at Srirangam temple but across the entire globe. Countless prostration at the most divine lotus feet of our most beloved acharyan , a torch bearer of the divine principles of Srivaishnavism.
SRIRAMANUJA DAYAPATRAM JNANA VAIRAGYA BHUSHANAM
SHRIMAD VENKATANATHARYAM VANDE VEDANTADESHIKAM.
REQUEST FOR FORGIVENESS FROM PARMATMAN SRIMAN NARAYANA AND LAKSHMI AMMA
mantra-hinam kriya-hinam bhakti-hinam janardana
yat pujitam maya deva paripurnam tad astu me
yad-dattam bhakti-matrena patram puspam phalam jalam
aveditam nivedyan tu tad grihananukampaya
vidhi-hinam mantra-hinam yat kiñcad upapaditam
kirya-mantra-vihinam va tat sarvam kshantum arhasi
aparadha-sahasrani kriyante ‘har-nisham maya
daso ‘ham iti mam matva kshamasva madhusudana.
TRANSLATED IT MEANS THE FOLLOWING:
O my Lord, O Janardana, whatever little puja or worship that has been performed by me, although it is without devotion, without proper mantras, and without the proper performance, please let that become complete.
Whatever has been offered with devotion–the leaf, the flower, the water, the fruit, the food offering–please accept it out of Your causeless mercy.
Whatever has happened without the proper chanting of the mantra, or without following the proper procedure, kindly forgive all that.
Thousands of offenses are performed by me day and night. But thinking of me as Your servant, kindly forgive those, O Madhusudhana.
Request for forgiveness from Sriman Narayana and Mahalakshmi amma, that despite, having no knowledge of our shastraas , yet have taken the liberty to write about the most divine azhwars and also yourself . Please forgive me for all the mistakes committed and please accord me a place at your lotus feet as a servant of servant of servant and grant me pardon that whatever has been written is more out of purest of pure love for yourself and Lakshmi amma than possession of knowledge or any other consideration.
Shamasvam, Shamasvam, Punar Shamasvam SriKeshava, SriMadhusudana, SriGovinda, SriJanaardhana and Sri Krishna.
WITH HANDS FOLDED TOGETHER AND RAISED HIGH ABOVE IN HUMBLEST OF HUMBLE TOTAL PRAPATTI TO OUR MOST BELOVED PARMATMAN LORD SRIMAN NARAYANA AND MOST DEAREST OF DEAR LAKSHMI AMMA.
COUNTLESS HIGHLY RESPECTFUL PROSTRATIONS TO ALL OUR TWELVE AZHWARS (NITYA SURIS)
COUNTLESS HUMBLEST OF HUMBLE PRANAAMS AND NAMASKARAM TO OUR MOST REVERENTIAL AND LOVING
SRI RAMANUJAR ACHARYAN, SRI VEDANTA DESIKAN AND COUNTLESS OTHER SRI VAISHNAVA SAINTS WHO TOTALLY SURRENDERED WITH THE HIGHEST STEADFAST FAITH UNTO THE LOTUS FEET OF SRIMAN NARAYANA AND LAKSHMI AMMA.
OM TAT SAT
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE , HARE RAAMA HARE RAAMA RAAMA RAAMA HARE HARE.
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