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sarvartha_siddhi
RE: Copy of: SarvArtha Siddhi of Swami Desikan
During August 1996 , Sri V.N.Venaktanathan , the grandson of the
illustrious AchArya , Oppiliappan Koil Navaneetham Swamy ( Vangipuram
Navaneetham Sri KrishnamAchArya Swamy ) and I met at Madras . Our families
have been neighbors for many decades going back to his grandfather and my
grandfather at Oppilaippan Koil Sannidhi Street .
The occasion was a farewell meeting in Madras at my sister's house prior
to my return to USA after the conclusion of a major festival relating to a
Bhagavadh Kaimkaryam at Oppilaippan Sannidhi .
Both Sri V.N.Venkatanathan and I were members of the Oppiliappan Kaimkarya
SabhA in 1995-96 time period and we had the privelege of working together
on the samarpaNam of RathnAngi for Uthsavar ( Ponnappan ) and Mutthangi
for Moolavar ( ThiruviNNagarappan ) . Thanks to the participation by many
aasthikAs from USA ( Bhakthi Group members ) and India , this Kaimkaryam
was a resounding success due to the blessings of SaraNyan . We were elated
that the kaimkaryam was accepted by Sri Oppiliappan and as I was taking
leave of Sri V.N . Venakatanathan , he presented me with copies of two
monographs and asked me to introduce them to the Sri VaishNavA community
in USA . I agreed and then I looked at what he had charged me with .
The first monograph was the brilliant scholarly commentary on NammAzhwAr's
Thiruvaimozhi by his elder brother , Dr.V.N.VedAntha Desikan , a retired
professor of Chemistry at Madurai College and the scion of the illustrious
paramparai of Sri Navaneetham Swamy of Oppiliappan Koil . The title of
that monograph is " AzhwAr ThiruvuLLam ". This scholarly monograph is a
book that every Sri VaishNavA home MUST have and is the distilled essence
of all the purvAchAryA's commentary (eedu granthAs ) on Thiruvaimozhi .
Sri VisishtAdvaitha Research Center Of Madras has released these two
volumes of " AzhwAr ThiruvuLLam " and can be acquired from the Research
Center in Madras or from The AhObila Mutt of North America headquarterd in
Hixson , Tennessee .
The second monograph is the subject of this posting. It is the Doctoral
thesis of his illustrious father , late Professor V.N. SeshAdri AchAryA on
SarvArtha Siddhi , Swami Desikan's own commentary on his own supremely
brilliant work known as TattvamukthAkalApa , which has been saluted as a "
Marvellous production of a mature genius " intent on establishing the
supermacy of Sri VisishTadvaitham over other sysyems of philosophy .
SarvArtha Siddhi is an exposition/commentary of the 500 slOkAs of
TattvamukthAkalaapa .
SarvArtha Siddhi and Satha DhUshaNI go together . These two works of "
the polymath poet-logician , VenkatanAthan otherwise known as Swami
Vedantha- Desikan " are great pillars supporting the citadel of Sri
VaishNavism in the sampradhaayam built brick by brick by Naatha Muni ,
ALavandhAr and RaamAnuja .
The TattvamukthAkalApa with its assoicated commentary , SarvArtha Siddhi
serves Swami Desikan's purpose for them to serve as an armor to defend
against the criticisms that may be levelled against it by rival darsnams (
karsanam darsanam na : ) .
The SathadhUshaNi has served as a powerful criticism of the deficiencies
of Advaitha VedAntham . Thus together , these two brilliant works
emanating from the supreme genius , Swami Desikan establish clearly the
supermacy of VisishtAdvaitham as developed by AchArya RaamAnujA and his
prAchAryAs .
Swami Desikan has used these two brilliant works to give " a constructive
and critical-acritical account of rival darsanAs " and has presented
lucidly the doctrines of such darsanAs to establish the supermacy of the
VisishtAdvaithA philosophy over all of them in an unambiguous manner .
In his concluding remarks of SarvArtha Siddhi , Swami Desikan has
summarized the salient features of VisishtAdvaithA and has compared the
unique aspects of Bhakthi yOgam and Prapatthi yOgamas the two sAstraic
ways to seek and attain Moksham .
So, this was the book that I was blessed to receive from Sri V.N.
Venkatanathan , who carries the name of Swami Desikan . It is my great
pleasure and privelege to introduce these two monographs to those , who
may not be familiar with them and request you to acquire them for your own
libraries on Sri VaishNavism . These monographs are in English and should
make it easy for those not conversant with Tami or Sanskrit to read and
derive benefits of access to these two source granthAs . AzhwAr
ThiuvuLLam has the pasurams and comments in Tamil to go along with the
English text .
As quick summary of the content and scope of SarvArtha Siddhi , one can
refer to the folowing list that covers the principal topics of the
Doctoral thesis of Sri V.N. SeshAdri AchAryA , as summarized by him in the
book released by Sri VisishtAdvaitha Research cente rin the year 1993 :
A . Buddhism
****************
1. Budhist view of momentariness of all things
and the theory that the substratum is no more than
an aggregation of Qualities .
2. SautrAntikA's representation : things being imperceptible
are inferred by their forms imprinted in the cognitions .
3. The YogAchAryA's theory of the phenomenality of the world .
4. MaadhyamikA's sUnya VaadhA .
B. Saankhyam
****************
5 . SathkArya VaadhA of SaankhyA and of the VisishtAdvaithA .
6 . SankhyA's reliance upon inference .
7 . The SankhyA conception of evolution of the universe
from prakrithi .
C. NyAya-VaisEshikA
*************************
8 . The NyAya-VaisEshikA theory of evolution of
the universe from atoms .
9 . The NyAyA -VaisEshikA conception of the whole
and parts as different entities .
10 . The NyAya-VaisEshikA view of the soul
and its liberation .
D Advaitham
***************
11. The AdvaithA doctrine of non-dualism
12 . principles of Apacchedha , Upakrama or
uthsargaapavAdha as applicable in the context of
SaguNa -Sruthi and NirguNa -sruthi .
13 . Appearance of indefinable object during the illusions .
14 . PrabhAkarA's and VisishtAdvaithA's explanation
of illusion .
15 . Advaitin's view on indeterminate cognition .
E . VisishtAdvaitham
***********************
16. VisishtAdvaitin's conception of TatthvA , HithA
and purushArthA .
17 . Brahman as being both the material and the
efficient cause of the universe .
18 . The Relation between Brahman and the Universe
is similar to the body-soul relation .
19 . The two means of liberation : Bhakthi& SaraNAgathi
20 . The state of liberation ( Moksham ) .
This Monograph of Sri V.N. Seshadhri AchArya is a treasure house for
understanding the doctrines of the different darsanams and the scholarship
of our Sarvathanthra Svathanthra , KavithArkika Simham to establish
VisishtAdvaitham as the supremely satisfying system among the various
darsanams in the manner revealed by AchArya RaamAnujA through his Sri
Bhaashyam . In Sri Bhaashyam , Achaarya RaamAnujA performed the supreme
kaimkaryam of reconciling the abhEdha - , bhEdha -and ghatakha sruthis the
Sareera- Sareeri bhava realtion between the world of Jeevans and Brahman .
It is my hope that my short introduction to these works by the two great
scholars of the kulam of Navaneetham Swami would be helpful for you to
acquire these two most important monographs on Sri VaishNavism .
Swami Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan
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