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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00134 Oct 2003

 
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SrI:
SrImathE Nigamantha Mahadesikaya namah:
SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |
vedAntAcArya-varyo me sannidhattAm sadA hRdi ||

May the glorious Venkatanatha, the greatest of teachers of Vedanta, and the 
lion among poets and debaters, reside forever in my heart.

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

In or about 1327 CE, there was an invasion to Sirangam by Malik Kafir the 
general of Alauddin, the Sultan of Delhi. Srivaishnavas could not defend the 
city against powerful muslims. The Acharyas gathered and discussed and 
arrived at an unanimous decision to divide into three groups and act 
secretly. One groups under the leadership of Sri Pillailokacharya, most 
advanced in age was to take the deity of Lord Ranganatha (NumperumAL) and 
His divine consorts [ubhaya naachimaars] in a covered palanquin and proceed 
south ward after crossing the river Cauveri. Another party under Sri 
Sudarsana suri and others was to stay at Srirangam, erect a stone wall in 
front of the sanctum sanctorum to save the city from devastation at the 
hands of the enemy even at the cost of their lives. The third group was to 
corss the river koLLidam and go northward to prevent the quick march of the 
infidels so that the first party with deities can get away comfortably. Sri 
Vedanta Desika, who was the youngest, among the Acharyas was persuaded by 
Sri Sudarsana suri to go with third group and somehow save himself so that 
he at least might be leftto propound the Srivaishnava doctrine and the 
teaching of Sri Ramanuja. Sri Sudarsanasuri entrusted hs two sons, who were 
very young with Swamy Desikan as well as the very valuable and only 
manuscript ?Srutha prakaasika? head and recorded from the Acharyas in 
unbroken tradition and lineage of Acharyas. [Srutha prakAsikA, an elaborate 
commentary on Sri Bhashyam of Sri Ramanuja on the Brahmma sUthras]. His 
earnest desire was that it must be saved for the benefit of future 
generations. Swamy Desika agreed and proceeded northward with a number of 
Srivaishnavas. The Muslim army which was in Samayavaram, a village few miles 
away from Srirangam, attacked them and killed many of them. Swamy Desika 
concealed the two sons and himself amidst huge heap of corpses and passed 
the night. Before dawn, he took the boys and moved away unnoticed in 
North-western direction. After a journey of several days, they reached 
Sathyakalam, a remote and lonely village in the Karnataka region, where he 
stayed for several years.

Tradition says that Swamy Desika composed Abheethi sthavam [lyric for the 
repulsion of fear] a sthOthra on Lord Ranganathan himself praying with 
devotion that the army of the muslims and Yavanas should be drive out from 
Srirangam and the Lord should return to His place of residence for the 
relief of devotes in distress. He often repeated this and prayed to invoke 
the mercy of the Lord.

In Sathyakalam village there is a small temple of the Local deity Sri 
Varadaraja in which there is a small shrine for Swamy Desika. Swamy Desika 
thought this is the place for him to stay and live for sometime. Sathyakala 
lies about ten kilometers south of Kollegal on the trunk Road from 
Bangalore. Probably the village attrached him since it was situated on the 
bank of the ever flowing river Kaveri and there was a small temple in which 
the replica of Lord Varadaraja of Kanchi was there. There are separate 
shrines in the temple for Sri Mahalakshmi as well the first three Alwars 
[Poigai, Bhootha and PeyAzhwAr] and for Sri Ramanujacharya and Swamy Desika. 
Sri Desika took his daily bath in the cool and clear waters of the sacred 
river Kaveri flowing gracefully through the hills around and taking his seat 
under the aswattha tree on the bank on the Koormaasana ? a big tortoise 
shaped slab ? did his japam and meditation. It is said that several works 
were written by Swamy Desika when he was in the calm and peaceful village. 
He also composed several works in tamil and Sanskrit and propounded them to 
the devout disciples and thus spent his last days at Srirangam. [Devotees 
having close connection with this place are of firm conviction that it was 
at this village and have highest respect fro Swamy Desikan who lived here 
for so many years. They name one of their male children in each family as 
Desikachar. Sathyakal Desikachar is very common household name.]

Generally the deity of Swamy Desika in all temples is in sitting posture 
with the symbol of teaching in the right hand [jnAna mudhrA] and the form of 
Srutha prakAsikA manuscript in the left. In Sathyakalam, Swamy Desika is in 
standing posture reminiscent of his readiness in rush to Srirangam on 
receipt of the happy news of the return of the Lord Ranganatha to His place. 
After a stay for some years in Sathyakalam, Sri Vedanta Desika went to 
ThirunArAyaNapuram [the modern melkote] a shrine that was very hallowed by 
the Lord who is affectionately known as by the name of Selva PiLLai and who 
was, as it were the pet child of Sri Ramanujacharya, to leave Srirangam 
because of the persecution of Srivaishnavas by KirumikaNta chOzhan.

Sri Vedanta Desika also lived in the peaceful and devotional city of 
Thirunarayanapuram for several years engaging himself in the propagation of 
the teaching of Sri Ramanujacharya and worship the Lord. One day the long 
awaited news arrived that one Gopannarya, the chieftain of Gingi fort in 
South India had driven away the Muslim infidels from Srirangam brought the 
deities of Lord Ranganatha and His five consorts and reinstalled Them in the 
temple there. Swamy desika heaved a sign of great relief and at ocne rushed 
to Srirangam to worship of the Lord in the company of devoted Srivaishnavas 
and begin a fresh lease of life in peace.

Sri Vedanta Desika was so much pleased with this glorious act of the 
chieftain Gopannarya that he composed two verses in Sanskrit to commemorate 
his services to the casue of Srivaishnavam. The slokas have been inscribed 
on the eastern side of the outer wall of the sanctum sanctorum and can be 
seen even today. The slokas are:

AnIya neelasrnga dhyuthirachithajagadhranjanAdh anjanAdhrE: ?. samstThApyAm 
sarOjOdhbhava iva kuruthE sAdhuCharyAm saparyAm

GopannAryA, the mirror of reputation, brought back Ranganatha from the 
Anjana mountain [Tirupathi Hills] which describes the world with the charm 
of the blue mountain peaks, worshipped him.
Sri Vedanta Desika lived in peace in Srirangam for several years.
Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Namo narayana
dAsan
kavi-tArkika-simhAya kalyANa-guNa-SAline |
Srimate venkateSAya vedAntagurave namaH ||

Salutations to Sri Venkatesa, in whom all perfections reside, who is the 
teacher of Vedanta and the lion among poets and debaters

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