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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,

At the age of seven, Anantasuri conducted the upanayanam samskara ]the
investiture of the sacred thread and the initiation into Gayatri mantra] to
his son Venkatanatha. From that day, Appullar took charge of educating
Venkanatha and began the teaching of the several saasthras. There was no
need for the teacher to repeat next day the previous day?s lesson since the
pupil was able to grasp and remember it by hearing it just once.
Venkatanatha studied all the Vedas with all its six auxiliaries. [siksha-
phonetics; Chandhas- Prose; vyAkaraNa- grammar; niruktha- etymology;
Jyothis- Astronomy and Kalpa-ritual or ceremonial. The first two are for
correct pronunciation and recitation of the Vedas; the next two are for
understanding them correctly and the last two for their applications] He
also studied tarkka, and meemaamsa, and acquired mastery over systems of
philosophy Saankhya and Yoga, Dvaita and Advaita, Bhaskara and Pasupatha,
Budhha and Jaina.

The following slokas of Saptapati ratnamalika (26-29) give us a detailed
list of the saasthras studied and mastered by Sri Venkatanatha.

[Let us read only the translations]

26. Sri Venkanatha, the Sarvathanthra swathanthrar- and the son of
Anantasuri, was like the Sage Vyasa himself in the knowledge of the Vedas
with their various methods of recitation like Jata, Varna and Carca and of
the Kalpa sutras during the conduct of the rituals.

27. He was an expert in the proper interpretation of the subtle thoughts of
the various smrithis written by Sages Bharadwaja, Saandilya, Harita and
others. His mastery over the Puranas and the Agamas was unique.

28. He had an extraordinary skill in the sciences of Astrology, Prosody and
Grammar and was perfectly acquainted with epic poetry, drama and poetics. He
was the creator as it were, of the Karma ? meemaamsa and Brahmma meemaamsa.

29. He was the victor in disputations by refuting the proud arguments of
those belonging to the various schools of though like Sankhya and Yoga,
Bhatta and Prabhakara, Saiva and Sankara, Yadava and Bhaskara and Buddha and
Jaina.

All this Sri Venkatanatha was able to do even before he was twenty years of
age as stated by himself in Sankalpa Suryodhaya [1.15]

?vimSathyabdE visutha nAnAvidhavidya:

Daily routine of Venkatanatha:

At the end of study- period (Brahmmacharya) Sri Venkatanatha entered into
the grahasthasrama [the life of a house holder] by marrying one Thirumangai,
suited to him in all respects. He scrupulously observed the duties of that
asrama like the dial;y worship of fire [aupasana] at home, visit to the
temple of Lord Varadaraja for worship, Bhagavadh Aradahana and athithi
pooja, He had a very simple and austere life devoid of all luxury and
comfort. Every day after finishing his morning rites, he would go around the
temple, along the streets reciting the sthothras and songs of the Lord to do
what his known as uncchavritthi (gleaning of the grains). Whatever was
offered voluntarily by the residents at Kanchi he gathered and brought it
home. His dutiful wife would receive it and prepare a simple food. At noon,
he would worship the household deity Varada and offer the food to the Lord.
Then he would take it as Prasada [the gift of the gracious God].

Appullar was very much pleased with the qualities and the way of life of
Venkatanatha. He wished to widen him knowledge and enrich him. So he
initiated him into Vainatheya mantra (Garuda mantra) and advised him to
concentrate on the manthra and meditate upon Garuda to acquire his grace.

When he began to think of a suitable place for his meditation on Garuda, it
struck him that Aindhai (Thiruvaheendrapuram) would be an ideal place;
because there is a river, Garuda nadhi by name as well as a mountain named
OushAdhri, both of which have been sanctified by the divine presence of
Gaudra himself. He left Kanchi and proceeded to that shrine. There first he
bathed in the sacred Garuda nadhi and worshipped Lord Devanatha and His
consort Hemambhuja nayika in the temple. Then he went to the top of the
Hill, Oushaadhri and chose a lonely place at the foot of a big and shady
Asvattha tree. Being seated, he controlled his mind and senses and began to
meditate on Garuda. Some days passed in deep meditation. Garuda, the deity
who is Veda incarnate, appeared before Venkatanatha and after initiating him
in the mantra of Lord Hayagriva, the horse faced Supreme God presiding over
all knowledge and instructed him to propitiate that god by meditation.
Venkatanatha engaged himself in that act with great perseverance for
sometime till Hayagriva was pleased and appeared before him. The Lord
bestowed on him the nectar of knowledge flowing from his mouth. The devout
Vankatanatha was full of joy with the blessing and at once realized that a
complete knowledge of all sciences was at his back and call by the grace of
Lord Hayagriva. He prayed that the Lord should be pleased to enthrone
himself at the tip of his tongue so that every word of his should be correct
and authoritative because of this divine origin and it should be all
right-thinking people as such ? Here is his prayer to Lord Hayagriva:

Oh Lord! In the assemblies of erudite scholars and in the arena of batches
of cleve men, when I begin to speak with a desire to defeat the best of
poets and dialecticians, be pleased to take the seat on the throne of the
tip of my tongue.

viSEshavith parisadhEshu nATha! vidhagdhagOshti samarAnganEshu |
jigeeshathOmE kavitaarkkakEndrAn JIHVAAGRA SIMHAASANAMABHYUPEYAH ||

The prayer was granted ? Venkatanatha realized that deep thoughts and
melodious words were raising within him waiting for the suitable time and
place to stream forth. He began to compose works in poetry and prose,
Sanskrit and Prakrit, in Tamil and manipravala. There are more than 120
compositions to his erudite which came out one after another in the course
of his life as occasions arose. Some are in the form of lyrics on God and
Goddess; some on their paraphernalia [weapons]; and attendants; some on
fundamental doctrine of Ramanuja philosophy. Many are his original works and
rare commentaries on the work of earlier acharyas like Sri Yamunacharya and
Sri Ramanujacharya.

Sri Venkatanatha was the master of all scriptural texts like the Vedas and
the Upanishads, Agamas and Puranas (epics written by sages). He had a
perfect knowledge of mantra saasthra (science of mystic syllables). He has
incorporated the mantras presided over by several deities in his works for
the benefit of seekers. Movement of the divine constellations and geography
of the world sculpture and architecture, state craft and sorcery, music and
dance, poetry and drama, prosody and poetics, ethics were all at his
finger?s ends. He was the writer of an epic poem, a miracle play a dance
drama. He was familiar with other literary writes like Kalidasa and Bhasa,
Bana, and Bhavabuti. In short there was no branch of knowledge literary or
scientific, in which he was not proficient.
[The life history is from the beautiful book "The life and works of Sri
Nigamantha Mahadesikan written by Prof A Srinivasaraghavachariar]

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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