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SrI:
SrImathE Gopaladesika Mahadesikaya namah:
Dearest Srivaishnavas,

Today Sep 25th is Thirukkudanthai Desikan - Sri GopAlArya MahAdESikan
Thirunakshathram (Purattaasi month- PoorAdam Star)

Given below is an extract from Sri V. N. VEDANTA DESIKAN's article in The
Hindu..

The Lord is a great benefactor even to this day. But 300 years back, He
blessed a couple from Royampettai with a divine child ? in the image of Sri
Desika who was similarly blessed by Lord Venkatesa ? this child growing in
later life as a great spiritual patriarch, called Thirukkudanthai Desikan.
He is to this day regarded as a great water-shed preceptor, head of a
fairly large family of the so-called Munitraya Sampradaya, since for one
reason among many others, three ascetics prostrated before this householder
and learnt Vedanta at his feet ? a rather unique phenomenon in Indian
spiritualism.

A GREAT luminary in the spiritual firmament of South India was born in 1700
A.D. in a hamlet called Royampettai, in Thanjavur district, on the northern
bank of the Cauvery, near Thiruvaiyaru. He was born in the year Vikrama
(corresponding to 1700 A.D.), in the month of Purattasi, under the star
Pooradam, to Krishnadesika. The child was named Gopaladesika.

The boy learnt, from his father, the Vedas, Divyaprabandha, Sanskrit and
Tamil grammar, rhetoric and Sastras. Even when he was in his teens, he was
sent to Srirangam to learn the ``Grantha-Chatushtayam' (Rahasyatraya-saram,
Sri
Bhashyam, Gita- Bhashyam and Bhagavad-Vishayam) from the great Vedanta
acharya, Ramanuja Muni.

Young Gopaladesika was advised to settle down in Kumbakonam after he
completed his course. He first undertook an extensive pilgrimage to the
holy shrines in South India and then settled down in a hermitage in the
Aravamuthan temple
premises, at Kumbakonam.

Gopaladesika lived a simple life, sustained by daily alms. Though such a
way of life is not necessary for the householder, one like Vedantadesika or
Gopaladesika, who had no need for money or savings or material
acquisitions,
would naturally, and instinctively, adopt this mode of life.

Three ascetics were attending on him, with implicit reverence, doing his
personal chores - a very unusual phenomenon. They had been drawn from and
near: one was from Watrap, who was devoted to solitude and meditation; the
second was
from Seyyanam (in Tirunelveli district), a prototype of Yamunamuni (or
Alavandar), who had a few disciples only; the third was from Vazhuthoor
near Ayyampettai.

He was indeed a second Vedanta Ramanuja Muni, whose service helped the
school reach a pre-eminent status. The particular ascetic, referred to as
Vazhuthoor Swami, Vazhuthoor Andavan, and Srirangam Swami, was the real
torch-bearer of Gopaladesika's mission from about 1750 A.D.

The reverence Gopaladesika commanded from the society then, is reflected in
his being addressed as ``Thirukkudanthai Desikan''. He is acknowledged as
the patriarch of the school (or sampradaya, as it is generally termed),
referred to
as Munitraya, since it is suppose to have been carried forward by his three
ascetic disciples. The tradition is essentially the same as that of
Vedantadesika; it marks no departure from the path; nor it is a branch
since it
was only continuing in the same direction. If it is referred to as the
Munitraya tradition or Thirukkudanthai Desikan tradition, it is only for
convenience and for conveying the regard that he was held in by a large
mass of
the religious community.

In the context of Indian spiritualism, we find two kinds of leaders; one
might be a great author but no great orator; another may be good at
discourses or instructions but may not have a flair for writing works for
posterity.
Gopaladesika combined both faculties in happy harmony. He inherited
Vedantadesika's spiritual legacy totally and from him different streams can
be recognised today. Among these, two are well organised Asharams: they are
the Srirangam Periasramam Andavan tradition and the Poundarikapuram Andavan
tradition.

There are a number of others, such as the Kethandapatti tradition, the
Annayaryamahadesikan tradition composed of many Tatacharyas (descendants of
Nathamuni) and Acharya-Purushas, the Denkanikottai stream and so on. One
could
make an estimate that some 40 per cent of the Desikasampradaya adherents
today would acknowledge Thirukkudanthai Desikan as their patriarch.

As an author, his reputation stands simply unassilable: an original work on
``Prapatti'' (``Nikshepatchintamani''), a commentary on Rahasyatrayasara of
Vedantadesika, commentaries on two works from Divyaprabandham, a commentary
on Tattvatika of Vedantadesika, a terse Sahasranama-stotra on
Vedantadesika; an Anhika work which is a valuable guide on
rituals of daily routine for pious men to followl and a unique work called
``Sri- Jayantyadi-Nirnaya'', where he codifies the criteria for fixing the
dates of such holy fests as Sri Krishna Jayanthi.

His devotion for the local deity, Aravamuthan, can be gleaned from two
short hymns he has composed.It was he who built the present shrine, with
the tower, for Vedantadesika, almost opposite to his hermitage, within the
temple premises.

He was a model of true humility. He used an unostentatious colophon in his
works, that read somewhat like this: ``written by Gopaladasa, son of
Krishnasoori and receiver of Vedanta knowledge from Sakshat Swami''. It is
said
that his grand-uncle Venkatadhwari was so much impressed by his stature,
that he sought to become Gopaladesika's disciple. But Gopaladesika would
not allow it! He commended the grand old man to his own Acharya, Sakshat
Swami.

However, he appears to have suffered the misfortune of begetting a misfit
son, for whom he could only plead with God. The son died young.
Gopaladesika had a scholarly nephew, Venkatacharya and a grandson,
Vedantacharya (of Elayavalli
line), who became his `sons' by adoption. They did much to perpetuate his
glorious memory.

At 82, he took sanyasa and died within a couple of days, in the Tamil Plava
year (corresponding to 1782 A.D.), in Karthigai month on a Krishna Shashti.
Just before he passed away, his loving admirers made an idol of his in
iron, which he approved and blessed with his touch.

This idol is now worshipped in the Vedantadesika shrine (in East Uttara
Street, Srirangam) which is under the management of the Poundarikapuram
Swami Asramam.

Sri Thirukkudanthai Desikan's Thaniyan:

Sri Krishna Desika Padaambhuja Bringaraajam Vedaanta Lakshmana Muneendra
Krupaatha Bodham /
Trayyantha Desika Yatindra Sataari Moorthim Gopaala Desika Sikhaamanim
Aasrayaamaha //

Meaning: (Translation by SrI Anbil Ramaswamy Swamin)

"Let us take refuge at the feet of Gopala Desika , the crown jewel, the
Acharya for the three great Sannyasis, who was like the bee surrounding the
lotus feet of Sri Krishna Desika and who was the recipient of the grace of
Vedanta Lakshmana Muni"

The above means that Tirukkutanthai Desikan Swami combined in his
persona;ity those of all the three AchAryas viz Sri Vedanta Desika, Sri
Bhashyakara and Sri Satakopa. It is interesting to note that those who
resorted to him were also three yathivaras

Thirukkudanthai Desikan SrI Gopaalaarya Mahadesikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Narayana Narayana
aDiyEn Narayana dAsan madhavakkannan





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