Srimathe Ranga Ramanuja Maha Desikaya namaha:
Acharya parampara of Srimath Andavan Ashramam continues in this posting with
Srimath Thembarai Andavan - Sri Ranganatha Mahadesikan
Thembarai Andavan:- Thirunakshatram: Avani Revathi
Thanian:
Srimath VEdha vathamsa lakshmana munehe praapthaaga maantha dvayam
ThEna Sri raghu punga vangri yugaLe nyasthaathma Rakshaambharam
Srimath Srinidhi yogivarya karuna labdaabhja chakraangkanam
Vande shaanthi virakhthi poornamanagham Sri ranga naatham Gurum
Srimath Thembarai Andavan Sri RanganAtha MahA dEsikan adorned Acharya peetam
as the 8th Andavan in the Andavan Periashramam Munithraya Sampradayam AchArya
Lineage. .
Thembarai is a beautiful serene village situated on the banks of river pAmani
.He was born to Sri. U.Ve. Vangeepuram SeshAdriyAchAr in then year 1886 VIYA
varusham in the month of Avani with Revathy as birth star(19-08-1886).His
poorvasirama name was venkataraghavan. (His father gave him excellent education
in his younger days.
The Astrologers who looked at the horoscope of swAmi predicted that he would
become a sanyAsi and a parama virakthA,unparalleled. After undergoing
samskArams at the right age, swAmi performed adhyayanam of sAma sAkhA and
became an exponent. He underwent rigorous training and mastered sanskrit, and
Kavya sAstrAs along with other vEda sAkhAs in Thirukkudanthai Sanskrit College.
He went to Rajamannar koil nd mastered vyAkaraNa sAstrAs under the tutelage of
Sri. U.Ve. RangachAr swAmi (This mahAn later became the 39th Jeer of Sri
Ahobila Mutt as Sri Parankusa SatakOpa yatheendra mahA dEsikan). Later he went
to viLAkkudi to learn tharka sAstrAs under the eminent guidance of ?ThArkika
simham? Sri. U.Ve. SrinivAsachariAr swAmi. Having completely learnt tharka
sAstrAs, swAmi learnt and mastered MeemAmsa sAstrAs under the guidance of MahA
mahOpAdhyAyA Brahmasri KuppuswAmi SastrigAL and Brahmasri ChinnaswAmi
SastrigAL.
Marriage
In the year 1908, swAmi was married to Srimathi Vijayavalli Ammal. Immediately
after the marriage, swAmi took the VaisvadEva upadEsam from his paternal uncle,
Maha vidwAn Brahmanidhi Sri. U.Ve. RamabhadrAchAr swAmi. During his
GruhasthAsramA, swAmi observed panca kAla anushtAnams in an austere and
rigorous way. Later, swAmi served as a religious teacher in a national high
school. . During this time swAmi served as an examiner for sanskrit
competitions conducted Sri kanchi kAmakOti matam. Sri SankarAchArya
(paramAchAryA) had utmost respect for swAmi?s pAndithyAm.
SwAmi followed Sriman nigamAntha mahA dEsikan in observing ?Unccha vrutthi?.
Such was the vairAghyam swAmi possessed in renouncement all the materialistic
lifestyle and observance of severe austerity. c.. SwAmi underwent grantha
chathushtya kAlakshEpams under Srimath NammAndavan. In the kAlakshEpa goshti,
swAmi used to listen to kAlakshEpam with rapt attention and full concentration.
Srimath NammAndavan performed panca samskAram to swAmi in his younger days and
later performed bharasamarpanam at the lotus feet of vaduvoor (Lord Sri Rama).
In the year 1922, in Mannargudi,Sri Ramanaya upanyasam of swAmi was arranged by
Sri. U.Ve. vidwAn Rama swAmi Iyengar and Sri. U.Ve. KrishnamAchAriAr,which went
on for over two months.
While swAmi was undertaking kAlakshEpams from His Holiness Srimath NammAndavan
,Srimath Andavan adorned ThirunAdu unexpectedly in Kanchipuram. Srimath Akkur
Andavan succeeded NammAndavan to adorn the AchArya peetam. Thembarai swAmi
continued his kAlakshEpams under Srimath Akkur Andavan.
Guna seelA
>From his younger days, swAmi was a puritan filled with all satva gunAs ..
>Simplicity, honesty, purity, veracity, courage, equality, renunciation, lucid
>and profound
sampradayic knowledge were hallmarks of swAmi?s gunAs. One could see simplicity
all the way in the clothes he wore, the food he ate or the lifestyle he led.
SwAmi was such a down-to-earth person who won the respect of many of his
admirers SwAmi had no desire to save money for his family. The amazing virakthi
swAmi possessed is attributed to his profound knowledge of our siddhAnta and
total belief in it. Even during the sadas when sambhavana was offered to
vidwAns, swAmi would do his best to avoid taking up sanmAnam.
SanyAsa sweekAram
Swami was doing kainkaryam to Srimath Akkur Andavan, continuing to undertake
kAlakshEpams under His Holiness. Srimath Andavan was immensely pleased with our
swAmi?s GnAna, vairAghyA and AnushtAnams and felt that our swami was the right
person to be adorned as ?sampradAya pravarthakA? of periAsramam after His
time.HE WAS very confident our swami would carry Asramam?s growth to heights
of glory. Accordingly HH did upadEsam on prapatti proyOgA and prEsha manthram
to our swami.
In the meantime, swAmi?s dharma patni attained AchAryan thiruvadi in the year
1946. Srimath Akkur Andavan was also becoming weak because of age. Swami after
long thoughts decided to take up sanyAsam and hence went to Srimath Andavan and
prayed to HH and sought his blessings for the sanyAsam. Srimath Andavan was
extremely pleased by swAmi?s decision and ordained His sishyAs to make
arrangements for the Holy ceremony.
In the year viya in the month of Aippasi on the 21st day i.e. on 6-10-1946 in
the presence of several Andavan Thiruvadis, Srimath Akkur Andavan gave the holy
sanyAsam to Sri. U.Ve. Brahmaniddhi Thembarai VenkatarAghavAchAriar swami. He
was given the title as ?Sri RanganAtha mahA dEsikan? and was fondly called as
Thembarai Andavan. Srimath Akkur Andavan lived for 5 more months after that and
adorned ThirunAdu on 19-3-1947 on a krishna paksha dwAdasi day ( in the month
of Panguni, viya year).
Because of the sanyAsa sweekAram, swami's lifestyle did not change a bit at all
as he practiced a life of sanyAsi even before that with rigorous anushtAnams
and extreme vairAghyam having completely renounced worldly comforts.
The daily chores of Asramam was maintained the same way as it was done from
Srimath PeriAndavan's period. Srimath Thembarai Andavan would wake up before 4
AM in the morning and would perform avagAha snAnam immediately thereafter.
SandhyAvandhanam, japams would be done after that followed by bhagavath
ArAdhanam and purvAchAryAs' pAdukA ArAdhanam. This was followed by distribution
of perumAl and pAdukA theertham. . Later, Sri bhAshya, geethA bhAshya,
bhagavath vishaya kAlakshEpams would by rendered by His Holiness after which
vaidheeka karmas such as samAsrayanams and bharanyAsams would be performed for
the bhAgavathAs for the day.
In the evenings, kAlakshEpams on divya sookthis such as Srimath RamAyanam,
nyAya siddhAnjanam. AdhikaraNa sArAvaLi would happen besides other anushtAnams.
Srimath Andavan would consume very little food once a day in the mornings.
During swAmi's time as AchAryA, Sri. U.Ve. Chakravarthi KrishnamAchAriar swAmi,
Sri. U.Ve. V.K. SrinivAsAchAriAr swami and later Sri. U.Ve. SrinivAsa
rAghavAchariAr swami ( Kannan swami ? later Srimath Thirukkudanthai Andavan)
served as Sri Karyams of Asramam at different periods.
As per the holy order of His Holiness, a monthly magazine called 'Sri
Ranganatha Paduka' was started in the year 1955 in the month of October (
Manmatha Varusham in the month of Ippasi) to bring a connection between the
asramam and the andavan sishyas.
Srimath Thembarai Andavan became weaker as the days passed by due to rigorous
anushtanams, meagre intake of food and also due to breathing related health
issues. His Holiness gave upadEsam on ?PrEsha manthram? and ?MOkshAsrama Ahnika
AnushtAnam? to three vidwAns of the Asramam - U.Ve. Sri. Kannan swAmi, U.Ve.
Sri. Mysore GopAlAchAr swAmi(who later on became Srimath Mysore Andavan in the
late 80s) and Mannargudi GanapAdi vidwAn U.Ve. Sri. NarasimhAchArya swAmi for
them to be ready and take up sanyAsam any time when called.
In April 1963, Srimath Andavan?s health was extremely affected and with great
difficulty His Holiness was performing his nithya karma anushtAnamOn April 4th
1963, Srimath Andavan's condition became worse and most of the sishyAs were
informed. Sree kAryam Sri. U.Ve. kannan swAmi was also informed of Srimath
Andavan?s health and . On His arrival, arrangements were speeded up for Sri
kannan swAmi's thureeyAsrama sweekAram. Early morning the next day i.e. on 5th
april, 1963 (Friday, sukla dwAdasi, makam star), in the presence of sishyAs,
His Holiness Srimath Thembarai Andavan ordained the ascetic order to Sri U.Ve.
Kannan SwAmi who was named as Srimath vEdAnta rAmAnuja mahA dEsikan. and within
few hours on the same day (April 5th 1963) He adorned Thirunadu satisfied with
having found His worthy successor.
In the next posting adiyen will continue with the history of acharyas beginning
with Srimath Thirukkudanthai Andavan.
Srimath Andavan Thiruvadi
Perungadambanur Parthasarathy Sreenivasan
(of Besant Nagar)
Adiyen is attaching a rare photo(courtesy- Sri Devanathan-Chennai, Srimath
Andavan Thiruvadi) taken in 1950's at Srirangam Periasramam where Srimath
Thembarai Andavan is in the center along with Srimath Thirukkudanthai
Andavan(circled -on your left) in His purvasramam and Srimath Mysore
Andavan(circled, hands folded - on your right) in His purvasramam
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