SrI:

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Biography of Srimath Poundareekapuram Andavan

 (Article by V Madhavakkannan rAmAnuja dAsan)

Dearest Sisters and Brothers,

Please accept adiyEn’s dhaNdavath praNAmams at your feet.

We have been enjoying the unparalleled, avicchinna (uninterrupted) AchArya vamsa vruksham of Srivaishnava Sampradayam.

About one hundred and fifty five years ago, our land witnessed the holy birth of a mahaan in Poundarikapuram (near Oppiliappan Koil); truly it was avtaar of Sriman Narayanan Himself who out of bountenous benevolence and sincere determination, Dhrida Vrata, to save all human beings, comes into this world. And the Lord chooses this time, the place and the dhampathis to take His birth from- it is all preordained by Him.

In Sowmya Year, Adi Pooradam, 26th August, 1847, a child was born to Sri SingaperumAL Ayyangar, an effulgent scholar and a man of unswerving principles of personal practice and conduct and Smt Sengamalam AmmAL, his wife. They named the child as Srinivasa after Lord Srinivasa.

Young Srinivasan was given in adoption to his father’s younger brother.  After his upanayanam at 7, he promptly sought to learn Sanskrit from
illustrious Sri Rangachariar Swami, father of the reputed Tharka scholar Sri Narasimhachariar. Soon followed his higher eductation from mahavidwans like Ghattam Varadachariar Swami, Sogathur srinivasachariar Swami, Perumal Koil  Thirupputkuzhi Swami, Kuricchi Rangachariar Swami at Mannargudi and in matter of time, he becamce an accomplished scholar, a mahavidwan himself, having mastered tharkkam, VyakaraNam, meemaamasam, besides the Vedas and Divya prabhandhams.

He had pancha samskaram from Ghattam Varadachariar Swami and Vedantha grantha kaalakshepam and BharasamarpaNam at the feet of srimad Andavan Veliyanalloor Narayana mahAdEsikan, an act possibly indicating things to come, as later he succeeded as Srimad Narayana mahadesikan.

In spite of belonging to an affluent family, Sri Srinivasan led his gruhasthasramam at Pundarikapuram in a manner that was remarkable for its simplicity and austerity. In good time he heard the call, the divine call for taking up Sanyasa Asramam and to become a “lighthouse” guiding the parched souls tossed about in the samsaara saagaram. He went and prostrated repeatedly at the feet of Srimad Andavan Veliyanalloor Narayana Mahadesikan at VinnaaRRankarai who after thorough scrutiny of the disciple’s genuineness, offered him upadesam and prapatti prayoga and admitted him to Sanyasa Ashramam, more fittingly called thurIyAsramam.

Thereafter he went to live in the Srimad Andavan Ashramam at Srirangam hallowed by the foot prints of Srimad Periya Andavan and spent years there offering Samasrayana, Bharanyasam and daily kaalakshepam Goshtis to the innumerable disciples thirsting spiritually. But, he felt greatly anguished when obstacles were put in his path of discharging his duties as an Acharya. He decided to leave Srirangam and go to another place which would be congenial to him. When the disciples came to know of this, they prevailed upon him to continue his stay at Srirangam. Through their efforts, a separate Asrama was set up and it came to be known as the “Sri Poundarikapuram Andavan Asramam”

From here, he continued his mission. The Asramam under Sri Srinivasa Maha Desikan was a center of religious activities and philosophical
discussions. The Acharya was an erudite scholar in Vedaanta Sastras; he possessed an extraordinary power of mind by which he could accurately recall any passage, sloka or Sutra with ease. Many learned scholars came to study Adhyatma Sastras under his feet.

Thus started a great era, a Saga of monumental service to the Lord. Not a day passed without a Kaalakshepa Goshti in the Ashramam. It became the confluence of great minds seeking more and more scholarship in sri Bhashyam, Bhagavath vishayam, srimad Rahsyathrayasaram and Sri Geetha Bhashyam and all else with a thirst and enthusiasm as witnessed never before.

Apart from the saamaanya sishyas and countless extraordinary sishyas, mention many be made of a few outstanding sishyas who distinguished themselves by their startling mastery of the sampradaya granthas in all their facets and left an indelible mark in the from of permanent contributions to the growth and spread of the Munithraya sampradaya. And thus the two who succeeded Him, Srimad Andavan Mannargudi Ranganatha Mahadesikan and Srimad Andavan VinnaaRRankarai Srinivasa Mahadesikan, are manifestation of the Great Acharya himself as they followed his footprints, offering spiritual succor to the ever-growing disciples.
 

In 1934, in the month of Vaikasi on Pornami day, the AchArya’s look finally fell kindly on the great scholar disciple from Mannaargudi as hed had decided that he should succeed him and carry forward the intellectual and  spiritual service that he had so deftly given a new dimension to. Thus Sri Mannargudi Anadavan, (followed then by sri ViNNaaRRankarai Andavan) succeeded Sri Srinivasa Mahadesikan (Poundarikapuram Anadavan). And Prakritham Andavan is Srimad Andavan ParavaakkOttai Gopaladesika Mahadesikan, whose 81st Thirunakshathram is being celebrated.

While this was the Great Acharya Srimad Poundarikapuram Andavan Sri Srinivasadesika mahadesikan’s work to keep the line of succession
continuous, he did not rest content there; he knew the coming days would demand more than this, that the future upkeep of our sampradaya would need not merely “ships” and “light houses”, but also, pillars and foundation Structures. Among the many hundreds of Ashthikas/Sishyas, mention should be made of Sri A.V Gopalacharyar of Anbil, of Sri Krishna thathachariar Swamy of Bangalore, and of Sri C.M Vijayaraghavachariar Swamy also of Bangalore, not because others were less equal, but because these scholar disciples carved for themselves a unique position. Sri A.V Gopalacharyar was at the feet of this great Acharya for 42 years of his life, practically everyday learning the nuances of our sampradayam. A man of shrewd intellect, a lawyer matchless in his profession at Tiruchi and affluent, learned in Poorvapaksham forms of Advaita found full enlightenment from Acharya’s responses and answers to his full load of doubts and  questions. Srimad Anvadav well versed in the intricacies of Advaita completely and fully satisfied the disciple’s lurking doubts so well that Sri Anbil Gopalcharyar Swami was enabled to author many books in elucidation of Advaitha philosophy, - a contribution of very crucial importance for the very understaiding of Greatness of unparalleled and unambiguous  Visishtadvaita; he also brought out a few other granthas. He perpetuated the memory of this great mahan thus, in the form of granthas and idealized it by instituting the “Srinivasa Mahadesikan Vidhwath Sadhas”, munificently endowing for its conduct. It is an annual feature since then, in this ashramam that brings in congregation scholars of repute for intellectual and philosophical discussion, disputation and authoritative assertion of our sampradaya Gnana.

Kozhiyaalam Raghavachariar Swami came to Srirangam and sought Sannyaasa Sweekaranam at the feet of Srimad Poundarikapuram Andavan who initiated him into the Sannyaasa Asrama in 1920 in the year Roudri- Aani- Pournami day. The Aasthaana Vidwan of Tirumalai Tirupati Devasthanam, Kapisthalam Desikaachaarya submitted to Swami for approval his Grnatha “Adhikarana Ratna Maalai”. The  Swami
accorded his approval.

Srimad Anvadavn is the one who blessed with his kataaksham and made child of five years old utter the JnAnandamayamdevam slokam (first slokam of Sri Hayagriva SthOthram)…, though he was born mute. Today this divine child,  blessed by this Acharya is ashtangayogi and the greatest Acharya His Holiness Sri Rangapriya Swamy. This was Srimad Andavan Poundarikapuram Srinivasa Mahadesikan, a creative
genius, a perennial spring who made himself an institution and a legend with his many sided qualities. He was a great servant, a teacher unsurpassed, an organizer with an eye for protection, a missionary with a vision and a visionary with a mission. No wonder that he was known as Gnana Vairagya Anusntana Sampanna.

"Whenever there were doubts on sri Bhashyam Grantham and its interpretations, Srimad Andavan was always the Judge to pass his final
judgement as to who is right. - " was the statement of Srimad Azhagiyasingar (41st Pattam).

In 1928, when the affluent devotees of Poundarikapuram village – nevertheless not his disciples – had arranged for renovation and
consecration, It was H H Sri Poundarikapuram Andavan who was invited to lend the ‘holy hand’ for karasparsam (by a great man). With what results! All can see today how the small shrine of Oppiliappn has grown as Southern Thiruppathi, with gala and festivity, fund-flow and pomp and fame and attraction, all after 1928! The event has a precedent in Thirukkudanthai  Desikan lending his ‘kara-sparsam’ to Aravamuthan some 200 years back- says Sri Dr VN Vedantha Desikan Swami in his article.

This mahaan made it a daily practice to chant praNavam even during brief leisure hours following the precepts of Upanishads, thereby experiencing the thrill of the union of JivAthmA with the ParamAthmA. That he was practicing this was not known to anybody. It was not necessary to inform anyone, it being the individual communion of Jivan with Sriman Narayanan. How did then others come to know of? It was the custom to invite four Srivaishnavas and feed them in the Ashramam on the completion of every one crore (ten millions) of PraNava japam. Such was his accuracy in keeping count of a small GREAT mantra. Sri VennaaRRankarai Andavan Swami chanced to notice this and humbly enquired and got to know the truth.

Does this not testify to the unassuming nature and greatness of the AchArya, his gnAna, anushtAnam and VairAgyam?

What a wonder – He attained the everlasting Bliss of AchAryan Thiruvadi on 20th October 1934, a day after completion of one of the many Sri Bhashya Grantha saaRRumuRais, signifying Sri Bhashya Bhakti.  The above article is from the article written in 151st Jayanthi malar.

His Tanian reads as follows:


Sri Narayana Yogindra Varadaarya Kripaasrayam /
Rangesa Paada Vinatham Srinivaasa Munim Bhaje //
 

(meaning) - I hail Srinivasa Muni who obtained the full grace of Sri Narayana Yogindra Varadaarya, who always bowed at the feet of Lord Ranganatha.

asmadhAchArya paryanthAm vandhE GuruparamparAm