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From: Madhavakkannan V (srivaishnavan_at_hotmail.com)
Date: Fri Aug 10 2001 - 05:43:22 PDT
SrI:
SrImathe Ramanujaya namah:
SrImathe Nigamantha mahadesikaya namah:
SrImAn venkatanAthAryaH kavitArkika kesarI |
vedAntAcArya-varyome 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,
I am continuing on my appeal and posts on Swamy Desikan and appeal for
Thuppul mandapam kaimkaryam.
There has been an overwhelming response after my 6th post and there are many
Bhagawathas pledging to contribute. Blessed are they with such generous
hearts. May Acharya bless them, as He does always.
URL: http://www.geocities.com/lsriniva/thoopulappeal.html
It is my humble request to please contribute your mite towards this
kaimkaryam, as remembering Acharyan, and talking alone will not suffice.
Let us continue to enjoy Swamy’s GREAT works.
Swamy Desikan wrote 12 works in Sanskrit which can be grouped under three
heads.
Under the first group, are included seven independent works, all on
philosophy of VisistAdvaita. Among these, the Tattvamuktakalapa, with his
own commentary Sarvaartthasiddhi, bears the impress of the original thinker
and untiring indicator of the system of Sri Ramanujcharya. The text contains
five hundred stanzas in five chapters called rightly sara (strand) as they
from part of the necklace of tattvas.
Of the philosophical treatises of Vedantha Desika, this Tattvamuktakalapa
stands out as the most important work. This work, consisting of saras
(strands) of five major topics, namely dravya (substance), jIva (individual
self), Iswara (Gold), Buddhi (knowledge), and adravya (non substance), is
compared to pearl necklace with all these strands (saras) combined,
beautifully and coherently. This is an ornament (kalapa) of pearls (mutthu-
muktha) of tattvas (philosophy). What a name chosen by Desikan, so apt and
deep!
According to tradition (writes Sri SMS Chari in his book on Fundamentals of
Visishtadvaita Vedantha -a study based on vedantha Desikan’s Tattvamuktha
kalapa), this work was written and dedicated by Vedantha Desikan to Lord
Ranganathan in the same way as an ornament is offered to God in devotion.
This book is therefore referred to and described as a special ornament
(bhUshaNam), comprising pearls in the form of Tattvas or metaphysical
doctrines of the VisishtAdvaita Vedantha.
In Vishnu purana, the different tattvas such as individual soul, Prakariti,
mahat, buddhi, mind, indriyas, etc., are described as different ornaments of
Iswara (God). It is therefore justified to treat this book
(Tattvamuktakalapam) as a SPECIAL ornament of God – says Sri SMS Chari
quoting from Introduction to Tattvamuktakalapam by Sri U Ve Uttamur
Veeraraghabvchariar Swamy.
The main objective of Tattvamuktakalapa, as stated in one of the opening
verses, is to establish the doctrines of Visistadvaita Vedantha on a sound
basis through a critical evaluation of the corresponding doctrines advocated
by rival schools of thought. It covers all the important philosophical,
epistemological, cosmological and religious doctrines of the Visistadvaita
Vedantha system. As Vedantha Desikan claims (says Sri SMS Chari in his book)
there is no topic in philosophy which is not discussed in this work. What is
not considered here can not be found elsewhere (yannaasmin kvapi naitat).
This reflects the statement made by Sage Vyasa in Mahaabharatha: yad ihaasti
tad anyatra; yan nehaasti na tat kvachit..
In the concluding potion of work, Swamy Desikan says: I have examined in
this work, very carefully almost all topics relating to both pramaaNams and
pramEyams at some place or the other. Until this day, the only source of
authority for deciding any controversial philosophical and epistemological
issue in Visistadvaita Vedantha is the views of Vedantha Desika as expressed
in Tattvamukta kalapam and Sarvaartha siddhi. Truly Tattvamuktakalapam, is
an important compendium of all topics in Visishtadvaita.
The schools of thought which come up for critical evaluation in
tattvamuktakalapam are:
NyAya and VaishEshika, Saankhya and Yoga, Poorva mImAmsa of both Prabhaakara
and Kumaarila, Vedantha as presented by Bhaskara, Yaadava and Sankara,
Buddhism covering the four schools of Vaibhashika, Sautraantika, Yogaachaara
and Maadhyamika, Jainism and Chaarvaakam.
Only such of the theories of these schools as stand opposed to those upheld
by the Visishtadvaitn are taken up for critical examination. The main
objective of the criticism is to expand the doctrines of Visishtadvaita and
reaffirm their soundness by exposing the defective nature of the
corresponding theories held by the rival school of thought. The theories are
subjected to critical analysis in a very systematic manner and their
soundness is evaluated with reference to three accepted pramaaNaas –
perception, inference and revealed scripture. What is evident to perceptual
experience is not rejected as invalid. In matters, which are outside the
purview of perceptual experience, scriptural evidence is accorded greater
importance than perception as well as logic while determining the validity
of a theory.
As for inference, it is acknowledged that it has a limited role since logic
cannot establish conclusively the supersensuous realities. However, logic is
adopted to support the theories established by scripture.
NOWHERE in this work, does Vedantha Desikan adopt dialectical arguments to
condemn a theory of the rival schools in a dogmatic manner, but rather he
uses them to elucidate and establish the soundness of Sri Ramanuja Darsanam
(the unparalleled VisishtAdvaita Vedantha) by pointing out the defects in
the views of the opponents. (Readers are highly recommended to buy this book
of Sri SMS Chari’s on Fundamentals of Visishtadvaita based on Swamy
desikan’s Tattvamuktakalapa.- This is an excellent book and is lucidly
written. )
Swamy Desikan Himself has written a commentary on Tattvamuktakalapam called
‘Sarvaarthasiddhi’. As the title signifies, it contains all that is to be
known by a student of philosophy. It is a very scholarly and comprehensive
commentary, exhibiting author’s encyclopaedic knowledge of all systems of
Indian philosophy. This is very much evident from the way he has stated
succinctly the views of the other schools of thought by quoting the relevant
statements from their original worksJ According to tradition, Swamy Desikan
was conferred the title Sarvagnan- as one possessing comprehensive knowledge
par excellence – on the basis of his masterly work, Tattvamuktakalapa and
Sarvaarthasiddhi.
Please donate according to your shakthi. The money can be sent to "Thuppul
Trust" and the address is:
Thuppul Trust
Old No.20, New No.24, Thiruvengadam Street
West Mambalam, Chennai-600033, India
Phone No: 91-44-4741559 / 91-44-3715771
Please contact Sri. V.K. Sudharshan at vksudarsh@vsnl.com or Sri Lakshmi N
Srinivasa lsriniva@hotmail.com (He can collect and send it as single amount
in USA).
The address:
Lakshminarasimhan Srinivasa
3 Old Towne Road, #212
Ayer, MA-01432
For those in the South East Asia, please contact me at
srivaishnavan@hotmail.com . Please pass on this kaimkaryam to as many people
as possible in order to complete the same.
kavi-tArkika-simhAya kalyANa-guNa-SAline |
Srimate venkateSAya vedAntagurave namaH ||
Salutations to Sri Venkatesa, in whom all perfection resides, who is the
teacher of Vedanta and the lion among poets and debaters!
Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Narayana Narayana
NarayaNa dAsan madhavakkannan
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