BahudhAnya Samvatsara Calendar

From the Bhakti List Archives

• June 18, 1998


Dear BhakthAs : 

I am overjoyed to see the most infiormative 
compilation of the important events and dates 
that mark the Sri Vaishnavite calendar for 
BahudhAnya Year .It is wonderful to see at one place 
the compilation of the Thirunakshtrams of 
many AchAryAs and their PurvAchAryAs .

Sriman Anbil Ramaswamy has put together a wonderful 
series of postings that are being serialized on 
Saranagathi Journal , which BTW completed the release 
of its first 19 issues thanks to the blessings 
of saraNya dampathis and the tireless work of
Sriman Rengarajan . May I request Sri Anbil
Swami to add the information on the Thirunakshathrams
of Andavan Paramparais and ThennAchAryAs that he
has meticulously assembled to this calendar 
put together by Sri Anand ? May this become a tradition 
in future years !It will be also most welcome to add 
the SravaNam dates for the benefit of those ,
who perform Sravana UpavAsam .Sri Rengarajan can 
kindly help on this aspect of enrichment of 
the calendar . 

In previous years , we either missed some of these dates 
due to lack of authentic information or learned about 
them much later . This year is going to be BahudhA anya :
( different in many ways ) because of the Bahu DhAnyams
that Sri Ananad has put in the granary . This is one of
the most important kaimkaryam that Sri Anand has done 
for the overseas Sri Vaishnavite community to orient 
their daily life in reflection of the great lives of 
AchAryAs and take the time on these days
of their Thirunakshathrams to reflect on their 
kaimkaryams to maintain and grow  the richness 
of Sri Bhagavadh RaamAnuja SampradhAyam .

Swami Desikan reminds us about this important 
anugrahmas of our AchAryAs this way in his RTS 
grantham :

aabhagavattha: prathitham anagAm
aachArya santhathim VandhE 
Manasi mama yath prasAdhAth 
vasathi Rahasya thrayasya sArOyam 

(Meaning ) : I salute the blemishless and
celebrated AchArya Paramparai starting with
the Lord Himself . I salute that AchArya
Paramparai thanks to whose blessings , the 
essence of the meaning of the Rahasya Thraya
Saaram stays etched in my mind .

SaasthrAs are two fold : Karma vichAram and Brahma
VichAram . The calendar put together by Sri Anand 
addresses the needs of both of the above .
The reference again is a slokam of Swami Desikan
in RTS :

karam BrahmAthmakE saasthrE 
kouthukasthu nivartakAn
vandhE Hasthigirisasya 
veedhi sodhaka kinkarAn 

Here Swami Desikan refers to 
the haithukars ( those who do not believe in 
PramANams and ask for proof on every aspect 
of SaasthrAs blessed by the Lord , which has 
the two fold nature of Karma VichAram and 
Brahma VichAram ) .He considers our AchAryAs as 
the sanitation workers , who sweep away the 
dust and the garbage that collects from time to 
time on the royal streets of DevAthi DEvan , 
Sri VaradarAjan .The kantanams of AchAryAs
is equated here to the cleansing of the street
from the dirt and debris that accumulated .

The calendar for BahudhAnya samvathsaram 
assembled with great  effort helps us to
have AchArya and Bhagavadh Chintanai 
thruout this year .

Thanks again Sri Anand .

V.Sadagopan