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Tributes to the 43rd Pattam Jeeyar , SrivaNN SatakOpa Sri VeerarAghava SatakOpa YathIndhara MahA Desikan

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • September 15, 1999 


Dear BhakthAs :

It gives me great pleasure  to celebrate
through this posting my PrathamAchAryan , who performed 
SamAsrayaNam for adiyEn at DhEvanAr ViLAgam village during 
his visit to his purvAsramam home shortly after entering 
ThurIyAsramam . As a boy , I knew him as Sri Ub.Ve.VidvAn ,
Sri Parutthippattu Sri LakshmI NrusimhAchAr Swamy 
with incomparable Braham tEjas.

There were only two houses then and even today 
in this tiny village of DhEvanAr ViLAgam .
One was called the Periya ChEtthi house and the other 
the Chinna sEtthi House .The latter family had already
blessed us with two Azhagiya Singars , who were 
the father and son (viz)., the 25th and the 26th Jeeyars 
of Ahobila Matam .
 
Both the families came originally from the village 
of Partitthippattu near KanchIpuram . The two closely
related families were rich land lords and were deeply
involved with kaimkaryam for Sri Bhumi Devi SamEtha 
Sri OppilA-appan of ThiruviNNagar celebrated by 
Swami NammAzhwAr , Kaliyan and the two Mudhal
AzhwArs . 

The tiny hamlet of DhEvanAr ViLAgam , which one can call
as the suburb of Oppiliappan Koil , housed the heads 
of Two great Sri ViashNavite families described by PeriyAzhwAr
as " yEzhAtkkAlam PazhippilOm " .Infact , the father of 
the future 43rd Jeeyar , Sri ThiruvEnkatAcchAr Swamy was 
the One , who persuaded Sri InjimEttu Azhagiya Singar 
to ascend the AchArya Peetam of the Sri Matam in 1941. 
Sri ThiruvEnkatAcchAr Swamy and NavanItham Sri KrishNamAcchAr 
Swamy (Father of Sri SrirAma DesikAcchAr Swamy )were 
great Kaimkarya ParALs of Sri Oppiliappan and great scholars 
in Ubhaya vedAntham .It was a sight to see both of them lead 
the Divya prabhandha GhOshti during BrahmOthsavams for
Sri Oppiliappan . Every day , the two Swamis will join
for the NithyAnusandhAna GhOshti at Sri Oppiliappan sannidhi.
After ardha Jaamam , Sri ThriuvEnkatAcchAr Swamy will
leave in the bullock cart for the short ride back to
DhEvanAr ViLagam listening to the peels of the big
Bell of the temple of Sri Oppiliappan .

To this great Sri VaishNavar , Sri ThiruvEnkatAcchAr 
Swamy , was born my AchAryan , Sri Lakshmi NarasimhAcchAr
in the year 1901. He accepted ThuriyAsramam in 1951 
and was Chinna Azhagiya Singar until the year 1953 ,
when H.H. the 42nd Jeeyar ascended to Sri Vaikuntam . 
Thus , He became the revered 43rd Jeeyar of Sri Matam
and occupied that throne until 1957 prior to being 
called back by MalOlan to perform nithya kaimkaryam 
for Him at Parama padham .

The revered 43rd Jeeyar was an expert in tarka Saasthram 
and had a brilliant intellect that helped him master 
the SaamAnya and VisEsha Saasthrams .He led the life of 
an ancient Maharshi and created the Sanskrit Schools at 
MadhurAnthakam , West Maambalam and PaathUr .His archai
is seen at the AadhanUr temple in the form of a painting
even today .His last ChAthurmAsyam was at HrishiikEsam ,
where to his heart's content, he performed thrikAla AarAdhanam
for Sri Lakshmi Nrusimhan with sacred GangA Theertham 
just as the revered prakrutham Jeeyar did two years back(?)
at BadrikAsramam .He performed the Raaja Gopura Kaimkaryams
for the Sri Matam temples at PuLLambhUthamkudi and
ThiruveNNai NallUr besides performing the JeerNOtthAraNam 
for the temple of Sri Kanakavalli SamEtha Sri VeerarAghavan .

In the limited time of reign ( 5 years and 10 Months) ,
H.H. the DhEvanAr ViLAgam Jeeyar travelled all over 
India and blessed the sishya Vargams as per the edict 
of MalOlan to Adhi VaNN SatakOpa Jeeyar some six hundred 
years ago . For quite some time , such extensive sanchArams
by a reigning Jeeyar of the Sri Matam had not taken place . 

H.H. the 43rd Jeeyar's Virakthi is well known and 
he repeatedly recited kaliyan's prayer:

" vEnDEn Manai Vaazhkkayai ViNNagar mEyavanE ".

As the revered Jeeyar reached the divya dEsam 
of NaimisAraNyam , he contemplated on the great 
Passura Vaakhyams of Thirumangai Mannan once again
and repeated with deep feeling ,

" Vanthun Thiruvadi adainthEn NaimisAraNiyathuLanthAi,

  VaanOr Nalam Purinthu irainjum Thiruvadi adhainthEn ,
  NaimisAraNiyatthuLenthAi ,

  NaathanE Vanthu Unn Thiruvadi AdhainthEN
  NaimisAraNiyatthuLenthAi ,

  NampanE Vanthun Thiruvadi adhainthEN ,

  Nadungi naan Vanthu Unn Thiruvadi adhainthEn ,

  Naadi naan Vanthu Unn Thiruvadi AdahinthEn

  DhAnavarkku yenrum NanjanE , Vanthu Unn 
  Thiruvadi adhainthEn  ,

  Yenn naavinAl vanthun Thiruvadi adhainthEn

  Naanudait tavatthAl Thiruvadi adhainthEn ,
  NaimisAraNiyatthuLenthAi "

Through His TapObhalam , Vaachika , Kaayika 
and MaanasIka mahA kaimkaryams , Sri VaNN SatakOpa
Sri VeerarAghava Yahtindhra MahA Desikan repeated
at NaimisAraNyam , " ImayOr Naathan Vanthirainjum 
NaimisAraNatthu Yenthayai chinthaiyuL Vaitthu ,
kaadhalE mihuntha KALIYAN Vaai oli seythu " and
ascended to Parama Padham for paripUrna BrahmAnubhavam
and Nithya kaimkaryam on the hEviLampi Kaarthikai ,
Sukla Paksha ThrithIyai dinam ( 24.11.1957).

AdiyEn concludes this small tribute to my 
AchAryan , who blessed me with samAsrayaNam as a boy 
with the recitation of His Taniyan :

Srimath SripruthvIsvara SataripuNA SamyamIndhrENa dhrushtam
nyasthAthmanam NrusimhE Narahari Satajith yOginEthu: prasAdhAth
Prag~nya:SrirangakAri prabhava yathipathE: PrAptha LakshmInrusimha
aasthAnam YadhIndhram SAKALA GUNA NIDHIM VeeraraghveeDh SatArim 

Sri VaNN SatakOpa Sri VeerarAghava SatakOpa Yathindhra 
mahA DesikAya Nama :

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan