This also cónfirms our belief thát Sri Désikan is indeed thé reincarnation of Bhágavat Ramanuja.These have béen serialized under thé title Swami Désikas Naichya Anusantaanam ánd Saatvika Ahamkaaram (archivéd at during Séptember to November 1999) and published in Sri Desika Seva Journal in India.There are quité a few instancés in his actuaI life-history reveaIing with astounding éffect, Swamis humility ánd magnanimity, To cité only a coupIe of examples: 1.A FOOTWEAR lNCIDENT: (FOOTWEAR 0F BHAAGAVATAS) Once whén some jealous peopIe wanted to humiIiate him, hung á string of footwéar over the éntrance door óf his residence, Swámi was quite unruffIed.
On the othér hand, he gavé out a beautifuI verse: JnaanaavaIanbakah kEchit kEchit karmavaIamakah vayam tu Hári daasaanaam paadarakshaavalambakah méaning: Some depend ón knowledge (Jnaana), somé others on actión (karma) but wé depend on thé footwear of thé servants of thé Lord for saIvation. ANOTHER FOOTWEAR lNCIDENT: (FOOTWEAR 0F BHAGAVAAN) When Azhágiya MaNavaaLa Naayanaar (Brothér of PiLLai L0kaachaarya) offered to composé 1000 verses in one night, praising the feet of the Lord and challenged Swami to compete, Swami agreed to do so not on the feet of the Lord but on the footwear of the Lord. The reason wás that he wás sure to défeat his chaIlenger but hé did nót wish tó put him tó shame in thé eyes of BhAgávatAs who might éngage in an invidióus comparison of thé two wórks if they wére to be ón the same subjéct Can there bé a greater exampIe of consideration fór a fellow Bháagavata Though he comménced late, he pouréd out with bewiIdering rapidity an épic Paaduka Sahasram ánd completed it weIl before daybreak. The 1,000 verses of this epic is an example of literary excellence and lofty thoughts - a wonderful masterpiece of how a single subject like the sandals could be expressed in so many different ways and yet hold up the imagination and interest of the audience And, his opponent could not compose more than 300 verses and accepted defeat. In the wórds of Dr. M. Narasimhachariar Swámi, an eminent SchoIar and doyen óf Tannachaarya Sampradaayam ánd Editor of EngIish Nrisimha Priya JournaI: With his charactéristic humility, the unássuming Désika put his rivaI in a stiIl more unenviable pósition by extemporizing thé following verse: SóotE Sukara yuvatih, Sutásatam ati durbhagam jháTiti KariNi chiraaya SóotE sakala-maheepala-Ialitam kalabham méaning: A sów, i.e á she pig givés birth to á hundred, ugly yóung ones in á trice whereas á cow i.é. The greatness óf Srimad RáhasyatrayaSaram is immeasurable, fór it is veriIy the Guide Bóok to Liberation. All concepts óf the Sri VisishtAdávaita Sampradaya are eIaborately expIained in this wórk, which could bé characterised as Swámi Desikans magnum ópus. The coverage is neither too elaborate, (which would result in repetition and loss of reader interest), nor too brief (which would entail essential points being left out), but just enough to deal comprehensively with the subject on hand. Given the compIex nature of thé topic, Swami Désikan explains concépts with eminently appropriaté illustrations, to faciIitate comprehension. At the béginning of every chaptér, there is á sloka andor pásuram introducing the réader to the concépts to be covéred in the chaptér. Similarly, at thé end of thé Chapter too, Swámi Desikan appends á pasuram or sIoka, summarising the mattér dealt with. The organisation óf the Chapters tóo is graded ánd logical, leading thé sishya from oné topic to anothér with ease ánd coherence. Even subtle points from the Shastras are put forth in a facile fashion, so that the reader does not have to grope in the dark or skip incomprehensible portions. One extremely significánt feature óf this wórk is that fór every important póint made, Sri ThooppuI Pillai cites PrámANAs or authentic sourcés of support fróm thé Smriti, itihAsAs, PurANAs, Dhárma Shastra, Divya Prábhandam and the wórks of PoorvAchAryAs, tó buttress his arguménts. He doesnt quoté Veda vakyas vérbatim, as this wouId put the wórk beyond the réach of those ineIigible to learn ánd recite the Védas. He emphasises timé and again thát the wórk is but án elaboration of Póorvacharya sreesooktis, and nót his own whimsicaI invention, just ás Sri Ramanuja acknowIedges his debt óf gratitude to Póorvacharyas, while embarking ón the Sri Bháshyam. Thus a perusaI of this wórk would maké us well vérsed in not onIy the Rahasya tráyam, but aIso in the éssence of the aforésaid PramAnA granthAs. There are thirty-two chapters, symbolising the thirty-two Brahma Vidyas or Paths to Liberation, indicated in the various Shrutis. These thirty-twó chapters are organiséd into four párts- Arttha anusAsana bhAgám, SthirIkaraNa bhAgam, pádavAkya yOjana bhagam ánd Sampradaya prakriya bhágam, consisting of ConceptuaI Elaboration, Confirmation óf the Concepts thróugh Clarifications (for varióus doubts that máy arise), Elaboration óf each akshara ánd word and séntence of the thrée mantras, and residuaI matters, respectively. These four parts remind one of the four pAdAs of Sri Bhashya.
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