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Srimath KaTandethi
Andavan was born in the Avani month of Virodhi varusham (1809 A.D) in
Moola Nakshatram in a village just south of river KAveri called
KaTandethi to Srimathi Janaki Ammal and Sri RaghunAthAchar. Sri
RaghunAthAchar was performing kainkaryam to Srimath Thiruthuraipoondi
Andavan, the second Andavan of Srimath Andavan Ashramam. The child was
named Sri Varada VedAnthAchAriAr. He was initiated into Brahmacharyam
with upanayanam at the prescribed age and was taught vEdAs and
upanishads. He learnt Tharka ShAstras in RajamannAr Koil under the
tutelage of Sri U.Ve. SamiyAchchAr swAmi.
In his young days itself Sri Varada VedAnthAchAriar, with sincere
devotion and strong vairAgyam meditated on the sacred Moola manthram,
AshtAkshara manthram and gAyathri manthram vigrorously and attained
manthra sidhdhi . Later he visited Mysore Asthanam and further mastered
tharka shAstrAs from Mysore samasthAna vidwAn named Aakki Azhwan. During
this period , he also received Sri Hayagreeva ManthrOpadEsam from then
Parakala Jeer (Sri Thadi Mari Swami)
and Sri Nrusimha ManthrOpaDesam from Sri Ahobila Matam Azhagiyasingar.
Thus he attained various manthra sidhdhis and Sadhavadhani shakthi
(ability to focus on hundred activities at the same time ) at a very
young age( as a bramhachAri) . He mastered the SaamAnya Saastras and
also displayed poetic prowess as an “Aasu Kavi”.
Sri Varada VedAnthAchAriar was married at the age of 35. Immediately
after his marriage, he started on a yathra and visited various
samasthAnams. When he visited Thiruvananthapuram Raja sadas, the DiwAn
of the sadas wanted to test his prowess. He took swAmi to Saraswathi
MahAl , where swAmi instantly showed his satAvadAna shakthi and
displayed wonders. But a manthravAdi in the sadas using his mAnthric
powers tried to make our SwAmi speechless. Our swAmi who himself had
special yogic and mAnthric powers knew this and meditated on Sri
SudarsanAshtakam. The manthraVadi’s powers failed on himself and the
mantravAdi started bleeding from his mouth.
Later Sri Varada
VedanthAchAriar visited Kochin samasthAnam. Even in this sadas there
were people who were jealous of his powers and the recognition he was
receiving from everyone. They were hiding on the way to swami’s home
with the intent to kill him. Swamy was reciting Sri Hayagreeva Sthothram
on his way as usual. Suddenly there was someone in royal attire
appearing on a horse near swAmi. They dropped all their weapons and ran
away from the scene. In another incident during this time, while swAmi
was continuing his yathra through forests near KaLLikkOttai, he stayed
in a choultry. Some thieves came to the choultry learning of this new
yAthri’s stay there. Through his special mAnthric powers, swami learnt
this. He did not worry and just meditated on Sri Hayagreevan and Sri
Sudarshana. As the thieves tried to enter the choultry, they noticed a
ferocious snake near the entrance coming after them. The thieves ran
away for their lives. Later swami went to many divya-desams and reached
Nagapattinam.
Swami’s Manthra Sidhi at Nagapattinam, on a request from the town’s
Tashildar Sri Rangaswami Naayakkar, Sri Varada Vedanthachariar swami
displayed his Satavadhana skills in Vellipalayam Krishna Sannidhi. (Sathavadanam
is a skill where the person performing this skill will tackle 100
questions or acts at the same time). The people were awed by this
display. At the end, he asked a palanquin to be brought and he got into
the palanquin. He asked it to be lifted only in the back of the
palanquin. With his manthra sidhdhi he went on a procession in the
palanquin, with no one lifting the front side of the palanquin.
At Tirupathi/Tirumalai:
After sometime in Nagapattinam, Sri Varada Vedanthariar swami left again
on a yathra. The king of Kalahasti learnt this mahAn’s prathApam from
Chittoor collector office sirasthadhar Sri Krishnaswami Iyer and invited
him to his samasthAnam. The king gave a village called Vallisembedu and
also gave a portion of the income from another village called Jangapalli
to swami as a gift (sanmAnam) and kept him at his samasthAnam with due
respects.
After some time, Sri
Varada Vedanthachariar swami left Kalahasthi to Thirumalai. Here he
displayed his satavadhanam skills in front of Sri Mahanth BhagavAn dAs.
At ThiruchAnoor, swami was presented with a house by a person called Sri
Lakshmi Narasimha Pantulu. A son was born to swami in this house and was
named Venkatakrishnan. At Thirumala, he was gifted an ivory Planquin as
a sanmAnam on one occasion. He later donated this palanquin to Swami
Desikan Sannidhi at Thirucherai. He stayed in Thirupati till he
completed 60 years.
At Thirukkudanthai:
After celebrating his sasthiabdapoorthy at Tirumala, he desired to come
and live in Thirukkudanthai. He sold his properties at Tirupathi and
came to Thirukkudanthai. He purchased a house in Sri Aravamdhan Sannidhi
Street and stayed there. He did many kainkaryams and ubhayams at the
sannidhi of Sri Aravamudhan. He was very much devoted to Sri Komalavalli
Thaayar and donated a Simha Vahanam for Komalavalli ThAyAr.
Swami’s Compositions:
Sri Varada VedanthachAriar’s friend TashildAr Sri RangaswAmi nayakkar
once challenged swami if there is some work in Sanskrit similar to the
tamil work “Thirukkural”. Swami said he will compose one in a week’s
time and created a grantham called “Adbudha vAmanam”. He also composed a
grantham called “Aaraat Prabhandham”. The above granthams have not been
found now, although the copies are belived to be somewhere in
Thiruvananthapuram, Madurai or Thiruvaduthurai. He also composed a
grantham called “Swapna Sathakam” and sthothras on Thiruvengadamudayan.
When his eyesight had weakened considerably due to his old age, he
composed a grantham called “Sri Komalaa Dandakam” on Thirukkudanthai
Komalavalli Thaayar. By reciting this wonderful grantham he regained his
vision completely.
Sri Varada Vedanthachariar and Andavan Ashramam :
Sri Varada Vedanthachariar received his Bharanyasam from the great mahan
acharya Sri Srinivasa Mahadesikan also called fondly as Srimath
Periandavan. Srimath Periandavan was in Sanyasashramam for 55
Chaturmasyams (years) and attained thirunadu in early 1884. Just 4
months before attaining Thirunadu, Srimath Periandavan gave Sanyasam to
Sri Veliyanallur Srinivasaghavachariar to become the succeeding Andavan
in Nov 1883. He was given the name 'Paduka Sevaka Ramanuja Mahadesikan'
and was also called as Srimath Chinnandavan. Srimath Chinnandavan
undertook sancharam to Kanchipuram and returned back to Srirangam and
was perfroming sampradaya pravachanam. When Srimath Chinnandavan's
health was affected in early 1890s, he longed for a successor for this
sampradhayam. Sri Therezhundur Varadachar Swami at a very young age,
readily offered himself for the ascetic order. But sishyas in the close
circle conveyed to Srimath Chinnandavan that if sanyasam is given to
Varadachar swami, there will be nobody to take care of his family
consisting of his aged parents and his very young wife. Sri Varadachar
swami also did not beget any issues at the time. Having heard these,
ChinnAndavan was upset and did not proceed further with that thought
though he was convinced that Therezhundur Varadachar swami will one day
become an Acharya for this Ashramam. Srimath Chinnandavan's health
suddenly detiorated and He attained Thirunadu in January 1894 at the age
of 65 after decorating the Aacharya peetam for 10 Chaturmasyams. Since
the end came so sudden, Chinnandavan could not appoint any successor for
the sampradayam.
For 11 long years due to many difficulties faced by the Ashramam, no
acharya was in the Acharya sthaanam of Srimath Andavan Ashramam. But
after the kainkaryam was performed for Srimath Chinnandavan, Sri
Therezhundur Varadachariar sold his family property at Therezhundur and
settled down in Srirangam with his family and performed Paduka Aradhanam,
Thirumanjanam for Archa moorthys of acharyas and other ashrama
kainkaryam at the Ashramam everyday during this long period. In 1905
after 11 years without acharya, Andavan sishyas identified one. Having
known the greatness and gnana, anushtana and vairagyam of Sri Varada
Vedanthachariar, Andavan Ashramam sishyas went to Thirukkudanthai and
requested him to accept sanyasam and become their Acharya and continue
the Andavan Ashramam sampradayam. Sri Varada Vedanthachariar was already
76 years old then. But he knew Theruzundur swamy was an able swami to
become an Andavan and that he could not take up sanyasam at that time
due to other reasons. He decided to accept the sanyasa ashramam with the
intent of satisying the longing of Andavan sishyas for an Acharya and
also with the intent of appointing Therezundur Varadachariar as the next
Andavan at an appropriate time.
38th pattam Thirukkudanthai Azhagiyasingar:
He approached 38th pattam Azhagiyasingar Srimath Srinivasa Sadagopa
yatheendra Mahadesikan (Thirukkudanthai Azhagiyasingar) with other
Andavan sishyas and requested him to give sanyasa ashramam to him.
38th pattam Srimath Azagiyasingar was similarly given sanyasam by
Srimath Poundrikapuram Andavan just a month earlier (July 1905) after a
gap of 5 1/2 years in Ahobila Mutt Acharya succession. He was
immediately delighted in doing the same upahaaram done to Ahobila Matam
by Poundarikapuram Andavan, to another great acharya vamsam of
Periandavan and agreed to give sanyasa ashramam to Sri Varada
Vedanthachariar. Sri Varada Vedanthachariar accepted the Preksha
manthram and sanyasa ashramam from Srimath Azhagiyasingar and became the
6th Andavan of Andavan Ashramam in Avani month of 1905 (Tamil year
Visvavasu) at Nrusimhapuram in front of hundreds of sishyas of Andavan
Ashramam, Ahobila Matam and srivaishnavas of Thirukkudanthai. He was
given the name "Srinivasa Ramanuja Mahadesikan" and was called as
Thirukkudanthai Andavan and also as KaTandethi Andavan. An Andavan
ThiruvAdi, ThiruvahIndhrapuram Ashtavadani Sri Anathachariar composed
and offered the tanian "Srimath SrivAsa yOgi.." for KaTandethi Andavan
at the sannidhi of Sri Ranganatha Perumal in the village of Adanur.
Next day, Srimath KaTandethi Andavan prostrated Srimath Azhagiyasingar
and took leave of him and surrounded by the delighted Andavan Ashramam
sishyas, left on sanchaaram to Divya Kshetrams Kapisthalam, Aduthurai
Perumal Koil, Rayampettai, Thirukkandiyur, Koneri Rajapuram,
Appakudathaan and Uthamarkovil and reached the ashramam in Srirangam.
Srimath Andavan being a
great upasaka of HayagrIva manthra used to keep hot kollu sundal on his
head and medidate on HayagrIva manthram. On each occasion, Lord
HayagrIva came in the form of a horse and put His front legs on
Andavan's shoulders and eat the sundal (depicted in the picture above).
Picture courtesy Tamil Magazine "Gopura Darisanam"
www.gopuradarisanam.com
At the ashramam Srimath
Andavan performed samasrayanam, bharanyasam and sath sampradAya
pravachanam to the sishyas for over 3 years. But due to his old age,
Srimath Andavan used to faint and lose consciousness during pravachanam.
Srimath Nammandavan:
In 1908, as Srimath Andavan was getting older and weaker by day, he
decided it was time to hand over the Acharya peetam to Therezhundur
swami and communicated this to him through his sishyas. On hearing this,
Therezhundur swami rushed to Srirangam leaving his family and
properties. He gave all the manthra powers of saptha koti (7 crores)
Thiruvastaakshara manthram he had earned to Therezhundur swami and said
it will help in his winning over everyone to our sath-sampradayam.
He gave preksha manthram and sanyasa ashramam to Theruzhundur swami in
Aug 1908 (tamil year Keelakam) and made him the 7th Andavan with title
Srimath Vedantha Ramanuja Mahadesikan who was also called as Nammandavan
and Therezundur Andavan. After having restored the Andavan Ashramam
sampradayam to its glory and after appointing a great avathara pursha
like Nammandavan as the succeeding Acharya, Srimath Kadandethi Andavan
graced His sishyas in leela vibuti for 6 more months and in early 1909
attained Thirunadu (Tamil year Keelaka, Masi month, Krishna paksham,
Dwadasi thithi) after 3 chaturmasyams at the age of 80years.
This article is
reproduced from
http://www.thooppul.com/antha.html with the permission from srihi@vsnl.com. |
