Life History of Vedanta Desika

Anantha Somayaji was one of the 74 simhaasanaadhipathis chosen by Sri
Ramanuja. He lived in Kanchi with his son PuNdareekaaksha, who had a son ?
AnanthasUri by name and who studied all saasthras. When he was of
marriageable age, Pundarikaksha approached AppuLLAr with a request that the
latter?s sister Tottarambha might be given as Kanya dhanam to his son.
AppuLLAr prayed to the Lord Varada for guidance in this matter. That night
Lord appeared in his dream sand said, Give your consent. By this marriage,
a great acharya will be born who will work for the good of the world by his
precept and practice?. Next morning, Appullar met Pundarikaksha and said
that the Lord himself had approved the wedding. On an auspicious day, the
marriage was held. Ananthasuri and Tottarambha began to lead an ideal
householder?s life in their house at Thuppul opposite to the shrine of Lord
Deepaprakasa. Years passed by and their desire to beget a son grew. They
praysed to the Lord for a son. They started on a pilgrimage and visited
several divya desams, bathing in several holy rivers and sacred pushkarnis.
At last they came to Thirumala. They bathed in Swami pushkarini and paid
obeisance to Lord Varaha first on its bank and then went into the temple of
Lord Srinivasa and worshipped Him with great devotion. They also prayed to
the Lord for a son.

After the evening worship, the devoted and pure minded couple went to sleep.
In the later part of the night Lord Srinivasa appeared in their dream and
said, ?AnanthasUri, here is a son of wonderful powers for you. ?Having said,
he gave him the hand bell (ganTAmaNi) of the sannidhi. Tottaramba had
swallowed it. She also had such a dream of having swallowed the Divine Bell.
At dawn they both woke up and shared their dream and were feeling extremely
happy.

In the morning, the Bhattar (priest) of the sannidhi came in to conduct the
morning Aradhana. When he opened the door, he found the gaNTAmaNi missing
and reported the matter to authorities. Suspecting the servants, they were
making enquiries. Just at that time, the Thirumalai jeeyer the religious
head appeared on the scene and said that he had a wonderful dream in which
he saw the Lord Himself giving the Bell to the devoted pilgrim couple and so
nobody need be punished. When the authorities sent for AnantasUri and hios
wife they also mentioned about the dream and confirmed. Still there was an
air of suspicion. Suddenly the Jeer fell into a trance and the Lord through
the Jeer spoke: Do not suspect anyone. We ourselves gave the bell to
AnanthasUri. We will take birth as his son by means of this gaNTAmaNi, who
will establish the Vaidika dharma as propounded by ancient sages and the
Holy AzhwArs. From this day on, our worship will be conducted without the
gaNTAmaNi. ? Even today, this command is strictly followed and no maNi is
rung at sannidhi. There is only a huge bell in the front hall outside that
is rung.

Next day Anantasuri and Tottarambha took leave of the Lord after worhsipping
him and returned to Kanchi with great joy.



Returning from Tirumala, Tottarambha was thus blessed to become pregnant.
With the growth of the divine child in her womb day by day, her whole body
shone with extraordinary lustre. It was the month Purattasi in the year
Vibhava according to Tamil almanac (September- October 1268 CE) Sravana
nakshathra (ThiruvONam star) a day that is dedicated to Lord Srinivasa at
Thirumala, in which a special function is conducted at the conclusion of the
annual Brahmmothsavam when thousands of devotees, old and young, rich and
poor, congregate bathe in scared waters of Swami pushkariNi tank, when the
deity has ablution and experience immense joy. On the very sacred day
Tottarambha gave birth to a baby at the most auspicious moment. After the
conduct of the preliminary ceremonies the infant was given the name of Sri
Venkatanatha, the name of Lord Venkatesa since the child was born by His
grace and that too on the day dedicated to him.

Sri Venkatanatha himself gives us information about his parentage, birth
etc., in the Prastavana (Prologue) of his play Sankalpa Sooryodhaya. It is
considered by wise men that the bell of Hari was born as Vedantha Desika.
This is done on the strength of abundant and appropriate reasons.

uthprEkshyathE budha janaihrupapatti bhUmnA ghaNTa harai samajanishta
yadAthmanEthi. [sankalpa sooryodhaya- Act 1.14]

The contemporaries and successor of Vedanta Desika were so much impressed
with his superior knowledge and service to humanity, by means of his works
in Sanskrit and Tamil as well as his discourses that they considered him as
an incarnation of Lord Venkateswara Himself or of Sri Ramanuja. Sri Desika?s
son Sri Kumaravaradacharya, in his Desika mangaLa sthOthra mentions the
same: May all auspiciousness be with Sri Vedantha Desika about whom
different views are held that he is an incarnation of Lord Venkatesa or he
was the his Divine Bell incarnate or a part of Acharya Ramanuja himself.

vEnkatESAvathArOyam thadgaNTASOthavaath bhavEth |
yatheendrAmSOThavEthyEvam vitharkyAyAsthu mangaLam ||

Again, Kumara varadacharya mentions in Tamil Desika Prabandham PiLLai
anthAdhi, an eulogy on Sri desika- In times of yore, Bhagawaan created the
world and revealed the Vedas and the Saasthras pregnant with noble ideas.
Then he showed and installed himself with great love as Lord Srinivasa at
Tirumala. Later on in Kaliyuga, he took birth as Venkatanatha, the acharya
endowed with world wide repute and dispelled the evils prevalent on earth.

anRu ivvulaginaiaakki arum poruL nool viritthu ninRu than neeL pugazh
vENkatamaamalai mEvippinnum venRi pugazh THIRUVENKATANATHAN enRum Guruvaay
ninRu nigazhndhu maN mEl ninRa nOygaL thavirtthananE?

Dindima Kavi (in 14th century) who was a junior contemporary of Vedanta
Desika pays tribute to Swamy?s greatness as follows:

There was confusion all around as a result of turbid nature of Kaliyuga; the
Vedas were in great distress; (because of misinterpretation); wise saying of
the seers were completely ignored; there was an unholy intermixture of all
castes; and quite in consonance with this sorry state, all sacred epics and
puranas lost their validity; the maayaavaada was in all glee; and the school
of nihilism (soonya vada) was having undisputed acceptance by all. It was at
this critical juncture that Sri Vedanta Desika came into this world as an
incarnation of the great ringing divine bell of VishNu for the establishment
of Dharma and its protection. He shines all victorious.

vEdhE sanjAthaKhEthE munijana vachanE prApta nitvAmsamAnE
sankeerNE sarvavarNE sathithadhanuguNE nishpramANE purANE
mAyAvAdhE samOdhE kali kalusha vachAth SoonyavAdhE vivAdhE
dharmathrANAya yObhUth sa jayathi BHAGAWAAN VISHNU GANTAVATHORA:
[Dindima kavi]

PrathivAdi Bhayankaram Annan (1300- 1400 CE) who was a junior contemporary
of Swamy desika and a disciple of Sri Kumaravaracharya, gives in a nutshell
all about the parentage, birth and education of Swamy desika in his
saptapatiratna malika as follows:

Swamy Desika belonged to Viswamithra gothra, and was the grandson of
Pundarikaksha- a master of several sacrifices and the son of Anathasuri like
the moon that comes out of the ocean, rose from the womb of the gem among
mothers, Tottarambha by name. He was admired and blessed by Sri Varadaguru
(Nadadur Ammal). He learn all saasthras from his acharya- Sri
Vaadhihamsaambhuvaaha (Sri Appullar). He was the father of Kumara varadarya
Nainacharya. He was equal to Bhagawaan Purushotthama in being endowed with
all auspicious qualities and was adorned by the title of Sarvathanthra
swathanthar [master of all sciences].

Putro ananthArya soorE.. purusa- sama guNa: ? varadagurumatha sarvathanthra
swathanthra: [Saptapati ratna malika]

Venkatanatha:- the precocious Boy

Samskaras like Jatakarana, Namakarana, anna praasana and Chaula are laid
down by saasthras to a child from the time of birth onwards at different
periods of its life. Anantasuri conducted duly all of them to his son,
Venkatanatha and the child gerw up in an atmosphere of devotion to Bhagawaan
and his bhakthas and of spiritual knowledge.

Even as a young boy Sri Venkatanatha was very intelligent and quick in
grasping and remembering things. His maternal uncle Sri appuLLAr took a
great interest in his upbringing. He would take him to the temple of Lord
Varadaraja. Venkatanatha would worship the Lord with folded hands and as
much as devotion as his uncle did. He would listen from him the stories of
Rama, Krishna avatarams, and about their qualities, exploits all of which
left a deep impression in child?s mind at such a tender age of five. After
writing many books of learning and high philosophy, Sri Venkatanatha himself
writes in Rahaysathrayasara: his magnum opus, thus:- All that I have said so
far- is the result of the training given to me by my uncle and Acharya,
Appullar with love and perseverance even as the words of a pet parrot are ?
that has been taught by its loving and caring master.

It was a memorable day in the life of Sri Venkatanatha when he was just a
boy of five. Appullar took him as usual to the temple of Varada where his
acharya Nadaur Ammal was expounding Sri Bhashya to his disciples. The bright
and promising five year old boy Venkatanatha attracted everyone?s attention,
including that of Sri Nadadur Ammal. Ammal enquired about him and his
upbringing. Hence there was a break in the instruction. All of them were as
much absorbed in hearing about the boy that they forgot the trend of the
lesson. The young boy, with the permission of the teacher, lisped out the
words to the surprise of all. Nadadur ammAL was so much pleased and overawed
by the intelligence of the boy that he immediately blessed him with long
life, right knowledge and world wide reputation.

prathishtApitha vEdAntha: prathikshiptha bahirmatha:
bhUyAsthrai vidhya mAnyasthvam bhUrikalyANa bAjanam
[sankalpa suryodhayam]

You will establish Vedantha on a firm basis and refute that doctrine of its
opponents. May you be held in great esteem by scholars well versed in three
Vedas. May you be the recipient of all that is auspicious in great measure.

This sloka occupies a unique place in the life of Venkatanatha. It is like a
fertile seed sown in his mind from which grew beautiful garden of his
scholastic life. Even today we can see a picture connected with this
incident painted in colour on the ceiling in front of Kacci Vaitthaan
mandapam in Varadaraja temple. In it, Acharya Nadadur ammAL blesses the boy
Venkatanatha who stands besides his uncle with respect.

Again this sloka is seen in Act II of the drama Sankalpa suryodhaya of Swamy
Desikan where an acharya who is a sanyaasi, blesses a young disciple with
this same sloka when he is about to go out into the world to establish the
authoritativeness of Vishstadvaita philosophy by refuting the arguments of
other schools of thought. It is revealed that the Acharya is none other than
Sri Ramanuja and the disciple Vedantha Desika. Swamy desikan had a desire to
have Acharya Ramanuja as his own acharya and he fulfilled the desire with
this play. As Ramanuja appeared in 11h century and Swamy Desika in 13th
century, such a thing was not possible. Swamy satisfied himself with this at
least on a stage in a drama. So he introduced two characters in his drama,
one Ramanuja and the other Desikan thus getting the blessing directly from
Yathiraja, although idneirectly. Turning to his disciple AppuLLAr, Nadadur
ammAL said: Teach your nephew all saasthras and make him a full fledged
scholar. I would like to teach myself. But I am too old for that. He will
certainly prove to be a great Acharya and spread the teaching of our own
acharya Sri Ramanuja. Appullar took leave of his master and went home with
venkatanatha.



At the age of seven, Anantasuri conducted the upanayanam samskara ]the
investiture of the sacred thread and the initiation into Gayatri mantra] to
his son Venkatanatha. From that day, Appullar took charge of educating
Venkanatha and began the teaching of the several saasthras. There was no
need for the teacher to repeat next day the previous day?s lesson since the
pupil was able to grasp and remember it by hearing it just once.
Venkatanatha studied all the Vedas with all its six auxiliaries. [siksha-
phonetics; Chandhas- Prose; vyAkaraNa- grammar; niruktha- etymology;
Jyothis- Astronomy and Kalpa-ritual or ceremonial. The first two are for
correct pronunciation and recitation of the Vedas; the next two are for
understanding them correctly and the last two for their applications] He
also studied tarkka, and meemaamsa, and acquired mastery over systems of
philosophy Saankhya and Yoga, Dvaita and Advaita, Bhaskara and Pasupatha,
Budhha and Jaina.

The following slokas of Saptapati ratnamalika (26-29) give us a detailed
list of the saasthras studied and mastered by Sri Venkatanatha.

[Let us read only the translations]

26. Sri Venkanatha, the Sarvathanthra swathanthrar- and the son of
Anantasuri, was like the Sage Vyasa himself in the knowledge of the Vedas
with their various methods of recitation like Jata, Varna and Carca and of
the Kalpa sutras during the conduct of the rituals.

27. He was an expert in the proper interpretation of the subtle thoughts of
the various smrithis written by Sages Bharadwaja, Saandilya, Harita and
others. His mastery over the Puranas and the Agamas was unique.

28. He had an extraordinary skill in the sciences of Astrology, Prosody and
Grammar and was perfectly acquainted with epic poetry, drama and poetics. He
was the creator as it were, of the Karma ? meemaamsa and Brahmma meemaamsa.

29. He was the victor in disputations by refuting the proud arguments of
those belonging to the various schools of though like Sankhya and Yoga,
Bhatta and Prabhakara, Saiva and Sankara, Yadava and Bhaskara and Buddha and
Jaina.

All this Sri Venkatanatha was able to do even before he was twenty years of
age as stated by himself in Sankalpa Suryodhaya [1.15]

?vimSathyabdE visutha nAnAvidhavidya:


At the end of study- period (Brahmmacharya) Sri Venkatanatha entered into
the grahasthasrama [the life of a house holder] by marrying one Thirumangai,
suited to him in all respects. He scrupulously observed the duties of that
asrama like the dial;y worship of fire [aupasana] at home, visit to the
temple of Lord Varadaraja for worship, Bhagavadh Aradahana and athithi
pooja, He had a very simple and austere life devoid of all luxury and
comfort. Every day after finishing his morning rites, he would go around the
temple, along the streets reciting the sthothras and songs of the Lord to do
what his known as uncchavritthi (gleaning of the grains). Whatever was
offered voluntarily by the residents at Kanchi he gathered and brought it
home. His dutiful wife would receive it and prepare a simple food. At noon,
he would worship the household deity Varada and offer the food to the Lord.
Then he would take it as Prasada [the gift of the gracious God].

Appullar was very much pleased with the qualities and the way of life of
Venkatanatha. He wished to widen him knowledge and enrich him. So he
initiated him into Vainatheya mantra (Garuda mantra) and advised him to
concentrate on the manthra and meditate upon Garuda to acquire his grace.

When he began to think of a suitable place for his meditation on Garuda, it
struck him that Aindhai (Thiruvaheendrapuram) would be an ideal place;
because there is a river, Garuda nadhi by name as well as a mountain named
OushAdhri, both of which have been sanctified by the divine presence of
Gaudra himself. He left Kanchi and proceeded to that shrine. There first he
bathed in the sacred Garuda nadhi and worshipped Lord Devanatha and His
consort Hemambhuja nayika in the temple. Then he went to the top of the
Hill, Oushaadhri and chose a lonely place at the foot of a big and shady
Asvattha tree. Being seated, he controlled his mind and senses and began to
meditate on Garuda. Some days passed in deep meditation. Garuda, the deity
who is Veda incarnate, appeared before Venkatanatha and after initiating him
in the mantra of Lord Hayagriva, the horse faced Supreme God presiding over
all knowledge and instructed him to propitiate that god by meditation.
Venkatanatha engaged himself in that act with great perseverance for
sometime till Hayagriva was pleased and appeared before him. The Lord
bestowed on him the nectar of knowledge flowing from his mouth. The devout
Vankatanatha was full of joy with the blessing and at once realized that a
complete knowledge of all sciences was at his back and call by the grace of
Lord Hayagriva. He prayed that the Lord should be pleased to enthrone
himself at the tip of his tongue so that every word of his should be correct
and authoritative because of this divine origin and it should be all
right-thinking people as such ? Here is his prayer to Lord Hayagriva:

Oh Lord! In the assemblies of erudite scholars and in the arena of batches
of cleve men, when I begin to speak with a desire to defeat the best of
poets and dialecticians, be pleased to take the seat on the throne of the
tip of my tongue.

viSEshavith parisadhEshu nATha! vidhagdhagOshti samarAnganEshu |
jigeeshathOmE kavitaarkkakEndrAn JIHVAAGRA SIMHAASANAMABHYUPEYAH ||

The prayer was granted ? Venkatanatha realized that deep thoughts and
melodious words were raising within him waiting for the suitable time and
place to stream forth. He began to compose works in poetry and prose,
Sanskrit and Prakrit, in Tamil and manipravala. There are more than 120
compositions to his erudite which came out one after another in the course
of his life as occasions arose. Some are in the form of lyrics on God and
Goddess; some on their paraphernalia [weapons]; and attendants; some on
fundamental doctrine of Ramanuja philosophy. Many are his original works and
rare commentaries on the work of earlier acharyas like Sri Yamunacharya and
Sri Ramanujacharya.

Sri Venkatanatha was the master of all scriptural texts like the Vedas and
the Upanishads, Agamas and Puranas (epics written by sages). He had a
perfect knowledge of mantra saasthra (science of mystic syllables). He has
incorporated the mantras presided over by several deities in his works for
the benefit of seekers. Movement of the divine constellations and geography
of the world sculpture and architecture, state craft and sorcery, music and
dance, poetry and drama, prosody and poetics, ethics were all at his
finger?s ends. He was the writer of an epic poem, a miracle play a dance
drama. He was familiar with other literary writes like Kalidasa and Bhasa,
Bana, and Bhavabuti. In short there was no branch of knowledge literary or
scientific, in which he was not proficient.

[The life history is from the beautiful book "The life and works of Sri
Nigamantha Mahadesikan written by Prof A Srinivasaraghavachariar]