Vedanta Desika (1268 - 1369 AD) was born at a time when the country was facing a number of threats. A lot of violence and anarchy shook our ancient country during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
Vedanta Desika (1268 - 1369 AD) was born at a time when the country was facing a number of threats. A lot of violence and anarchy shook our ancient country during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The birth of this peerless poet and preceptor was like a fresh strain of life. Vedanta Desika - The Peerless Poet : Preceptor by Dushyanth Sridhar is a marvelous coffee table book which explores the life and times of this great teacher. This nice book has been published due to the initiative of the socially conscious industrialist Ravisam of Coimbatore.
The paintings and illustrations by R.Keshav have enriched the prose rendered by Dushyanth Sridhar. Similarly R.Vinod has done a good job with his photography. Its heartening to see the paintings done by Late Silpi in this publication.
Vasudha Narayanan (Distinguished Professor Department of Religion : Director, Centre for study of Hindu Tradition (University of Florida) states thus in her foreword - "Vedanta Desika is one of the most prolific and influential writers and philosophers one can ever encounter. "Dushyanth Sridhar is an alumnus of BITS Pilani with over 10 years of corporate and teaching experience. He lives with family in Bengaluru.
The author has rendered over 3000 lectures around the world. His lecture series organized under the auspices of the Peelamedu Arulmigu Karivaradaraja Perumal Temple was a big hit with the people of Coimbatore. The Open Magazine calls Dushyanth Sridhar as one of the youngest and wittiest of story tellers. Ravisam, the energy behind the Jagathguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Trust has rendered a great service to the religion and culture of India by choosing the 750 th year of Vedanta Desika to publish a book on him.
Vedanta Desika was born to Anantasuri and Totaramma (Great grand daughter of Pranatartihara, cook to the celebrated Ramanuja). The preceptor received the blessings of Vatsya Varada (1165 - 1275 AD) during his childhood. Desika got married to Kanakavalli in the year 1289 AD and she was extremely supportive of her husband. He had received the blessings of Lord Hayagriva and never looked back thereafter. Desika spent some time in Satyala at a time when the Tamil country was under the clutches of a few invaders and the cruel Sultan at Madurai. It was in this sacred village that the 'Abeeti Stava Sthotram' was composed by him.
The author has given Desika in the most glittering manner to the readers and the faithful who are wedded to the Visishtadvaita philosophy as propounded by Acharya Ramanuja. He has shown the many facets of Desika under the heads - Vedanta Desika : The Philosopher, Vedanta Desika : The Theologist, Vedanta Desika : The Literary Colossus, Vedanta Desika : A Prosopography.
Desika is considered to be an incarnation of the divine bell. The author has taken pains to explain the life and works of Desika in a wonderful manner. This book is sure to attract the youngsters around the globe. The photographs presented in the book a real treat to everyone. The icons, temples and festivals connected with Vedanta Desika are found in abundance within the work. The Citra Kavya technique is the science of transforming poetry into various graphical patterns.
The Chaturanga Turanga Bandha, Sarvato Bhadra Bandha, Garuda Gati Chakra Bandha are among the illustrations shown in the book by the author. Vedanta Desika is also shown as a precise dietician here. We get learn that he liked the 'Humming Bird Tree' (Sesbania Grandiflora).
The horoscope of Desika is beautifully illustrated in a pair of padukas (Divine Footwear). Vedanta Desika is very well known for his seminal work 'Paduka Sahasram', a compendium which contains 1000 verses on the 'Padukas' of Lord Ranganatha. Lord Rama had given his 'Padukas' to his younger brother Bharata during the 'Aranya Kanda' (Exile Period).
The loving Bharata had taken the 'Padukas' to Nandigram on the outskirts of Ayodhya and got them coronated. Bharata ruled Ayodhya as the representative of Lord Rama. The 'Padukas' used to be placed on the Royal elephant and taken around the city. Bharata lived like an ascetic during the period of Rama's exile and he used perform ablutions to the 'Paduka' of Lord Rama. The faithful continue to read the 'Paduka Sahasram' with immense devotion.
The tradition of Saint Ramanuja continues to be popular among the people of our country. Vedanta Desika was greatly devoted to Ramanuja. The publisher Ravisam has been at the forefront of temple restoration over the last few decades. He has silently done the good job of restoration and the preservation of tradition. It is thanks to Ravisam and it his friends that it has been possible to visit the restored temples which are dotting Tamilnadu. They have rekindled the interest in the people and their yardstick is being followed by the other conservers in our region.
Vedanta Desika was conversant in Tamil, Sanskrit, Prakrit and Pali. The Desika couple were blessed with Kumara Varada. " The Coimbatore region is famous for its Perumal temples. Many of them are 'Vadakalai' temples and they follow the 'Desika Sampradaya'. The Peelamedu Karivaradaraja Temple, Pappanaickenpalayam Srinivasa Perumal Temple, Pappanaickenpalayam Jagannatha Temple and the Sundapalayam Srinivasa Varadaraja Temple are old and popular.
Many of these temples were constructed by the black cotton soil farmers who migrated from the Telugu regions of the country. Some of them have been here for about 500 years. All these temples have a shrine for Vedanta Desika. The Kamma Naidus of the Coimbatore region mostly follow the 'Vadakalai' faith as propounded by Vedanta Desika. Elders of this community used to attend lectures and prayers connected with this tradition. They were adept with the philosophy and supported the visits of the pontiffs those days. The 'Jeers' of Ahobila Mutt were well received in Coimbatore. Several of the cotton farmer families built mills and industries. They continued to follow the Vaishnavaite Sampradaya.
The idea behind this book is to rekindle the interest in this tradition among the younger generation of this region and elsewhere. Therefore it has been brought out in a simple but attractive style. We earnestly hope that this tradition will continue to be preserved by the youngsters. The elders did much more than reading the ' Divya Prabandham'. They used to attend the lectures of eminent teachers and also discuss the tenets of this tradition among themselves. They had depth. Quite a few temples, institutions and publications were supported by them over centuries.
A large number of Pontiffs have blessed Coimbatore with their lectures and visits. I earnestly hope and wish that our ancient tradition continues to be preserved in the interest of one and all. Dushyanth Sridhar and everyone else associated with this book have done the best, "spoke Ravisam while talking about the book published by him.
Ravisam and his ancestors hail from Peelamedu. The village was founded in the year 1711. However, the Kamma Naidus who founded the village had already taken residence in another part of Coimbatore over 200 years before the founding of Peelamedu. V.Gopal Naidu, the grandfather of Ravisam had contributed towards religious charity in Sri Rangam. Ravisam's great grandfather Venkataswamy Naidu had been a devout person. He used to visit the Peelamedu Karivaradaraja Perumal Temple everyday.
Venkataswamy Naidu used to return home with the thirtham and thulasi regularly. The faithful used to take thulasi and thirtham from him everyday. "Ravisam has done a lot of good in connection with temple restoration. The book on Vedanta Desika is a fine one. It makes an interesting read . We are really appreciative of the efforts of Ravisam in this regard, "stated V.Ravichandran the Dharmadhikari of the Peelamedu Karivaradaraja Perumal Temple.
This book is available at the Annapoorneshwari Temple located on Thiruvenkatswamy Road in R.S.Puram. 'Vedanta Desika' is must read for people interested in the Vaishnavaite Sampradaya. The visuals and the text are a pleasure for the readers. The efforts of eminent industrialist Ravisam needs to be accoladed.