V D was the only Sri vaishnava acharya who was equipped with great dialectical acumen to combine logic and poetry, intellectualism and emotionalism, ritualism and spiritualism and the only sectarian leader who commanded respect even from the rival religiosity's.
it was he who first utilized the services of poetry for the spread of the ideas of visistadvaita and sri vaishnavism, the vadagalai and tengalais looked up to him for upholding their cause against he Shankara vedantins and Madhava logicians and other critics.
V D is the most highly respected synthesizer who gave to his tradition which was already so complex in its multiple linguistic and cultural resources a solid coherence that would serve it well in intellectual and spiritual matters. though his sharply stated views may provoke some debate his status and value are indisputable.
As an orthodox Hindu VD inherited the tradition of practice (Karma) and meditation (Jnana) that cannot be merely dispensed with. even the devotion (bhakti) takes an orthodox form as a highly respected efficacious path, an arduous one requiring practice over a long duration. Respecting these three ways (Yoga) and insisting that devotion can lead to liberation and union with god. The poet saint draws easily from both Tamil and Sanskrit sources introducing abundant citations from each in his works.
Desika confesses that the effects is to the lineage of teachers the Alwars who rendered in clear Tamil the obscure teachings of the Sanskrit vedas.
Historically speaking we know very little about Venkatanatha who later was known as V D the saint poet philosopher scholar and logician. Scraps of material, testimonies the witness of a Telugu prince, some signature verses panegyrics and chronicles, inscriptions on the wall of the Srirangam temple, some bits and pieces from Tuppul stories a galore of them and his mighty works give us a somewhat picture of VD
The stories mainly folk tales meant to instruct and inform and inspire devotion are filled with miraculous themes and motifs common to tales but with a semi divine nature which lift him from the other great philosophers of south India.
As a young boy he was prodigious in learning and innate spiritual wisdom. He amazed the old acharyas in debate. He flourished as a talented debater and scholar, a master of scriptures. in his youth he withdrew for some years to study secret teachings associated with Garuda and Hayagriva at the temple of Tiruvahendrapuram. he attained life powers here mastering arts and science the miracles he learnt here helped him a great deal. he is said to have used this knowledge constructively, he is said to have healed an entire lotof village folks who were struck with the deadly plague. he is also said to have drawn magic circles on the ground to fight back an attack of supernatural snakes. healing of a princes etc. he was known as a lion among poets and philosophers.
His North India pilgrimages were usually literary journeys that are narrated in several poems and sandesha kavyas. his visit to Banaras the holy Ganges, Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, pained him as he was unhappy with the corrupt practices of the priests who valued only money and did not practice the teachings and conduction of rituals.
he was full of praise of the Land Rivers the lovely women of Andhra and Karnataka who religiously practiced the sayings of the shastras the holy shrines temple tanks. He also has a narration of
Kanchi where the gods Vishnu and Siva who in indigenous harmony signal each other from their temple towers mingling on the clear air the sounds of their bells and odor of their lustrations.
It was at Tiruvindrapura where he was taught the mantras the spell of power, where he sat at the feet of the Lord Hayagriva and learned the rituals. and this was where at the dead of the night
when he was about to leave and return to Kanchipuram, the Lord of the temple came to him: the temple immage taking animate form walking on the red road like a man and told him not to leave before he had composed for him in his own words what was sung in the Vedas. VDthen returned and composed the most beautiful works in Maniparwala Sanskrit and Tamil.
to be continued.
it was he who first utilized the services of poetry for the spread of the ideas of visistadvaita and sri vaishnavism, the vadagalai and tengalais looked up to him for upholding their cause against he Shankara vedantins and Madhava logicians and other critics.
V D is the most highly respected synthesizer who gave to his tradition which was already so complex in its multiple linguistic and cultural resources a solid coherence that would serve it well in intellectual and spiritual matters. though his sharply stated views may provoke some debate his status and value are indisputable.
As an orthodox Hindu VD inherited the tradition of practice (Karma) and meditation (Jnana) that cannot be merely dispensed with. even the devotion (bhakti) takes an orthodox form as a highly respected efficacious path, an arduous one requiring practice over a long duration. Respecting these three ways (Yoga) and insisting that devotion can lead to liberation and union with god. The poet saint draws easily from both Tamil and Sanskrit sources introducing abundant citations from each in his works.
Desika confesses that the effects is to the lineage of teachers the Alwars who rendered in clear Tamil the obscure teachings of the Sanskrit vedas.
Historically speaking we know very little about Venkatanatha who later was known as V D the saint poet philosopher scholar and logician. Scraps of material, testimonies the witness of a Telugu prince, some signature verses panegyrics and chronicles, inscriptions on the wall of the Srirangam temple, some bits and pieces from Tuppul stories a galore of them and his mighty works give us a somewhat picture of VD
The stories mainly folk tales meant to instruct and inform and inspire devotion are filled with miraculous themes and motifs common to tales but with a semi divine nature which lift him from the other great philosophers of south India.
As a young boy he was prodigious in learning and innate spiritual wisdom. He amazed the old acharyas in debate. He flourished as a talented debater and scholar, a master of scriptures. in his youth he withdrew for some years to study secret teachings associated with Garuda and Hayagriva at the temple of Tiruvahendrapuram. he attained life powers here mastering arts and science the miracles he learnt here helped him a great deal. he is said to have used this knowledge constructively, he is said to have healed an entire lotof village folks who were struck with the deadly plague. he is also said to have drawn magic circles on the ground to fight back an attack of supernatural snakes. healing of a princes etc. he was known as a lion among poets and philosophers.
His North India pilgrimages were usually literary journeys that are narrated in several poems and sandesha kavyas. his visit to Banaras the holy Ganges, Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, pained him as he was unhappy with the corrupt practices of the priests who valued only money and did not practice the teachings and conduction of rituals.
he was full of praise of the Land Rivers the lovely women of Andhra and Karnataka who religiously practiced the sayings of the shastras the holy shrines temple tanks. He also has a narration of
Kanchi where the gods Vishnu and Siva who in indigenous harmony signal each other from their temple towers mingling on the clear air the sounds of their bells and odor of their lustrations.
It was at Tiruvindrapura where he was taught the mantras the spell of power, where he sat at the feet of the Lord Hayagriva and learned the rituals. and this was where at the dead of the night
when he was about to leave and return to Kanchipuram, the Lord of the temple came to him: the temple immage taking animate form walking on the red road like a man and told him not to leave before he had composed for him in his own words what was sung in the Vedas. VDthen returned and composed the most beautiful works in Maniparwala Sanskrit and Tamil.
to be continued.
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