By Divya Shivashankar & Shivashankar N

Shobhanam

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South Indian Mahamahopadhyayas - Part 2

Sri Ganapati Shastrigal

mannArgudi (champakAraNya punyasthalam) is a region in the district of thanjavUr that owes its prosperity to the river kAveri that flows through the chOzhamaNdalam. About five miles from here lies the village paingAnAdu. During the initial years of the 19th century, here lived a brahmin scholar named anantharAmar. He had a son named subramanya shAstri, who like his father was a brilliant scholar. He was well-versed in the yajurvedA and was a shivabhaktA. At an appropriate age, he married sItAlakshmI. A few years post marriage, this couple had a son on 28 April 1871, in mid chittirai in the year prajOtpatti.

The parents named the child ‘gaNapati’. Five years went by. The father desired to start educating gaNapati. He performed the ritual of aksharAbhyAsA of his son at the hands of swAminAtha shAstri, the maternal grandfather of gaNapati, who was also a great scholar in mantrashAstrA and an adhyApakA in a pAtashAlA in vedAraNyam. swAminAtha shAstri then took the child along with him to vEdAraNyam. There, in his residence, he taught gaNapati samskrita stotras and kAvyAs, over a span of three years.

In the summer of 1879, subramaNya shAstri entreated swAminAtha shAstri to move to his residence in paingAnAdu, to which the latter consented and began residing with his son-in-law and grandson gaNapati. The same year, the upanayanam of gaNapati was performed. Sometime after gaNapati had obtained the upadesha of the gAyatri mantra that is a requisite for Brahmins, his maternal grandfather initiated him into SrIvidhya Mantra. It is said that due to the greatness of the japa of this mantra, gaNapati shAstrigal attained brilliant scholarship, enunciation skills and fame. While learning samskritam from his maternal grandfather, gaNapati also learnt sAhitya shAstram from a scholar named venkatEsa shAstrigal, also a resident of paingAnAdu. In seven years, gaNapati mastered kAvyAs, sAhityam, and the significant portions of the krishNa yajur vEdam. Simultaneously, as he had immersed himself in ekAgra japa of the dEvi mantra, it is said that at the young age of 16, gaNapati attained great vAkvilAsam and the ability to compose a kAvyA. The achievement of composing an exceptional devotional text named ‘katAkshashatakam’ rests with 16-year-old gaNapati shAstrigal. Later, his mind desired to learn shAstrAs.

Learning of his son’s desire, subramaNya shAstrigal took his son to SrI rAju shAstrigal of mannArgudi, a famed and exemplary scholar. He paid his respects to the scholar and informed him of his son’s desire. The mahaan, seeing the tejas in the face of the modest gaNapati, admitted him as his disciple. gaNapati learnt tarkashastram and vyakaranam from Mannargudi Periyavar within three years. Within one year of his return from mannArgudi after his studies, gaNapati shAstrigal married a girl from a middle-class family, as per the directive of his father, and began his family life. Though he faced considerable difficulty in running the household with his minimal income, his family life was peaceful. In those times (the latter part of the 19th century), there lived a wealthy person named sAmbasiva Iyer in the village kOnErirAjapuram, 12 miles south-east of kumbhakoNam that was famed for its education and art. He was deeply interested in samskrita language education and advaita tattva shAstram. He established ‘Sri Vidhya Press’ in Kumbakonam and printed and published several scholarly texts such as advaitasiddhi. Furthermore, since he desired that people of his village learn samskritam, he went to mannArgudi, revealed his desire to SrI rAju shAstrigal, and requested that either shAstrigal himself should stay at kOnerirAjapuram or He has to send a scholarly disciple of His. Sri rAju shAstrigal informed Sambasiva Iyer that he may go to Painganadu and request His exceptional disciple Ganapati Shastrigal to visit Konerirajapuram. Iyer went to Painganadu and requested Ganapati Shastrigal accordingly. Ganapati Shastrigal who had wanted to learn Vedanta from the elderly Mannargudi Shastrigal, agreed to go to Konerirajapuram due to the financial situation of his household.

At Konerirajapuram, youngsters and elderly alike, learnt kAvyAs and shAstrAs from Konerirajapuram. The teaching methodology of Shastrigal captivated many. During his stay at Konerirajapuram, Shastrigal composed several stotras, short poems, plays and champu. Among these, his text ‘Thadathaka pariNayam’ won the praise of His guru Raju Shastrigal and several others. 1n 1892, Ganapati Shastrigal had attended the thulAbAra function of the Maharaja at Thiruvananthapuram. There, he was honoured by vidwAns and the maharaja for his exceptional scholarship. In 1894, he authored ‘vaidheekAbharaNa vyAkhyAnam’ (Mukuram) related to Krishnayajurvedam. Later he authored a nirNaya text named ‘kAlasvara kaumudi’ related to sAmavEdam. Ganapati Shastrigal made his younger brother stay in Konerirajapuram while he went to his Guru Raju Shastrigal in Mannargudi and learnt Vedanta before returning to Konerirajapuram. Later, Ganapati Shastrigal visited several places such as Thiruvananthapuram, Nangavaram, Chennai etc and as per the requests of scholarly personages there, conducted several itihasa-dharma-prachara discourses, and religious lectures.

It is said that during his stay in Konerirajapuram, Ganapati Shastrigal learnt yOgAbhyAsam, rasavAdam, vaidhyam etc from a North-Indian Yogi who for a year, stayed in a maTha along the banks of the kIrtimAn river near the village. During this period, he also read ‘charakasamhita’, a brilliant text in ayurvEda.

In 1901, Shastrigal participated for the first time in the advaitasabhA in Kumbakonam. Four years later, he was appointed as a chief pandita at the advaitasabhA by the members of the sabhA. Shastrigal accepted this post and held daily discourses on parts of granthas such as bhagavadgIta, sUtasamhitA, gnAnavAsishtam etc at the Kumbakonam maTham of the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham Shankaracharya Swamigal. In 1905, the Shankara Jayanthi Celebrations Committee of Hubli, sent questionnaires to vidwAns living in various parts of the country and offered rewards to those answering correctly. The answers sent by the vidwAns were examined by the then Sri Shankaracharya Swamigal of the Dwaraka Shankara Peetham with the help of a committee of scholars. The answers sent by Ganapati Shastrigal were adjudged to be the best. The Dwaraka maThAdhipati sent prizes and a birudu ‘vEdAntakEsari’ to Ganapati Shastrigal. Similarly, a birudu ‘kacchapI’ was awarded to Ganapati Shastrigal by the maharaja of Thiruvananthapuram (it is also claimed that the award was given by scholars).

During this time when Ganapati Shastrigal grew in fame, he was appointed as the chief vidwAn of srImaTham by Sri Shankaracharya Swamigal of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti PeeTham. There is no need to mention that it was the great fortune of Shastrigal to have attained this position. Ganapati Shastrigal also attained the great blessing of giving lessons for a few years starting mid 1907 in kAvyangal and sAstrangal to the walking God, the pinnacle of tapas, and the beacon of purity venerated by the world – SrikAnchiperiyavAL.

In 1911, Shastrigal delivered several discourses in regions of Kerala such as Kallikkottai and Palakkad. The jAmUdhiri of Kallikkottai presented rewards to Shastrigal appreciating his scholarship. The same year, Shastrigal played a major role in the success of the advaitasabhA held in Palakkad.

In 1912, Shastrigal fell ill. Though he was given the best of treatments, his health did not improve. Several of his associates have affirmed that during his final days, Shastrigal who realized that his end was near, spent his last days in a meditative state, while also chanting the upadeshAs and avatAramahimA of Bhagavadpada Shankara, and atmavidyAvilAsA of sadAsivabrahmendrAL. At the end of the year 1912, Ganapati Shastrigal attained mukti. Only after his death, the government of India awarded him the ‘mahAmahOpAdhyAyA’ title. While he was alive, neither he nor his associates knew that he was to be awarded this title. Ganapati Shastrigal was a great scholar with a sharp intellect. He was an ardent Shivabhakta who was immersed in dEvi upAsanA. He never deviated from performing his everyday duties as a Brahmin. He won the respect of those literate and not, and those wealthy and not. He was blessed with unparallelled poetic skills and oratorical abilities, and was an exceptional author. Though he lived on this earth for only 41 years, what other testimony is needed to prove his brilliance, ability, and efforts, than the hundred-plus texts that he has authored?

Only a few among those texts had been printed. Several have been lost. Given below are the titles of known works authored by Ganapati Shastrigal:

vaidheekAbharaNa vyAkhyAnam (mukaram – yajurvedam)
kAlasvara Kaumudi (related to sAmavEdam)
dhruvacharitam (kAvyam)
thadAthakApariNayam (champu)
sArasikA santhAnam (nAtakam)
jIvavijayam (champu)
sArasvatasahasram
katAkshashatakam
rasikabhUshaNam
thurakashatakam
vrddhamaNimAlA
anyApadEsapanchAshat
lakshmIvilAsam (nAtakam)
nairguNyasiddhi
paramEsvara ashtakam (stOtram)
mahAmAyAshtakam (stOtram)
sUryadvAdasam
samskrtAshtakam
subramaNyAshtakam
sanaischarAshtakam
krshnadvAdashakam
guruvayUr krshNAksharamAlika
Sri Shankaracharya ashtothram
Gururaja saptati
dIpAvaLi nirNayam
vayOnirNayam
AchAryOkti vibhUshaNam
kEnOpanishat vibhUti
IsAnOpanishat vibhUti
Durjanaka janadarsanam
ArthiharAshtakam
athashabdArtha vichAram
Apasthamba aparasUtra vrtti
vibhUtidhAraNam
sapiNdIkaraNavidhi
dEvIdvAdasamanjari
mukaramukamudraNam
paryAyOkthishata-vyAkhyAnam
GuruvAyUr bhagavadshatakam
sapiNdIkaraNa kshoura nirNayam
AsIrvAdamanjarI
Brahasanam (nAtakam)
kumbEsAshtakam
pArthapraharam
sAmrAjyalakshmI pariNayam
dEviashtabrAsam
mAyAnivrttishatakam
nisrEyasa nisrEni
yagnavaibhavaprakasam
IsAvAsyavrtti
mUkaprasAdAdarsam
dravyaguNaprabhAkaram
yOgIsvaradarsana mahimA
sArIraka mImAmsa rahasyam
karmaNachittashuddhiprahAram
paramEsvarArppaNanamaSkruthi
AsAdhUshaNam
Ananthapadmanabhastuti
dEsikadanDakam
nyAyarakshAmaNi
srI rudhrabhAshyam
kAsyapakshEtra mAhAtmyam
mahAbhAratham-sAnthiparvam (tamil translation)

Srimushnam Subbarayachar

In Tamil Nadu's South Arcot region, there is a venerated Vaishnavasthala named Srimushnam. In this sthala, about 400 years ago, there lived a brilliant scholar named Sri Narasimhacharya who was endowed with divinity and was referred to as 'Aryacharya'. To his descendant Pandita Narayanacharya and Ambujammal was born Subbarayachar in the village of Srimushnam on June 15, 1836 Durmukhi year Aani 4th day.

Upon completion of his Upanayana at a young age, Subbarayachar undertook his Vedadhyayanam at Thiruvarur under his maternal uncle. Later he took lessons in Sahitya from his father's younger brother at Mannargudi. Later, he learnt vyAkaraNa shastram from Pandita Gopalacharyar in Mannargudi. Subbarayachar entered matrimony at a young age. He then stayed at Sriperumbudur and undertook further studies under the tutelage of Sri Hayagrivachar. Upon receving his blessings and by his recommendation, Subbarayachar approached Vyakarana mahavidwan Krishnamacharyar who lived in Pandharpur in Maharashtra, and attained greater scholarship in Vyakaranashastra from him. Later, Subbarayachar moved from Pandharpur to Kolhapur samsthanam. There, he took lessons in nyayashastra from Pandita Bhikku Shastri who was an unparalleled scholar in Darshanas. While he was studying in Kolhapur, Subbarayachar attained fame by prevailing over Pandita Raghunatha tArkikar also of Kolhapur, who had composed a commentary on a text PanchavAtam.

Having gained complete knowledge in vyAkaraNam and nyAyasAstram, Subbarayachar returned to Srimushnam. After a while, he learnt pUrvamImAmsA shAstram from Pudukkottai Kuppuswamy Sastrigal and Dvaita Vedantam from his relative Pandita Ramannacharyar. He completed his Vedanta ShantipAtA under Pujyasri VidyAdeesatheertha Swamigal of Udupi Krishnapura matham. Though several institutions came forward to offer suitable positions to Subbarayachar, he lived independently without the desire for positions of repute.

This great vidwan took part in annual vidwat sadas held in the samasthana capitals such as Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, Mysore, Travancore, Kochi, Baroda etc, and received several accolades such as Shawls, Golden thOdAs etc. Furthermore, he was an examiner at the aforementioned sadas events, as well as at the Thiruchanur (Tirupati) madhvasiddhanta unnahini sabha, for several years. Once, during a grand vidwatsadas held at the Thanjavur Palace, Subbarayachar prevailed over a scholar Pandita Kuppuswami Ayyangar, in vyutpatti vAdA, for which Subbarayachar won the praise of the Queen of Thanjavur and the Royal Family, and was honored as the AsthAnavidwAn of the Palace.

Later on, several became the shishyas of Subbarayachar and learnt vyakaranam, dvaitavedantam etc. A few of his noteworthy disciples were, Nadhidheeram Sethumadhavachar who was later Principal of the Thiruvayyaru Samskrita College, Gopala Shastri of Pudukkottai, Shatavadani T. Lakshmanacharya, RV Krishnamacharyar, K Narayanacharyar, V Ananthacharya, Vamana Bhatta Jalakeekar who authored the text 'kAvyaprakAshavyAkhyA' and was later a Professor at the Pune Government College, Thiruvananthapuram Ramakrishna Shastri, Sholapur Govinda Shastri, Pandit P Giridharacharya (who was later a Professor at Tirupati College), Pandita S Subbarao (later Principal at Tirupati College), R. Parthasarathi Bhattachar who later headed the Agama Department at the Tirupati Venkateswara University.

Subbarayachar engaged in debate and banter with and became the recipient of the praise of the Mannargudi Periyava Raju Shastrigal. The greatness of the scholarship of Subbarayachar can be ascertained from the fact that his Kanakabhishekam was organized by Sri Sathyadhyana theertha of Uttaradi Matham. The committee of scholars at Kasi honoured him with a 'vyAkaraNakEsari' birudu. In 1911, during the coronation celebrations of King George at Delhi, the Indian Government honoured him with the title 'mahamahopadhyaya'. He along with his son Sethumadhavar, spent his last days in Tirupati.

Subbarayachar of ripe wisdom, of celebrated fame, and of a long life, attained the higher worlds on Karthika Krishna Trayodasi of Kalayukthi year, December 1 1918 at the age of 82.

Subbarayachar was wise yet humble, was an AchArasIlA and was endowed with the best of attributes. Significant among his works are paribhAshEndhushEkharavyAkhyA, shabdendushEkharavyAkhyA, brahmasUtrabhAshyavyAkhyA, gItAbhAshyavyAkhyA, tantrasAravyAkhyA, dvaitabhAshyavyAkhyA etc.

Sri SethumAdhavAchAryAr

On 4th October 1871, Sethumadhavacharyar was born as the son of Mahavidwan vyAkaraNakEsarI Mahamahopadhyaya Subbarayacharyar, as a descendant of Brahmin Vidwans, in the VaishnavakshEtram of SrimushNam in South Arcot Jilla, on the route from Chidambaram to VriddhAchalam. He lost his mother when he was only a year old, post which he was raised by Gundacharya of Thiruvayyaru. His upanayanam was performed at an appropriate age, and he started learning Shastrams such as vyAkaraNam etc from his own father. Even before he turned 20, Sethumadhavar shone as a brilliant young scholar. His hard work and motivation led to his ascendance. Even as a youth, he took part in vidwat sabhas of Pudukkottai, Mannargudi, Thanjavur, Chennai, Thiruchanur etc.

At 26, in 1897, Sethu was appointed as a professor in the Tirupati Samskrita College. Having worked well for the welfare of this college, he was elevated to its Principalship, and after 37 years of service, he retired in 1934. Even though he was a staunch disciplinarian, his students were respectful and affectionate towards him. Later, he worked as a professor at the Madhva siddhanta sabha patashala (Tiruchanur) for two years. Then on, he made Tiruchanur his permanent residence.

Post his retirement, he spent his time writing several rare texts and in researching other tattvashAstrangal. He gained scholarship in advaita granthas and vishishtadvaita granthas. In 1943, the British Indian Government conferred the birudu 'Mahamahopadhyaya' on him. He was honoured not only by Madhvasampradaya mathAdhipathigal, but also by Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Shankaracharya Mathadhipathigal, Sringeri Shankaracharyar, Ahobilamatham Swamigal, who invited him to sabhAs and honoured him. In 1950, when he visited AndhradEsam, he was praised by vidwAns and commoners at places such as Nellore, Rajamahendram, Vijayawada etc. In 1955, his 84th birthday was celebrated grandly by residents of Tirupati, Tiruchanur. in 1957, the Samskrita committee that travelled all over India as appointed by the Central Government met him at Thiruchanur and obtained his opinion on the propagation of Samskrita language. Several daily newspapers published the opinions of Sethumadhavacharyar on the propagation of Samskritam, with praise and appropriate editorial. Babu Rajendraprasad who presided over the Samskrita Vishwaparishad at Tirupati, Kabisthalam Desikacharyar (Mahamahopadhyaya), Krishnamurthy Shastrigal (Mahamahopadhyaya) etc. have all praised him. On May 3, 1957, Sethumadhavacharyar attained VishnupAdam, just like his illustrious father, at Tirupati. All through his life, he was a great AchAryasIlA, a great teacher, and an avid reader.

As a scholar in vyAkaraNa and vEdAntA, significant among his works are: (i) vyAsa-pAninIbhAvanirNayam (ii) purushasUktam - gAyatrI vyAkhyAnam (iii) abhinavachandrikA (in print) (iv) thithinirNayam (v) rgvEda bhAshya tIkA vyAkhyAnam. 'Tattvakoustubhakuleesam' is a work of his that surpassed all his other works, winning him great fame, and praise from several scholars. This text is a rebuttal to the text 'tattvakoustubham' written by Bhattoji Dikshitar in the 17th Century.

Sri Dhandapaniswami Dikshitar

Dhandapani Dikshitar was born in Chidambaram - the AkAsakshEtram in Tamil Nadu in 1874. His parents were Sivakamavallabha Dikshitar and Sivakamasundari. His paternal grandfather Meenakshinatha Dikshitar was a great vidwAn who authored 'chidambara tattva nirNayam'.

Dhandapani Swami learnt Tamil and Samskritam at Chidambaram Arumuga Navalar Saivaprakasa Vidhyasalai for five years. In 1883, he learnt kAvyA lessons in the new Ra. Ma. Su. Patashala. Chandrasekara Dikshitar who worked there was his maternal uncle. There, he learnt nAtaka alankArAs and siddhAnta kaumudhi from Vaidheeswara Sastrigal.

In 1888, he married a girl named Lakshmi. In 1890, he completed lessons in vyAkaraNa sAstram and learnt a few sections of pUrva mImAmsA from Thiruvaiyaru Gopala Sastrigal who was a chief adhyApakar at the Pudukkottai Samasthana Samskrita Patashala. In 1893, he gained accolades at the Vidwat Sabha organized during the thulAbhAram celebrations of Travancore Maharaja Moolam ThirunAL. The following year, he came first in the parIkshA conducted by Chennai ThiruvallikENi vEda vEdAnta vardhanI sabhA. The same year, he came first in the parIkshA conducted in the vidwat sabha of the Pudukkottai Raja, and attained special honors. Then on, he was the head and examiner of the Pudukkottai vidwat sabha. At that time, he conducted several discourses related to advaitamatham.

In 1896, after the time of his Guru Gopala Shastrigal, Dhandapani Swami Dikshitar was appointed as the Principal upAdhyAyA of Chidambaram PonnambalappiLLai PatashAla. Since then, for ten years, he taught vyAkaraNam, alankArashAstram etc to several students. Simultaneously, he attained scholarship in nyAyam and vEdAntam by learning from Harihara Shastrigal who was the chief upAdhyAyar at the Chidambaram me. sa. vidhyAsAlai. Once he was invited to Ramanathapuram and honoured by Bhaskara Sethupathi. later, Dikshitar was appointed to the headmaster post of the Ra. Ma. Su. vidhyAsAlai, a post once held by his Guru Gopala Shastrigal. At that time, he emerged successful in the shirOmaNi parIkshA.

In the grand vidwat sadas held in Kanchi under the presidency of Sir Subramanya Iyer in 1911, and in the vidwat sadas held in the aegis of the Uttaradi matham in Bangalore, and in the advaita sadas held under the chairmanship of Sir P S Sivaswamy Iyer in the same year, Dhanadapani Dikshitar participated and won the respect and praise of several scholars of Tamil Nadu.

In 1916, Dikshitar was awarded the Mahamahopadhyaya title by the Indian Government. He was 42 then. At the end of the same year, he was awarded the title 'sAstrAchAryan' by the Bharatha dharma mahAmandalA. Dikshitar was awarded the birudu 'shAstraratnAkaram' by Jagadguru Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peethadhipathigal. While being a teacher at the pAtashAlA, Dikshitar taught many young boys vEdAntapAThA by providing food and lodging in his own residence. During this time, Dikshitar was awarded Shawls and thOdA during the Sankara Jayanthi Mahotsavam organized at Bhikshandar kOvil next to Tiruchi, by Sringeri Sri Shankaracharya Swamigal. Dikshitar was also a vidwan at the Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam. Dikshitar was also a member in the syllabus committee of the University of Madras. Even though he was an exceptional advaitasAstra panditA, he had no enmity on other mathAs. Therefore, he participated in the annual vidwat sabhAs of madhva, vaishnava and saiva sabhas and attained the goodwill of those of other mathAs.

Dikshitar went on a pilgrimage to puNyakshEtrAs such as kAshi, met famed vidwans there, attained their praise, and returned to his hometown. He established a Vedanta Patashala in Chidambaram in memory of his teacher Mahamahopadhyaya Harihara Shastrigal. He visited the Patashala every day and spent at least an hour teaching advaita granthas to the students there.

In mid 1929, Dikshitar was appointed Samskrita Professor at the Annamalai University. He was part of the syllabus committee, and was for three years a member of the University Senate. During this time, he conducted an annual advaita sadas at his residence at his own expense with contributions from a few wealthy persons. Exemplary scholars were invited to this sadas and honoured. He also established a 'Dikshita Samudhaya Patashalai' and arranged for rules of worship of Sri Nataraja and vEdam to be taught there.

In 1934, Dhandapaniswami Dikshitar's Manivizha was celebrated with pomp. Several famous vidwAns, wealthy persons, and important personalities participated in the function. At that time, Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peethadhipathigal sent a Maragathalingam and silk vastrams to Dikshitar and conveyed his blessings. Several disciples of Dikshitar attained success in their lives, one among those composed 'VedasAstratarangiNI vilAsam' on Dikshitar.

Dhandapaniswami Dikshitar has authored several texts. He has written a bhAshyA on the Nataraja Sahasranamam. He has proofread and published Pundarikapura mahatmyam. He has also published 'Chidambara tattva nirNayam' a text authored by his ancestor Meenakshinatha Dikshitar. Dhandapani Dikshitar of such fame in several departments, had never left Chidambaram for more than a few days at a time, since his younger days. He would never find fault with anyone for any reason. He would never talk insultingly. He spent his whole life in the service of Sri Nataraja Peruman, and involved himself in the learning of vyAkarana vEdAnta shAstrangal, as one who lived with higher ambitions in life. He attained Sivapadam during the first week of September 1943 in Chidambaram.

VeLLUr Sri Subramanya Shastrigal

வெள்ளூர் is a small town located on the left banks of River Kaveri 15 miles west of Tiruchirappalli. This town had been the residence of several vEdavidwAns and sAstravidwAns. One among such residents was Ranganatha Sastrigal was a famous scholar who had learnt many shAstrAs, practised karmAnushtAnAs well, transformed into a vairagyasampannA, undertook sannyAsam and attained siddhi there. He had two sons - Iswara sAstri and Rama sAstri. The younger Rama Sastrigal became a widower at a young age and remarried. Of the four sons born to him and his second wife, the second son was Subramanya Sastri, born in October 1869. Subramanyan, who lost his mother at an early age, was brought up along with his three brothers and two sisters, by an attentive father.

Upon the completion of his upanayanam at age 7, Subramanyan went to Anthanallur village on the banks of River Kaveri near Tiruchirappalli, and began learning Taittriya Veda Shakha under a Sannyasi, and survived on bhikshai. During this time of his niyamAdhyayanam at Anthanallur village, he lost his father as well. Upon completion of lessons in the core sections of Vedam, he completed his GhanAntha vEdhAdhyayanam under the tutelage of Sri Muthu Ghanapatigal of ThiruvayyAru who was considered the best in Tamil Nadu in Veda recitation. He was 18 then. He then went to Musiri village, stayed there, and learnt sAhityasAstra aspects such as kAvyam, nAtakam etc. from a vidvAn ParamEswara Sastrigal. Later, he learnt a text named siddhAnta kaumudi and sections of vEdalakshaNam from famed SubramaNya Ghanapatigal who lived in sirukAmbUr vilage east of Musiri.

Though he was well-versed in vEdalakshaNam, and pUrvAparaprayOga practices, Subramanya Sastrigal with the objective of increasing his shastraic knowledge, went to Mannargudi in Thanjavur jilla and learnt tarkasAstram and vEdAntam under Mahamahopadhyaya ThyAgarAjamakhI Sri Raju Sastrigal who was adept in sastras and was teaching several shishyas. Noteworthy among Subramanyan's fellow learners were paingAnAdu GaNapati sAstrigal, and yagnaswAmi sAstrigal. While studying in mannargudi, sAstrigal used to attend the Kumbakonam Advaita Sabha sadas without fail. After having grasped Bhagavatpada Shankara's prasthAnatrayam, sUtrabhAshyam, gItAbhAshyam, upanishadbhAshyAs etc. Subramanya Sastrigal married a girl from a vaidika family in Angarai village and began his grihasthadharmam. Since his maternal grandfather also resided in Angarai, he used to frequently visit the place. Therefore he began being referred to as 'Angarai subbarAya GhanapAtI'. In the samskrita text 'tyAgarAja vijayam' composed by Sri Yagnaswami Sastrigal, Subramanya Sastrigal has been referred to as 'Angarai subbarAya GhanapAtI endowed with shraddhA, buddhi, virtue, and fame'.

Later, Subramanya Sastrigal attained the friendship of A. Ramachandrayyar of Panangudi village in Thanjavur jilla who was a chief judge in the Mysore Kingdom. As per his request, Sastrigal stayed in Bangalore for some time and taught him advaitagranthAs. When Sastrigal began his stay in bangalore, Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Nrisimha Bharathi Swamigal, an unparalleled gnAnin adept in nyAya vEdAnta sAstras was the Peethadhipathi at the Sringeri Acharya Peetham. A yearning arose in Subramanya Sastrigal to learn advaitavAdagranthAs from Swamigal. Therefore he went from Bangalore to Sringeri and upon dharsanam of the Swamigal, conveyed his desire to Him. Sastrigal stayed in Sringeri for several years and relearnt prasthAnatrayangal and granthas such as BrahmAnandIyam etc. from Swamigal. Famous nyAyashAstra scholar Sri Virupaksha Shastrigal was his fellow learner. Sastrigal learnt the higher principles of nyAya sAstram from Sri Virupakshi Sastrigal and taught him vEdam. At the same time, Sastrigal learnt granthas such as 'bhAttadIpikai' from nEmam vaidhyanAtha sAstrigal who arrived in Sringeri intending to learn further vEdAntA. Thus a few years went by in sastrAbhyAsam in Sringeri.

Subramanya Sastrigal who was endowed with pUrNavEdAdhyayanam, sAstraic wisdom, karmAnushtAnam with perfect AchAram, became the recipient of the grace of Sri Shivabhinava Nrisimha Bharathi Swamigal, and was appointed the AsthAnavidwAn of the Sringeri maTham. In 1907, Sastrigal accompanied Swamigal on a yAtrA to kAladi for the prathishtA vaibhavam of Sri ShAradA, Sri AchAryamUrtI, and returned to Sringeri in 1911 along with Swamigal. After a while, Sringeri Acharyal established the 'Bharatheeya gIrvANaprouDha vidhyAbhivardhinI pAtashAlA' at Shankarapuram in Bangalore. Subramanya Sastrigal was appointed as a vEdAnta adhyApakar in this pAtashAlA. He spent about six years in this position, and skillfully taught several students.

During the time he was teaching at the Bangalore pAThashAlA, a committee was instituted as per the directives of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti pIthAdhipathi Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Swamigal, to peruse and publish BhAmati - kalpatarU - parimaLam of Sri Shankara BhagavatpadA's sUtrabhAshyam. Subramanya Sastrigal and Nemam Vaidhyanatha Sastrigal were the ones instrumental in fulfilling the objectives of the committee, by referring to several palm leaf manuscripts, proofreading them, and ensuring they were well-printed and published by the Srirangam Vani Vilas Press.

A few years on, Sastrigal obtained consent from the Sringeri maTham, moved to Mysore and worked as the Principal Teacher of Vedanta at the Maharaja Samskrita Kalasalai. He was apppinted the samsthAna mahAvidwAn and dharmAdhikAri, having received the admiration of the Maharaja. However, the vagaries of time meant that he could not function in those positions longer. In mid 1917, he fell ill, and upon the advise of physicians, he moved to Angarai village in early November. His health deteriorated over the next two weeks, and on 16 November 1917, Sastrigal attained Shivapadam.

It is no surprise that Subramanya Sastrigal, who was an AchArasIlA who attained great wisdom due to his motivation, hard work and interest, was showered with awards and accolades. In December 1913, the British-Indian government honored him with the title 'Mahamahopadhyaya'. In 1916, Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Swamigal blessed upon Sastrigal two thOdAs and twin shawls during the kumbhAbhishEkA celebrations of Sri Sharadambika.

It is a matter of regret that his objective of writing commentaries on shatasloki, sAdhAnApanchakam, and Anandagiri's vivaraNA to ShankarabhagavatpAdA's upanishad bhAshyam, towards which he had begun writing notes, was never realized.

Sri Yagnaswami Sastrigal

Yagnaswami Sastrigal was the son of the adoptive son of famed mahavidwAn Sri Raju Sastrigal of Tamil Nadu. Raju Sastrigal performed sOmayAgam at the age of 60. The following year, the adoptive son of Sri Sastrigal, had a baby boy. Mannargudi Sastrigal regarded that the grandson was born as a blessing due to the fruition of the sOmayAgam, and hence named the child Yagnaswami. Yagnaswami was born in Marutthuvakkudi next to Aduturai in Thanjavur, on the last day of the Margazhi month of year Yuva, on pushya nakshatra, in 1875.

In his childhood, he grew up in his maternal grandfather's house. His maternal grandfather Swami Shastrigal was a remarkable singer-musician, who sang well even in his old age. Even as a young boy, Yagnaswami used to listen attentively to the songs sung by his grandfather. When Yagnaswami turned 7, Mannargudi Periyava called him to his place, performed the upanayanam of his grandson, and arranged for his vEdAdhyayanam under the tutelage of his close relative Koothambadi Subramania Sastrigal. The vEdAdhyayanam was completed in five years. Yagnaswami was then sent to Radhanarasimhapuram NeelakanTha Dikshitar residing in Mannargudi, for lessons in kAvyam and tarkashAstram. From him, Yagnaswami attained fundamental knowledge in nAtakam, champU, tarkam, vyAkaraNam etc over four years. Later, Mannargudi Sastrigal himself began teaching his grandson tarkam, vEdAntam, vyAkaraNam etc. Thus, Yagnaswami undertook shastraic lessons for eight years from Mannargudi Periyavar. PazhamArneri Swamigal and Ganapati Sastrigal were notable among the ones who learnt from Mannargudi Sastrigal along with Yagnaswami. By the blessing of Mannargudi Sastrigal, his grandson also shone as an exceptional vidwAn. Upon the completion of 80 years of age of Periyavar, Yagnaswami Sastrigal himself began giving lessons to students who came to learn from Periyavar. Apparently, his grandfather was very pleased at the scholarship of Yagnaswami.

Along with gaining knowledge in ShAstrAs, Yagnaswami Sastrigal also incremented his knowledge in sangItam. He had a pleasant voice. He would practise music with his tampurA, seated in a room in the house near to that of his grandfather's. Thus, his sangIta gnAnam and sAhitya gnAnam helped and grew along with his sAstra gnAnam.

After the demise of Mannargudi Periyavar, a pAThashAlA was established in his memory by the wealthy persons of Mannargudi, to teach samskritam to ten students. Eventually, when their financial support dwindled, Yagnaswami Sastrigal maintained the pAtashAlA in his own home, teaching for about 15 years. Among those who assisted Sastrigal in teaching at this pAtashAlA, was his sishyA Devangudi Sivaramakrishna Sastrigal. Later, Mannargudi Vaidyanatha Dikshitar and Gopalasamudram Krishnamacharyar, among others, taught in the pAtashAlA. While Yagnaswami Sastrigal was residing in Mannargudi, notable among those were Devangudi Sivaramakrishna Sastrigal, Simizhi Venkatarama Sastrigal, and Injikkollai Jagadeesa Sastrigal.

In 1904, Yagnaswami Sastrigal composed a champUkAvyam 'tyAgarAja vijayam' based on the life of his illustrious grandfather. This kAvyam has five ullAsams. This kAvyam captivated several Vidwans. Post 1912, in order to tutor Govindan, a musically knowledgeable sishyA, Sastrigal himself as well began singing exceptional tyAgarAjA and dIkshitA kritIs. Sastrigal also authored several stories for Rayapuram Srinivasa Bhagavatar.

Several wealthy persons who listened to the upanyAsams of Sastrigal, admired him. Nangavaram Rajappaiyer had arranged for Sastrigal to participate in the coronation celebrations of King George V in Delhi in 1911. However, as per the command of his father, Sastrigal did not travel to Delhi, and instead composed and sent a little kAvyam named 'George pattAbhishEka abhinandana navaratnamAlikA'. A few years later, as per the requests of the residents of Mannrgudi, Sastrigal began his pravachanAs on rAmAyaNam while Mannargudi Vembu Ghanapatigal and Rangachariyar etc read the mUlagrantham set to musical tunes. The purANa pravachanAs that began thus, went on for about eight years in places such as Kumbakonam, Mayavaram etc.

It was not customary for Sastrigal to attend sangIta kachEris or nAtakAs, excepting purANa pravachanAs. However, he would invite sangItavidwAns to his place, and enjoy listening to their performances. Vidwans of varied perpertoire would joyously dedicate their sangItagnAnam, sAstragnAnam, scholarship in other arts etc. to Sastrigal. After the time of Karunkulam Krishna Sastrigal, Yagnaswami Sastrigal was a chief pandita in the Kumbakonam advaita sabhA between 1920 and 1938. Once in 1917, Sastrigal took ill, during which time, a thief entered an inner room in his house, and stole a sack that contained shawls that Sastrigal had been honoured with, silks, expensive clothing etc. For a while, no one had noticed that the sack had been missing. At a later time, after Sastrigal has recovered, someone in the house told him about the theft of the sack. Hearing this Sastrigal uttered 'KrishnArpaNam' and composed 'KrishnaarpaNa vimsati'a short kAvyam based on the incident. This exemplifies the detachment and Krishna Bhakti of Sastrigal.

A mahavidwan named Appa sarma in Pune was serving greatly the cause of the samskrita language and shAstrAs. He published 'sunrta vAhinI' a weekly, and another monthly magazine. Sastrigal used to procure his magazines, read them, and made sure his sishyAs read them as well. He also began providing articles for the magazines himself.

Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peethadhipathi conferred upon Sastrigal the award 'sAstra ratnAkaram'. The Government of India also honoured Sastrigal with the 'Mahamahopadhyaya' title. Sastrigal was also honoured with the award 'sAstra thilakam'. Yagnaswami Sastrigal who shone as an exceptional scholar, attained sivapadam on February 6, 1940, at the age of 64.

Karunkulam Sri Krishna Sastrigal

Krishna Sastriar was born in 1876 in a small town Karunkulam made fertile by the Tamraparni river, situated in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu. With an enthusiasm to learm shAstrAs even at a young age, he left his town in 1892 and moved to Chidambaram. There, he began learning from famed vidwAn Harihara Sastrigal, and learnt nyAyA and vEdAntA from him in a few years' time. Later, he took up the position of adhyApakA in a shAstra pAtashAlA in Vedaranyam, Thanjavur, and executed his duties efficiently.

In 1912, Krishna Sastrigal reached Kumbakonam. There, as a panditA at the advaita sabhA, he skilfully taught advaitavEdAntA to many, for seven years. In 1919, he took up the position of headmaster at the samskruta pAtashAlA in Chittoor, Kerala, and performed his duties skilfully for seven years. In 1926, Sastriar resigned from the Chittoor pAtashAlA and assumed responsibility as the Principal of the Madras Sanskrit College, Mylapore, where he worked for 11 years during which time he introduced several reforms and incremented the prestige of the institution. It was during his tenure that Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peethadhipathi Sri Sankaracharya Swamigal who visited Chennai during Navaratri, stayed in the college for some time. Sri Acharya Swamigal blessed Sastrigal with the award 'shAstra ratnAkaram'. It was during his tenure as the Principal at the Mylapore Samskrta College, that the title Mahamahopadhyaya was bestowed upon Sastrigal by the Government of India.

Krishna Sastrigal, after his retirement from the Mylapore College in 1938, entered into sanyAsAshramA in 1939 and attained siddhi later in the same year. 'brahmasUtrAnuguNyasiddhi' which is considered his best work, clearly illustrates that the brahmasUtrAs of vyAsA testify to the advaitatattvA of shankarabhagavatpAdA. Another exceptional text he has authored is the 'adhikaraNa chatushTayI'. He has also authored a purAnA text in Tamil titled 'vEdAraNya mAhAtmyam'.

Sri Kuppuswami Sastrigal

Kuppuswami Sastrigal was born as the son of Ganapati Iyer on December 15, 1880, in the village of Ganapati agrahAram near ThiruvayyAru made fertile by the flow of five rivers. Endowed with a sharp intellect and a pleasing appearance, Kuppuswami Sastrigal was good at studies even at a young age. At age 16, he passed the Matriculation examination and pursued higher education at the S.P.G College in Thanjavur. There he earned a B.A. degree in Philosophy in 1900. He studied advaitashAstram under the tutelage of Sri Vasudeva Brahmendra Saraswati Swami at ThiruvayyAru.

Then, he worked as a clerk at the office of the Government Revenue Board in Chennai. He then studied Law in Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram, and obtained his MA in 1905. The following year, he was appointed Principal of the Mylapore Samskrta College, where he executed his duties efficiently for four years. In 1907, he became the chairperson of the Board of Examiners in Samskrutam at the University of Madras. In 1910, he reformed the Raja Samskrta College at ThiruvvayyAru and became its Principal. He edited the granthA 'atharvamImAmsakuthUhalavrtti' in order to help its publication by the Srirangam Vani Vilas Press. Kuppuswami Sastrigal who was Principal at the Raja Samskrta College in ThiruvayyAru between 1910 and 1914, helped proofread and edit several significant samskrta texts authored by Sri Shankara BhagavatpAdA that were published by the Srirangam Vani Vilas Press.

In 1912, he was appointed Samskrta Professor at the Presidency College, Chennai. He played a significant role in formulating the shirOmaNI syllabus as per ancient traditional learning methodology at the University of Madras. He delivered 20 lectures on 'nyAya vaisEshikam' while at the University. In 1914, he became a permanent Professor of Samskritam and related Languages. He also concurrently served as the Chief Officer of the Chennai Manuscript Library. The following year he became a member of the Senate of the University of Madras. In 1918, he was appointed as the Head of the Samskruta Syllabus Committee of the same University. The following year, he was elevated to the IES (Indian Educational Service) position at the Department of Education.

In 1919, he presided over the conference of Samskrta-Modern Languages as part of the Oriental Conference that was held for threee days in Pune, during the first week of November 1919. In 1921, along with Professor RangAchAryA, he helped edit and publish a manuscript 'padhyachUdAmaNI'. The following year, he presided over the tattvA conference as part of the Second Oriental Conference held at Calcutta. In 1923, he became a member of the Academic Council at the University of Madras. He played a significant role in the success of the Oriental Conference held in 1925 in Chennai. He then toiled for a year towards the founding of the Oriental Research Institute at the University of Madras. He presided over the All India Samskrta Conference at Calcutta in August 1926, and the philosophy conference as part of the All India Oriental Conference at Allahabad in November 1926. In the same year, he was involved in establishing the Chennai Samskruta Academy and became its first Head. During this time, members of the bhArata dharma mahA mandala bestowed the award 'vidhyAvAchaspatI' on Kuppuswami Sastrigal. In 1927, the Government of India bestowed the honour 'mahAmahOpAdhyAyA' upon Sastrigal.

The same year, Kuppuswami Sastrigal began the 'Journal of Oriental Research' along with Sir P.S.Sivaswami Iyer and K. Balasubramanya Iyer. In 1929, he delivered a few lectures on nyAyAsAstrA at the University of Madras. In 1932, during the camp of Sri Shankaracharya Swamigal of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham at Chennai, Swamigal bestowed upon Kuppuswami Sastrigal the title 'dharsana kalAnidhI'. The following year the Puri Shankaracharya Swamigal bestowed the award 'kulapati' on Sastrigal. In 1934, Sastrigal presided over the Indian Philosophy conference at the Tenth All India Philosophy Conference. In 1935, he retired from the Government Presidency College, Chennai.

After his retirement, Sastrigal spent his time in publishing several rare texts. He accepted the position of the Headmaster of the Catalogus Catalogorum of Samskrta texts, organized with the support of the University of Madras. In 1936, he helped edit and publish the text 'brahmasiddhi' of manDana mishrA, with the commentary of shankhapANI, the palmleaf manuscript of which was at the Chennai Governmental Manuscript Library. He then accepted the position of Honorary Professor of Samskrta at the Annamalai University. In 1940, after his complete retirement from all service, Kuppuswami Sastrigal began to reside at his birthplace Ganapati agrahAram. Kuppuswami Sastrigal who was endowed with a sharp intellect, unfathomable learning, knowledge, skill, fame, good nature, and dignity, shed his mortal coil and attained the feet of the Lord on 5th September, 1943.

Sri Lakshmana SAstri Dravid

It would be evident from the above name that the mahAvidwAn was from dravidadEshA. However, dravidadEsA was his native place only in name. He was a descendant of a scholarly brahmin family from TiruvisalUr, a village that was the residence of several mahAns and mahAvidwAns, situated north of river Kaveri and east of Kumbakonam in Thanjavur District. When he was a little child, his family moved to kAsI on the banks of river gangA, for livelihood. Apparently Lakshmana sAstri had forgotten Tamil! At Kasi, he learnt sAstrAs from vidwAns in the respective aspects, and became a remarkable scholar. Later, he shone as one of the best mahAvidwAns in kAsI. Since a few of his contemporary vidwAns in North India were named LakshmanasAstrI, 'Dravid' was added to his last name as a unique identifier. Until the first hald of the first quarter of the 20th Century, Lakshmana SAstriar shone as an exceptional vidwAn in sAstrAs such as tarkA, vEdantA etc.

He was foremost among the founders of the varNAshrama swarAjya sanghA. He led his life as per the dharmashAstrA. In a case related to the Sri Tarakeswarar Temple near Calcutta, his testimony was accrued great importance. It is evident that he had great respect towards the native village of his ancestors and the AchAryapITham they were devoted to. The Government of India honoured him with the 'Mahamahopadhyaya' title. However, in condemnation of the legal interference of the British Indian Government in the traditional and religious affairs of the Hindus, he and the famed vidwAn of Bengal Sri panchAnana tarkaratna bhattAchAryA, gave up their 'mahAmahOpAdhyAya' titles.

He was praised abundantly by the Maharaja of kAsi. Furthermore, the mahAvidwAns and residents of kAsI had great respect and bhakti unto him. Panditaraja Rajeswara Sastrigal, who was an exceptional vidwAn, AchArasIlA, adhyakshA of the kAsI SAnga vEda vidyAlaya, and the recipient of the respect and praise of the Maharaja of Kashi and its residents, was the son of Lakshmana Sastri Dravid. Sri Rajeswara Sastrigal passed away in March 1977.

perugavAzhndhAn srI rangAchAryAr

Even today (at the time of publication of this book) a vEdapAtashAlA in the village of perugavAzhndhAn near mannArgudi (southeast of Thanjavur) is run by a family of landowners belonging to nedumbalam. In the first part of the 19th century, a vaishnavite scholar named krishNamAchAryAr lived in perugavAzhndhAn. He was adept in vEdam and shAstram. He was a contemporary of mannArgudi rAju sAstrigaL, and moved to mannArgudi in his childhood. He was a scholar wellversed in vEdam and shAstram. His son rangAchAryAr was born on October 6, 1833. Even at a young age, rangAchAryAr gained expertise in kAvyam, alankAram, vyAkaraNam learning from his father. Father and son regularly visited pudukkOttai samasthAnam to participate in sabhAs.

KrishNamAchAryAr who recognized the waning respect towards samskrita scholars in Tamil Nadu, decided to move with his family to Mysore, having heard that the ruler of the Mysore samsthAnA was a keen patron of samskrita scholars. At that time, Sri Krishnarao, a wealthy dharmic resident of kumbakONam suggested that Sri KrishNamAchAryAr move to Kumbakonam instead. Accordingly, Krishnamacharyar began residing at Kumbakonam with his family. At that tume, Diwan rAya rAya venkata rao of Kumbakonam founded a street named venkatrao agrahAram and donated a house on the street to KrishNamAchAryAr. One Sri vyAsarAo arranged for paddy to be provided to krishNamAchAryAr's family.

rangAchAryAr learnt vEdam, tarkam, vaishNava vEdAntam from his father. Later, due to his own efoorts, he gained expertise in vyAkaraNam, jOthisham, gaNitam etc. After the demise of his father, he was appointed as a samskrita professor at the Government College at Kumbakonam, where he worked for several years. The Government of India honoured him with the mahAmahOpAdhyAya birudu. Gopalrao and sAdhu sEshayyA who were principals at the Kumbakonam college respected and admired rangAchAryAr. A later principal at the college was a habitual smoker. One day, when rangAchAryAr was teaching his students, the aforementioned principal was smoking in his room upstairs. As the swirls of smoke began entering the samskrita classroom downstairs, rangAchAryAr who was repulsed by it, sent his students out of the room and followed them. The Principal who noticed that the students were leaving before the designated time, called a student and inquired why the class had been cut short by the tutor. The student replied honestly that the samskrita professor could not bear the cigar smoke and hence had dismissed the class. The Principal apologized to rangAchAryAr for his mistake, and then on, exited the premises to smoke.

After his retirement from the college, rangAchAryAr continued residing in the Kumbakonam Venkatarao agrahAram. rangAchAryAr who was an AchArasIlA and a treasure-house of wisdom, shed his mortal coil on August 28, 1917. His successor as samskrita professor at the Kumbakonam Government College was mahAmahOpAdhyAya RV krishNamAchAryAr.

Sri Kapay Ramachandrachar

In Kumbakonam, there is a small street that runs north-south to the west of a long street named kAmAkshi jOsyar street that is very close to the river Kaveri. This small street named venkatrAyar agrahAram was founded by rAya rAya venkatrao. He had served as a diwAn at the Kollam samsthAnam in Kerala. After his retirement, he founded this street, built a temple and consecrated a srI vAsudEva vigrahA, had twelve houses built, and donated them to brahmin scholars. He also made provisions for the delivery of two carts of paddy every year to the brahmin scholars and their descendants. Thus he performed a longstanding dhArmic deed and gained fame and puNyam. Of the donated houses, ten were donated to madhvamatha vidwAns, one house to an advaita vidwAn, and one house to a visishtAdvaita vidwAn. The descendants of those vidwAns are still the inhabitants of these houses.

kApAy rAmachandrAchAr was born in 1866 in a family of one of the madhvasampradAya vidwAns who was a recipient of a house donated by venkatrao. kApAy was his family name. Even in his childhood, he had the desire to learn purANAs, understand their purport and help propagate such knowledge to others. He began learning samskritam at a young age. rAmachandrAchAr attained clear knowledge in Srimad bhAgavatam, mahAbhAratam, mahAbhArata tAtparya nirNayam of madhvAchAryA, by the time he turned thirty. He had purANa pravachanA as his primary intent, and began his discourses in Kumbakonam before performing kathAkAlakshEpam in other towns as well. advaita-visishtAdvaita vidwAns and laymen alike enjoyed listening to his discourses on mahAbhArathA and bhAgavatam. Since he had an impactful tone of voice, thousands could enjoy his discourses even during an era devoid of microphones. He had an astonishing capacity to recite bhAgavata shlOkAs from memory, without the aid of a book.

One among his later discourses is considered exceptional by the residents of Kumbakonam. This incident was narrated by eyewitnesses. Once while rAmachandrAchAr was discoursing on bhAgavata-purANa over several days at the kumbakONam srI chakrapANi svAmi temple, a parrot that flew in sat on his thigh for a while and flew out. Those who witnessed this sight joyously claimed that sage sukhA who narrated the bhAgavatam to parIkshit mahArAjA over 7 days, had indeed visited to listen to rAmachandrAchAr's discourses. His style of discourse would be shAstraic, laced with humour, and captivating.

At the age of sixty, he was honoured with the mahAmahOpAdhyAya title by the British-Indian government. rAmachandrAchAr attained great fame and lived a long life in kumbhakONam. He shed his mortal coil in 1946. He had two sons and a daughter. His elder son was renowned tattvasAstra scholar Dr. R Nagaraja Sarma who was also a Professor and a writer. He has served as a professor of tattvA at the Government College, Kumbakonam and Presidency College Chennai. He was an exceptional scholar in madhvasiddhAntatattvashAstrA. His younger brother (late) Sudarsana sarmA studied sirOmanI, served for decades as the headmaster at the rAjA pAtashAlA in kumbhakONam, and authored several texts.

Read South Indian Mahamahopadhyayas Part 3

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By Divya Shivashankar & Shivashankar N

Shobhanam