[Advaita-l] Fwd: A Short Introduction to Śrī Mannārguḍī Periyava on the Day of his Jayanti today:

[V Subrahmanian]

Post by Vidwan Gokulakrishna Iyer, Srirangam in FB:
A Short Introduction to Śrī Mannārguḍī Periyava on the Day of his Jayanti
today:
Mahāmahopādhyāya Brahmaśrī Tyāgarāja Dīkṣitendra who is reverentially
referred to as Śrī Mannārguḍī Periyava or Śrī Mannārguḍī Rāju Śāstrigaḷ was
one of the most illustrious descendants of Parameśvarāvatāra,
Nityāgnihotri, Advaitavidyācārya, Śrīmad Appayya Dīkṣitendra. He was born
in 1815 to Śrī Brahmaśrī Mārgasahāya Appā Dīkṣitar and his dharmapatnī
Marakatavallī Jānakī Ammāḷ. The greatness of this family can only be
expressed by quoting the words of Śrī Mannārguḍī Periyava himself in his
Dīkṣitendra-vaṁśābharaṇam, a short work on the life of Śrīmad Appayya
DÄ«ká¹£itendra:
महत्येषां वंशे मदनरिपुपादार्चनरताः
पुमांसो भूयांसः परमपुरुषार्थादृतधियः ।
अभूवन् ऋक्सामाध्ययननिपुणापारधिषणाः
श्रुतिस्मृत्यध्वन्याः शुभगुणगणाः शुद्धयशसः ॥
TRANSLATION:
Most of the men in His (Śrīmad Appayya Dīkṣitendra’s) family were devoted
to the worship of the feet of Lord Åšiva. Their mind was focused in the
pursuit of the fourth and the supreme Puruṣārtha i.e mokṣa; they were
experts in the study of Sāmaveda; their intellect was mighty; they were men
who trod the path of the Religion of the Åšrutis and the Smá¹›tis; they had
very noble qualities; and their fame was spotless.
Śrīmad Appayya Dīkṣitendra lived in the 16th Century CE to teach the whole
range of Gṛhasthāśrama by precept and by example; Śrī Mannārguḍī Periyava
lived in the 19th Century CE to execute the same noble task. It is the
strong opinion of all Advaitācāryas that brahmajñānam could dawn in a
person only when he takes Saṁnyāsāśrama. Although it may also be possible
for a person in the Gṛhasthāśrama as well, it is extremely difficult. Only
one out of many thousands can achieve brahmajñānam while still in
Gṛhasthāśrama itself and mahatmas like Śrī Vācaspati Miśra, Śrīmad Appayya
Dīkṣitendra, Śrī Bhāskararāya Dīkṣitendra and Śrī Mannārguḍī Periyava could
be counted among this set of brahmajñānīs.
He studied Sāmaveda along with the Lakṣaṇa from his grandfather Brahmaśrī
Tyāgarāja Dīkṣitar. His father Brahmaśrī Mārgasahāya Veṅkaṭa Subrahmaṇya
Dīkṣitar (Appā Dīkṣitar) taught him Kāvyam and Nāṭakam. He studied the
basics of Tarkam and Vyākaraṇam from Śrī Gopālācārya in Mannārguḍī,
Mahābhāṣyam from his relative Melakāverī Chinnaṇṇā Dīkṣitar, Pūrva Mīmāṁsā
from Śrī Raghunātha Śāstrigaḷ of Kumbhaghoṇam, and Vedāntaśāstram from Śrī
Nārāyaṇa Sarasvatī Swāmigaḷ. He continued his further studies in Vedānta
from his paramaguru Śrī Swayaṁprakāśa Yatīndra. His mighty intellectual
prowess, tapas and ātmaguṇas earned him the admiration of all his gurus so
much so that, each one of them praised him in different ways.
He was a great Śivabhakta and could always be seen wearing Tripuṇḍram and
Rudrākṣas. His Sanskrit commentary on Śrīmad Appayya Dīkṣitendra’s
Śivamahimakalikā-stuti and Śivatattvaviveka stand testimony to his sublime
devotion towards Śiva and his erudition in Pūrva Mīmāṁsā and Vedānta.
DÄ«ká¹£itendra proved that he was a pure Advaitin who had equal devotion
towards both Lord Śiva and Lord Viṣṇu by composing works like Varadarāja
Stava and His own Sanskrit commentary on it, Śrī Kṛṣṇadhyāna-paddhati and
by writing Sanskrit commentaries on the works of Swāmi Vedānta Deśikarlike
Yādavabhyudaya Mahākāvyam, Haṁsa-sandeśa and
Śrīraṅganātha-pādukāsahasra-stotram. Śrī Mannārguḍī Periyava proved the
same in different ways. His works like Śrī-rājagopāla-navaratnamālikā and
Śrī-rājagopāla-mahotsavānukramaṇikā should be remembered here in this
connection. Mīmāṁsā-ratna, Trichy Advocate, Pandit AV Gopalachariar of
Sriramgam wrote about his devotion towards Lord Kṛṣṇa in his English
Introduction to the Sri Vani Vilas Press edition of Dīkṣitendra’s
Varadarāja Stava as follows:
“We have heard that his illustrious descendant, the late Mahamahopadhyaya
Sastrigal of Mannargudi of revered memory, used to go into raptures while
worshipping Sri Rajagopala in His utsavas and that in his last days he had
Sri Bhagavatam read and expounded by the late Paruthiyur Krishna Sastrigal
of worldwide fame to rivet his dhyanam upon Sri Krishna”.
In short, both Śrīmad Appayya Dīkṣitendra and Śrī Mannārguḍī Periyava were
beacons of Smārta-brāhmaṇa orthodoxy. Both of them followed the Smṛtis and
kulācāras meticulously, performed all the Yajñas enjoined in the
Śrauta-sutras meticulously, and performed Śivapūjā meticulously all
throughout their lifetimes. Both of them had unswerving faith in following
the rules of Varṇāśrama-dharma and executed them without making even the
slightest mistakes in observing them or by exhibiting laziness. DÄ«ká¹£itendra
lived for 72 years, and Śrī Mannārguḍī Periyava lived for 88 years and left
his mortal coil in 1903.
See some phtos here: https://groups.google.com/g/advaitin/c/ZLLJgmYCEpA