Today ( May 6 2012) is the Thirunakshathram of Sri Lakshmi Hayavadana Paduka Sevaka Sri Ranganatha Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakala Maha Deshikan – The 30th Jiyar of Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakala Swamy Mutt.
Sri Ranganatha Brahmatantra Parakala Swami was born in Vaayalpad,on the banks of Baahuda( Kadapa District) in the famous family of Sri Vaadhula, in Shalivahana Shaka 1735 (1812 A.D)., in the month of Vyshakha and asterism of Vishakha .Sri Ranganatha, son of Sri Narasimhacharya, even at a early age, developed such grasp on Vedas and Vedangas by intuition he came to be described as ‘ Brihaspathi Samo Buddhya ‘ and merited the title ‘ Sarva-tantra-Swatantra’ like Sri Vedantha Deshika. He addressed himself to the task undertaken by Sri Srinivasa Brahmatantra from where he had left Nasik,and while at a young Grihastha, traveled wide over Northern India propagating Sri Vaishnava Siddhantha and seizing every occasion to be present at the great Sabhas at Jaipur, Kashi, Darbhanga etc..where the most distinguished scholars of the days assembled and discussed.
Having established his reputation as the unchallenged re-establisher of the Vishishtadvaitha philosophy in the north,particularly in the Sabha assembled at Sacred Kashi for the purpose, Sri Ranganatha Settled down in Rewa State at the earnest invitation of Sri Maharaja Raghuraj Singh Bahadur,to whom he became the specially favourite Acharya ! He was familiarly known as ‘ Rewa Rangacharya Swami ‘ in the north.
Succeeding to the Gadi of Sri Brahmatantra Parakala Mutt, he became the central figure amongst the most distinguished scholars of the age, representatives of all Shastras and Darshanas; and every evening a great Sabha in Mysore gathered round him and received his help in the maintenance and unhindered growth of the knowledge of ancient Shastras.The Great ‘Saraswathi Prasada Patashala’ ( Now, ‘The Maharaja’s Sanskrit College’) at Mysore derived its strength and usefulness as the result of the Sabhas held in the Mutt.
The Great Swami became a ‘Vikramadithya’,as it were,as the head of the Sabha of the Mutt,pandits,vying with each other in their endeavours to win the Swami’s approval for any particular Siddhantha which they might seek to expound. Sriman Maharaja Sri Chamarajendra Wodeyar and other accompaniments received Sri Vaishnava Diksha from this Swami (1884 A.D). The Gaadi of Sri Brahmatantra Parakala was adorned by him for the space of twelve years till 1885 A.D
The Taniyan of Swami :-
श्रीघंटांशात्तचक्राङ्कनमुदितहृदं प्राप्तवेदान्तयुग्मं |
वेदान्तार्यादधीता हितनिगमभरं श्रीनिवासांघ्रियुग्मात् ||
श्रीमच्छ्रीवास सद्देशिक वरपुरुहूतात्ततुर्याश्रमं तं |
वन्दे श्रीरंगनाथं कलिमथनगुरुं ब्रह्मतन्त्राद्यशब्दं ||
श्रीरामानुजसिद्धान्त स्थापको जयतांदयं |
रंगनाथ ब्रह्मतन्त्र परकाल यतीश्वर : ||
|| श्रीमते श्री लक्ष्मीहयवदन दिव्यमणिपादुका सेवक श्री रंगनाथ ब्रह्मतन्त्र स्वतन्त्र परकाल महादेशिकाय नम : || (तिरुनक्षत्रं – वैशाख मास – विशाखा नक्षत्रं – May 6 2012)
The Taniyan of Swami :-
ಶ್ರೀ ಘಂಟಾಂಶಾತ್ತ ಚಕ್ರಾಂಕನಮುದಿತಹೃದಂ ಪ್ರಾಪ್ತವೇದಾಂತಯುಗ್ಮಂ |
ವೇದಾಂತಾರ್ಯಾದಧೀತಾ ಹಿತನಿಗಮಭರಂ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸಾಂಘ್ರಿಯುಗ್ಮಾತ್ ||
ಶ್ರೀಮಚ್ಛ್ರೀವಾಸ ಸದ್ದೇಶಿಕ ವರಪುರುಹೂತಾತ್ತತುರ್ಯಾಶ್ರಮಂ ತಂ |
ವಂದೇ ಶ್ರೀ ರಂಗನಾಥಂ ಕಲಿಮಥನಗುರುಂ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮತಂತ್ರಾದ್ಯಶಬ್ದಂ ||
ಶ್ರೀ ರಾಮಾನುಜ ಸಿದ್ಧಾಂತ ಜಯತಾಂದಯಂ |
ರಂಗನಾಥ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮತಂತ್ರ ಪರಕಾಲ ಯತೀಶ್ವರ : ||
|| ಶ್ರೀಮತೇ ಶ್ರೀ ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮೀ ಹಯವದನ ದಿವ್ಯಮಣಿಪಾದುಕಾ ಸೇವಕ ಶ್ರೀ ರಂಗನಾಥ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮತಂತ್ರ ಸ್ವತಂತ್ರ ಪರಕಾಲ ಮಹಾದೇಶಿಕಾಯ ನಮ : || (ತಿರುನಕ್ಷತ್ರ – ವೈಶಾಖ ಮಾಸ – ವಿಶಾಖಾ ನಕ್ಷತ್ರ – May 6 2012)
This is an Extarct from the book ‘Origin and Growth of Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakala Mutt’, by Sri N.Deshikacharya
