In Praise of Swāmi Vedānta Deśika

 

This year is the 751th birth anniversary (1268 AD- 1369 AD) of the famous poet, philosopher and dialectical genius, Swmi Vednta Deika. He lived for 101 years. By the age of 20 he became proficient in all branches of spiritual knowledge. He had mastered the Veds, strs and gams and the Divya Prabandhams of the zhwrs. His forte was logic, poetry and philosophy.

He wrote extensively in Sanskrit, Tamizh, Prkrit and Manipravla and composed numerous devotional hymns which reflected his poetic genius. He received the honorific titles of ‘Vedntcryar” from Lord Raganth and “Sarvatantra Swatantrar” from the Divine Mother r Raganyaki. 

Swmi Deika was a polyglot and an author of 166 granths.

Besides strengthening and further propagating the Viihtdvaitic philosophy of r Rmnuja, he established beyond any doubt the doctrine of Prapatti (self surrender) as the guaranteed route to mka (liberation).

This book is a translation of 73 verses composed in Sanskrit by Prativdi Bhayakaram Aangarcryr Swmi (Aan) who was the disciple of Nyanrcryr, son of Swmi Deika. This ode on Swmi Vednta Deika contains what needs to been known about Swmi Deika’s greatness, the depth of meaning in his works, the faith in him of his devotees and efforts made by his opponents to demean him which boomeranged and put such people to shame. Some of the great crys who came after Swmi Deika quoted several verses from ‘Saptati Ratnamalika’ in their writings and thus gave it a pride of place among other literary works.