Sri Vedanta Desika: Makers of Indian Literature

Sri Venkatanatha (Vedanta Desika) (1268-1369 A.D.) was a great post-Ramanuja writers of the Visistadvaita School of thought. He was a polymath with more than one hundred works to his credit, covering several branches of learning like Nyaya, Mimamsa, Vedanta and Sahitya. His Yadavabhyudaya was commented upon by the great Advaitin Sri Appaya Diksita who paid beautiful encomia to the poetic genius of Desika. Desika wrote in Sanskrit, in Manipravala (Sanskritized Tamil), Prakrit and pure Tamil. He reinforced Sri Ramanuja's philosophy and strode like a colossus among contemporary scholars and was an uncompromising critic of the rival schools of thought. Desika was an embodiment of humility and simplicity, detachment from worldly enjoyments and unalloyed devotion to the Divine couple, Sriman-Narayana. A great exponent of the Dravida Veda (Divyaprabandha of the Azhvars) as also the Sanskrit Vedanta, Desika was also responsible for the establishment of two important Srivaisnava Mathas-Sri Ahobila Matha and Sri Parakala Matha. He resolved the processional deity of Srirangam after the threat receded. The world of scholars remembers him with gratitude for the role he played in saving the sole manuscript of Sudarsana Suri's commentary Srutaprakasika on the Sribhasya of Sri Ramanuja, during the sack of Srirangam.

About the Author:

Dr. M. Narasimhachary (b. 1939), writer of the present monograph, is an erudite scholar of Vedanta with specialization in Visistadvaita. Fonder Professor of the Deptt. of Vaishnavism, University of Madras, he took his Ph.D. on his thesis "Contribution of Sri Yamunacarya to Visistadvaita". He taught Sanskrit and Indian Philosophy at Kuala Lumpur (1982-84). Visiting Professor in USA and Visiting Academic at the Oxford University, UK, Dr. Chary has authored about 80 research articles and 30 books. Recipient of titles such as Asukavisekhara, Sastrakavirat, Srivaisnava Ratna and Desika Bhavajna, he translated into English several works of Vedanta Desika. Currently he is the Editor-in-Chief of the English religious monthly, Nrisimhapriya, Published by Sri Ahobila Matha.

This monograph tries to present the multi-faceted achievements of Vedanta Desika in a comprehensive manner.