Today is a blessed day. On the eve of his 73rd birthday, His Holiness our Azhgiya Singar blessed us with his anugraha BhAshaNam. My personal thanks to the committee of Ahobila Mutt North America for making it possible to hear our AchaaryA's mangalA dhvani beaming across thousands of miles to the far corners of the North American continent.

I thought the members, who could not participate in this wonderful experience would like to know about the highlights of H.H.the Jeyar's address to the Sri VaishNavAs via the telephone bridge.Here is a memory jog.

Starting with Ghanam and Saanthi paatam, the ebullient voice of our revered seer with the BhAgyam of nithyAradhanam to MalOlan reached us and inquired about our KshEmam and summarized for us like the nellikkani on one's palm (HasthAmalakam =ULLankai Nellik Kani ) the enduring values related to Tattva, Hitha, PurushArtham and the irreplacable mode of approaching the Lord thru proper AchArya Sambhandham.

The important messages that ring in my mind are :

1.TakkavarhaLiDam irunthu kEtkavENum (One should gain the ancient treasures of our sampradhAyam from the qualified AchAryAs).

2.An AchArya should give first brief instructions (upadEsam ), grow the ardour of the SishyA and then let that grow further into a broader upadEsam through kalakshEpams at the AchAryA's sacred feet.

3. The AthmA and its protection should be presented to the rightful owner ( Urimai udayavanitam Samarpi ). The illustration of this percept with NammAzhwAr's Paasurams and Swami Desikan's Sri Sookthi was moving. " Van Pukazh Naathan NaarayaNan ThiruvadigaLilE samarpikka vENum " is the upadesam.

4. In his inimitable way, he reminded us, "solvAr Kuraivu, Purinchuk KoLLa niRaya pEr uLLArkaLL ". Very few are qualified to instruct us the true meanings of the Tatvams, but there are abundant number of people ready to listen and understand the true meanings of Tattva-Hitha -PurushArthams. Other humorous anecdote was about Duty and O.T and the need for understanding as to what comes first and what is an indispensable prerequisite like SandhyaavAndhanam.

5. Sriman NaarayaNan is the Para Devathai and all the others are deriving their powers from Him to perform their assigned duties. There is no One equal to Him or superior to Him (Naanya: kascchith, otthAr mikkar ilan ).He touched briefly on the ANDAL Sri Sookthi passage : NaarayaNanE namakkE paRai tharuvAn " and hence there is no need to approach devathAntharams.

6. He dwelled on the great upakArams that the Lord continues to do for us and illustrated them from Swami Sri Desikan's Upakaara Sangraham.He wove in the important concept of Achaarya KatAksham and AchArya's intervention to attain the anthamil pErinbham. The Lord's position that He will not protect those, who are not recommended by the AchAryAs in a direct manner was illustrated with pramANams. AchAryAs corrects us ( thiruthtuhirArkaL) through their caring and dedicated efforts and prepares us for our wedding with SarvEsvaran. Our Lord accepts only those with such AchArya sambhandham.Sri RaamAnujA does not accept those, who are not accepted by Swami Sri Desikan and the Lord does not accept those, who are not accepted by AchArya RaamAnujA. H.H described our sampradhAyam as MadaipaLLI vantha maNam (Kidampi AcchAn, Vaathihamsa AtrEya RaamAnujar and Swami Sri Desikan ).

7. He referred to the exalted status of Swami Sri Desikan in our sampradhAyam and illustrated that apachAram to Swami Desikan by Sri BharadvAja SrinivAsaachAr, who redeeemed himself later in his life and made up for his earlier thoughtless behavior.He also referred to PrathivAdhi Bhayakaram Annan's stress on the importance of Bhakthi to Swami Desikan for a clearer understanding of our sampradhAyam.

7. He summed up the difference between the para matham's view on the Jn~Anam of Aathma.He differentiated the approaches of Gauthamam, Adhvaitham et al which conclude that the Jn~Anam of the AathmA is anithyam.He pointed out that our siddhAntham differs from others in that it recognizes that AathmA is not only nithyam, but its Dharma BhUtha Jn~Anam is also a permanent feature and latter comes to full bloom after gaining mOksham through SaraNAgathi (AchArya Nishtai ).

8. H.H the Jeeyar reminisced about the grahaNam of sookshmArthams during the times of his antharanga Kaimkaryam to H.H. the 42nd Jeeyar (InjimEdu Aazhagiya Singar), one of his own AchAryAs.

9. H.H the Jeeyar pointed out that Swami Desikan spread the message of Sri HayagrIva Vaibhavam and Sri Adhi VaNN SatakOpa Jeeyar brought out to the world the greatness of Sri Lakshmi Nrusimhan.In this context, H.H the Jeeyar reminisced about the recent 600th anniversary celebrations of the founding of the Sri matam by the First Jeeyar, who received the Preksha manthram from BhagavAn Nrusimhan Himself at the divya desam of AhObi(a)lam.He dwelled on BhagavAn Narasimhan's sankalpam to save the erring chEthanms in Kali yugam thru the conferral of blessings on Adhi VaNN SatakOpa Jeeyar to undertake that important mission on His behalf. In this context, our Jeeyar jokingly referred to Lord SrinivAsA on Thirumalai and Sri MaalOlan on GarudAthri as mountain mates. The former blesses one with PrEyas and the latter with SrEyas.

10. H.H.the Jeeyar also pointed out that the sanyAsa Paramaparai of Ahobilam and Para Kaala matam are the only ones, who perform AarAdhanam to ArchA mUrthys in the form of sacred Vigrahams received from BhagavAn or His Kimkara like Garudan, where as the rest of them focus on SaaLagrAma aarAdhanam.

11. H.H. the Jeeyar came back to the theme of the MahOpakAram of Sriman NaarANan ( AtthA ! adiyEn aRiyEnE ) and quoted AzhwAr's Sri Sookthis dealing with the inability of one to comprehend fully that mahOpakAram.H.H. mentioned that the goal of a Sri VaishNavA is to have pancha samskAram, Bhara NyAsam and thereby join the BhagavAn's family ( BhagavAnODu Kuditthanam PaNNaNum ).He pointed out that the Sri VaishNava residents of America are excelling in their Kaimkaryams to Sri matam and thanked them ( sinthAmal sitharAmal kaimkaryam that gladdens His heart ).

12. H.H, the Jeeyar blessed the ongoing efforts for building the Temple for Sri RanganathA in Pomona, New York and lauded the untiring efforts of "ParamaikAnthi Saarvabhoumar", Sri VenkatEsh Kanumalla and asked us all to support the Temple construction and conseceration at the earliest possible date.

13. H.H the Jeeyar touched on the importance of BhagavathAs and Bhagavatha kaimkaryam, which is considered by BhagavAn to be greater than sevai to Him.Bhagavatha sEvai kidaitthAl, PerumAL sEvai kooda vENdAm was his sumamry as revealed by our pUrvAchAryAs.

14. After answering some of the questions from the assembled BhakthAs, H.H. the Jeeyar concluded his anugraha BhaashaNam and expressed his willingness to address us in a similar format in the near future. To get the full benefit of such invaluable upadEsams like this one from our revered Jeeyar, we have to avoid side commentaries, while H.H is addressing us.

May I request other particpants in this Tele-Yajnam to correct any errors in thsi summary ?

NamO naarAyaNA,

AzhwAr, AchAryan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan