Sri Parakala Matham

The Acharya Parampara of Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakala Matham starts with none other than Swamy Vedanta Desikan, as He is our founder Acharya of the Matham. Towards the later part of His life here on Earth, Swamy Desikan realized that unless a new order of Acharya Paramapara was not established, the world would have no way of emerging from the darkness that is caused due to the outside influences and internal struggles. Enabled with His Divine Foresight, Swamy Desikan caused his dearest disciple to take to asceticism, and established him as the first of a new series of Acharyas. He then named Him as Brahma Tantra Swatantra Jeeyar. This happenned in the year 1338 (bahudhaanya naama samvatsaram). Swamy Desika Himself continued to give directions till 1370 ACE, when Swamy Desika attained the Holy Feet of the Lord.

There is a very beautiful and very old painting in Sri Matham at Mysore that depicts the Acharya Paramapara of Sri Parakala Matham. This painting shows the origins of Sri Matham Acharya Parampara. At the very top of the painting, one can have the darshanam of Lord Laxmi Hayagriva. Immediately below, Bhagavan Ramanuja, Sri Ranganaatha Muni and Sri Yamunamuni are present. Below them are the paintings of Swamy Sri Vedanta Desikan flanked by Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Jeer and Sri Kumara Varadacharya on His sides. At the bottom of the painting is the swaroopam of Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Periya Parakala Yateendra Maha Desikan, the 21st Jeer of the Matham. Thus was started what is now known as Brahma Tantra Swatantra Parakala Matham, and 36 eminent scholars and sages have adorned its Holy Seat, the present Pontiff Sri Sri Srimad Abhinava Vageesha Brahma Tantra Swatantra Parakala Maha Desikan Swamy being the 36th, who was coronated in 1992.

Swamy Vedanta Desikan, (also referred to as venkaTanaathan), the very incarnation of Sri Thiruvenkatamudaiyaan, is celebrated as the third kootasthar of parama vaidika SriVaishnavaSri sampradaayam and is also regarded as the greatest acharya of Bhagavan Ramanuja Sampradaayam. Born in Thuppul in the year 1268 on the sacred day of Purattasi SravaNam, the ThiruNakshatram of Sri Venkateshwara, venkaTanaathan studied Vedanta and all shastras at the feet of his maternal uncle, Sri Atreya Ramanuja. He was a remarkable genius matched by rare humility. Swamy Deshikan was a ubhaya simhasanadhipati and a great devotee of Sri Lakshmi Hayagrivar, authored over 130 works which include Stotrams, Kavyams, Natakams, Philosophical treatises, Rahasya granthams, Commentaries and other miscellaneous works. Known for his Jnana, Vairagya and Anushtanam, he lived his life on uncha vrutti or begging for alms. He preserved "Shrutaprakashika", the great work of Sri Sudarshana Bhattar, which is the most authentic sub commentary on the Sri Bhashya of Bhagavan Ramanuja. Swamy Deshikan composed his magnum opus "Srimad Rahasyatrayasaram", which stands as an evidence to his ripe knowledge. He earned many titles like "Sarvatantra Swatantra", "Kavitarkika Simha", "Vedantacharya" and "Bhagavad Ramanuja Siddhanta Nirdharana Sarvabhouma". He had a distinguished son and pupil by name Sri Kumara Varadanatha Nayanacharya and a great pupil by name Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra whom he fondly called "Jiya". Swamy Deshikan is regarded as a divinely commissioned personality not only by his senior and junior contemporaries, but also by all the successive generations belonging to SriVaishnavaSri sampradaayam till today. With his vast scholarship and extraordinary intellect he has contributed a great deal for the promotion and propagation of Bhagavan Ramanuja siddhantam. He was a great poet and philosopher and became a great institution in his lifetime and also founded a religious institution in 1360 ACE with its headquarters at Kanchipuram and Sri Brahmatantra Swatantrar, his foremost disciple as its head and as a yatishvarar of this Matham. This is the origin of Sri Brahmatantra Swatantra Parakala Matham. Swamy Deshikan attained his acharya thiruvadi in the year 1369 at the age of 100. Innumerable number of stotrams has been composed on Swamy Deshikan and his glories. His taniyan was composed by his illustrious son Kumara Varadacharya, which is as follows:

"sriimaan venkaTa naathaarya: kavitaarkika kesarii |
vedaantaachaarya varyome, sanniddhattaam sada hridi ||