Vedhandha Deshikar

Desika is a Sanskrit word that signifies "Acharya". In our Sri Vaishnava sampradaya, there are various acharyas beginning from Nammazhvar to show day acharyas, it is only Swami desika is addressed respectfully as “Desika”.

Sri Desika's unique name was Venkata natha. His folks have chosen this name since Desika was conceived on a sravanam day, which is the birth star of Thiruppathi Perumal, Lord Srinivasa.

Sri Desika was conceived in the year 1268 CE(Common Era) around 130 years after Bhagavad Ramanuja accomplished param Padam. His guardians were Sri Ananthasuri and Smt Thothaaramba. He was conceived in a place called Thoopul close to Kanchi puram. Swami desika's folks were childless for a long time and one day Lord Srinivasa of Seven Hills, Thiruppathi has requested them to go for a pilgrimage to Thiruppathi.

Those days there were no transports or prepares to movement so Sri Anatasuri and his better half strolled from Kanchipuram to Thiruppathi and climbed the Hills and had the darshan of the Perumal. That night they were resting in a Mandapam close sanctuary. The Lord Srinivasa showed up in their dream as a little Vaishnava kid and gave smt Thothaaramba a golden bell and she swallowed the bell in the dream. The following day the archakas did not find the bell in the Perumal sannidhi and they were worried and started searching for it. Perumal told in a glorious voice that the bell has been given to Smt Thothaaramba and she will deliver a son who will be a great scholar like Bhagavad Ramanuja, who will solidly re set up the supremacy of our Sri Vaishnava sampradayas. To remind us of this episode, even today there is no bellin the Perumal sannidhi. Only the colossal ringer suspended in the front lobby is utilized while doing thiruvaradanam.

Birth and Younger days:

After some time Sri Desika was conceived. He was named Venkatanatha by his maternal uncle Sri Appullar. Sri Appullar is his acharya as well. At the point when Sri Desika was a little kid of five years of age, he was taken to Kanchi Varadarajar Temple where one acharya was given address on Ramanuja's Sri Bhashyam. Sri Appullar and the young man desire went and prostrated to this researcher and he has stopped the lecture and blessed them. Sri Appullar and desika were going to leave and the acharya needed to continue his lecture but he forgot where he has stopped. In spite of the fact that desika was minor a kid of 5 years, he reminded Sri Nadadhur Ammal the Vaishnava researcher who was given the address, and each one amassed there was flabbergasted at the brightness of Desika at this tender age. He likewise taught Sri Appullar to educate desika all Vedas, Divya prabandham, and different sastras. Indeed, even today we can see a work of art in the Varadarajan sanctuary reminding us of this episode.

At 7 years old, after upanayanam Sri Appullar began educating the Vedas, Sastras, Sri bhashya, and Divya prabandham. He was amazed at the splendor of swami desika as he has gotten a handle on quickly what at any point instructed to him. The older folks were pondering whether Sri Desika is the joined reincarnation of before acharyas like Ramanuja, Natha muni, and Alavandar. At 20 years old, Sri Desika has aced all the sastras and turned into a researcher.

At 21 years old, Sri Desika was married to a lovely young lady called Thirumangai or Kanaka Valli. Sri Appullar showed Desika the sacred Garuda mantra. Sri Desika has begun his family life as requested in the Sastras. He was entirely playing out every one of the obligations required by a Srivaishnava and living on uncha vritti their day-by-day supply of rice and vegetables will be given by his disciples. A brahmana should do Veda adhyayanam and instruct each one in the village. They won't go to fill in as we do these days. Their needs will be taken care of by his students who gain from him. This is the framework that was set up 500 years back in India.