Sri M. A. Venkatakrishnan

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Dr. M.A. Venkatakrishnan Swami ("Dr. MAV") was born on Purattasi Visakam in the year 1954, to Sri M.A. Krishnaswamy and Smt. Rukmini. He was born into the Mandayam Ananthanpillai family, and is a descendant of Anandalwan, who was a disciple of Sri Ramanuja. Dr. MAV was brought up by his maiden aunt Smt. M.A. Krishnammal, an advocate.

Dr. MAV attended the Hindu High School in Triplicane, Chennai and then pursued his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Sanskrit at Vivekananda College, Mylapore, Chennai. He joined the college's staff as Asst. Prof. of Sanskrit upon receiving his M.A. in 1977, and worked there until 1986. He was awarded his M.Phil degree for his dissertation on Tattvasara of Vatsya Varadacharya and his Ph.D for his thesis on Sribhashya of Sri Ramanuja. The University of Madras invited him to join the Department of Vaishnavism in its first year, 1986; where he is currently a full Professor.

Dr. MAV learnt Nalayira Divya Prabandam under the feet of the 29^th Pontiff of Sri Vanamamalai Jeeyar Swami in his Poorvasrama. He had his Pancha Samskara and Granthanvaya also under him. As his foster mother, Smt. Krishnammal, was an ardent devotee of Sr. U.Ve. Prativadi Bhayankaram Annangaracharya Swami, attending Sri. P. B. Annangaracharya Swami's upanyasams formed an integral part of his growing years. Thus Dr. MAV received the grace of Sri. P. B. Annangaracharya Swami, who taught him the important messages of Srivaishnava Sampradaya. Sri. P. B. Annangaracharya Swami was so impressed with his disciple that he entrusted him with the responsibility of many of his publications when Dr. MAV was barely 20 years old. The most important of these publications was "Bhagavad Vishayam" - Thiruvaimozhi with the commentaries of Acharyas like Nanjiyar, Nampillai, and Periyavachan Pillai. Sri. P. B. Annangaracharya Swami also trained him on the art of delivering discourses and conferred the title "Medhaavi Mani" on him.

In addition to Sri. P. B. Annangaracharya Swami, 2 noted scholars taught and influenced Dr. MAV. He studied SriVaishnava texts under Sri. U.Ve. Velukkudi Varadacharya Swami for about 20 years. He also hosted Sri. U.Ve. T.A. Sathabhishekam Govinda Narasimhacharya Swami in his residence for about 3 years, and learnt the Bhagavad Vishayam (Thiruvaimozhi Eedu commentary), and all the vyakyanams of Nalayira Divya Prabandam and Rahasya Granthas, day and night. Furthermore, Dr. MAV studied Sribhashya under Sri. U.Ve. T.A. Krishnamacharya Swami of Tirupathi.

Following in the footsteps of Sri P. B. Annangaracharya Swami, Dr. MAV is regularly performing several kainkaryams in temples. He participates in all the Divyaprabandam Goshtis held at Sri Parthasarathy Swami Temple, in Triplicane, Chennai, where he holds the titles of Senior Adhyapaka and Secretary of Veda Adhyapaka Goshti. He has earned the appreciation of all the devotees for his delightful performance of the Kattiyam Kainkaryam at this temple. In addition to the daily rendition of Suprabhatam, Dr. MAV is reading Kaisika Puranam every year at the temple. On special occasions, Dr. MAV also participates in the Goshtis at a Divyadesam that was close to the heart of Sri P. B. Annangaracharya Swami - Sri. Varadaraja Swamy Temple, in Kancheepuram.

Dr. MAV has been delivering discourses on various topics of SriVaishnava philosophy throughout India for the past 2 decades, in the same special style of his mentor, Sri. P. B. Annangaracharya Swami. His discourses on Thiruppavai and Sri Ramayanam are very popular among devotees, and have been featured several times over the Radio and the Television in India. His audiotapes on Gadyatrayam, Vishnu Sahasranamam, Stotra Ratnam, Kaisika Puranam and Nalayira Divya Prabandam, beautifully rendered with his golden voice, are well known to SriVaishnavas around the world.

In the year 1978, at the age of 24, Dr. MAV started a SriVaishnava monthly journal called Geethacharyan. Dr. MAV writes all the articles and continues to publish this journal monthly. He has several other publications to his credit. Notable among them are (in English) "Jijnasadhikarana of Sri Bhashya - A Study" and "Tattvasara with Translation and Notes"; and (in Tamil) "Vennaikkadum Pillai" and "Thiruppallandu Vyakyanam." He is very much interested in finding and publishing heretofore unpublished palm-leaf manuscripts, hiding in various libraries around the country. He has begun publishing a hitherto unpublished commentary on Mudal Thiruvandadi, ascribed to Nampillai. He has also discovered a Sanskrit work called "Tattva Viveka," attributed to Pillai Lokacharya. He has collaborated with Mr. Gunthard Muller of Germany, in digitizing and recording into a CD the palm-leaf manuscript of this work. He is also currently writing a book on "Aithihyas and Nirvahas" found in the commentaries on Divyaprabandam.

Dr. MAV married Sow. Bhooma in 1982. An avid companion of her husband in all his religious pursuits, Dr. Bhooma has B.Ed ('83), M.A. (Vaishnavism, '87) and PhD ('95) degrees to her credit. Her PhD thesis was on the topic "The Contribution of Nanjiyar." In addition to working as a Part-Time Lecturer in the Department of Vaishnavism, University of Madras, Dr. Bhooma also lectures on Sri Vaishnavism at various locations. Dr. MAV and Dr. Bhooma have one son, Chi. Madhusudhanan, who is a student of BCA at Vaishnav College, Chennai. Following in the footsteps of his illustrious parents, Chi. Madhusudhanan has learnt all the 4000 verses of Prabandam and regularly participates in all the Goshtis at Sri Parthasarathy Temple.

It is Sri.MAV's sincere opinion that SriVaishnavism is the simplest philosophy that can be followed by everybody with no discrimination as to caste, race, nationality etc. He has taken it as a mission upon himself to spread SriVaishnavism as far and as wide as possible.