Sri Vedantha Desika, one of the premier Acharyas of our Sampradhaya, was born in the year 1268 A.D. at Thooppul, a part of Kancheepuram (about 75 kms from Chennai, India). He is considered as an incarnation of the Divine Bell (of the Lord of Thirumala), a fact well corroborated by his extra-ordinary, multi-faceted genius which manifested in the form of an astounding array of literary treasure. Even scholars aver that it is impossible not to get awe-struck by the remarkable appeal his works make for, his mastery over the nuances of the language (whether Sanskrit or Tamil) and the sheer volume and range of his works.

Swami Desika is a veritable lion amongst poets and logicians (KaviTharkika Simham), a colossus in philosophy of Sri Vaishnavism and a prolific author. He has composed sthothras, philosophical play, morals, rahasya granthas, epics, astronomical treatise, etc., numbering over 120. His sthothras are unique in form and substance. They are the outpourings of a pious and devoted heart in all its earnestness. Devotion is the nucleus of these works and humility, the hallmark. His commitment to the philosophy born out of an unassailable conviction is written all over them. We should consider it as a matter of great privilege that we live in an era in which we have ample opportunity to familiarise, learn and study the master’s great works.