Vaduvur Govindan Veda Ganapadigal

Sticking to his ancestral roots

His amma directed him to take to Vedic Education in 1976 and close to five decades later, he counts being initiated into the Vedas by Vaduvur Srinivasa Desikachariar and being under his tutelage as the greatest blessing of his life
50 of Govindan’s Vedic students are now performing service in temples across the world

The 1970s had been a terrible time for those associated with temple and associated service. It was the phase when traditionalists began to move away from their ancestral locations into cities looking for corporate opportunities(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/10/therazhundur-divya-desam.html). Mannargudi and Vaduvur had been abound with Prabhandham and Vedic scholars and there was a certain positive vibrancy inside the temple during the festive days of the year. But when financial challenges began to mount, the traditionalists foresaw a life for the next gen away from temple service. When Upanayanam took place in Thiruvallikeni for this young boy at a time when his parents had already moved to Madras, it was time for a call to be made about his future. His amma stood firm in wanting him to go the traditional way while everyone else in the family opposed her suggestion to him taking to Vedic studies. Amma won over the rest of the family and he went on to spend a glorious four decades under the guidance of the revered Vaduvur Srinivasa Desikacharya. Here’s the story.

Take Vedas into the Next Gen, says Amma

In 1976, 10 year old Govindan was in a dilemma. His appa had moved away from the Mannargudi region to Madras in pursuit of a job. When his thread ceremony was held in Thiruvallikeni, his amma expressed the view that the young Govindan should shoulder the family responsibility of taking forward the Vedic teachings into the next gen (her appa Raghava Vadhyar and her elder brother Pichai Vathyar were vedic scholars in Mannargudi). The family was already financially challenged and they lived a hand to mouth existence. Her view was not well received by the family members and everyone without exception opposed the move to him quitting academics and taking to Vedic studies. 

It was then that she made a bold statement to her other two sons. Sitting on the Thinnai of his Acharya Veeravalli Salakshana Ganapadi Srinivasa Desikacharyar’s home in Vaduvur, 57 year old Govindan told this writer on Monday as how that moment transformed his life “If Govindan failed in his traditional way of life, the two of you should take care of him”, my amma told my brothers and they were left with no answer and just nodded.

His appa, ST Narayanan, immediately sent a postal letter to Periyava seeking his guidance and blessings.

       Parents and Uncle Pichai

"Soon a person from Kanchi Mutt reached our home and picked me up. Periyava directed me to join the Patshala founded by Anna Swamy Iyengar in Mannargudi. He had great regard for both Srinivasa Iyengar (founder's son) and Desikacharya and he believed that I would be taken care of well by both of them."

Moves to Anna Swamy Patshala- His Greatest Experience

In 1976, Govindan quit academics and on November 1 that year joined the patshala. He looks back at the decade that he says provided him with the greatest experience in life. “Srinivasa Iyengar who ran the Patshala gave us all the facilities. He was a great disciplinarian and inculcated 'values' that have stood with me all through my life. The Vedic initiation under the tutelage of Desikacharya, I consider, as my life's greatest blessing “My acharya’s love for me was unbelievable. He poured everything he had into his teachings and wanted me to be better than him. He always said that he wanted to see me atop the Raja Gopuram while he watched from below. That was how he motivated me through that decade. He taught me every aspect of life including contentment.”

Govindan completed Yajur Veda course in 1985 and then went on to learn Krishna Yajur Veda. He took the tough exams at all the leading centers including the Mannargudi Patshala, Sankara Mutt, TTD and Melkote.

Refuses Lucrative offers

Govindan's family was financially challenged through the 1970s and 80s and him getting into larger cities after the completion of his Vedic Education would have served them them well financially for they were even struggling for food but Govindan withstood the temptation for financial glory instead choosing to be with his Guru till Desikachariar's death a decade ago. Even as the years went by, over the last three decades or so, there have been repeated calls for him to head to Madras and to other larger cities to take up lucrative opportunities but he has remained committed to Vaduvur where he has been since the late1980s.

Veda Parayanam  at three Consecrations at Vaduvur

His Acharya initiated him into Thiru Aradhanam service at the Hayagriva Desikar Sannidhi at the Kothandarama temple in Vaduvur. When the consecration took place at the temple in 1996, after 25years, Desikachariar presented him with an opportunity to be an integral part of that sacred event. He has since anchored the Veda Parayanam at the 2007 and 2020 consecrations as well.

Not Monetised the Vedic Knowledge

Govindan has spent almost five decades in Mannargudi and Vaduvur when most of his contemporaries have gone away seeking greener pastures. He often hears comments from them that ‘he has missed the bus’ referring to him not monetizing his Vedic Knowledge in the way he could have. But he is nonplussed. He has heard it so often but right from the beginning he was clear about his way of life. 

“My Acharya wanted me to lead a simple dharmic life and help others in every way possible. It was his inspiration that helped keep me away from the lures of a city life and gave me clarity about not chasing money. You cannot see Vedas as a mere financial instrument that helps you earn a lot of money. The fact that I am known as Desikachariar’s student is the greatest blessing I have in this life.”

At the turn of the century, he began initiating the Vedas to the next generation of students. Around 50 of them have graduated from the Andavan Ashramam Patshala in Vaduvur. He is keen for the next gen of vedic students to go deep into the subject. While the number of Vedic students is on the rise, he is saddened that many of them go very soon into monetizing their learnings. The current gen is seeing this as a 'professional' activity "Veda Adyayanam should be seen as a penance and they should be ready to face all the hurdles and overcome through Veda Parayanam".

Wants his sishyas to be in temple service

He is keen for his sishyas to be into temple service. One of his students, the 31 year old Yathulan, makes him feel proud. Just like his Guru, Yathulan too received lucrative offers from temples and mutts in larger cities and overseas but he resisted the temptation and placed importance on staying close to his ancestral home. As directed by his acharya Govindan, Yethulan has been performing archaka service at the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Rayanallur (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/03/rayanallur-varadaraja-perumal-yathulan.html). He is an integral part of the Veda Parayanam at the big utsavams both in Mannargudi and Vaduvur. 

Govindan is also delighted that all his students have agreed to pool in the Sambhavanai received during Veda Parayanam at the Ramar temple to the development of the Desikar Sannidhi. ‘Not a single sishya takes a rupee from the Veda Parayanam and we have been using that money to present abaranam and kavacham to Hayagrivar and Desikar.”

He feels blessed to have been by the side of Desikarachariar for almost four decades. He says he acted as per the directions of his Guru. At 57, Govindan has found great peace of mind in the life at Vaduvur (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/05/vaduvur-rama-navami-utsavam.html) keeping the tradition of Veda Parayanam going in Vaduvur. In addition, he is also  keen to continue the developmental works in this temple town in the areas of temple development, health and education through the Chakravathi Thirumagan Dharma Paripalana Trust. 

If the vedic recital is still heard in Vaduvur, its thanks to that decision of Govindan to stay back at his ancestral location when most other traditionlists turned towards more lucrative options. He is hoping that, sometime into  the future,  his two sons too would get into this traditional way of life by taking that bold call in the same way he did way back in 1976.