Swaminatha Desikar "Susai" (

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

: ) (born 11 November 1860 ) born Swaminatha Desikar, was a spiritual writer. He was born from a Tamil-speaking Desikar family in

Valavanur Valavanur is a panchayat town in Viluppuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is situated near to the Tamil Nadu– Puducherry border on NH 45A. Geography Valavanur is located at . It has an average elevation of (249 feet) ...

, Tamil Nadu. He compiled three books in Tamil.

Biography

Family background

Swaminatha Desikar was born in a village called

near by Mailam in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...

into an orthodox

Saiva ''Saiva'' is a genus of Asian planthoppers, family Fulgoridae. They are colourful insects, marked boldly in red, blue, white and black, with a prominent slender stalk like structure arising on the head that points upwards or forward. The known ...

Tamil (

Desikar Desikar, Desigar or Pandaram is a Tamil-speaking pandaram community from the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They are particularly priests and land owners. Origin of Desikar The Desikar community is a very ancient one which promo ...

) family around the middle of the 19th century. Swaminatha Desikar's father was a respected

spiritual leader Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

. His father

Sundaresanar Sundaresa Desikar is a spiritual writer. He was born to a Tamil-speaking Desikar family from Mailam and settled down at Valavanur, Tamil Nadu. Family background Sundaresa Desikar was born to Velaiyar and Meenatchi Ammal in a village called M ...

Desikar was a philosopher and Sthapathi. The great Tamil poet Velaiyar is the grand father of Swaminatha Desikar and Siva Prakasar and

Karunai prakasar Karunai Prakasar (Tamil: கருணை பிரகாசர் ) was a seventeenth century Saiva spiritual writer. He was born to a Tamil-speaking Desikar family in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. He was a spiritual writer who wrote more than five ...

are sundaresanar's uncles. Gnambikai Ammal wife of Santhalinga Swamigal is Sundaresanar's aunt.

Siva prakasar Siva Prakasar (also Ṣiva Prakāṣa or sometimes Ṣiva-prakāṣa Dēṣikar), was a Tamil people, Tamil ( துறைமங்கலம் சிவப்பிரகாசர், கற்பனைக்களஞ்சியம் ) poet ...

was blessed as ‘Siva Anuputhichelvar’ by Sri Sivagnana Balaya swamigal from

Mailam Mayilam or Mailam is a village near Tindivanam and it is famous for the Mayilam Murugan Temple. Mayilam is located fifteen kilometres from Tindivanam and thirty from Pondicherry. The temple, situated on a small hill, is connected with a villa ...

Pommapura Aathenam mutt. He is also acclaimed as ‘Karpanai Kalangiyam’ by Tamil scholars. He compiled " Neerotta Amaha Anthathi " to defeat an arrogant poet. Those thirty venpa verses will not make both lips touch. And also written ' Nanneri,

Yesu Matha Niragaranam The ''Yesu Matha Niragaranam'' (யேசு மத நிராகரணம், ''The Refuting the Religion of Jesus)'' is a Tamil tract against Christianity, written by Siva Prakasar. The book includes brief examples and analogies. It is a class ...

(The Refuting the Religion of Jesus). He attain mukthi motcha at 32 in

Nallathur Nallathur is a village in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu, one of 28 states of India. Nallathur's postal code is 605 106. Demographics According to the 2011 Indian census, the population of Nallathur was 4,456, of which 2,238 were male ( ...

near pondy. Siva prakasar's sister Gnambikai married

Perur Santhalinga Swamigal Santhalinga Swamigal (Santhalingam) was a Saiva spiritual writer in Perur, known as West-Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu. Santhalinga swamigal was born to a Tamil-speaking family. That village is called Perur in Tamil Nadu, South India into an orthodox S ...

got married. And he wrote more than five books in Tamil. Seegalathi sarukkam, Ishtalinga Agaval. He demised at Thiruvengai. Swaminatha Desikar's grandfather

Velaiyar Velaiya Swamigal, also called Velaiyar, born during the seventeenth century, was a Saivaite spiritual writer. He was born to a Tamil-speaking Desikar family in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. He compiled more than seven books. Family Background Velaiy ...

married Meenatchi Ammal. He had a son named Sundaresanar. Velaiyar wrote more than seven books. Mayilathula, Nallur puranam, Mayilai thirattai mani maalai, Ishta linga kaithala maalai, Kumbakona Sarangathevar history as Veera singhathana puranam, Gugai Namachivaya Desikar history as Namchivaya leelai and Krisnanan history as Paarijatha leelai and attained mukthi motcha at Perumathur at the age of seventy two.

married Karpagammal. He settled down his family in Valavanur. Swaminatha Desikar converted himself to Christianity, changed his name as Susai alias Swaminatha desikar and married Gnasounthari. He had two sons and one daughter named as Savarimuthu, Gnamuthu and Rakkini. Savarimuthu married Mary from

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

and got two sons named as S.V.S.Rathinam and Ponnuthambi.

Early life

Swaminatha Desikar learnt all sort of arts. He became a philosopher as well as a sculptor. As he belongs to a Saivai orthodox family, he use to do Katha Kalatchepam in temples. He always preferred to play the

themes in his Katha Kaltchepam (Divine story telling programme). But his mind changed and converted himself to Christianity.

Final years

He died near Thirukovilur at the age of 78.

Writings

He wrote more than three books and few folk dramas (Koothu).

Books

*''Gnasounthari Koothu Kaviyam'' *''Yesuvin Uyirpu'' *''Naan En Kiristhuan Aanen''

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swaminatha Desikar 1860 births 1939 deaths Indian Shaivite religious leaders Converts to Christianity from Hinduism Spiritual teachers Tamil writers Tamil-language writers People from Viluppuram district Indian Christians 19th-century Hindu religious leaders 20th-century Hindu religious leaders