Arasanipalai Nallur Srinivasa Raghavachariar, popularly known as “Seva Swamy”to the devotees, recipient of Rashtrapathi Award for sanskrit literature, who passed away on May 1, 2001,true to his name had lived and breathed the quintessence of Srivaishnavism in letter and in spirit by his service to the cause of Desika Sampradaya for over five decades.
Hailing from the lineage of Appullar, the maternal uncle of Vedanta Desika, he studied the scriptures under renowned scholars of his times after receiving formal education in Sri Venkateswara College, Tirupati.
Sri N. Srinivasa Raghavachariar affectionately called as “Seva Swamy” is a person personified on a simple Srivaishnavite living style. In and out of his breath, his only thought (smaranam) was always about Sri Vedanta Desika. He had attained a level in which his disciples and followers feel that he himself is an incarnation of Sri Vedanta Desika (Apara Desika).
Sri Seva Swamy was born in a hamlet called Nallur about 15 kilometres from a Vandavasi Taluk in Tiruvannamalai Dist. (erstwhile N.A. Dist) in 1923. He was the eldest son of his parents Sri Srinivasachariar and Smt. Ranganayaki. After doing his schooling, his parents to encourage their son’s growing intellect placed him in Sri Venkateswara College, Tirupati. To educate the children the parents shifted from the village to Tirumala/Tirupati. His father was a Vedadyayi of distinct quality was leading a simple life.
Sri Seva Seva Swamy come from an undisturbed generation of the great saint Sri Appullar (Sri Vedanta Desika’s maternal uncle). the earlier generation in his family tree has produced great scholars. Sri Srinivasadhwari a legend in his lifetime established an Agraharam in a village “Arasanipalai” and had conducted yagnas uniteruptedly. By virtue of his yagnas, the descedents of the family prefix “Asthogadhwari” – means those who perform yagnas. Next in the established family tree was “Sri Venkatadhwari” a great composer and scholar in his days. He composed the great epic “Sri Lakshmi Sahasram”. He toured the northern parts of India and his works find traslated into Hindu by scholars in those regions. One of his works was unique in nature that one can read the slokas in both ways (normal and reverse) and can find the same meaning.
Sri Srinivasa Raghavachariar had his college studies under the great scholars Sri Uttamur Veeraraghavachariar and Sri D.T. Thathachariar in Sri Venkateswara College. Even during his college days he found interest in composing slokas and he translated “Tiruppavai” of Andal into sanskrit slokas.
Having established as a good student and securing good marks, he shifted to Kanchipuram to do the traditional study (kalakshepam) on Rahastraya Saram and SriBashyam under the lotus feet of Sri U.Ve. Navalpakkam Narasimha Thathayarya Mahadesikan.
During the course of his studies, he got married in the year 1943 to kanakavalli. After his traditional studies in 1946 he joined as a teacher (for sanskrit) in the newly established “Sri Shudathwaitha Vaishnav School” founded by Brithanlalji Maharaj of Surat. Though he was in service he began to think of working for the preaching of Sri Vedanta Desika Sampradaya. His thoughts however, could not be immediately put to practice as he was not having enough infrasturcture to implement his ideas. The encouragement given by a great scholar at Chengalpattu led to the launching of “Vadihamsambuda Maha desika Sabha” in 1946. He started gradually making an impact on the spiritual field and in 1948 he launched a monthly “Sri Desika Seva”. this phrase remain as his breath even today. Though the magazine saw ups and downs over the years, his single devotion to Desika Seva remain unparalleled.
