M. V. Ramanujacharya completed a great literary undertaking after strenuous endeavours, extending over a quarter of a century. This was a significant contribution to society that helped thousands of Tamilians to read, understand and appreciate the beautiful insights of the timeless Indian epic, Mahabharatha, that encompasses the essence of the four Vedas. The Pandit was blessed to be happily alive and receive the recognition for his hard work by the then, British Government.
Sanskrit Academy of Madras honoured him by presenting a congratulatory address to the Pandit and conferring on him the title of Bhasha Bharatha Dhurandhara, in recognition of his valuable contribution to the Tamil public and for his proficiency in many languages.
Although he was awarded with several accolades, it is easy to overlook the difficulties that the Pandit had to overcome. For if it were the times of Mahendravarman, the Pallava or of Raja Raja Chola, where literary figures could rest in affluence after the labours of literary contributions, the work that Ma Vee Ra embarked on would have been much easier. However, even without the financial aid from the cultured aristocracy of South India, Mr. Ramanujacharya successfully accomplished his work with great perseverance and hard work.
Young Ramanuja had a deep inclination towards learning right from his early days. After completing his primary education in Manalur, he moved to Kumbakonam to complete his matriculation. His father passed away when he was just 11 years old. He also learnt Sanskrit under his maternal uncle, Sri Veeraraghava Iyengar Swami, who had done research in Vyakarana Sutras.
After feeling that his stay in the village was limiting his potential in education, Ramanujachariar left his house at the age of 18 without informing his near and dear, and with the little money he had with him, with no idea where to go. Back then, there were no long-distance trains. So, he travelled from junction to junction, and reached Bombay. From there, he wrote a letter to the Principal of the Queen's College, Banaras (now called Government Queens Inter College, Varanasi), requesting for admission, to learn Sanskrit as a free scholar.
Ramanujachariar moved to Banaras to seek more knowledge and there, he stayed at Kumaraswami Mutt, attached to the Tirpanandal Adheenam. The manager of the Mutt came to know that Ramanujachariar was the son of Veeraswami Iyengar, who had played host to him on many occasions during his tenure at Kumbakonam Taluk and was immensely pleased. Ramanujachariar was taken in as a free boarder and asked to study under Sri Narayana Sastri. Following up on his request to study at Queen’s college, he met the Principal Thibault who had translated Sri Ramanuja’s, “Sri Bashyam” in English. So impressed by his letter, the Principal referred to him as a Pandit, way before his literary contributions had even begun. Meanwhile, his mother came to know his whereabouts and could not bear to be separated from him. She sent a letter asking him to return immediately and so, he did after his 6 months at Banaras.
With a recommendation letter from the manager of Kumaraswami Mutt at Banaras, he was received kindly and was allowed to stay at Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam Mutt to continue his studies. Ramanujachariar studied under the head of the Mutt, Sri. Subramania Desikar. Mahamahopadhyaya U. V. Swaminatha Aiyar, who was then a Tamil Pandit at the Government College, Kumbakonam, used to visit the Adheenam often and along with the Head of the Mutt, Ramanujachariar would spend the time usefully in their company. Ramanujachariar's acquaintance with the great scholar began at that time.
Ramanujachariar joined as a Tamil Pandit in the Native High School in Kumbakonam in 1893, recommended by U.Ve.Swaminatha Aiyar so that he could be close to him. During this time, he spent most of time with U.Ve.Swaminatha Iyer to acquire more knowledge from him. Ramanujachariar also helped him in his research-oriented work in Tamil Literature and culture. His assistance was acknowledged by U.Ve. Swaminatha Iyer in his autobiography, “En Saridham”. It was here, that his desire to translate the epic poem ‘Mahabharatha’ for the welfare of the Tamil public, scholars and laymen alike took shape. In 1910, Ramanujachariar served as a Tamil Pandit in Govt. College Kumbakonam.
As the entire epic was about 1,24,000 slokas in Sanskrit, accurate translation of every sentence was a huge task. Ramanujachariar delegated the translation work to his team of Pandits who were proficient in both Tamil and Sanskrit. He had a meticulous vetting process, where he would spend hours to analyse each translation done by the Pandits, seek approval from the renowned scholars of the time, and took in the feedback to make improvements along with his Pandits to draw out the final version of the translation. With the decision to release the long epic in parts, the first Sanchika was successfully published in August 1908.
The Mahabharata was completed in 45 sanchikas of 200 pages each on February 18, 1932. As the preliminaries must have taken at least one or two years, it took nearly 25 years to finish the work. During this period, he moved his family constantly around Manalur, Kumbakonam and Chennai and frequently visited his patrons in hope of funds for his work. However, his desired hopes remained unfulfilled which was a great disappointment to Ramanujachariar. In addition to these difficulties, the effects of World War 1 were a big financial strain on him as there was huge inflation on the prices of resources for his translation work. On top of the tireless work, Ramanujachariar had to spend about Rs. 1,35,000 for remuneration to Pandits, assistants, establishment, and paper and printing charges. To meet this expense, he had to sell his ancestral property in addition to amounts realized by way of sale of books and donations received from Patrons.
The translation of “Vedavyasa Mahabharatha” from Sanskrit to Tamil by M.V. Ramanujachariar received great appreciation from many luminaries and the learned personalities of the time. The common Tamil public could finally read and enjoy the great epic. Many associations and Sangams passed resolutions expressing their appreciation of the great work. The Government of India conferred on him the title of “Mahamahopadyaya” on June 23, 1936, by Lord Linlithco, the then Governor General and Viceroy of the time. The highly renowned institution, the Sanskrit Academy of Chennai recognised his great work of the translation of Mahabharata and conferred on him the title of “Basha Bharatha Dhurandara” for his high proficiency in many languages.
Ramanujachariar commanded great respect of his students. Till the day previous to his death, he was healthy except for the weakness due to old age. He told his wife that night after food that his end might come the next day. He expired the next morning at 7am. By virtue of both his scholarship and his monumental translation, he deserves to be respected in the great line of Bharatham Padia Perundevanar and Villiputhurar.
Mahamahopadyaya M. V. Ramanujachariar, eminent Tamil Pandit of the Government Arts College, Kumbakonam, is worthy to be classed with Thiagaraja Chettiar, Vidwan Meenakshisundaram Pillai, and Mahamahopadyaya U. V. Swaminatha Aiyar, who were his predecessors in the college. Ramanujachariar's family lived in Manalur village near Kumbakonam district. His ancestors, who belonged to Sriperumbudur, had come to this village four or five generations earlier. They were supported by some well-to-do disciples in Narasingampettai and adjoining villages and hence they settled in Manalur. The family title is 'Veeravalliar". Ramanujachariar was born in April 1866 to Veeraswami Iyengar (who was the village Munsif at Manalur) and Kanakammal as their second son. He was put in a small village school. His father died when the boy was only 11, his elder brother becoming the village munsif.
Young Ramanuja got admitted in a high school in Kumbakonam to learn English, but his family circumstances did not permit him to continue there regularly. However, he reached the Matriculation class in spite of many impediments, but could not continue further. He then started a village school at Manalur. During this period he learnt Sanskrit under his maternal uncle Veeraraghava Iyengar Swami, who had done research in Vyakarana Sutras and whose work has recently been published in two volumes by the Madras Oriental Manuscript Library.
Ramanujachariar felt that his stay in the village was in no way useful to him for acquiring more knowledge, and so when he was 18, he left his house without anybody's knowledge, and with the little money he had with him, with no idea where to proceed. In those days, there were no through long- distance trains. So he travelled from junction to junction, and reached Bombay. From there, he applied to the Principal of the Queen's College, Banaras (now called Government Queens Inter College, Varanasi), stating that he had come down from Thanjavur district and requesting that he might be taken as a pupil in Sanskrit and a free scholar. Dr. Thibaut, who had translated Sri Ramanuja's Sri Bashyam in English, was the Principal. An interview card was sent to Ramanujachariar.
Ramanujachariar went to Banaras, which he reached one midnight. At dawn, with considerable difficulty, he went to Kumaraswami Matt, attached to the Tirpanandal Adheenam. The manager of the Matt came to know that Ramanujachariar was the son of Veeraswami Iyengar of Manalur, who had played host to him on many occasions during his tenure at Kumbakonam Taluk as Revenue Inspector, and he was immensely pleased.
Ramanujachariar was taken in as a free boarder and asked to study under Sri Narayana Sastri, an English-knowing tutor. After a few days, he changed his residency to the Kumaraswamy Matt, where Paramasiva Tambiran, a scholar in Tamil and Sanskrit, was taeaching Tamil to some students in the afternoons. Ramanujachariar used to attend his classes.
His mother could not bear the separation from her son and Ramanujachariar received a letter from his friend Kottur Krishnaswami Aiyar that if he did not return to his village immediately, he would be the cause of his mother's death. So, he had to return to the village after 6 months stay at Banaras.
Paramasiva Thambiran then wrote Head of the Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam, Subramania Desikar, and to Kumaraswami Thambiran, Head of the Tirupanandal Adheenam, to give all help and educate Ramanujachariar. When the young man went to Tiruvavaduthurai to meet Subramania Desikar, he received him kindly, and informed him that he could stay there and prosecute his studies. Ramanujachariar was selected to study with the Junior Thambiran under Subramania Desikar. (The Junior Thambiran became the Head of the Matt after Subramania Desikar and was known as Ambalavana Desikar.) Mahamahopadhyaya U. V. Swaminatha Aiyar, who was then a Pandit at the Government College, Kumbakonam, used to visit the Adheenam often and the Head of the Matt would spend the time usefully in his company. Ramanujachariar's acquaintance with the great scholar began at that time. As desired by Swaminatha Aiyar, he had to accept a Tamil Pandits post at the Srirangam High School, though his studies were not yet over. Since he was eager to learn more, he resigned the job after one year and came back to the Matt. For a short period, he was a clerk in the Railway Audit Office, Tiruchi, which post he had to resign, as he was compelled by his relatives and friends to take up the village munsifs post on his brother's death. He was the village munsif for three years. His desire for further learning was intense, and he sent his resignation to the Tehsildar. This was not accepted by the Tehsildar, considering his good work. Then he had to appeal to the collector to accept his resignation and got relieved.
Ramanujachariar joined as a Tamil Pandit in the Native High School in Kumbakonam in 1893, so that he could be near to Swaminatha Aiyar. He was there for nearly 18 years, till he joined the Government College, Kumbakonam, in December 1910. But for his hours of work in the school, he spent the manjor part of his time with Swaminatha Aiyar, and greatly benefited by this association. When Swaminatha Aiyar was transferred to the Presidency College, Madras, in 1910, he entrusted his house in Kumbakonam to Ramanujachariar, who lived there till 1921 when he retired from the Kumbakonam College.
Mr. J. A. Yates, the Principal, appointed Ramanujachariar as Tamil Pandit in Govt. College, Kumbakonam but his appointment was cancelled by telegram by the Director of Public Instruction, Madras. Principal Yates then wrote a D.O. of about ten pages to the Director on the merits of the new Pandit, Sri M.V Ramanujachariar and on the third day, orders were received confirming the appointment. In 1919, Swaminatha Aiyar retired from Presidency College, and Ramanujachariar who was sounded by the Director, declined to take up the post owing to family reasons. He continued in Kumbakonam College till 1921 when he retired.
Ramanujachariar's greatest service to Tamil was his undertaking to translate and publish the Mahabharata in easy Tamil prose to be helpful to scholars and laymen alike.
He felt he could undertake the stupendous work as it was not included in the field of Dr. Swaminatha Aiyar's activities. Both Swaminatha Aiyar and Prof. K. Sundararama Aiyar, a great scholar and retired History Professor, encouraged and blessed him in this work. Many eminent Sanskrit scholars helped him. The first Sanchika was published in August 1908. He had to spend about Rs. 1,35,000 by way of remuneration to Pandits, assistants, establishment, and paper and printing charges. He had to sell his ancestral property to meet this expense in addition to amounts realized by way of sale of books and donations received from Patrons.
In this undertaking he was to face many trials and difficulties. During the First World War he was not able to get printing paper, and work had to be suspended for some time. He suffered from lack of funds also to continue the work. After retiring from the Kumbakonam College in 1921, he shifted to Madras so that he could command better facilities, but after two years in Madras he found that it was in no way helpful and returned to his village. In 1923, some prominent personalities like V. T. Krishnamachariar, Dewan of Baroda, N. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar, Mr. V. V. Srinivasa Iyengar, R. Narayana Aiyar, M. Ct. Muthiah Chettiar, and others, having learnt of his difficulties, came forward to help. Thanks to their patronage, the magnum opus was completed. The management of “THE HINDU” had the work reviewed immediately and gave free advertisements. Similarly, the “Swadesamitran” and “The Mail” helped him. Mr. Le Fanu, I.C.S. (retd.), R. M. Statham, Sir P. Ramanathan of Colombo and some missionaries showed interest in the work and helped not only by purchasing the book but also with donations.
The Mahabharata was completed in 45 parts of 200 pages each on February 18, 1932. As the preliminaries must have taken at least one or two years, it took nearly 25 years to finish the work.
Many associations and sangams passed resolutions expressing their appreciation of the great work and the Government of India conferred on him the title of “Mahamahopadyaya” on June 23, 1936.
Ramanujachariar has published Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam with Sri Sankara's and Sri Parasara Bhattar's commentaries (translation in Tamil) with text in Nagari, Grantham and Tamil, which was appreciated by many scholars. As desired by Principal Yates, he learnt Phonetics and translated Jesperson's Phonetics and Grammar in Tamil. He also wrote a set of Tamil readers and grammar books in Tamil useful for elementary and high school students. He was an examiner in the Oriental Title (Vidwan) B.A. and Intermediate Boards of Madras University and was Chairman of the Board for a term of three years. He was a member of the Board of Studies in Tamil in the Madras University for nearly 21 years without a break. Year after year, he moved that the status of Pandits in colleges must be raised on a par with English and Science Professors.
Ramanujachariar commanded great respect of his students. Till the day before his death, he was healthy except for the weakness due to old age. He told his wife that night after food that his end might come the next day. He left this Leela viboothi the next morning. By virtue of both his scholarship and his monumental translation, he is respected in the great lines of Bharatham Padia Perundevanar and Villiputhurar.