Prabandha Saaram

Prabandha Saaram is a divine work in Tamil composed by Acharya Sri Vedantha Desika. Koothapakkam Sri Ranganathachariar said in a discourse that great people will start their work with invocation in the first sloka and end with phalashruthi, which is the benefit of the work in the last sloka. Usually, the invocation will contain three parts: “Aaseehi:” — deriving the blessings of elders; “Namaskara:” — paying obeisance to elders and “Vasthu Nirdesaatmakam” — telling about the contents of the proposed work. The Acharya followed these in all his works.

In the first hymn, he gives an outline of what he is going to write. Swami Desika would assign a valid reason behind the number of slokas/verses/hymns in all his works. For instance, his compilation Hayagreeva Stothra contains 32 slokas, reflecting the number of Atma Vidya, and Prabandha Saaram contains 18 hymns, coinciding with 18 parvas in the Mahabharatha and 18 chapters in Srimad Bhagavad Gita.

In hymns 2 to 13 of Prabandha Saaram, the history of all the 12 Azhwars is narrated, including when they were born, the month, the constellations under which they were born, and other details. The Acharya included in the 14th hymn Thiruvarangathamudhanar’s Ramanuja Nootrandhathi. It is also called “Prapanna Gayathri.”

In 15 and 16 hymns, Swamy Desika gives the number of poems sung by various Azhwars. In the 17th, he provides a condensed version. Lastly, the Acharya says that those who learn and recite Prabandha Saaram with devotion will enjoy all the benefits of His divine grace.