Birth of Swami Deshikan

Swami Vedānta Deshikan is considered the Ghantavataram (reincarnation of the divine bell) of Lord Venkateshwara of Tirumala.

Anantha Somaiyaji was one of the 74 simhaasanaadhipathis chosen by Swami Rāmānujar to spread the message of the Vishishṭādvaita philosophy. He lived in Kanchipuram with his son Pundareekaksha and his grandson, Anantasuri, who had studied all the shastras. When Anantasuri reached marriageable age, Pundareekaksha approached Kidambi Appullar, the grandson of Kidambi Aachan, who was responsible for the kitchen duties of Swami Rāmānujar.

Pundareekaksha approached Kidambi Appular with a wedding proposition to give his son's hand in marriage to Kidambi Appullar's sister Tottarambha.

Kidambi Appullar prayed to Kanchi Varadaraja to provide him with guidance on whether he should accept the proposition or not. That same night, Kanchi Varadaraja appeared in Kidambi Appullar's dreams and told him that the child born of the union between Anantasuri and Tottarambha would be a great Āchārya. He would achieve greatness in his life. The next morning, Kidambi Appullar approached Pundareekaksha.

He told him about his dream, in which the Lord appeared and prophesied the child's future, to be born of the union between his sister and Anantasuri. The marriage was conducted on the next auspicious date.

Anantasuri and Tottarambha lived a very prosperous life in a house opposite the Deepaprakashar Temple in Tiruttankaa. As the years passed, the couple's desire to have a child grew. Thus, to have their wish fulfilled, they traveled from one sthalam to the next, bathing in each pushkarani and praying to each Lord, asking to be blessed with a well-mannered child. Soon, they reached the shores of Swami Pushkarani in Tirumala. The couple bathed in the pushkarani, went to the temple, and offered their prayers to the Lord.

The couple decided to spend the night in the holy kshethram of Tirumala. That night, Tottarambha had a dream wherein the Lord appeared and handed her the divine bell that was being rung during the daily aaradhanam.

The dream further progressed, showing Tottarambha a vision that made her feel as though she had swallowed the sacred bell. Simultaneously, the Lord had shown this dream to Anatasuri as well as the temple priest. The next morning, when the couple visited the temple, they noticed the priest saying that the temple bell was missing. It was at this moment that Tottarambha shared the events of her dream with Anantasuri. Anantasuri was stunned by what he heard and told his wife that he had had the same dream the previous night.

As the couple conversed, the priest overheard their conversation and said to them that the Lord had appeared in his dream as well.

The priest then declared that it was the Lord's divine will, and from that day on, the smaller ghanta bell would no longer be rung. Even today, when one visits Tirumala, only the larger bell is rung. Twelve years later, Swami Deshikan was born. The twelve years here are of great significance. The significance lies in the fact that each year corresponds to one of the twelve Adityas. Swami Vedānta Deshikan was born possessing the knowledge of all the twelve Adityas combined.

Swami Deshikan was born in the Tamizh month of Puratasi under the nakshatram of Tiruonam on Vijayadashami in the year 1268 AD.