VaikunTa EkAdast --Part 2 : Sri RamAnujA and AndAL

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Dear Members of the BhakthiGgroup :

 

Sri RamAnuja was given the title of Thiruppavai

Jeeyar by his Acharya , Periya Nambi . He earned this

title because of his(1) intense attachment to the uplifting

thoughts enshrined in that Composition and(2) his practise

of frequent recitation of the verses of Thiruppavai especially

during the times of BhikshA seeking .

 

1 .The Bare Foot Thiruppavai Jeeyar described by Swami Desikan

 

Sri VedAntha Desikan refers to the habit of RaamAnujA

walking on the streets of Srirangam for his daily bikshA (alms )

barefoot , although Yathis are allowed to wear PadhukAs during

those sanchArams . The 69th slokam of Yathiraja sapthathi

refers to this practise of RamaanujA travelling bare foot

on those occasions and the sacredness of those feet :

 

" On the pretext of treading the earth at the time of going out

for alms , the twin feet of RamAnujA destroy the sins of the world

girdled by the oceans , and they adorn the ground by leaving on it

lovely imprints (of Conch and disk ) . The dust particles raised by

those sacred feet are worn by the groups of learned men on

their heads as a protection against evil , and they regard

themselves fortunate and blessed thereby . I long for those

feet of RamaanujA ."

 

One wonders why RamanujA elected not to wear

the PadhukAs that he was allowed to wear according to

Yathi DharmA .The explanation is hinted by Swami Desikan

in the above verse and is connected to the incident narrated in

relation to the Thiruppavai verse , " UndhumatakaLiRRin ".

One day , RamAnujA was going from door to door on barefoot

reciting Thriruppavai on the occasion of his Bhiksha collection

for his one meal of the day in ThirukkottiyUr .

 

The unchivritthi or BikshA seeking Yathis always recite

Divya NamAs as Saint ThyagarajA did while he went around

the streets of ThiruvaiAru Others recite sacred texts or sthuthis

on the Lord and His consort . Infact , a pious neighbor of mine at

Oppiliappan Sannidhi street recited for many months

Daya sathakam and went around the four raja veethis of the Lord

to collect money through Unchivritthi to create and present

the Mahalakshmi icon adorning today the chest of the Uthsava

moorthy of Oppiliappan Koil revered as Ponnappan .

 

2 . Bare foot RamAnujA on the streets of Thirukkotiyur

 

Similarly RamAnujA went around the streets of ThirukkottiyUr

barefoot reciting the Thiruppavai PAsurams. Because of the sacredness

of Thiruppavai and his reverence for AndAL , he would not wear

any PadhukAs on such occcasions . As he reached the door of

his Acharya , ThirukkottiyUr nambi , he was reciting the paasuram ,

" UndhumadhakaLiRRan OdAtha thOL valiyan ." Devaki Piratti,

the daughter of RamAnujA's Acharya opened the door with her

bangles jingling . RamanujA was reciting the section of this

Paasuram , " SenthAmarai kaiyAl seerar VALAIOLIPPA

VANDHU TIRAVAAI . " This extraordinary coincidence made RamAnujA

faint . ThirukkottiyUr Nambi rightly concluded that " the Thiruppavai

Jeeyar " must have been reciting the Paasuram " UndhumadhakaLiRRan"

at the time of his swooning. Such is the greatness of RamanujA's reverence

for ThiruPPavai and AndAL .

 

3 . TITLE OF GODHAAGRAJAA :

 

RamaanujA is also known as the "elder brother " of AndAL

or Koil ANNar . Ramanuja was reciting

paasuram of NacchiyAr Thirumozhi (NT ) , Naaru Narum Pozhil ,

(NT 9.6 ) as he approached ThirumAlirumcholai on his way to Srivilliputhur .

In that NT pAsuram, AndAL desires to offer a hundred vessels of butter

and a hundred more vessels of KshirAnnam (AkkAravadisil ) to Lord

SundararajA of ThirumAlirumcholai. Suddenly , RamAnujA got worried

whether AndAL did indeed fulfil her prarthanA . He therefore decided

to fulfill her wish and offered the Naivedhyam of Butter and

KshirAnnam in hundred vessels each .

 

Thereafter , RamAnuja continued on his journey

to Srivilliputthur . As he entered the ardha ManTapam of

AndAL's temple , he was surprised to see AndAL waiting for him

in person to thank him for the services he rendered on Her behalf

at ThirumAlirumcholai . She moved out of the Inner sanctum

(Garbha Graham ) and waited for him at the ardha Mantapam

to greet Her "elder brother " for carrying out Her wish across the span of

centuries just as a responsible elder brother would fulfill the dear wishes of

his younger sister. She broke Her archa silence and called

RamAnuja as Her aNNan . She never went back into the sanctum

and stays even today at the Ardha Mantapam with Her consort.

RamAnujA is therefore saluted in his ashtottaram as

" GodhAgrajO digvijethA GodhAbhishta prapuraka : ".

 

4. Consecration of the Archaas of AndAL

 

RamAnujA out of his reverence for the works of AndAL

consecrated Her icon in the northwestern corner of many

divya desams. At lower Thirumalai , he consecrated AndAL's

archa murthy and placed Her on the right side of GovindarajA ,

where Sri Devi normally resides to indicate that AndAL was

the principal Devi at Keezha Thiruppathi GovindarAjA temple.

AndAL always wanted to enjoy the company of Venkatavan

and partake in all the temple festivities as His principal consort

in Her NT Paasurams. RamAnujA fulfilled that wish too !

 

5 . AmudanAr's salutation of Thiruppavai Jeeyar

 

Thiruvarangatthu AmudanAr , a contemproary of RamAnuja and the

author of RamAnuja NooRanthadhi salutes RamaanujA 's

reverence for AndAL this way : " Arangar Mowli soozhinra maalai

soodikkodutthavaL thol aruLAl vazhinra IrAmAnusanennum muniyE . "

Here AmudanAr states that RamAnujA's life was sustained by the grace of

Soodikkoduttha NaacchiyAr and Her hymns were RamAnujA's life-breath .

 

6. Thiruppavai and Gitaa Bhashyam

 

One more instance of RamAnujA's reverence for GodhA has been

pointed out from his Gita Bhashyam on the verse 3.21 . Both MadhvA

and SankarA had intrepreted this verse s " Whatever a distinguished man

does , that alone other men also do. To whatever extent he does that ,

the world follows it " . Swami Desikan in his GitA Bhashyam known as

Taatparya Chandrikaa Points out how RamAnujA differed from

the above view of the other two commentators based upon his

inspiration from the 26th paasuram line of Thiruppavai

( MelayAr seyvanagaL venduvana KEttiyEl ) . RamAnujA differed from

the other intrepretation based on his insight gained from the above

Thiruppavai line. RamAnujA indicated that the learned undertake only

those parts which are needed and leave out which are not needed. He

leaned upon the word VENDUVANA and intrepreted the GitA word of

verse 3.21 Yath PramANam as two words instead of intrepreting as

one word , YathpramAnam .

 

7 . UpanyAsams on Thiruppavai & RamAnuja's reverential position

 

Finally , RamanujA's reluctance to perform upanyAsams on Thiruppavai

as opposed to NammAzhwAr's and other AzhwAr's works is an indication

of his special affection and reverence for AndAL . Sri Badri SeshAdri has

described our Azhagiya Singhar"s reference to this aspect of RamAnujA

feeling not pure enough to comment on NaachiyAr"s aruLiccheyal.

Such is the magnitude and quality of Acharya RamAnujA's reverence

for Soodikkoduttha Sudarkodi .

 

AndAL , Yathrajar ThiruvadigalEh SaraNam .

 

SrivaishNava Dasan ,

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan