The gopuram Episode

[Guest guest]

Sri Bharat writes, very movingly and convincingly:

> No wonder [sri Ramanuja] started

> revealing the "secret" right at the door step of

> Nambi himself.

> I am afraid I do not hold with the

> view of Mani that he was being revolutionary in this

> incident. In fact he was being totally traditional-

> not the secretive tradition of the ancient Rshis

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

> but the all embracing tradition of PeriyAzhwAr, who called

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

> out,"vAzhAtpaTT-uLLIrellArum vandu maNNum maNamum

> koNmin" and of his daughter who earnestly invited,

> "pOduvIr poduminO"- "ichhai uLLar ellArum vArungoL"

> This was the tradition which Sri Nathamuni and

> Sri ALavandAr wanted to establish on a firm basis.

 

I could not agree with these statements more! What

a wonderful way of expressing the all-encompassing

compassion of Emberumanar.

 

[...]

> Emberumanar continued to keep it so in regard

> to the mantra but threw the artha open to all who desired

> it.

 

[...]

> Sri EmbAr has compressed our glorious DarSanam into three

> 'i's - "ichhaiyE adhikAram,irakkamE upAyam,inimaiyE upEyam"

> Our mere desire for Him gives us eligibility; His compassion

> alone can take us to the goal;and the goal is pure happiness."

 

[...]

> EmberumAnAr TiruvaDigale Saranam!

 

adiyEn

thirukkacci nambi dhaasan

(Mani)

[Guest guest]

*adiyen requests sri Bharat to kindly get some light on this issue from

acharyas back home.*

 

As per the above niyamanam of Sri Krishna Kalale I had

a talk with Sri Rangapriya Mahaswami re the matter

under discussion.

 

I give below the gist of his opinion:

 

In any matter concerning Swami EmberumAnAr the greatest

authority is his writings alone.If he says something there

he will act exactly like that.Any narration by others re

his life can be accepted to the extent that it does not

conflict with his views.In his writings he is a strong

exponent of Vaidika Dharma and AchAra and upholds it

in its entirety.The SAstras say that while MantrOpadEsam

is for the eligible only,the words of the mantra without

the Pranava can be given to anyone,and in some cases

beneficial for other reasons too.So we can accept that

Udaiyavar gave out the meaning and and the non-Pranava

portion of the mantras to many people there.

 

As regards whether he climbed to the Gopuram for this

purpose: why would such a practical person do such

a meaningless act? Would he not have chosen a hall

where he would be audible and his audience more

inclined to listen to him ?

 

EmberumAnAr TiruvaDigaLE Saranam

 

adiyEn

Bharat