Sri EmberumAnAr

[Guest guest]

Dear Mani

Today is Sri EmberumAnAr Tirunakshatram and a more

sacred day can't be found in Kaliyuga.So it would

be pleasant to remember him and his greatness.

 

There is an incident narrated by Sri PeriyavAchhAn

PiLLai in his Periya Tirumozhi vyAkhyAnam (6.7.4)

which is sweet to recall:

 

One of SwAmi EmberumAnAr's disciples,Vangipurattu

Nambi had been asking him to teach him TiruvArAdhanam

but somehow he had not been able to find time to

do so.Once it so happened that EmberumAnAr had gone to

Tirumalai,and felt like teaching it to KUrattAzhvAn

and Nambi Sri HanumaddAsar.While he was doing so he

happened to look up and found Vangipurattu Nambi

watching him from behind the door.EmberumAnAr got a shock

and immediately told him:"I had long nursed a doubt

regarding Sri Krishna and His being scared when

caught stealing butter by Yashoda:How could the Lord

be scared of a mere subject even if she caught Him in

a wrongful position? Now I know the answer.He was

really scared,just as I was today when I saw my

disciple catch me on the wrong foot.I did two wrongs

to you- I didn't teach you when you asked me to;

and I didn't even include you also in this group

today.And you caught me at it and I really felt

shame and fear- even if you happened to be my Sishya

and I your AchArya."

 

Such was our SwAmi EmberumAnAr because of whom our DarSanam

itself is called Sri RAmAnuja DarSanam; even though there

were great AchAryas before him like NAthamuni and ALavandAr.

Sri PeriyavAchAn PiLLai in his Periya Tirumozhi gloss

quotes Sri PiLLAn (2.7.6) as saying: Just as a necklace

gets value added through its central pendant so does

our DarSanam through him.Swami DeSikan includes this in his

YatirAja Saptati Sloka 15 : < yatirAjEna nibaddha

nAyakaSreeh mahatI gurupangti-hAra-yashtih vibudhAnAm

hrudayan-gamA vibhAti>

 

Sri MaNavALa MAmunigal in his superb Aarti Prabandham

says:Is there any one who can commit sins like myself

and is there any one who can forgive like yourself!

"Enai-ppOl pizhai-SeyvAr ivvulagil unDo?

Unai-ppOl porukka-vallAr unDo?"

Of course he is putting himself in our place.The

answer is still the same.

 

As SrI KUrattAzhvAn sums it up for us:

 

<Na chEd RAmAnujE-tyEsha chaturA chaturaksharI

KAm-avasthAm prapadyantE jantavO hanta mAdruSAh!>

 

Had there been no word like RAmAnuja in this world

What would have been the fate of people like us!

 

EmberumAnAr TiruvaDigaLE SaraNam!

 

aDiyEn

BHARAT