The Life of Kuresan-2

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Dear friends,

 

With the departure of his guru Ramanuja to SriRangam,

Kuresan and his wife AndAlamma returned to their

good,uneventful lives in Kura.

 

One evening, after they had completed their daily

routine of feeding the poor at dusk, they retired for

the day. They clanged the big brass doorway to their

home shut.

 

This clanging of the brass door was so loud in the

quiet of the night that it was heard some distance

away in Kanchi. Lord Varadaraja and Perundevi thAyyAr

too were a little startled by it. ThAyyAr queried the

Lord as to the cause of the gong reverberating through

the night air. The Lord turned to his chief priest,

Kanchipurna or Tirukacchi-nambi (also one of the

several mentors of Ramanujacharya) and asked,"Pray

tell Us, wherefrom this sound of the night, O Sire?".

 

Kanchipurna replied,"Lord, it is the doorway of our

dear Kuresan's home being shut for the day after the

daily alms-giving."

 

The Lord and Perundevi-pirAtti, very pleased to know

of Kuresa and his piety and charity, commanded that

Kuresan be brought to their Presence. Kanchipurna

hastened to Kura to beckon Kuresan to Kanchi.

 

At Kura, when Kuresan came to know from Kanchipurna

the purpose of his visit, he became extremely

indignant with himself. "What?! Did the clanging of my

doorway disturb the Lord and His Consort in Kanchi?!

What a conceited wretch am I that I should let my

charity be announced thus to the whole world! What a

vain sinner am I!".

 

The incident seemed to rudely awaken Kuresan out of a

strange spiritual torpor. He realized that a choice in

life had been staring him in his face but which he had

been subconsciously avoiding all the while since

Ramanuja's departure: Either he could continue to live

in Kura and lead a life of pious, vain but ineffectual

charity or, he could pursue his guru Ramanuja to

SriRangam and serve him in his life's great mission.

 

Kuresan made his choice instantly!

 

He dispatched Kanchipurna back to Kanchi. He told his

wife AndAlammA to immediately renounce all their

wealth and belongings and to join him in migrating to

SriRangam and wedding themselves forever in the

service of SriRamanuja.

 

It was a turning point in the life of Kuresan.

 

The same night husband and wife walked out of their

homes with nothing but the clothes they wore. They set

out for SriRangam by foot.

 

Along the way, Kuresan and AndAlamma had to journey

through jungle infested with wayside brigands.

AndAlamma was mortally afraid of nocturnal robbers and

made no secret of her fears to her husband. WHen he

heard of his wife's anxieties Kuresan quickly

replied,"AndAl, watching your agitation I suspect that

your fears are founded in something you have not fully

disclosed to me. I asked you to renounce all our

belongings back in our village of Kura. Have you

renounced everything? I mean really EVERYTHING?".

 

When questioned so intensely by Kuresan, AndAlamma had

no choice but to confess,"My Sire, I did renounce

everything save for this little golden goblet which I

secreted in the folds of my saree. I thought I would

need it during the journey to serve you some beverage

and relieve you of weariness".

 

Kuresan looked at the golden goblet that his wife

pulled out from her saree-folds and then mildly chided

her,"My dear woman, when I wanted you to renounce

everything I meant this little goblet too!".

 

So saying Kuresan took the vessel from AndAlamma's

hands and threw it away into the night and deep into

the forest shrubbery.

 

"There now!", he said turning to his wife, "There now,

my dear wife, has been cast away the source of all

your fears".

 

******** ********* ********

 

Kuresan and AndAlamma were received into Srirangam

with great joy and fanfare by SriRamanujAchArya. He

welcomed them as if they were his own children, put

them up in his quarters and quickly settled them into

the life and society of Srirangam.

 

Kuresan started a new chapter in his life in SriRangam

as one of the closest disciples of SriRamanuja. He

assisted Ramanujacharya in all aspects and affairs of

his ministry... the temple of SriRanganatha and the

SriVaishnava community. He was Ramanuja's aide in

scriptural study, disputations and exegesis. He was at

his beck and call. He tended to his minutest needs. He

was his factotum. His amanuensis. His valet. His eyes

and ears. His conscience keeper. His alter ego....

 

Kuresan soon became his Master's faithful shadow.

 

(contd)

 

dAsan,

Sampathkumaran

 

 

 

 

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