The Life of Kuresan-5

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Dear friends,

 

After his great expedition all across India to

propagate his fresh Vedantic theology and to also

secure the "boddhayana vrutti", Ramanuja settled down

in SriRangam once again to consolidate the position of

Srivaishnavism. His fame had now spread far and wide

over the country. His disciples and followers were now

legion. SriRangam and the temple of Lord Ranganatha

became the capital city of SriVaishnavites.

 

Ramanuja, at that point of time in his life, had

indeed fulfilled much of his promise to his own guru,

YamunachArya, who had on his death-bed entrusted him

with the life-mission of

 

(1) writing a fresh, new commentary on the

"brahma-sutrA-s" based on the philosophical premises

of the "bhakti" tradition handed down from the times

of NammAzhwAr through Nathamuni and

 

(2) to propagate the same through the devotional

literature of the ancient AzhwArs known as the 'Tamil

Vedas' or the 4000 verses of the "nalayira divya

prabhandam".

 

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At that point of time, Ramanuja's most beloved

disciple, Kuresan, however was not a fulfilled man.

His wife, AndAlamma and he still went childless.

 

In SriRangam Kuresan had so thoroughly become involved

in the ministry of SriRamanuja that he had very little

time to devote to family affairs. His wife AndAlamma

too was a very devout lady and too good a soul to

rebel against what had become her hard lot in life.

 

Kuresan earned his daily bread by the traditional

means prescribed for a Vedic "grahasta" (householder)

viz. "unchavratti" or the practise of going around

one's neighbourhood begging for daily alms and ekeing

out a living solely by such means. Kuresan begged from

day to day. Nothing was accumulated... be it food or

clothes...nothing more was collected than what Kuresan

considered as sufficient to satisfy the wants of his

family in the space of a single day...

 

One day it rained heavily and the time for going

around on his "unchavratti" came and passed. Kuresan

and Andalamma went without any food that day except

for a sip of the holy water offered to the household

deity. They skipped supper too. Kuresan was unmindful

of his hunger since he kept reciting the

"tiruvoimozhi" throughout the rainy day, but AndAlamma

deeply felt the pangs of pain... pain, not of her own

hunger, but the pain of watching her husband starve.

 

It was evening then and just at that moment the temple

bells of the Srirangam temple gonged. It was the

signal to indicate that Lord Ranganatha was being

offered his evening "naivEdyam" or worshipful food.

 

When AndAlamma heard the temple gong she bit her lips

in tears. She couldn't help silently muttering,"O

Ranga, when your devotee Kuresan goes starving on a

day like this, how are you able to enjoy your feast?".

 

The piercing cry of Andalamma's pain was obviously

heard by the Deity, for Ranga that same night appeared

in the dream of one of His temple-officials, one Sri.

Uttama-nambi whom He commanded: "Go forth immediately

with my food-offerings to the house of my devotee

Kuresan for he has eaten nothing this day! Tell him

that We send him our meal and our blessings!".

 

Uttama-nambi woke up startled and drenched in cold

sweat.

 

Gathering himself up and summoning all temple staff

including pipers, drummers, stewards and ceremonial

carriers, he marched in a great procession in the

middle of the night to Kuresan's house, carrying trays

of food that had previously offered as "naivEdyam" to

Lord Ranganatha.

 

When the procession reached Kuresan's home

Uttama-nambi recounted to him Lord Ranga's commandment

in his dream and begged Kuresan to accept the Lord's

offering of food.

 

Kuresan was too dumbfounded to react!

 

AndAlamma however gently advised her husband to accept

the temple offerings. "This food has been sent by our

Lord Ranga Himself, and we must accept it and

rejoice!", she said.

 

His job accomplised, Uttama-nambi returned to his

abode, utterly relieved that he had carried out Lord

Ranga's express orders without further ado.

 

Back home at Kuresa's place, he suspected that the

midnight offer of food by Lord Ranga had something to

do with his wife. So Kuresa queried AndAlamma who

after much persuasion confessed to what had happened,

of how she had shared her anguish with Ranga over the

plight of Kuresan going without a morsel of food on

that rainy day.

 

"My dear woman", chided Kuresan gently,"what have you

done! What have you done! You have tested Divinity's

compassion for a mere morsel of food to fill this

sinner's belly!".

 

All the same that night, Kuresan and AndAlamma ate the

temple food-offerings of Lord Ranganatha and went to

bed happily.

 

That same night, Ranga appeared again in a dream, but

this time in Kuresan's sleep and announced,"Kuresa, We

trust that our offering of food has pleased you. Our

offering was not merely to satisfy your pangs of

physical hunger but to meet your desire or greater

hunger for the love of children! What you and

AndAlamma have just eaten are the seeds of two little

children to be born to you! They will Our Own

Children! They are blessed indeed! Rejoice in them as

you would rejoice in Our Own Presence amongst you!".

Ranga vanished and Kuresan excitedly woke up Andalamma

to tell her all about the dream.

 

A year later, two beautiful boy babies were born to

Kuresan and Andalamma! Their hearts burst with joy.

 

The news of the birth of Kuresan's boys reached

Ramanuja and he was transported with joy!The grand old

"AchAryA" himself performed the "nAma-karanam" for

Kuresan's 2 boys naming them "VyAsa-bhattar" and

"Parashara-Bhattar"!

 

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The latter boy became later in life one of the tallest

"AchAryA-s" in the SriVaishnava pantheon of

post-Ramanuja stalwarts! Parashara Bhattar came to be

acknowledged by posterity as the natural heir to all

of Ramanuja's spiritual kingdom!

 

Thus indeed, had Kuresan, through his offspring,

Parashara Bhatta, performed yet another great service

or "kainkaryam" to his beloved guru: He gave unto the

venerable RamanujachArya's arms his fledgling

spiritual heir... one who would carry on unbroken the

grand tradition of "sri-sampradAyam" for all times to

come!

 

(contd)

 

dAsan,

Sampathkumaran

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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