Fifth Day of the trip: Following AchArya RaamAnujA's sacred steps : Trips to SriperumbhUdhUr and Kanchipuram, Feb 9 ,2000: Part II

[Guest guest]

Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha ParabrahmaNE Nama:

 

Dear BhakthAs :

We reached Kaanchipuram before UcchikkAlam on

this fifth day of the NavAham .During the previous

visit to Lord VaradarAjA's sannidhi (October , 1998),

adiyEn had the bhAgyam of visiting just before ardha Jaamam ;

adiyEn had the soubhAgyam of ThiruvAlavatta kaimkaryam then

to Lord VaradharAjan and aravaNai prasAdham from MahA Devi

ThAyAr and Her divine consort , Lord VaradharAjan . adiyEn's

prayer at that time ( patterned after the sAhithyam

of the " VaradhA Varam Thaa " Krithi of my sister)

was , " seegramEva punar dharsana prApthirasthu ".

The boon came true after fifteen months during

February 9 , 2000 . adiyEn was blessed again with

ThiruvAlavatta Kaimkaryam to Lord VaradharAjan

and had the SevA BhAgyam at Guhai Narasimhan ,

PerumdEvi ThAyAr , ChakkaaratthAzhwAn and AchArya

RaamAnujA sannidhis . adiyEn will attempt to summarize

the aanandhAnubhavams relating to this visit and

the memory waves this visit stirred .

 

The greatness of Hasthigiri

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

As one enters the sacred city of Kaanchi,

what happened here over Centuries of recorded

history flashes through one's mind .

 

Our SarvalOka saraNyan stands here on top of

the elephant hill (Hasthigiri) as KaaruNyarAsi

and the supreme boon giver . This MahOpakAran

gave the boons of AchArya RaamAnujA and Swamy

Desikan to Lord RanganAthA so that they can move

to Srirangam and engage in SiddhAntha rakshanam .

Such is His greatness as a boon giver !

 

Blessings to AlavandhAr

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

AlavandhAr stood on this Hasthigiri and blessed

AchArya RaamAnujA from a distance and begged for

the boon of KarumANikka PerumAl (ShyAmaLAnga Varadhar)

to bless RaamAnujA to become the future nirvAhakar

for the VisishtAdhvaitha SiddhAntham .Alavandhar's

well known prayer housing SaraNAgathi at the feet of

Lord of Hasthigiri is:

 

yasya prasAdha kalayA Bhadira; sruNOthi

panghu: pradhAvathi javanEcha vakthi mooka: I

andha: prapasyathi sutham labhathE cha

vandhyA thamm dEvamEva Varadham saraNam gathOsmi II

 

(meaning ): By whose slightest grace ,the deaf one hears,

the lame one runs , the dumb one speaks , the blind person

sees perfectly , the infertile lady gives birth to a son ,

adiyEn seeks that VaradarAjan of Hasthigiri as

my sole refuge .

 

That boon was granted to AlavandhAr by the Lord ,

thanks to which we have our great SampradhAyam

flourishing today .

 

Blessings to AchArya RaamAnujA

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

Here stands the great Lord , who rescued RaamAnujA

from the evil plans of Yaadhava PrakAsan , who wanted

to do away with his brilliant sishyan , RaamAnujA .

The Lord rescued RaamAnujA in the middle of VindhyA

forest during his journey towards VaraNAsi and brought

RaamAnujA back to Kanchipuram . Lord varadhan appeared as

a hunter of the forest with His divine consort and

saved RaamAnujA from the evil intentions of his

jealous "guru". He became the "Vazhi Kaatum varadhan "

for RaamAnujA and all the others following that

sampradhAyam .The most compassionate Lord blessed

the repentant YaadhavaprakAsA (the former Guru)

to be saved through the act of becoming AchArya

RaamAnujA's sishyan at Kanchi .YadhavaprakAsar

went around (pradakshiNam ) AchArya RaamAnujA once

and gained the puNyam of BhU pradakshiNam and

was given the name of Govindha Jeeyar . Here

at Kaanchi , Govindha Jeeyar obeyed the command of

his AchAryan and compiled the grantham describing

the duties of a SanyAsi ( Yathi dharma samucchayam ).

 

Blessings to other AchArya PurushAs

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

Here , the Lord of Hasthigiri spoke to Thirukkacchi

Nambi and passed on His "six words " to RaamAnujA

to remove latter's doubts .

 

Here, AchArya RaamAnujA entered SanyAsAsramam in front

of Lord VaradarAjan .

 

Here, KurEsan, Mudali AaNDAn sought refuge at

the sacred feet of AchArya RaamAnujA .

 

Here came Thiruvaranga PerumAL arayar from Srirangam

and begged for the boon of taking AchArya RaamAnujA

with him to Srirangam . Lord VaradarAjan was seated then

at KacchivAytthAN maNtapam .He was moved by the deva ghAnam

of the arayar and granted him the request and gave

permission for AchArya RaamAnujA to settle down

at Srirangam to grow the Sri SampradhAyam further .

There at Srirangam , AchArya RaamAnujA received

Lord RanganAthA's blessings and became "Udayavar "

of both the VibhUthis of the Lord.

 

NadhAdhUr AzhwAn

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

Here , NadhAdhUr AzhwAn of Srivathsa kulam

was born as the nephew of AchArya RaamAnujA

and became the sishyan of his revered uncle

and helped him immnesely during the preparation of

his Achaaryan's magnum opus , Sri BhAshyam .

 

NadhAdhUr ammAL

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

 

Here, NadadhUr AzhwAn's grandson , VaradhachAr was

born by the grace of Lord VaradarAjan . He became

the AchAryan for ApuLLar , the uncle of Swamy Desikan ,

Sudarsana Soori ( the author of Srutha prakAsikai ) ,

vadakku Thiruveedhip PiLLai of Srirangam . He conducted

his KaalakshEpams near the western prAkAram of Lord

VaradarAjan's garbha graham , which is near the

KacchivAiytthAn mantapam , where the six words

were spoken by the Lord on behalf of RaamAnujA .

Sri VaradAchAr swamy acquired the name of "NadAdhUr

ammAl " because of the Lord recognizing his solicitude

in serving milk at the right temperature . Lord recognized

Swamy VaradAchAr as His own "Mother" for the concern

shown .

 

Blessings to Swamy Desikan

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

Here , in his old age , NadadhUr ammAl met the five

year old VenakatanAthan , the nephew of Sri AppuLLAr

and recognized form the Brahma tEjas in the face of

the child and blessed it with the famous asservAdham :

 

prathishtApitha Vedaantha: Prathikshiptha Bahirmatha:

bhooyA: thraividhyamAnya: thvam bhurikalyANa bhAjanam

 

(Meaning ): Thou shall establish and protect true

Vedaantham ( Vaidhika Matham based on true understanding

of the sublime doctrines enshrined in the Upanishads

and the Vedams ) and become blessed with many

auspicious happenings .

 

Here, at Kaanchi , Swamy Desikan blessed us with many

Sri Sookthis in Tamil and Sanskrit ( Artha panchakam ,

adaikkala patthu , Panniru naamam , Sri VaishNava

dinasari , Thirucchinna Maalai , atthigiri maanmiyam ,

nyAsa dasakam , VairAgya panchakam , SampradhAya

Parisuddhi et al )relating to Kanchi and the Lord of

Kaanchi , his AaarAdhana dhaivam , Sri VaradarAjan .

 

One of the most important Sri sookthi of Swamy Desikan

that we will focus on is Sri VaradarAja PanchAsath .

adiyEn will cover the anubhavam of sevai of Lord

VaradarAjan largely from that Sri Sookthi .

 

Blessings to Adhi VaNN SatakOpa Jeeyar

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

Here , NadAdhUr ammAL's grandson , GaDikA satham ammAl

took on one SrinivAsAchAr from ThirunArAyaNapuram

as his sishyan for teaching adhyAthma Saasthrams .

That SrinivAsaachAr was summoned by the Lord of

AhObilam at the tender age of twenty to establish

the Sri Matam . This happened some Six hundred

years ago. Lord Lakshmi Nrusimhan initiated

SrinivAsAcchAr into yathi kulam and gave Him

the name of SatakOpa Jeeyar . Further , MalOlan

joined SatakOpa Jeeyar in His sanchArams to bless

people with Sri VaishNava sampath. The 45th Jeeyar

of this illustrious paramparai is adiyEn's achAryan

and a special depth of gratitude overttakes me as

adiyEn sees the 100 pillar MaNtapam built by

Sri Adhi VaNN SatakOpa Jeeyar on the banks of

the sacred anantha saras .

 

AdiyEn will conclude with one more posting

the rich anubhavams of Sevai at VishNu Kaanchi,

where the sacred dust of the AchArya PurushAL's

feet are mingled from time immemorial .

 

 

Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan