KOzhiyAlam swAmi's thirunakshattiram

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SrI:

SrI SrInivAsa ParabrahmaNE namaha

 

SrImatE Bhagavad RAmAnujAya namaha

 

SrImatE NigamAnta MahAdESIkAya namaha

 

Srimad abhinava BhAshyakAra RangaRAmAnuja -

mahAdesikAya Namaha

 

SrImad abhinava dESika UttamUr VeerarAghavArya -

mahAdESIkAya namaha

 

Dear devotees,

namO nArAyaNA.

 

Sri Paramahamsa ParivrAjakAchArya Abhinava BhAsyakAra

Ranga RAmAnuja MahAdesikan,popularly known as KozhiyAlam

swAmi is one of the great Sri Vaishnava AchAryAs of the

past century,well known to even other sampradAya

AchAryAs for his Jn~Anam , VairAgyam and Bhakti, which

obviously includes sincere and dedicated anushtAnams for

the pleasure of Sriman NArAyana. One can understand the

exaltedness of this great AchArya, simply by knowing

that, the most illustrious "abhinava dESika" Sri

Uttamoor VeerarAghavAchArya was his disciple. Today

(Panguni anusham, Saturday) is the thirunakshattiram of

this mahAn.

 

 

The following information is based on an article

(ie.not reproduced verbatim) written by SrI U.Ve.

R.VEnkatAchAri, on "Navaratna sAmya". This article by

SrI R.Venkatachari is added to the book housing the

English translation by the author, of SrI KozhiyAlam

swAmi's "Upayukta Sangraham".

 

Sri R.VenkatAchAri had Pancha SamskAram (SamASrayanam

ie.spiritual initiation) performed by Sri KozhiyAlam

swAmi and underwent training in Ubhaya-vEdAnta under

Uttamoor swAmi. He has nicely explained nine striking

similarities between Sri Bhagavad RAmAnujA(BhAsyakAra)

and Sri KozhiyAlam swAmi and justifying that

the latter is "abhinava bhAshyakAra". Lets enjoy the

following excellent anubhavams and pay our tributes

to SrI KOzhiyAlam swAmi on this auspicious day of

his thirunakshattiram (birthstar).

 

 

 

"NAVARATNA SAMYA"

(Nine gems of similarity)

 

Ratna 1

*********

BhAshyakAra was the third of the Munitrayam (three

Munis) comprised by Sri NAtha Muni, Sri YAmuna Muni

and Sri RAmAnuja Muni. Abhinava BhAshyakAra is the

third of the Muni trayam comprising Sri KetAndipatti

swAmi, Sri Tirupathi swAmi and Sri KozhiyAlam swAmi.

 

 

Ratna 2

*********

Both have the same thirunAmams (names), with an

improvement in the abhinava avatAra (ie. KOzhiyAlam

swAmi). Sri RAmAnuja spent his last days in Sri Rangam

at the command of Lord RanganAthA (" Sri RangE

SukamAsvA" ) and so "Sri Ranga" is added to the

thirunAmam(name) of his abhinava avatAram and thats

why KOzhiyAlam swami's thirumnAmam is Sri Ranga -

RAmAnuja.

 

Ratna 3

*********

Like Sri BhAsyakAra, who is third in the first

Munitraya, the abhinava avatAra (Sri KozhiyAlam swAmi)

is also third in the three abhinava avatArAs with the

thirunAmAs as "Ranga RAmAnujA". The first RangarAmAnuja

Muni is popularly known as "Upanishad BhAshyakAra" as he

was the first AchArya of ViSishtAdvaita to write

bhAshyams (commentries) to all the principal Upanishads.

The second RangarAmAnuja Muni is SrI KetAndipatti swAmi

and the third RangarAmAnuja Muni is "KOzhiyAlam swAmi",

the grand disciple (disciple's deisciple) of SrI

KEtAndipatti swAmi. All these three RangarAmAnuja Munis

are also revered as abhinava BhAshyakArAs.

 

 

Ratna 4

*********

Both BhAshyakAra (ie.Bhagavad RAmAnuja) and abhinava

BhAshyakArA(ie.KOzhiyAlam swAmi) entered into

TuriyAshramA (SannyAsAshrama) for flimsy reasons, which

are normal in day to day life of a Gruhasta. Actually,

they needed only a vyAja (excuse) to take up SannyAsa,

as they were bent upon to take it even before itself.

 

 

Ratna 5

*********

Both Bhagavad RAmAnuja(BhAshyakAra) and KOzhiyAlam SwAmi

(abhinava BhAshyakAra) were highly merciful to the

suffering baddha jIvAs and blessed them with invaluable

granthAs (books).

 

Nine Grantha RatnAs of BhAsyakAra :

 

1. Sri BhAshya 2. VedAnta Deepa

3. VedAnta sAra 4. VedArtha Sangraha

5. GItA BhAshya 6. SaranAgati Gadya

7. SriRanga Gadya 8. Sri Vaikunta Gadya

9. Nithya

 

Nine Grantha RatnAs of Abhinava BhAshyakAra ( though

18, classified into 9 headings):

 

1. UPANISHADS : BEda SAmrAjya

 

2. BRAHMA SUTRA : Madhu Vidya mArga Darpana,Para Paksha

NirAkriri,Tattva PrakAsa, Tattva

Deepika, ChatussUtri VichAra.

 

3. RAHASYAS : Ukti Nishta ParitrAna, Samasyamana

SUktyArtha Nishkarsha.

 

4. AHNIKAM : Laghu Ahnikam Heyopadeya Darpana,

Jayanti PArana, Jayanti Nirnaya,

Yaj~nopavIta MimAmsa.

 

5. ARCHA : HastIsa Vaibhava.

 

6. AchArya Mangala MAlika

 

7. PAta Shodana

 

8. Poornatva VichAra.

 

9. Upayukta Sangraha

 

 

Ratna 6

*********

Both Bhagavad RAmAnuja and KOzhiyAlam swAmi had intense

attachment for performing anushtAnams with utmost rigour.

 

Since their love towards Sriman NArAyanA was overflowing,

they did the anushtAnams very devotedly. Eventhough

Bhagavad RAmAnuja was bed ridden in the last days of his

avatAram (120 years), he was adamant on giving arghya

during SandhyAvandana, only in a standing posture, though

needed great efforts and was very inconvenient. Similarly,

 

Sri abhinava BhAshyakAra has set exemplary standards in

the performance of anushtAnams, which is well known.

 

 

Ratna 7

*********

Both Bhagavad RAmAnuja and KOzhiyAlam swAmi were masters

of Upanishads and Brahma SUtra. "BhAshyakAra" is the

title given to Bhagavad RAmAnuja by Goddess Saraswathi.

She was overjoyed when Bhagavad RAmAnuja presented the

commentry on Brahma SootrAs at Saraswathi Peetam and

proved in the midst of all the vedic scholars that his

commentry is the faithful one to the sUtrAs. Goddess

Saraswathi appeared in front of Sri RAmAnuja and named

the bhAshyam as "Sri BhAshyam" and gave him the title

"BhAshyakAra" (one who has written the commentry of

Brahma SUtrAs giving the right explanations) and gave

the archAmoorthi of Sri Lakshmi Hayagrivar for worship.

 

abhinava BhAshyakAra will be remembered through his

classics on Brahma SUtrAs viz. Madhu Vidya mArga Darpana,

Para Paksha Nirakriti etc.

 

 

Ratna 8

*********

Both Bhagavad RAmAnuja and KOzhiyAlam swAmi left the

task of writing commentry for NammAzhwAr's ThiruvAimozhi

to their dear disciples. While BhAshyakAra commanded Sri

"Thiruk kurugai PirAn PiLLAn" for that very sacred task,

abhinava bhAshyakAra commanded Sri Uttamoor swAmi.

 

 

Ratna 9

*********

Both Bhagavad RAmAnuja and KOzhiyAlam swAmi were ardent

devotees of archAvatArams of Sriman NArAyana, esp. to

Lord VaradarAja of KAnchi.

 

 

SrI R.VenkatAchAri thus concludes that the above

Navaratna sAamya proves that the avatAra of Srimad Ranga

RAmAnuja MahAdesikan (Sri KozhiyAlam swAmi) is definitely

the abhinava avatAra of Sri BhAshyakAra (Bhagavad

RAmAnujA).

 

Hope that you all enjoyed these anubhavams.

 

There will nothing more pleasing to SrI KOzhiyAlam swAmi,

than the re-printing of the invaluable works of

our pUrvAchAryAs and that too with the outstanding

commentries by his own dear disciple SrI UttamUr swAmi.

The most appropriate way to celebrate the thirunakshatram

of this mahAn (Or for any AzhwAr Or AchArya for that

matter) is to remeber their teachings and making an oath

to follow their instructions and to spread their (and

other AchAryA's) writings for the benifit of the whole

world. There can't be any other kainkaryam that would be

more pleasing to pUrvAchAryAs and the Divya Dampati.

Hence, please do come forward to donate liberally towards

the very sacred kainkaryam of re-printing the books of

SrI UttamUr swAmi.

 

 

Lets recite the taniyan of this AchArya and obtain his

blessings to increase our commitments to serve AchAryAs,

BhAgavathAs and the Divya Dampati, and decrease our

attachment to materialistic pleasures.

 

 

Srimad SriRanga RAmAnuja Muni CharanAmbOja Brin~gAyamaNa

Srimad VedAnta RAmAnuja Muni KaruNAvApta VEdAnta Yugmam |

 

TadvinyastAtma RakshA-bhAram anagha guNam brahmaNi-

SrinivAsE

Srimad Sri RangaRAmAnuja Munim aparam SamsrayE -

Jn~Ana VArdhim ||

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan,

ananthapadmanAbhan.

krishNArpaNam.