krishnapAdasya soonavE!!!

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

Sri Vara Vara munayE Namaha

Sri Vanachala mahA munayE Namaha

 

“kAnchyAm sarasi hEmApjEjAtham kAsAra yOginam I

kalayE ya: sriya: pathyooravim deepamakalpayath II”

 

LOkAchAryAya guravE Krishna pAdhasya soonavE I

SamsAra bhOgi sandhashta jeeva jeevAthavE nama: II

 

“vAzhi ulagAsiriyan vAzhiavan mannukulam

vAzhi mudumbaiyennum mAnagaram-vAzhi

manan soozhindha pErinbham malgumigu

nallar enan soozhindirukkum eruppu”

 

“Odhumudumbai ulagAsiriyanarul

lEdum maravAdha vemperumAn-needhi

vazhuvA sirunalloor mAmaraiyOn pAdham

thozhuvArkku vArAthuyar”

 

This is the auspicious day on which the great acharya, whose name

itself suggests that he is an acharya to the world “ulagaththukkellam

asiriyan-lOkAcharyan” took avathara. Sri Pillai lokacharya is

considered to be the avathara of kanchi Devaperumal by the

Srivaishnavas. Our acharyas show the greatness of pillai lokacharya

as follows: There is a vast difference between the Azhvars and the

acharyas. The Azhvars were more involved in their own anubhavams and

hence couldn’t reach the common masses so easily. But the acharyas

spent their whole lifetime only for the upliftment of dullheaded

jeevatmas (“mandhamadhipuvi mAnidhar thangalai vAnil vuyarthidu

nAl”).

Again among the acharyas there is a vast difference between the

acharyas before EmperumAnAr and those who followed him. The acharyas

before EmperumAnAr where called as anuvriththi prasannAcharyar (those

who selected their shisyas according to qualifications only). But

EmperumAnAr and the acharyas who followed him where called as krupA

mAthra prasannAcharyar (“AsaiyudaiyOr kellAm AriyargAl koorum endru

pEsi varambharuththAr” He broke the previous practice of selecting

the shisya by testing his qualification and made the divine rahasyas

available to all interested disciples.) Again there is difference

among the krupa mAthra prasannacharyars those who left their

teachings in written format and those who stopped with just teaching.

Again among the works done by the acharyas more credit is given to

the

acharyas who did vyakhyanams to the Tamil prabhandams (nanjeeyer,

nampillai and others) and thereby clarifying the doubts that arise in

the Sanskrit vedas. Further credit is given to the acharyas who

further simplified and gave the essence of the Sanskrit and Tamil

vedas in the form of rahasya granthas (pillai lokacharya, vedantha

desikan). But then the ultimate greatness is only to swamy Manavala

mAmunikal who further simplified the difficult works of lokacharya

and did vyakhyanams to the rahasya granthams. That is why each day

we do mangalasasanams for swamy to live long (“Manavala mAmunigalE

ennum oru nootrAnduerrum”)

 

Today is also the avathara dhinam of the first of the mudal

Azhvars-poigaiAzhvar. This azhvar took avathara in kancheepuram.

The first thaniyan on top is poigaiyAzhvar’s thaniyan. He paved path

for all the Azhvars to follow him and make the srivaishnava world

cherish with their dear possession, the nalayira divya prabhandams.

Probably this is the reason why Devadhirajan chose the same day to

take avatharam as pillai ulagariyan to spread the message of the

vedas and the vedanthas in a short and sweet format as the “ashtAdasa

rahasyams”. The divine works of pillai ulagariyan are as follows:

 

Mumukshupadi

Tattvatrayam

Sri vachana bhooshanam

NavaratnamAlai

Artha panchakam

Navavidha sambhandam

sriya:pathi padi

yAdruchikapadi

parandhapadi

thani thirumanthram

Thani dvayam

Thani charamam

ArchirAdhi

pramEyasEkaram

TattvasEkaram

sArasangraham

nAlu vArthai

prapanna parithrAnam

 

Out of these Mumukshupadi deals with the three rahasyas a mumukshu

(one who desires to attain moksha) should know. The book is in the

form of aphorisms (sutras). The first sutra reads as follows:

“mumukshuvikku ariyavendum rahasyam moondru”.

 

The next book Tattvatrayam deals with the three tattvas accepted by

the vishistAdvaita philosophy- chit, achit and Ishwaran. Again this

book contains number of sutras in 3 different parts to explain the

three tattvas.

 

Sri vachana bhooshanam is the masterpiece. Swamy mAmunikal in his

upadesa ratina malai adorns this book as “Ar vachana bhooshanaththin

Azh porulellAm arivAr, Aradhu sol nEril anushtippAr, Or oruvar

vundAgil aththanai kAn ullamE, ellArkkum andAdhadhanrO adhu” Swamy

says that it is very difficult to really understand the inner

meanings of the sutras in Srivachana bhooshanam even if one

understands the meanings it is very difficult to bring it into

practice. If there is someone who can put it into practice then stop

the search to find another one like that since it is difficult for

everyone to even find one person who practices what is said in

srivachanabhooshanam.

 

“Arthapanchakam” explains the 5 essential things all srivaishnavas

should know about 1. Our own-self (jeevatma tattvam) 2. paramatma

tattvam 3. The way to attain him 4. The ultimate goal 5. the enemy

which has prevented us from attaining the goal till now. “

 

In NavaratnamAlai swamy ulagariyan gives nine great interpretations.

The way the saranagathan views 1. himself 2. the body, his first

enemy 3. the bodily relations 4. samsarees 5. other devathantharams

6. Srivaishnavas 7. Acharya 8. Piratti 9. Ishvaran.

 

PramEyasEkaram is a collection of what happens to a jeevatma from the first till he attains moksha.

 

SArasangaram shows how the 10 arthas conveyed by the dvaya mahamanthra

has been explained by nammazhvar in his thiruvaimozhi’s 10 decades

(each paththu gives a meaning)

 

Navavidha sambhandam is a book that gives the nine types of relationships we have with the lord.

 

“pithA cha rakshagas sEshi bhartha jnEyO ramApathi: I

svAmyAthArOmamAcha bhOkthA sAthya manoodhitha: II

 

ArchirAdhi is the work, which details the way in which jeevatma

proceeds in the archirAdhi mArgam before it attains paramapadam.

 

Prapanna parithrAnam shows how none other than emperuman can be our rakshakan (saviour) always.

 

Thanithirumanthram, Thanidvayam and Thanicharamam are works to explain

the importance of the three rahasyas in detail.

 

The ashtAdasa rahasyas of pillai lokacharya covers almost the whole

syllabus of an Srivaishnava student (a thorough study of these

rahasyas gives us the complete knowledge required). The vyakhyanams

of mAmunikal to these rahasya granthams is extraordinary. What else

can we expect from that great “vishadha vAk sigAmani”.

 

So on this auspicious day let us all pledge to possess all these

divine works and start reading (listening to upanyasams) to lift us

higher due to the divine grace of the acharya.

 

Sri Pillai lokacharyar thiruvadigalE sharanam

 

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

 

Adiyen rAmAnuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

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