Embaar Thirunakshathram - Thai Punarvasu- Feb 4th

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Sri:

SrImathE rAmAnujAya namah:

 

Dearest BhAgawathAs,

 

Today is Embaar Thirunakshathram, Thai maasam,

Punarvasu nakshathram.

He was a cousin of Sri Ramanujar.

 

His name was Govinda. He studied under Yadava prakasa

along with Ramanuja. It is he who rescued Ramanuja

from the plot- the Guru Yadavaprakasa hatched to kill

Ramanuja. Subsequently, as he

was taking bath in a river, a Sivalinga (an icon in

the phallic form of Siva) mysteriously landed on his

palm. He became a Saivite for a while and stayed at

kaaLahasthi praying and offering puja to that lingam…

 

Yadhavava Prakashar and the disciples return after the

Kashi pilgrimage and are shocked to see Ramanujar

still alive in the temple.]

 

Ramanujar without disclosing anything said that he

felt good to see him again. And enquired as to where

his cousin Govindan was .

 

Yadhava Prakasha replied not to worry. He is fine. He

found a lingam in Kashi. On seeing that he has

converted himself to Saivism. He has settled in

kaaLahaSthi, under the name of "uLLangai koNarndha

naayanaar"..

 

Later… on after Ramanuja was gaining more pupularoty

with increasing number of sishyas, he requested his

acharya –cum – maternal uncle, Tirumalai Nambi to

bring back the great devotee and the intelligent Boy

Govindha, who is also his another nephew as he is

stuck to Devathaantharam.. (a devotee of demi god).

 

Thirumalai nambhi along with his disciples went to

KaaLahasthi the sivasthalam and started delivering

upanyasams (discourses) next to where Govindha was

offering his prayers by pffering flowers to the Siva

linga. He started with the great epic Ramayana on

which Swamy Thirumalai Nambhi was quite well versed

(as Ramanuja himself had learnt Ramayana esoteric

concepts from Thirumalai Nambhi). No luck…

 

Then he started with Srimath Bhagawatham and then

continued on Gitaa.. Nothing helped.

 

Later on he commenced ShrI SaTakOpa’s Tamil Veda-

Thiruvaaymozhi.. Already Govindha was getting

transformed but did not give up… When the ThiNNan

veedu ten was started, there is a pAsuram, which says:

 

dhEvum epporuLum padaikkap poovil naanmukhanaip

padiaattha

 

EMPERUMAANUKKALLAAL POOVUM POOSANAIYUM THAGUME?

 

A wonderful pAsuram! The One who created everything –

including all demi gods and all beings, sentient,

non-sentient- is Chathurmukha BrahmA (he is the one

who created even Sivan); and it is the Lord Sriya:

Pathi Sriman Narayanan – the Primordial Chief who as

the indweller enabled BrahmA to do so… Eseentially it

is VishNu who does it all..

That Chauthur mukha BrahmA is created on the lotus

flower from the Divine Navel of EmperumAn Sriman

Narayanan- Jagath Rakshakan; Sarva Swamin; akila

jagath swAmin… and the AzhwAr asks: The flowers and

Prayers (ArAdhanam)- can they be meant for someone

else? (They are meant only for Him- the Only One-

Unparalleled!)

 

Govindhar jumped down (as he was collecting flowers

for the linga pooja), “thagaathu; thagaathu.. – CAN

NOT….

 

He fell down at the feet of Thirumalai Nambhi… with

tears rolling down his cheeks and cried for saving him

to chenage him to be a Vaishnavite…

Rest is History.

 

Embaar was first very much attached to Thirumalai

Nambhi (also his uncle) who brought him back on the

"right" track i.e. Srivaishnavam, and later became

glued to YathirAjar, when he was asked by Ramanujar

from Thirumalai Nambhi.

 

Embaar's description of Ramanujar's Divinely Beautiful

ThirumEni is

excellent.

 

parppOm enatthigazh pai~nkazhal unRan pallavamE

viralum/ paavanamAgiya

painthuvaraadai pathintha marunkazhagum/ muppuri

noolodu munkail yEndhiya

mukkOlthan azhagum/ munnavar tandhidum mozhikaL

niRaindhidu muruval

nilAvazhahum/ kaRpagamE vizhi karunai pozhindhidum

kamalkkaNN azhagum/

kaarisuthan kazhalsoodiya mudiyum kana naRRsihai

mudiyum/ yeppozhudhum

ethiraaJan vadivazhaghu yen idhayatthuL uLLathaal/

illai enakku edhir; illai

enakku edhir; illai enakku edhirE!"

 

Embar's enjoyment of seeing Sri Ramanujacharya's lotus

feet , tender

fingers reminding one of the creepers, sacred safforn

robe, most auspicious pooNool, thridandam , His

enchanting smile laden with dayA , large dark eyes

reminiscent of wish yielding kaRpaka maram (tree), the

kudumi (sikhA) formed by abundant tresses is simply

beautiful . EmbAr declares that there is no one

equal to him; since YathirAjan's Divine Beauty lingers

in his heart.

 

Illai enakkedhir; illai enakkedhir - declares Embaar.

 

Illai namakkedhir, with such great AchAryAs like Sri

Bhashyakaarar

 

EmbAr is the AchArya of the greatest Sri Parasara

Bhattar. (son of KooratthAzhwAn). When Ramanujacharya

asked Embaar to bring the baby Parasarar (son of

KooratthAzhwAn) for naming the baby, Embar brought the

baby and by way of protection, he was muttering Dvaya

Mantram. in the infant's ears. When Ramanuja enquired

as to how the baby showed off an unusual brilliance

and the baby smelt Dwaya vaadai, Embar narrated what

he did on the way. Since he had done this, Ramanuja

asked Embar to be the AchArya for the baby. Rest is

of course history on Paraasara Bhattar's glory.

[Reference: Sri Anbil Ramaswamy's Acharya vamsa

vruksham and

Sri VS Karunakaran Swamy's article in Tamil]

 

Sri Bhagavath Ramanujar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

 

Regards

namo Narayana

dAsan

 

 

 

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