Sri Nadadhoor AmmAL Thirunakshathram - Chithrai Chithrai

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SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya namah:

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

 

Today is the Thirunakshathrams of Sri Varada Vishnu acharya also called as

Nadaadhoor ammAL and of Sri Madhurakavi AzhwAr. Both appeared in Chitthirai

Chithrai..

 

Let us pay our obeisance to Acharya and AzhwAr.

This post is on NadAdhoor ammAL’s glory and greatness and the next one will

be on Madhurakavi AzhwAr’s glories.

 

ChaithrE chithrOdhbhavam kAnchyAm dEvarAjagurO: sutham: |

subadhrAmsam gurUtthamsam vAthsyam varadamAsrayE ||

 

VARADA VISHNU AACHAARYA - NADAADOOR AmmAL- was born in the month Chitrai in

Chitra Nakshatram in the year 1165 C.E. He lived for 110 years and attained

Acharya Thiruvadi in 1275 C.E.. He was also known as Sudarsanar. He was an

amsam of SubadhrA.. He belonged to Srivatsa Gotram. He also assisted the

master in documenting the Sri Bhashya and acted as a scribe for Sri

Bhashyam along with Kooratha Azhwaan. His father was SrI Devarajap Perumaal

and his grandfather was Nadadoor Aazhwaan. He was a Sribhashya Simhaasana

Adhipathi. It is he who installed the Archa Vigraha of Emperumaanaar at

Kaanchi. His own Archa Vigraham is at Tiruvellarai

He wrote 19 granthas which include : PRAPANNA PAARIJAATHAM, Sloka Dvayam,

Paratvaadhi Panchaka Sthuthi, Tattva Nirnayam, Tattva Saaram, Saamaanya

Adhikarana Vaadham, Yathilinga Samarthanam, Hethiraja Sthavam, Prameya

maala, Sri bhashya Sangraham, and Aahnika Choodaamani (which is not extant)

(Authority: Payyampadi Setlur Srivatsaankaachaaryars Preface to the

Commentary on Prapanna Paarijatham by Abhinava Desika Uttamur Swami.)

 

He was the master of Kidambi Appullaar who learned the Sastras at his feet

while he was delivering Kalakshepam on the Eastern side of Perarulalan

Sannidhi in Kanchipuram. Like a mother who feeds her child, he offered to

Lord Varadaraja hot milk ( neither too hot nor too cold) but just hot enough

to drink. Therefore, the Lord was pleased to exclaim "Oh ! en ammAvO neer?

So kind and caring, loving.. Are you my mother? ". That is how he came to be

known as Nadadoor Ammaal.

After NarakAsura Vadham , Lord KrishNA went to DevEndran’s house and

returned the ear-rings of Adithi, the mother of IndrA . Narakaasuran had

stolen them. SathyabhAma, who had accompanied and assisted her Lord in the

battle with Narakaasura desired to have the divine PaaruijAtha tree

flourishing in the garden of Indra . Lord KrishNA uprooted that tree to

please His consort and had it transported to DwarakA on

the back of GarudA . That PaarijAtha tree was transplanted at the garden of

Lord KrishNA at His city and the honey bees of Vaikuntam ( prapannAs )

shifted their residence to Dwaraka to enjoy the fragrance

of the flowers of the PaaijAthA tree and its nectar , which became even more

sweeter because of their proximity to the Lord Himself .

 

This is an appropriate occasion to remember the Bhaktha ParipAlanam and

Dhushta Nigraham of the Lord as the Prapanna Paarijaatha Vruksham

blessing us all with His auspicious boons. It is the Lord – most merciful

who blesses us with SadhAchAryas till date (and will continue to do so).

 

Nadadhur AmmAL himself has given the name Prapanna pArijAtham to his great

work on Prapatti as it grants the jeevan (when read and understood at the

feet of a SadAchArya) the path and means to get all that He aspires for

Absolute Bliss – and enjoy Kaimkarya at the lotus feet of the Lord.

 

Prapannas, those who have adopted the path of Saranagathi, surrender of the

self, the means and the goal to the Lord. The acharya himself in the last

sloka says that this work is calculated to confer desired ends on the true

and pure ones from all sins.

 

The work contains ten paddhathis or chapters. After six slokas, which

constitutes the Introductory portion, the following topics are handled in

the ten chapters:

1. Pramaana, the authorities in scriptures for prapatthi as an independent

upAya (means)

2. Swarupa, the nature of pratthi

3. Adhikari, - those who are qualified to take to prapatthi,

4. Guru upAsana- Propitiating the Acharya

5. Bhagawath Paricharya – Worshipping (serving to) God

6. Bhagawath Parijana Upasana- Propitiation to attendants of God;

7. Sad- UpAsana- Propitiating the true and righteous;

8. Vihithavyavasthana- Copulsory observance of rules prescribed by SaasthrAs

9. Varajaneeya- things that have to be scrupulously avoided and given up

10.Phalodaya- the dawn of the fruit

 

Almost every idea /expression given by Acharya Nadadhur AmmAL, in this work

is supported by eminent and ancient authority, and that is made clear at

every step by incorporating the quotations from those texts in the work

straightaway. A close study of this work will convince every reader that

this great treatise is really the forerunner of Swamy Desikan’s Srimad

Rahasyathraya saram whose Praachaarya is NadAdhUr ammAL (Sri Vaatsya

Varadaguru) as Alavandhaar’s Siddhithrayam to Sri Ramanuja’s Sri Bhashyam

(Alavandhaar too was Praachaarya of Sri Ramanuja)

 

Swmai’s thaniyan reads as:

 

VandhEham VaradhAryam tham

vathsAbhijana BhUshaNam I

BhAshyAmrutha pradhAnAth

ya: sanjeevayathi maamapi II

References:

1. Thirukkudanthai Desikan Thirunakshathra malar (in Tamil) released by

Srimad Poundarikapuram Andavan Ashramam

2. Prapanna parijatham- Commentary in Tamil written by Sri UtthamUr Swamy.

3. Acharya Vamsa vruksham- Written in English by Sri Anbil Ramaswamy Swamy

AchAryan thiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dAsan

 

 

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