Arthi Prabhandham-11 (Part-2)

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Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha |

Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha ||

 

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Due to perumal’s nirhetuka krupa we have got a good place to stay and spend our

time in a useful way till we live in this world. But what do the devotees eat

to sustain their body?

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Many people in this world live to eat. They are always worried about their body

and even when they meet others they only talk about eating and about different

varieties of food. But does the food we take in our body stay inside more than a

few hours? Whatever we eat is only to sustain this body in good health. So

devotees never consider eating alone as life. They are happy with what little

prasadam perumal grants them each day.

 

 

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But they do have a tonic, which keeps them healthier than a person who takes

care of his body day in and day out without anyother thought. What is the tonic

for the Srivaishnavas?

 

Sri maNava:La maha:muni says the tonic to us as, “MARAN KALAIYE VUNAVAGAP

PETTROM”. NammAzhvar considered Sri Krishna as food, water and everything.

“vunnum sOru, parugu neer, thinnum vettrilai ellAm kannan” One may interpret

this as, eat whatever you want and drink different type of drinks and enjoy and

consider all of them to be kannan. But that is not what which is behind the

minds of our saTakOpa. He never ate anything or drank anything. He just

meditated on kannan and thereby his hunger and thirst were quenched. Similarly

for we devotees of Krishna the divine work of nammAzhvar (the thiruvAimozhi) is

the food, the tonic to make us all healthy and involved in the divine kainkaryam

of God always with great enthusiasm.

 

 

Sri maNava:La maha:muni doesn’t just stop with advises but has put all his words

in actual practice. While defining a good acharya Sri maNava:La maha:muni says,

“an acharya is one who not only has the intelligence but also puts whatever he

says to practice. Sri maNava:La maha:muni is one such acharya who put

everything he said to practice. Here he says, the food for devotees is the work

of nammazhvar. Sri maNava:La maha:muni really lived almost his whole life in

doing kalashepams on the divine work, thiruvAimozhi and is praised as

ettuperukkar (one who spreads the Edu, the commentary on thiruvAimozhi by

vadakku thiruveedhi pillai). The love Sri maNava:La maha:muni had for nammAzhvAr

and his work is enormous and that is why even ranganatha wanted to hear the

commentaries on thiruvAimozhi from the mouth of yatheendra pravanar, Sri

maNava:La maha:muni.

 

Sri maNava:La maha:muni also wrote an excellent commentary to the divine sutras

of “Acharya hrudhayam” a book written by Sri Azhagiya manavala perumal nAyanar,

the younger brother of Sri pillai lOkAcharya. This book totally gives the

essence of the vEdam, the thiruvAimozhi and how it is to be considered as the

essence of sAma vEdam. All the divine arthas of thiruvAimozhi have been given

in the form of sutras by nAyanar in his divine work. Sri maNava:La maha:muni did

this vyakhyanam in a very old age. He was even unable to write at that time

still he didn’t stop this kainkaryam. While the shisyas asked why he was

troubling himself so much swamy replied, “This kainkaryam of mine will be useful

for the future generations to understand these difficult sutras. Kainkaryam is

part of all devotees which should continue in some form or the other till his

last breath”. Such was the dedication of swamy to the poorvAcharya works and in

the upliftment of we jeevatmas.

 

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Now that we have gained good strength after taking the tonic what should we do

next. Let us see what Sri maNava:La maha:muni says, in the next posting.

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(To Be Continued)

 

Jai Sriman Narayana

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasee, Sumithra Varadarajan