krishnapAdasya soonavE!!!

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Jai Srimannarayana!

 

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha | Sri Vara Vara munayE Namaha | Sri Vanachala mahA

munayE Namaha

 

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

suggests that he is an acharya to the world 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. Again among the acharyas there is a vast difference

between the acharyas before Sri Ramanujacharya and those who followed him. The

acharyas before Acharya SriRamanuja were called as anuvriththi prasannAcharyar

(those who selected their shisyas according to qualifications only). But Swami

Ramanujacharya and the acharyas who followed him were called as krupA mAthra

prasannAcharyar. 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 (nanjeeyer, nampillai and

others) and thereby clarifying the doubts that arise in the vedas. Further

credit is given to the acharyas who further simplified and gave the essence of

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

But then the ultimate greatness is only to swamy Manavala maha:muni 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.

 

 

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. 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: |

svAmyAthArOmamAcha bhOkthA sAthya manoodhitha: ||

 

 

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 Manava:la maha:muni to these

rahasya granthams is extraordinary. What else can we expect from that great

“vishadha vAk sikAmani”.

 

 

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

 

Jai Srimannarayana!

Adiyen rAmAnuja dAsee, Sumithra Varadarajan