LIFE SKETCH OF SRI NAMPILLAI - PART 1 By Sri U.Ve. Bhuvarahacharya Swamy

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Srimathe Ramanuja:ya Namah:

This is Part 1 of a series of articles...

 

SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA

SRIMATHE BALADHANVI MAHAGURAVE NAMAHA

SRIMADVARAVARAMUNAYE NAMAHA

 

A LIFE SKETCH OF SRI NAMPILLAI - Part 1 (By Sri. U. VE. Bhuvarahacharya Swamy

M.A. Rtd.Prof. of Sanskrit, Alwar Thirunagari )

 

A unique and distinctive feature of our Sri Vaishnava Sampradayam is its

unbroken chain of successive great Azhwars and Acharyas. Sri Vedanta Desika in

his"Yathiraja Sapthathi" waxes eloquent as regards this uninterrupted appearance

(Avataram) of Acharyas and metaphorically compares it to a beautiful garland of

gems.

 

A MUNA TAPANATI SAYEE BHUMNA .

YATHIRAJENA NIBADHA NAYAKASRI I

MAHATI GURUPANKTI HARA YASHTIHI

VIBHUDHANAAM HRIDAYANGAMA VIBHATI II

 

 

In this stanza he compares our Acharya Parampara to a garland of gems for which

the central sapphire is Sri Ramanujar. The diamond chain embellishes only the

body where as this Acharya Paramparam adorns the soul.

 

Many of us , nowadays are not aware of the Guruparampara (succession of

Acharyas). Hence I give their order of appearance.

 

1. Periya Perumal. (Lord Sri Ranganatha, the presiding deity reclining on the

serpant bed at Srirangam)

 

2. His consort Sri Ranga Nachiyar

 

3. Senani (Sri Vishwaksenar The chief commander of all beings)

 

4. Nammazhwar

 

5. Nathamunikal

 

6. Uyyakondar (Pundarikaksha)

 

7. Manakkal Nambi (Sri Rama Misrar)

 

8. Alavandar (Sri Yamuna chariyar)

 

9. Periya Nambigal (Sri Parankusa Daasar)

 

10. Emberumaanar (Sri Ramanujar)

 

11. Embar

 

12. Sri Parashara Bhattar

 

13. Sri Nanjeeyar

 

14. Sri Nampillai

 

15. Vadakku Thiruveedhi Pillai

 

16. Sri Pillailokacharyar

 

17. Thiruvazhmozhi Pillai

 

18. Manavala Mamunigal

 

 

Of these 18 Acharyas, the fourteenth one is Swamy Nampillai. An attempt is made

to sketch the biography of this great stalwart following the Guruparampara

Prabhavam Text written by Swamy Nampillai's earnest and deeply devoted disciple

Sri Pinbazhahiyaram Perumal Jeeyar (Pinbazhahiyaram Perumal is the name of Lord

Ranganatha namely, Periya Perumal as his back view is more fascinating than the

front view).

 

During the period of our Acharyas, Srirangam was the capital of our Srivaishnava

Kingdom. All our Acharyas though born at different places finally came to live

at Srirangam to propagate our sampradayam. Under their leadership Srivaishnava

sampradayam spread far and wide and was at its zenith.

 

Nanjeeyar ascended the throne of Acharyas after Sri Parashara Bhattar. Though at

Karnataka, he was vanquished by Sri Parashara Bhattar at the wordy duel (Vaada

sadas), he became a devoted disciple of Sri Parashara Bhattar & learnt Nalayira

Divya Prabhandam etc at his holy feet. After his arrival at Srirangam to live in

the company of Sri Bhattar he renounced all worldly pleasures and became a

recluse (Sanyasi). He was affectionately called by Bhattar as "Nam Jeeyar"(Our

Sanyasi). [His] Acharya's blessing was mainly responsible for his writing the

superb commentary on Tiruvazhmozhi which is called " Ombadinaayirapadi"

 

In those days our Acharyas used to write the commentary on palm leaves. After

completing the writing Sri Nanjeeyar desired to preserve it for the posterity.

He wished to have a scribe who is highly skilled in writing it on palm leaves

legibly and neatly. His close attendants who were always with him drinking his

nectarine discourses told him that there was a gentleman by name Nambur

Varadarajan (Nambur is the name of a village on the southern bank of Cauvery

river at Trichy. Now the village has vanished, eroded by Cauvery flood waters)

who used to attend Swamy Nanjeeyar's Kalakshepam regularly.

 

"He has very good handwriting" � they said. Nanjeeyar lost no time in inviting

Sri Varadarajan and ordering him to write a shloka on a palm leaf so that he

might check out his good handwriting. Observing the neat performance of Sri

Varadarajan, Nanjeeyar became highly pleased and he read out the commentary on

holy stanzas of Thiruvazhmohi and wherever it was necessary he also explained it

to him so that he might write the commentary without any mistake as he is posted

with clear cut meanings of the commentary.

 

At the bidding of the Acharya, the disciple took the manuscript with great

reverence and departed to his village from where he could write the commentary

with great concentration and relaxation. He had to cross the river Cauvery on

the way. In the midst of the river there was a place which he had to cross by

swimming. As the manuscript was very holy and respectable he fastened it to the

turban on his head but as ill luck would have it a strong wave of the river

dashed his turban and carried away the manuscript. All his attempts to retrieve

it were in vain. Highly dejected he swam across the river and reached the shore.

Somehow he calmed himself and thinking of the holy feet of his Acharya, Sri

Nanjeeyar, he recapitulated the entire commentary as read out to him by his

Acharya. As he was highly shrewd and adept in Tamil language and literature, he

wrote the commentary from his memory and added in some places highly relevant

parallel ideas etc from Tamil literature and thereby enriched the commentary,

the 9000 padi. (Padi means 32 syllables, 9000 padi means the commentary

contained 9000 X 32 syllables; Padi equals a measure).

 

After completing it without loss of time, Sri Varadaraja submitted the

manuscript reverently for the perusal, comments and corrections of his Acharya.

The Acharya went through that carefully and was able to observe in some places

magnificient and highly suited meanings for the words and sentences of

Thiruvazhmozhi which he failed to make. Though he was highly pleased with the

commentary he wished to know what transpired after handing his commentary over

to his disciple. So he asked Sri Varadarajan � "Why this addition?"

 

Sri Varadarajan was damn afraid to narrate the unfortunate incident but being

encouraged by his revered teacher he told the truth.

 

The Guru was struck with wonder at the amazing, sharp and retentive memory power

of his pupil and praised him to the skies. He embraced him and declared -"He is

my dear child � NAMPILLAI". Therefore his original name Nambur Varadarajan has

become something unheard of. The Acharya abhimana � the soul means of

salvation � we can understand from this episode.

 

>From that day onwards, Sri Nanjeeyar kept his dearest disciple under his

benevolent care and without allowing any lapse of time he taught him all the

secret doctrines of Sri Vaishnavism and Visishta Advaita philosophy with all the

Rahasya Granthas and made him a full fledged scholar.

 

He also named him "Thirukalikanri Daasar". Kalikanri is the name of Thirumangai

Azhwar. Nampillai was also born on the same day i.e as that of Thirumangai

Azhwar. (i.e Karthika month and Kritthika nakshatram). Therefore Nampillai is

looked upon as the incarnation of Thirumangai Azhwar by our Acharyas, for which,

a very aesthetic explanation is also given by them. Thirumangai Azhwar is known

for his deep-rooted love towards Archa Avatara. Hence in the course of his

ramblings to all Archa Avatara temples, he once reached Thirukkanna Mangai. He

sang in praise of Lord Krishna there. Lord Krishna, the presiding deity became

highly pleased by the sweet divine songs of the Azhwar, expressed his desire to

learn the Divya Prabhandam. Sri Kaliyan told Him � "Vensangam onru yendiya

kanna, Nin thanakku thanakkum kurippakil karkalam kaviyin porul thane" (Oh

Krishna! wielding white conch, if you are so very particular about learning the

Divya prabhandam, you may do so. But in this state of your Archa Avatara it is

possible for you to learn only the meaning of the text). Sri Krishna understood

the implied sense of this statement. In the state of Archa Avatara idol, He can

grasp only the meaning of the stanzas. If He has to learn and understand both

the text and its inner meaning in its depth, He should be born in this world and

learn it under the guidance of a superb master. So Sri Krishna was born as Sri

Periyavachan Pillai on a Sri Jayanti day and becoming the pupil of Sri

Nampillai, studied all the 4000 hymns along with Vedavedantam, Ithihasa Purana

etc along with their commentaries from Sri Nampillai � who was born on the

birthday of Sri Thirumangai Azhwar.

 

TO BE CONTINUED....