Acharya Utsavam in Thiruvallikeni

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

 

Pranams,

 

As per Lord Parthasarathi's wish I now conclude my

anubhavams about Sri Parthasarathi Brahmotsavam. Let

us now enjoy the excellent Utsavam of one of the

incarnation of Sri Parthasarathi himself "Sri Acharya

Ramanuja". It is right time now, tomorrow being the

Thirunakshatram of the great Acharya to talk and

remember his excellence.

 

Before going to the subject of the Acharya Utsavam let

us bring to memory some important facts about the

acharya which make him our pradamacharya. Our Acharya

parampara actually starts with Sriman Narayana, then

comes the Piratti followed by Vishvakshenar and

Nammazhvar. After Sri Sadagopan, Nadamunigal leads

the acharya list. Then why do we regard Sri Ramanuja

to be our pradamacharya? It is the wish of the

Bhagavan. There is one I-thihyam in the guru parampara

that when Madurakavi Azhvar tried to make the vigraham

of Nammazhvar using the Tamaraparani river water he

found that the vigraham which came out was not of his

acharya but someone else. When he asked his

acharya(sri nammazhvar) about it, Nammazhvar told him

that it was the vigraham of the

Bhavishyadhacharyan(Sri Ramanujan) about whom he has

said in his `Poliga Poliga' Pasuram. This vigraham

passed on through the guru parampara and today we can

have darshan of the same in Alwar Thirunagari.

Nammazhvar visits this sannadhi once during the

Vaikasi Utsavam and has Thirumanjanam with the

Bhavishyadhacharyan. So it is accepted fact that even

Sri Sadagopan accepted Sri Ramanuja as a great

Acharya who has taken birth to remove the sins of the

kali yuga as he says `Kaliyum kedum kandu konmin'.

 

There is one saying in our sampradhayam that all the

acharyas before Sri Ramanuja attained Emperuman's feet

by the head of the acharya and those after him by his

feet. In our guru parampara all acharyas before Sri

Ethirajar are called as `Anuvritti prasannacharyas'.

That is they gave the excellent meanings in our

sampradhayam to the shisyas only after checking if the

sishya is really capable. Even Acharya Ramanuja had

to go 18 times from Srirangam to Thirukottiyur to get

the great Rahasya Arthas from Sri Thirukottiyur Nambi.

And he instructed Sri Ramanuja not to let out the

meanings to anyone.

 

But Sri Ramanuja due to his krupai, Stood on top of

the Thirukottiyur Gopuram and let out the Thirumantram

to all who were interested. That is why Sri Manavala

Mamunigal in his UpadesaRatnamalai says "Asai

Vudayorkku Ellam Ariyarkal Koorumendru Pesi

Varambaruthan Pin"(Sri Ramanuja broke the earlier

restrictions for a disciple and gave the meanings to

who were all interested in it). And so all the

acharyas who came after Sri Ramanuja are called

"Krupa Mathra Prasannacharyas". They don't expect our

eligibility to give the divine meanings. So in

Ramanuja Sampradhayam `interest in Bhagavat Vishayam'

is only the eligibility for an disciple to get the

meanings from his acharya. When we say Ramanuja

Sampradayam it doesn't mean that Vishistadvaitam was

invented or created by Sri Ramanuja. It is actually a

Vaidika Madam, which Sri Ramanuja brought to light.

 

Sri Ramanuja was a born intellect. He gave Arthas to

the vedic verses even when he was a student. You may

ask me then why did he learn things from a guru or

from 5 gurus. This can be explained by the verses of

Sri Periya Nambi/Sri Thirukottiyur Nambi to Sri

Thirumalai Andan. He says don't think Ramanuja to be

your disciple but think him like Sri Ramar to

Vashister and Sri Krishnar to Sandeepini. Though Sri

Ramar and Sri krishnar where the god himself they did

do their gurukulavasam under the respective gurus.

Similarly Sri Ramanuja learnt the sastras and

sampradhaya grantas from 5 disciples of Sri Alavandar.

 

There is one more interesting story which highlights

the fame of Acharya. When Sri Ramanuja went to have

the darshan of the Thirukurungudi Nambi, Nambi asked

him, how he has so my disciples for his credit and how

he is able to change the samsaris to Bhagavatals so

easily when he himself couldn't succeed inspite of

taking so many avataras and also giving the Bhagavat

Geetha. Acharya then replied that it was a great

secret and if Nambi really wanted to know he has to

give Sri Ramanuja the Acharya padavi and Nambi has to

become his disciple. So the lord Sri Thirukkurungudi

Nambi sat under the Acharya Sri Ramanuja and

requested him to give the secret and Acharya told the

Thirumandram in the ears of Nambi and declared that

only by the greatness of this Mantra, he was able to

change the people to Bhagavatals. It is usual that no

one accepts the greatness of a person if he talks

about him himself, but if someone else says that he

is great then the others also believe him to be great.

The Bhagavan showed himself and said `Mam Ekam

Charanam Vraja' but the Acharya showed the divine

feet of the Emperuman and said fall in his feet and

the people seeing the greatness of Acharya believed

his words and fell under the feet of Sriman Narayana.

Tha Acharya sannadhi in Thirukkurungudi where he

became the acharya of Nambi himself is really superb.

We feel asif the acharya is live in front of us when

we see the beautiful moolavar there. Though the

sannadhi is little away from the main temple, it is a

sannadhi which any Ramanuja Dasan should visit.

 

Till now I just recollected a few things to remind us

the greatness of our Acharya. There are a lot more

instances which I have left out. As you all know our

Acharya was born in Sri Perumbudur. Let me first

tell you his avatara Rahasyam . He is supposed to be

an adishesha avatara who came to earth to lift us all

to the divine feet of the Emperuman. There is one

more thing said in the life history of Sri Ramanuja.

When I tell you that, you all will understand the

importance of Ramanuja Utsavam in Thiruvallikeni.

Acharyan's parents Sri Kesava somayajulu and Sri

Gandhimati Ammal didn't have a child for long. So

they did a yagam in Thiruvallikeni after taking bath

in the Kairavini Pushkarini. That night Sri

Parthasarathi came in the dreams of Sri Keshava Sharma

and told him that he himself will be born as a child

to them. The couples were very happy. As per the

word of Bhagavan Sri Ramanuja was born to the couples.

He was named Elaiyazhvar. So Sri Ramanujar is

considered as an incarnation of Thiruvallikeni Sri

Parthasarathi Perumal. So in Thiruvallikeni Acharya

Utsavam is celebrated in a grand manner for 10 days.

Usually in Thiruvallikeni no alwar or acharya has a

separate veedhi Purppadu. They go in front of Perumal

facing the Perumal with folded hands. But since

Ramanuja is considered as the incarnation of Sri

Parthasarathi he has a separate purappadu. Sri

Ramanuja never goes in front of Parthasarathi perumal

but instead he goes side by side with him. These are

the specialities found only in Thiruvallikeni.

 

All the ten days Acharya goes round the temple and

does Mangalasasanams to all the deities in various

sannadhis. When the acharya starts from his sannadhi

the ghosti starts reciting the `Dhadee Panchakam'

(sloka about the acharya composed by Sri Koorathazhvan

and others), then they continue with first few

strotras in Sri Alavandar's Strotra Ratnam and then

finally Sri manavala Mamunigal's Yathiraja Vimsati and

complete it in front of the Thayar Sannadhi. It is

really great to enjoy the acharya amidst the sound of

Yathiraja Vimsathi lingering in the air. He marches

forward hearing the strotra of his disciple Sri

Manavala Mamunigal(Considered to be rebirth of Sri

Ramanuja). The Acharya starts his Mangalasasanam from

the Vedavalli thayar sannadhi, he gets the blessings

of the thayar and then proceed to the Varadhar

Sannadhi(We should remember here that in Gadya Trayam

also the Acharya starts only with his salutations to

the Thayar and he did Theertha Kainkaryam to Kanchi

Varadhar for many years before he went to Srirangam).

 

 

Then the Acharya proceeds to the Thirumazhisai Alwar

sannadhi and gets the blessings of the Alwar. Then he

goes to the Azhagiya singar sannadhi and then to meet

his beloved sister Sri Andal who regarded Ramanuja as

her brother and called him as `Nam Koil Annan'. From

there Sri Ramanuja gets the Blessings of his

pradamacharya Sri Alavandar( Ramanuja considered

himself as Ekalavya for Sri Alavandar). Then

finishing his mangalasasanam to Sri Parthasarathi he

goes to get the blessings of Sri Nammazhvar. We all

know that the padugai of Nammazhvar is called as

`Ramanujan' except in Alwar Thirunagari where it is

called as `Madura Kavi' (in rememberence of Sri

MaduraKavi Alwar, the great disciple of Sri

Nammazhvar).

 

Thiruvarangathu Amudhanar in his Ramanuja

Nootrandhadhi says,

"Poomannu maadhu porindhiya maarbhan

Pogazh malinda paamannu maaran adipaninduidhavan

 

Palgalaiyor tham manna vandha eramanujan Charanavindham

nam manni vazha

Nenje solluvom avan Namaggale"

Here Amudhanar explains that Sri Nammazhvar has

glorified the fame of Sriman Narayana and Sri Ramanuja

followed the footsteps of Nammazhvar and for us to

live, oh my mind! let us tell the names of Sri

Ramanuja.

 

After getting the blessings from Nammazhvar acharya

gets into the vahanam and gets ready for the Veedhi

Purappadu.

 

Every afternoon Thirumanjanam to Acharya is done and

the kattiyam delivered before the Thirumanjanam is

again excellent. Nalayira ghosti is there these ten

days and on the tenth day satrumarai is done. On the

Thirunakshatram of Acharya special thirumanjanam is

done for him along with Sri Parthasarathi Emperuman,

and in the evening acharya rides in the small

chariot(Chinna ThEr) and after returning back

Satrumarai is done.

 

After the ten day Acharya Utsavam Vidhayarthi is done

for 3 days. On the final day of the Vidhayarthi

Acharya comes in Veedhi purappadu. This year the

Vidhayarthi Utsavam ends on the day of Rama Navami so

Acharya will be accompanied by Sri Ramar. Lucky once

are those who are going to have the darshan of Sri

Ramar and Sri Ramanujar in the Thiru veedhis of

Thiruvallikeni.

 

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan