On Bhawath Ramanuja...

[Guest guest]

Sri:

Srimathe Ramanujaya nama:

 

Dear devotees,

Salutations to all. Once in a while writing a post on

Ramanuja and his successors is a good idea. It may not be in order!

 

Srirangam temple was the first SrivAiSNava shrine to

incorporate the Hymns of AzhvArs into its religious worship.

YAmunAchArya/ALavandAr and Ramanuja used to give regular discourses

on NAlAyira Divya Prabandham to an audience of devotees,a tradition

that continues to this day. This is open to all kinds of audience

including women,children and people from all varnas,

all ashramas.

 

The AchAryAs of Srirangam specialized in the interpretation of

the AzhvArs' hymns in oral discourse and written commentaries.

 

Once Ramanuja was meditating on some AzhvAr

pAsurams/hymns. When his disciple,Tirukurukai PirAn PiLLAn disclosed

it(what Ramanuja was thinking),Ramanuja was startled and immediately

embraced PiLLAn saying "you are NAthA's clan","you are my jnAna putra

(son of mind)". NAthA/Nathamuni was a predecessor of YAmunA(right now

don't want to introduce too many names).

 

"Why Ramanuja didn't write a commentary on NammAzhvAr's

TiruvAymozhi?". Sri MA Venkatakrishnan,in one upanyAsam gave the

reason.

 

"If I(Ramanuja) write a commentary on TiruvAymozhi,I will create an

impression among the people that this is the "final word" on it. Such

a thing should never happen to Divya Prabandham. Based on the

individuals taste,anubhava,love for the God,TiruvAymozhi's greatness

also will grow. So I appoint you,KurukEsA(PiLLan) to write a

commentary on TiruvAymozhi". So the first commentary(as YAmnuna

wished)was written by PiLLAn and it's called "Six

Thousand/ARAyirappadi". In paraphrasing NammAzhvAr,PiLLAn

uses "nirhEtuka" frequently and says only God's "grace" can effect

salvation.

 

Azhagiya MaNavALa PerumAL NAyanAr[AD 1207-1309],the

author of "AchArya Hrdayam" was very famous for his mastery of

NAlAyira Divya Prabandham,had a unique writing style,he interprets

and defends the importance of NammAzhvAr's thoughts and affirms the

spontaneity of Lord's Grace for salvation. AchArya Hrdayam is the

essence of the teachings contained in Idu/MuppaththARAyirappadi. The

author of Idu is Vadakku TiruvIdi PiLLai(father of the two brothers

PiLLai LOkAchArya and Azhagiya MaNvALa PerumAL NAyanAr)who was a

disciple of NampiLLai,and recorded his guru(nampiLLai)'s lectures on

TiruvAymozhi in Idu. NampiLLai's two great disciples are Vadakku

TiruvIdi PiLLai and Periya VAchchAn PiLLai.

 

BTW Ramanuja and NampiLLai said to have routinely used the touch of

non-brahmin bhAgavatAs for purifying their body as ritual[AchArya

Hrdayam 85]. So let's all enjoy AchArya Hrdayam by reading Sri

PadmanAbhan's posts on Lord's kalyANa guNAs as NammAzhvAr sees.

 

AzhvAr EmperumAnAr Jeeyar TiruvadigaLE saraNam

nappinnai