WHAT A GREAT WEEK!!! (Part-1)

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha

Sri VanAchala mahA munayE Namaha

 

SrisailEsa dayA pAthram deebhakthyAdhi gunArnavam

Yateendra pravanam vandhE ramya jAmataram munim

 

Dear Bhagavats,

 

This month is an excellent month. We have celebrated deepavali, and then the

thirunakshatram of various alwars and acharyas (Senai mudaliyar/vishvaksEnar,

poigai Alwar, bhoodhaththAzhvar, pEyAzhvar, thirumangai Alwar, thiruppAnAzhvar,

Pillai lOkAcharyar and Swamy manavala mAmunigal) and then kArthigai deepam is

yet to come. The most important Ekadasi for Srivaishnavas, the kaisika ekAsasi

is also right round the corner. Great! A month filled with celebrations,

enjoyment and important occasions.

 

In this month this week is an excellent week. In his upadesa ratnamAlai,

mAmunigal says, “Iypasiyil Onam, avittam sadhayam evai oppilavA nAtkal

ulagaththeer eppuviyum pEsu pugazh poigaiyAr bhoodhaththAr pEyAzhvAr thOndru

sirappAl”. On Monday we celebrated the divine thirunakshatram, iyapasiyil Onam

of Sri Poigai Alwar. Actually our poorvAcharyas classify the important stars in

three ways.

 

1. Those stars which have been blessed due to the birth of Perumal/Alwars alone.

2. Those stars which have been blessed due to the birth of Acharyas alone.

3. Those stars which have been blessed due to the birth of bhagavan, alwars and

acharyas. These stars are named as “mupuriootiya nakshatrangal”

 

Among the mupuriootiya nakshatrangal blessed with the divinity due to the birth

of perumal, alwars and acharyas first stands the thirunakshatram, ThiruvOnam.

As everyone knows this is the thirunakshatram of Thiruvikraman, this is the

thirunakshatram of thiruvEngadamudaiyan and also venkata Krishnan. ThiruvOnam

is the birth star of Poigai Alwar (the first alwar even among the mudal alwars,

whose avataram is considered the auspicious start for the other alwars to

follow). And ofcourse the star thiruvOnam has given us two great Acharyas,

considered as the stalwarts in our sampradayam. The two acharyas were, pillai

ulagAriyan and vEdAntAchAriyar. Both of them lived in the same period of time

and one was an acharya to the world and other the acharya to vedantha.

 

The thirunakshatram of Pillai lOkAcharya, the eldest son of Vadakku thiruveedhi

pillai and the elder brother of Azhagiya manavala perumal nAyanar is celebrated

on Iyapasi thiruvOnam. We all enjoy the divine beauty of ranganatha and his

utsavams today. Without Pillai lOkAcharya we would have lost ranganatha forever

and Srirangam would have lost all his glory and would have remained a barren

land today. During the muslim invasion, not considering his old age Sri

PillailOkAcharya carried the divine vigraham of Lord Ranganatha, namperumal and

ran to protect the lord. Many Srivaishnavas, without the thought of family and

wealth ran behind pillai lokacharya, with the sole aim of protecting namperumal

from the clutches of the muslim invaders. Due to the strain of running for

rescue and his age pillai lokacharya attained paramapadam on the way and

instructed his shisyas to save perumal with the help of thiruvAimozhi pillai.

This great acharya truly followed the ramanuja siddhAntham and never considered

any difference in birth between his shisyas. His prime disciple was

villanchOlai pillai who was a nonbrahmin by birth. Sri Pillai lokacharya

clearly states in his works that the birth of a bhagavathan never matters to

share bhagavat vishayam with him and he put the same in practice.

 

Even if we are not fully able to act according to the words of that great

acharya it is a duty of each and every srivaishnava to atleast go through his

divine works and pay our due respects to the divine acharya on his

thirunakshatram and always. Sri Manavala mAmunigal says, “Ar seer

vachanabhoodanaththin Azhporul ellAm arivAr Aradhu nEril anushtippAr Or oruvar

vundAgil aththanai kAn ullamE ellArkkum andAdha thandrO adhu” (Who will know the

indepth of Srivachanabhooshanam in full and even if one knows that who is there

is practice it even if you find one then think that is it since it cannot be

attained by all.) Then why should we learn it at all? “dEsikarpAl kEtta

sezhumporulai sindhaithannil mAsaravE yundra mananam seidhu Asarikka vallArgal

thAm vasanabhoodhanaththin vAn porulai kallAdhadhennO kavarindhu?” (How can one

who listens to the divine meanings given by his acharya and tries to act

accordingly not be attracted by the divine sutras of the Srivachana bhooshanam

and learn the divine meanings?).

 

Though a little late, adiyen couldn’t stop without writing about the great

acharya. This is just a little drop from the ocean about the revered acharya

and his work, written to just make adiyen purified on thinking about the great

genius. Will continue about the other heros of this week, the mudal azhvars in

the next posting.

 

Alwar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

Adiyen Ramanuja DAsee,

Sumithra Varadarajan