LIFE SKETCH OF SRI NAMPILLAI - Part 1 by Sri U.Ve. Bhuvarahacharya Swamy

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Srimathe Ramanujaya 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....