Construction of vanamamalai mutt-Kainkaryam at Thirumalai (Part-5)

[Guest guest]

Sri Parthasarathi thunai

 

Srimathe ramanujaya Namaha

 

Sri Vara Vara munayE Namaha

 

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

 

 

 

Nammazhvar did sharanagathi totally in 5 padhigams, under the divine feet of vanamamalai deivanayakan ("nORRa nOnbilEn"), thirukkudandhai Aravamudan ("ArA amudhE adiyEn vudalam"), thiruvallavAi nArAyanan ("mAnEy nOkku"), vibhavaAvatara krishnan ("pirandha vAraum") and finally under the divine feet of thiruvEnkatamudaiyan ("vulagamunda peruvAyA"). Immediately one doubt may arise in all our minds; is sharanagathi not done only once? Can it be done more than one time?

 

 

 

Sharanagathi is done only once. Sri Rama piran himself says "sakrudeva prapannAya". Swamy Nammazhvar gave the essence of sharanagathi in four padhigams but the actual sharanagathi is only in the "akalakillEn" paasuram since only there, there is a reference to piratti, the purushakAra bhoothai. Without piratti's purushakaram sharanagathi will not be complete and hence azhvar did his final sharanagathi unto the divine feet of Srinivasan, emperuman with the divine mother always in his chest.

 

 

 

Our acharyas rightly say, "NoRRa nAngu rahasya dvayaththai pOlE; vulagamunda peruvAyA vAchya dvayaththai pOlE" Rahasya dvayam indicates Thirumanthram and charama slokam where piratti sambhandam is not explicit. NoRRa nAngu represents the 4 padhigams followed by NoRRa NOnbilEn. VAchya dvayam indicates dvayam (manthra rathnam).

 

 

 

In "NoRRa nOnbilen" azhvar expressed his Akinchanyam and ananyagadhithvam. Swamy alavandaar almost translates this paasuram in his stotra ratnam "na dharmanishtOsmi nacha AthmavEdhi na bhakthimAn tvat charanAra vindhyE akinchana: ananyagathi: sharanyA tvat pAdhamoolam sharaNam prapadhyE"

 

 

 

NoRRa NonbilEn - na dharmanishtOsmi- no karma yoga;

 

Nun arivilEn - na cha Athma vEdhi - (nun arivu represents the knowledge of self and the paramatma) no jnana yoga;

 

Agilum eni vunnai vittoNdrum ARRakiRkindRilEn - ananyagathi:

 

 

Since bhakthi develops only from karma and jnana it is implied that there is also no bhakthi yoga; thereby azhvar expresses his Akinchanyam.

 

 

 

Further in the same canto 10th paasuram (5-7-10) azhvar says, "Arenakku nin pAdhamE sharanAgath thanthozhindAi vunakkOr kaimAru nAnondrilEn enadhAviyum vunadhE" [Oh! Lord you have shown me your divine feet to be the only way to attain the ultimate result what can I do for this great help since even my athma is yours]

 

 

 

(To be continued)

 

 

 

Azhvar emperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharaNam

 

Adiyen ramanuja dAsee

 

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

"LET US WORK IN UNITY AND BE PART OF THE ACHARYA KAINKARYAM AND GET CLOSE TO THE HEARTS OF THE DIVINE COUPLES"