[sri ramanuja] SrI rAmAnuja Journal Volume 1 Issue 7

[Guest guest]

*Aippasi,Vyaya

Azhvar1, Acharya 7*

 

* SrimathE rAmAnujAya

namaH*

 

* SrImathE

varavarmunayE namaH*

 

* *

 

* *

 

* *

 

*SrI viLAnchOlai piLLai*

 

*Thirunakshathram - AippaSi uthraTTAthi (November 3rd 2006)*

 

**

 

*vAzhi nalam thikazh nAraNathAthan aruL*

 

*vAzhi avan amudha vAymozhikaL *

 

*vAzhiyE ERu thiruvuTaiyAn enthai ulagAriyan sol*

 

*thERu thiruvuTaiyAn sIr*

 

* *

 

*Sri viLanchOlai piLLai a prominent disciple of Sri PiLLai lOkAchArya -was

deeply devoted to his AchArya. He was instrumental in teaching Sri vachana

bhUshaNa divya sAsthram to TiruvAimozhi-p-piLLai which later on paved way to

go into the heart and mind of svAmi MaNavALa mAmunikaL. *

 

* *

 

*Swami vilAnchOlai piLLai or SrI Nalanthigazh nArAyaNa dAsar, hails from

Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. He was born in the Pulaya community. *

 

* *

 

*He went all the way to Srirangam and learnt all the sastrA-s and

prabandham-s from Swami piLLai lOkAcharyar. Even though not born in a

Brahmin community swami piLLai lOkAchAryar accepted Sri vilAnchOlai piLLai

as a stalwart sishya. *

 

*Swami vilAnchOlai piLLai was with swami piLLai lOkAchAryar in the final

moments at jyothishkuDi, where swami lOkAchAryar commanded him to go to

Thiruvananthapuram and stay there. *

 

* *

 

*viLAnchOlai piLLayE thirumEniyaLavAka thiruvanthapuratthilE ezhuntharuLi

irukkum paTi niyamittharuLi ….Thus says Yatheendra praVaNa prabhAvam (YPP)*

 

* *

 

*sri vilAnchOlai piLLai summarized the essence of the SrIVachana bhUshaNa

divya SAsthram, into 7 pasurams in anthAthi style. This prabandham is called

saptha gAdhai. Starting with*

 

* *

 

*ampon arankarkkum Avikkum antharamgga*

 

*sambandham kATTi thaTai kATTi umbar*

 

*thivam ennum vAzhvukku cErntha neRi kATTum*

 

*avan anRO AchAryan (1) saptha gAdhai*

 

* *

 

*(Commencing with the greatness and definiton of AchAryan -refer SrI-vachana

bhUshaNa divya sasthram -reg. this *

 

*nErE AchAryan enpathu samsAra nivartthakamAna periya thirumanthratthai

upadESitthavanai - 315 SrIvachanabhUshaNam *

 

*Acharyan is one who teaches thirumanthram -whcih leads to removal of the

Atman from the samsAram)*

 

* *

 

*The fifth pasuram is almost an exact description of suthram-s like *

 

*vITTinba inbappAkkaLil dravya bhAshA nirUpaNa samam inpamAriyilArAychi 75

AchArya hridayam (vITTinbam – emperuman at individuals home, inbappA

–thiruvAy mozhi, inbamAri – nammAzvAr )*

 

* *

 

*194. bhaakavathaapacaaram thaan anEka vidham.195. athilE onRu avar_kaL

pakkal Janma nirupaNam. 196. ithuthaan ar_cchaavathaaraththil upaadhaana

smrthiyilumkaaTTil kruuram. - SrIvanchana bhUshanam *

 

* *

 

*en pakkal OdhinAr innAr enum iyal_vum*

 

*en pakkal nanmai enum iyal_vum man pakkal*

 

*sEvippArkku anbuTaiyOr janma nirUpaNamum*

 

*AvikkE nErE azhukku (5) saptha gAdhai*

 

* *

 

*ThiruvAymozhi piLLAi went to thiruvananthapuram since the command of swami

piLLai lOkAchAryar to thiruvAymozhi piLLAi was to go to vilAnchOlai piLLAi

and learn viSeShArtham. Accordingly thiruvaymozhi piLLai met sri vilAnchOlai

piLLai and mastered SrIvachanabhUshanam. *

 

*(Perhaps, this was the forerunner to Periya Jeyar authoring the vyAkyAnam

for SrI vachana bhUshaNa divya sAsthram) *

 

* *

 

* Sri vilAnchOlai piLLai also gave him saptha gAthai. The incident of the

meeting is beautifully described in YPP as, SrI Thirumalai azhvar saw

srivilancholai piLLai deeply meditating in samadhi, keeping the mind in the

srisukthis of swami piLLai lOkAcharyar, and it took few days ( nAlAru

dinangaL (YPP)) to open his eyes and ask thiruvaymozhi piLLai "who you are"

and "why did you came?". YPP describes, Sri piLLai was so deeply in the

samAdhi that, spider webs were found on his thirumEni. *

 

*Since swami viLAnchOlai piLLai was already deeply moved in paramabhakthi

stage, soon he ascended to parama padam. YPP describes a wonderful incident

of the day of Ascension. The Nambis (kainkarya paraL of thiruvananthapuram

temple are called with the name nambi, there are 5 nambi's for the nithya

kainkaryam) went to open the sanctum door for SrIpadmanabhan for

thiruvaradhanam and saw swami ViLAnchOlai piLLai standing with Folded hands,

in the ThiruvaDi of anantha padmanabhan, they wondered themselves telling, *

 

*"Look That "pulaya" viLAnchOlai piLLai is inside the sanctum we should not

go there " and they closed the doors and came out. The moment they came out

the Sishya mudhalis of Sri vilAnchOlai piLLai came in front of the temple

announcing *

 

*"viLAnchOlai piLLai lOkAchAryar thiruvaTichErnthAr ", and chanting

irAmAnuja nUtthanthAdhi, and asking for thirupparivatttam and thirumaalai to

be adorned to the Chamrama thirumEni. Seeing this nambis were wonder stuck

and explained them the miracle they have seen inside the sanctum sanctorum

to every one. When the news came to AzhvAr thirunagari. SrI ThiruvAymozhi

piLLai did the rest of charma kainkaryams to sri vilAnchOlai piLLai like a

son does to his father. *

 

* *

 

*"nalan thigazh nAraNan adikk kEzh nannuvArEA"*

 

* *

 

*SrI kUrakulOtthama dAsar*

 

 

 

*Thirunakshathram: aippaSi Thiruvathirai , November 9th*

 

* *

 

*lOkAchArya kripApAthram kauNdinya kulabhUshaNam*

 

*samasthAthma guNAvAsam vandE kUrakulOtthamam*

 

* *

 

* Koorakulothama dasa's avatara was in Srirangam, in Koundinya gotra, in

Ipasi tiruvadirai. He got panchasamskara from Vadakku thiruveedi pillai.

Tiruvoimozhi with commentaries, Sribhasya, Srutaprakasika were all blessed

to him by Sri Pillai lokacharya. Rahasyas were blessed by Azhagia manavala

perumal nayanar. During the devastation of CE 1325, when namperumAL went out

on uLA along with swami piLLai lOkAchAryar, srI kUrakulOtthama dAsar and

other sishyas followed them. Before the ascension of swami piLLai

lOkAchAryar, entrusted the big responsibility of moulding the young,

Thirumalai Azhvar, the glorious minister in the pandyan dynasty in to the

next darSana pravarthaka, to sri kUrakulOtthama dAsar. After delegagting the

responsibilities, to the individual sishyas, swami lOkAchAryar ascended to

paramapadam. Thirumalai azhvars mother, who also followed the ulA goshTi,

too ascended shortly after the incident. Even earlier the young Thirumalai

azhvar, was looked after by the step mother, and he was then ruling the

pandyan Kingdom, since the prince was a minor. *

 

 

 

*One day Koorakulothama dasa went in front of Tiruvoimozhi pillai chanting

Alwars Tiruviruttam. Tiruvoimozhi pillai, being a tamil lover, requested for

the meaning. Koorakulothama dasa denied disrespectfully. Tirumalaiazhvar,

told this incidence to his stepmother. She reminded him of his connection

to SriKurakulOtthama dasa and svami Pillai lokacharya. Tiruvoimozhi pillai

was inclined to surrender to KurakulOtthama dasa and to start learning.

However, the time was not ripe. On a day, when Tiruvoimozhi pillai was going

on an elephant, KurakulOtthama dasa stood on a place where Tiruvaymozhi

piLLai can see him. Tiruvoimozhi pillai realized him as Pillai lokacharya

himself and surrendered immediately. KurakulOtthama dasa also embraced him

and decided to start the teachings as per the wish of their acharya. After

few incidents, finally, Thirumalai azhvar got virakthi in the laoukika

vishayas, and they all left madhurai, and settled in Sikkil kiDAram, where

he had unhindered kAlakshEpams from kUrakulOtthamadAsar until his ascention..

During the final days of kUrakulOtthama dAsar, he requested thiruvaymozhi

piLLai to go to the other sishyas of piLLai lOkAcharyar and listen to the

rest of the meanings as per the command of piLLai lOkAcharyar. *

 

 

 

*Kurakulothama dAsar immaculate service to the srivaishnava sampradaya, is

the moulding thiruvaymozhipillai as a darsana pravarthaka, that too during

the time of devastation by the muslim rulers is unparallel. In bharathi

vijayam, ganga devi reports that 12000 srivaishnavas were assassinated in

SrIrangam during CE 1325 and a whole generation had lost the knowledge of

even how to put a kolam. From such a situation, to the glorious regime of

swAmi manavala mamunikal would not have been possible with out AchAryas like

kUrakulOtthama dAsar. *

 

 

 

*SwayamAhUya sailEsa guravErthapradanataha *

 

*labdha udArAbhidham kUrakulotama gurum bhaje*

 

* *

 

*vara vara muni dasargaL*