Bhagavad Ramanuja Vaibhavam- 1.24- Glorious sath sampradaya starts from the Lord Himself...

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SRI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya nama:

Dearest all,

 

Even after receiving poorNa upadEsam from a SadAchAryan, it is important to

learn from other qualified AchAryans so that the true meanings received

earlier can be firmly laid in place in one's mind. As an example, Our Lord

performed GithOpadEsam to His disciple, Arjunan. He knew that man (Arjunan)

with rajO and tamO guNams will not be able to grasp what he instructed

completely. Hence, our Lord instructed ArjunA to fall at the feet of many

Jn~Anis and seek additional clarifications and thus gain a firm understanding of

His HithOpadEsam.

 

Our glorious Srivaishnava sampradayam thus hails from Sriman Narayanan Himself.

 

Sriman Narayana

Sri Mahapakshmi

Sri Vishwaksenar

Sri Satakopar aka Sri Nammazwar

Sri Nathamuni

Sri Pundareekakshar (Sri Uyyakondar)

Sri Ramamisrar (Sri Manakkaal nambhi)

Sri Yamunacharya

Sri Mahapoornar (Sri Periya Nambhi

Sri Ramanuja

 

Our Lord is the most merciful. He is the Parama DayALu. Out of His

benevolence towards us, the suffering chEthanams, He revealed the VEdAntha

Saasthra SampradhAyam to His dear Consort, MahA Lakshmi First. She

performed upadesam for VishvaksEnar next. VishvaksEnar in turn instructed

Swamy NammAzhwAr in that sishya paramparai. This is the AchArya

paramparai starting from our most compassionate Lord. From Swamy

NammAzhwAr onwards, the UpadEsam on Sath SampradhAyam through

succession of AchAryAs in an unbroken manner.

 

In previous yugams, VyAsa BhagavAn, BhOdaayanar performed upadEsams

about the true tatthvams relating to our SampradhAyam to their SishyAs, who

received those upadEsams with humility and served their AchAryAs with

gratitude. After sage VyAsa and BhOdhayanar, Dhangar, Dhramidar, Guha

Devar took on the task of maintaining the upadEsa paramparai and propagated

the SampradhAyam without any blemish which Ramanuja established without any

ambiguities.

 

Sri Bhagavad Ramanuja thus is, crown among jewels of our acharyas. Sri Ramanuja

authored nine works- Sri Bhashyam, Sri Gita Bhashyam, VedArttha Sangraham,

Vedanta Deepam, Vedanta Saram, Sharanagati Gadyam, Sri Vaikunta Gadyam, Sriranga

Gadyam and Nityam. Sri Bhashyam, Vedartha Sangraham, Deepam and Saram – all of

which declared the purport of the Brahma Sutras and select Veda Vedanta

passages, and established VisishtAdvaita Darsanam on a sound pedestal after

demolishing the faulty structures put up by other schools of philosophy.

 

But Ramanuja did establish this darsanam – thanks to 4000 aruLicheyals by

AzhwArs. Sri Azhagiya Manavala nayanar says†idhu koNdu soothra vaakyam orunga

vittar..â€.. Paying a tribute to Sri Nammazhwar for having blessed us with the

Tiruvaimozhi, Sri Bhattar values the contribution of Sri Ramanuja more than that

of the Azhwar- " Tamizh maraigaL Ayiramum eendra mudal tAi Satakopan, moimbAl

vaLarttha idattAi irAmAnusan " . Sri Bhattar says that the Azhwar might have done

us a great favour by composing the Tiruvaimozhi, but it is Sri Ramanuja to whom

must go the credit for preserving the once-lost Prabandas from extinction.

 

It was Emperumanar who made Tiruvaimozhi not merely a book of verses, but a way

of life. It was he who arrived at and disseminated the true purports of many a

pasuram, in accordance with the true intent of the author. Just as the role of a

foster parent is more important in making a man of an abandoned child by

bestowing him with good education, timely food, protective clothes and

man-making discipline, Sri Ramanuja's contribution as aforesaid ranks a step

ahead of Sri Nammazhwar's, avers Sri Bhattar.

 

Let us enjoy first such greatest Acharya paramparai from Swami Nammazhwar before

immersing ourselves into Bhagavad Ramanuja.

 

Acharyan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dAsan