Bhagavad Ramanuja Vaibhavam- 1.50- Ramanujacharya- unparalleled one

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika manahadesikaya nama:

Dearest all,

 

Continuing on our pastime of enjoying Bhagavad Raamanuja vaibhavam:

[as part of our series and service to Srivaishnavas to commeomorate the 1000th

year (2017)]

 

sIta svabhaava subhaga anubhavah sikhaavaan

dosaavamarda niyatonnatirosadheesa: |

thaapaanubandha samanastapana prajaanaam.

raamaanujo jayati samvalita tridhaamaa ||

27th verse in Desikan’s Yathiraja Saptathi

 

After having enjoyed and experienced the divine magnificence of Udayavar’s

upadeshamudrai and the greatness of his works, Swamy Deshikan in this verse

celebrates Udayavar’s majestic eminence. Seeing his austerity, his purity, his

virtue of protecting and elevating those who come to his feet with a beseech,

his magnificence and his imperial semblance, Swamy Deshika is reminded of Agni,

Chandra and Surya and begins to compare Yatiraja to them.

 

But, the undesirable qualities found in them are not to be found in Ramanuja.

Agni remains ever pure; as such no impurity would ever be able to influence it.

If any impurity of any sort ever happens to even near it, then it burns them

down to extinction. Though it has the virtue to remain pure and purify others,

it also has an undesirable virtue of being very hot, and so approaching Agni

would be futile. But, Udavayar on the other hand, being the very epitome of

purity, bestows benevolence and benediction with his merciful glance that have

no trace of anger or indignation on those who come to his feet with a beseech,

thereby effecting their purification.

 

Sukacharya, when speaking about great saints and astutes like Ramanuja, says

“nahyamyamAni theerthAni na dEvA mruCchilA mayA thE punanthi uru kAlEna daSanA

vEda sAdhava - that is, even if one bathes in sacred rivers like the Ganga and

others, they do not immediately free us of all our sins and make us pure. Even

if one prays in front of the many archa forms of the Lord, who is enshrined in

the sanctum sanctorum of temples, and gains lot of punyam, he still does not

become pure and is still not freed from all his sins immediately. It is only

through the course of time that he is freed of his sins and becomes pure. But,

even if one merciful glance of great saints and apostles are showered upon us,

or if we happen to go to them and behold their divine forms, then the very

moment all our sins vanish and we are made pure.

 

This quote from Srimad Bhaagavatham is indeed fit enough to be remembered here

when celebrating our Udayavar. So Udayavar resembles Agni, due to his virtue of

being the most pleasant natured and due to luster of his aura of knowledge that

is fit enough to be commended by one and all. The usage of the word

‘shikhaavaan’ enunciates the fact that Ramanuja, unlike other saints of the

monastic order, adorns a tuft of hair (shikhai) abiding by the maxim of smriti

that says - “paurnamAsyAm SikhAvarjanam muNdayEtha SirO yathi: - The Moon

removes the darkness during night and makes everybody happy. Moonrise rids

people of their worries and always brings in joy and happiness in the minds of

children, youth and the elderly alike. Many medicinal herbs thrive during

moonlight.

 

Udayavar similarly, having elaborately preached the true purports of Vedantha to

his disciples, has made them wise and erudite and has brought great delight to

their hearts. As per the saying “sKhAlithyE SaasithAram†he disciplines his

students with indignation for their wrongdoings, so as to make them infallible

on the righteous path. Having seen the discipline of their acharya, the

disciples mend themselves and become austere and noble. During times of

moonlight, many people tread on wrong ways. But Udayavar, by means of his sharp

intellect finds out the wrong doings of his disciples and thereby mends their

ways by showing his righteous anger. This way in preaching the righteous ways

for his disciples and by mending them with discipline, Ramanuja beams as a very

knowledgeable apostle. It is said “sOmavath priya darsanamâ€.

 

The subjects of Ayodhya greatly rejoiced and lost their hearts to the

captivating beauty of Rama’s divine form and his entrancing cloudy complexion.

Similar to Rama who was worshipped by one and all, Udayavar also has the most

enchanting and charismatic stature.

[Reproduced from Sri CG Balaji's translation of asmadhacharyan His Holiness

Srimad Paravakkottai Andavan's Yathiraja saptati commentary- Thanks to Sri

Balaji for his permission]

 

More on this tomorrow

 

Acharyan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

Regards

namo narayana

dAsan