life of ramanujacharya 8

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continued from part (7)

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Chapter 3

Aalavandaar

 

Such was the advent of aalavandaar, which had been

foreseen by his predecessors; an advent destined to

re-inaugurate a system of thought which was

thenceforward to grow, amplify and vivify the nascent

religious sense in man. Aalavandaar signified

literally: ‘He who has come to reign’ i.e., to reign

in a system of religious thought, which was to glow in

man’s heart uplifting him to God in love.

 

Duly were performed, as he grew, the sacred rites of

anna-praasana, chaula, upanayana; and the life of the

student began in earnest. Aalavandaar would attend the

school for a day and stay away at home. Questioned by

his fellow students as to the cause his absence, he

would tell them:- “Ye are learning the same thing

again and again”. Questioned by his parents, he would

say- “ they are reading the same thing over and over ;

but I have leaned it all already.” A precociously

clever boy thus, aalavaandar was; and he was excused

regular attendance at school. He finished his studen’s

career rapidly; and the next stage of life, wedlock,

was duly entered into. By this time the end of

Isvara-muni drew near, and he bid farewell to all with

the consoling reflection of having left a model son

for the service of the world. The noble son had all

the sacramental routine for his departed parent

strictly gone through; and now set out to fulfil his

own vocation.

 

Grammar, logic, philosophy and allied subjects were

taken up. And he studied them assiduously under

mahaa-bhaashya bhatta. There was at this time an

aakki-y-aäwan, residing in the court of the monarch of

the country as pandit and royal chaplain. He was thus,

in his own opinion, the head of all literary men in

the country, from whom he assessed tributes as a

recognition of his suzerainty. The tribute was

dasabandham or one tenth of the income of each learned

men. A demand for this was sent to M-bhatta, who

thereon was troubled in mind. On aalavandaar inquiring

and being told all the circumstances of bhatta’s

discomfotiture, he received the demand-notice and tore

it into pieces in the presence of royal messengers who

had conveyed it. They returned and narrated the

occurrence to aakki, who again sent men to bhatta to

know whether it was a new poet or a man of letter, who

had dared so to affront him. Aalavaandar again

interfered between his teacher and the men and sent

them back with the answer:-

 

“navayaMkavayastu kEvalaM navayaM kEvala tantra

paaragaa!

Srapitu prativaadi vaaraNaa prakaTATOpa

vipATanantamaa!!”

 

aakki had already felt his pride piqued and now the

second message set him aflame with rage “Is there a

scholar to oppose me?”, cried fanatically, and

appealed his king for protection and redress against

the insult he had received. It was not mahaabhaashya

bhatta, but an insolent boy of his party, who had thus

insulted him, - was ofcourse the report of the men.

The king now dispatched some messengers with a written

command to the boy to come to his presence; but the

proud boy as unceremoniously destroyed the royal

mandate, and let the messengers depart. The king was

duly told of the indignity so offered. He reflected a

moment and thought to himself that it must be no

ordinary person who could command courage to slight

even royalty; he would therefore send envoys with

escort and letters- a formal invitation- to the

extra-ordinary boy to come and grace the royal court

with his august presence. This was appropriate to him,

so the boy accepted the invitation and arriving,

alighted in the royal hall of audience with all honors

paid. All assembled to receive the curious visitor.

Aakki ofcourse was present to witness the prodigy, of

a boy come this style, the feverishly fearing what the

next event would prove to be. His fears were

well-founded however, for it was like a womb bursting

before him, when a scrap of paper was thrown by the

distinguished visitor before the royal pandit. It was

at once a gauntlet and challenge. The scrap contained

this famous verse:-

 

‘Find, if you will, than me a second soul,

who wots entire all vedic dogmatics,

In all the stretch from um(a)-tread himalay,

To rama’s bridge- the joy of sita’s soul-

Or east to west, which mountain ranges bound,

With sun and moon in turn, their crests adorning.’

----------------will be continued()

 

 

 

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