First Among Three

[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrimthE Ramanujaya Nama:

 

Dear Srimad Ramanuja dAsA's and bhAgavathAs::

adiyEn namaskArams to all::

 

Acharyar Periya Nambigal is also known as pUrNAchAryar, ParAnkusa

dAsar. Azhagiya Manavala Perumal Nayanar in his work, " Aivaril,

naalvaril, moovaril muRpattavar, santhEhiyAmal sagajarOdE

purOdOsamaaka seiytha puthra kruthyam... " . Here " aivaril muRpattavar "

King Yuthistra, who was the first and foremost among Pancha pandavas.

He had performed last rites to Vithura without any doubt after the

asareerI's word. Even though, Vithurar is born in lower caste, and

YuthistrA was born in Kshatriya vamsam, had performed the after burial

rites to Vithruar - " santhEgiyAmal seiytha puthra kruthyam "

 

Similarly " naalvaril muRpattavar " is Sri Ramapiran, who was the first

and foremost among the four brothers (Rama, Lakshmana, Bharatha,

Sathrugana). He performed the lat rites to JatAyu - a bird. Even

though, Ramapiran was born in Kshatriya vamsam, He performed the last

rites along with His brother to JatAyu - a bird being a low in birth -

" sagajarOdE seiytha puthra kruthyam " .

 

Similarly " moovaril muRpattavar " is Periya Nambigal. He was the first

among the three AchArya Nambi's - Periya Nambigal, Thiruk kOttiyUr

Nambigal, Periya Thirumalai Nambigal. All the three Nambigal was the

SishyA of Sri ALavandhAr. Among them, AlavandhAr chose Periya Nambigal

to bring IlaiAzhwar into our SampradhAyam. Periya Nambigal performed

last rites to mARanEri nambigal - a great sishyA of Sri ALavandhAr. As

per the request of mARanEri nambigal, Periya Nambigal performed last

rites to him - " purOdOsamaaka seiytha puthra kruthyam "

 

Among the PerumAL, Thiruk kurungudi emperumAn is called as " nambi " .

Thiru kurungudi nambi is guna paripUrNan. Among Azhwars, NammAzhwar is

called as Thiruk KuruhUr Nambi. Thiruk KuruhUr Nambi has a special

pUrthi as said - " vEdham thamizh seiytha mARan " - one who brought

vEdhAs in tamizh and made everyone as adhikAri's to learn and attain

sAyujyam - salvation. Similarly among AchArya's, pUrNAchAryar or

Parankusa dAsar is called as Periya Nambigal who had a special pUrthi

by bringing IlaiyAzhwar (Srimad Ramanujar) into our sampradhAyam

through samAsrayanam. Since Srimad Ramanujar is JagathAchAryar, he

made and is still making everyone in the world as Sri VaishNava and an

adhikAri to attain the salvation.

 

All these three nambigal has relationship at Thiruk Kurungudi

divyadesam. EmperumAn at this divyadesam itself is Thiruk kurungudi

nambi. It's said that, Thiru kurungudi nambi was born as NammAzhwar at

Thiruk KuruhUr. The Jeeyar at Thiruk Kurungudi is the representative

of Periya Nambigal.

 

Periya Nambigal had the great task of bringing IlaiyAzhwar who was at

Kancheepuram into our sampradhAyam and as head of Sri Vaishnavam at

Sri Rangam after Sri ALavandhAr.

 

AdiyEn would discuss the two attempts made by Periya Nambigal to bring

Srimad Ramanujar to Sri Rangam and made him as a AchAryar, in next mail.

 

adiyEn,

senthil.b