The tale two Taniyans

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Sri:

Srimate Srilakshminrisimha Parabrahmane Nama:

Srimate Sri Lakshminrisimha Divyapadukasevaka

Srivan Satakopa Sri NarayanaYatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

namo narayana!

 

srIman venkata nathArya kavitArkika kesari |

vedAntacArya varyome sannidatthAm sadAhrudi ||

 

rAmAnuja dayApAtram jnAna vairAgya bhUshaNam |

srImat venkatanAthAryam vande vedAntha desikam ||

 

A detailed account of the origin and wide reverential

adoption of these two taniyans is given in

pp. 196 – 205 of muvvAyirappadi guruparamparA

prabhAvam by Srimad tritIya brahma tanthra

swatanthra Swami of Srimad Parakala MaTham

published by LIFCO, 1968.

 

It was the year 4,440 (Bhahudanya) of Kali yugam.

The day was Avani Sukhla paksha dviteeyai – Hastha

nakshatram. Upon the command of Swami Sri

Desikan, His divine son Sri Kumara Varadacharyar

was about to start the Kalakshepam of Bhagavad

Vishayam for Brahmatantra Swantra Jeeyar and a few

others. The Jeeyar Swami submitted three taniyans

at that time. One was for Sri Kumara

Varadacharyar Swami, " srimallakshmaNa yOgindra

... " . We receite this Taniyan every day at the

start of Sri Desika Mangalam. The other two

Taniyans the Jeeyar Swami submitted were, (i)

SrimAn venkata natArya …. " , and, " rAmAnuja

dayApAtram …. " .

 

Swami Sri Desikan was pleased with the Taniyans.

He gave the determination that " srimAn venkata

nAtArya " taniyan be recited for Sri Bhashya

kalakshepam and for Samskrita slokas, and

" rAmAnuja dayApAtram " be recited for Bhagavad

Vishayam (ArAyirappadi commentary for

Thiruvaymozi) and other commentaries of NAlAyira

Divya Prabhandam.

 

During this time Swami Sri Desikan was in

Sathyamangalam and Namperumal was in Thirumalai.

Sri Rangam was under the occupation of Muslim

invaders. After several years of Muslim

occupation, with the grace of Sri Ranganatha,

GopaNarAyan succeeded in driving the occupiers out

of Sri Rangam and brought Namperumal back. This

prompted the return of Swami Sri Desikan from

Sathyamangalam to Sri Rangam. Swami was received

with mariyadai from Sri Ranganatha along with Sri

Satari. About the same time, upon the direction

of Swami Sri Desikan, GopaNarAyan restored Sri

Govindaraja Perumal at ThiruchchitrakUtam

(popularly known as Chidambaram).

 

Some who were opposed to the return of the

influence of Sri Vaishnavas, conspired with temple

authorities and tried to stop the celebration of

Thiruvadyayana Utsavam at Sri Rangam. They also

objected to the worship of Azhvar's vigrahas at

the temple. Swami Sri Desikan debated with these

miscreants and rejected their arguments. By using

tradition, logic, and textual authority

(siddantattAlum, vAdangaLAlum, grantaththAlum), He

reestablished the practice of Thiruvadyayana

Utsavam and worship of Azhvaras. Further, Swami

made sure they were properly documented for

posterity through official notifications (AgyA

prasiddhi patram) and engravings in stone (kal

vettu). This glorious anecdote is immortalized

through two Samskrita slokas by Brahmatantra

Swatantra Jeeyar and VenneykkUththa Jeeyar.

Elders and disciples (Kainkaryaparas) fell at the

feet of Swami Sri Desikan and pleaded that from

then on " rAmAnuja dayApatram " be recited at the

start of Prabhandha anusandhAnam. Swami went to

Sri Ranganatha Sannidi and prostrated to the Lord.

At this point, MuvvAyirappadi says, Lord Rangantha

responded through the archaka,

 

" azhagiya maNavALanum, nammudaiya madhamAna

rAmAnuja siddAntham AkiRa payirai

niravisEshamAy kaLai eduththu viLaippittha

nam vEdhAntha dEsikan vishayamAna " rAmAnuja

dayApAtram " enkiRa slOkaththai

anusandhitthu, " lakshminAtha samArambAm "

mudhalAka prabhandAnusanthAnam

paNNakkadavathu, enRu archaka mukhena

aruLichcheya … "

 

Free translation:

(Azhagiya Manavalan (Lord Ranganatha)

responded through the archaka that my

Vedanta Desikan has removed all the

weeds and allowed the flora of my Ramanuja

Siddantam to flourish unhindered; therefore,

from now on, let the sloka " rAmAnuja

dayApAtram " on Vedanta Desikan be recited

first before " lakshminAtha samArambAm "

during prabhandAnusandAnam.

 

The text goes on to narrate the genesis of

sARRumurai kramam. It was at this time Swami

Vedanta Desikan Himself recited the line

 

" sriman Srirangasriyam anubhadravAm

anudinam samvardhaya " ,

 

initiated by Sri Ramanuja, two times. The Lord

was very pleased with this. This is how repeating

this line twice came into practice. Indeed to

this day we recite this line twice, and with the

grace of Sriman Narayana this practice will

continue for ever.

 

To the approval of the Lord, the elders gathered

added the taniyan " ramanuja dayApAtram " to the

sARRumurai. Sri Kumara Varadacharya Swami recited

the two verses, " vAzhi ramanusa piLLAn " and " Vanca

parasamayam mARRa vandhOn " . Then, Brahmatantra

Swatantra Jeeyar Swami submitted the verse,

" nAnilamum than vAzha … " At this time the verses

starting with " Sarvadesa dasAkAleshu " and ending

with " vedAnta desikanE innumoru nUtrANdirum " came

to be known as " vAzhi thirunAmam " for the first

time in Sri Vaishnava practice.

 

Since this was the divine command of Sri Azhagiya

Manavalan and Sri Ranganachciyar, the elders

directed every divyadesam and every household to

follow this procedure of reciting " rAmAnuja dayA

pAtram " at the beginning of anusandAnam and during

sAtrumurai, vAzhi thirunamam starting with

" rAmAnuja dayApAtram and ending with " vedAnta

desikanE innumoru nUtrAndirum " . Everyone

responded to this command and started following

this directive. The relevant passage from the

original text is given below.

 

" " Sarvadesa dasAkAleshu " enRu thodangi,

" vedAnta deskanE innumoru nUtrANdirum " ennum

aLavAga uLLa idhaRku " vAzhi thirunAmam " enRu

thirunAmam sARRi prabandha nuSandAnaththukku

Arambaththil " rAmAnuja dayApathram "

mudalAnavaikaLaiyum, mudivilE, " Sarvadesa

dasAkAleshu " ithyAdiyAna vAzhi

ThirunAmaththaiyum anusandhikkumpadi

azhagiya manavALan Sriranga NachchiyAr

niyamanamAgaiyAlE appadikkE dhivya

desabgaLilum thirumALigaikaLilum

anuSandhikkumpadi niyamiththu aruLa, andhap

periyOrkaL, niyamanappadi anguLLavargaLum

anusandhiththup pOndArgaL. "

 

Here, the author quotes a long sloka from the

author's acharyan, Dvatheeya brahmathantra

swathanthra swami, that authenticates the

narration.

 

From this account one thing is clear, but for the

timely intervention by Swami Vedanta Desikan,

worship of Azhvars and Thiruvadyayana Utsavam at

Sri Rangam would have been discontinued forever.

That would have fundamentally altered the very

essence of Sri Vaishnava practice not just in Sri

Rangam, but in all other Sri Vaishnava temples and

homes across the land.

 

-- adiyEn ramanuja dasan

srimad azhagiya singar thiruvadi