[Fwd: Sri Ramanuja's Tirunakshatram]

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yetindra

Maha Desikaya Nama:

Sri Ramanuja's

Tirunakshatram

 

From the numerous postings on the subject, it is

gratifyingly clear that Sri Bhashyakara's

tirunakshatram has been celebrated the world over with

the usual devotional fervour. A few stray thoughts on

the subject.

 

Sri Ramanuja's physical beauty is an aspect that has

been rather understated , vis a vis his Atma gunAs and

contributions to Sri VisishtAdvaita sampradaya, which

find adequate mention in the various eulogies that are

paid to the darsana stthApakA. His contemporary and

conscience-keeper, Sri KoorattAzhwAn, was indeed a

fortunate soul, for he was treated daily to the

enchanting sight of Sri Bhashyakara. His words are an

eloquent testimony to the handsomeness of Sri

Etiraja.

" KashAya sobhi kamaneeya sikhA nivEsam

dandatraya ujjvala karam vimala upaveetam

udyat dinEsa nibham ullasat oordhva pundram

roopam tavAstu yatirAja drisOr mamAgrE "

Sri Koorattazhvan had lost his eyes due to the

bhAgavata dvEsha of Krimikanta ChOzha. Sri Ramanuja,

returning from Tirunarayanapuram after a 12 year

sojourn, was dismayed to find Azhvan sightless. Sri

KoorattAzvAn, however, told his master that he did not

need the aid of physical eyes, as Sri Ramanuja's

handsome tirumEni was etched in his mind's eye, and

recited the aforesaid slOkA, recalling in splendid

detail what was ever-visible to him, despite the loss

of sight.

Here, Sri AzhvAn compares Sri BhashyakArA's

appearance with that of sanyAsis of other faiths.

" KashAya sObhi " —the dress code of other yatis is

hardly becoming, while the kAshAya (ochre robes) worn

by Bhagavat Ramanuja sits on him with resplendence.

" shikhA nivEsam " -dharma shastrAs enjoin every vaidika

to sport a shikhA, as an eligibility criterion for

vaidika karmAs. Whereas yatis of other faiths

completely shave their heads, Sri Ramanuja has a

beautiful shikhA, denoting symbolically that our

sampradaya is based on the solid foundations of the

Vedas and dharma shastras.

" danda traya ujjvala karam " —Unlike other sanyasis who

carry only Eka dandam, Sri Bhashyakara carries a

shining tridandam.( The true prowess of this Tridandam

are described in Sri DhAtee Panchakam) It is

noteworthy here that even the earliest known Tamil

work on Grammar, the TolkAppiam, refers to " MukkOl

Bhagavar " ,denoting that tridandam, and not Eka dandam,

habitually adorns the sanyasis' kara kamalam.

 

" VimalOpaveetam " -Unlike advaita sanyasis who give up

their yagyOpaveetA upon assuming the tureeyAshramam, a

beautiful upaveetam adorns the broad chest of

Yatiraja, signifying that performance of karma, as

ordained in the shAstrAs, with sAtvika tyAgam, and not

total karma tyagam, is called for.

" Udyat dinEsa nibham " -He is indeed a rising Sun,

sparkling with physical beauty , dazzling

non-believers with the blinding light of his gnAnA,

and come to dispel the darkness of ignorance.

" Ullasat Oordhva pundram " —the dvAdasa oordhva pundrAs

adorning his tirumEni bestow on Sri Ramanuja an

indescribable beauty. To those who have noticed how a

tiruman improves even the most unremarkable of

visages, it should be easy to imagine how panniru

tirunAmam enhances the already considerable

handsomeness of Yatiraja.( " abhiroopan AbharaNam

poondAl pole " , as Swami Desikan remarks in his magnum

opus)

 

Sri Nigamanta Guru furnishes further proof, if proof

were needed, that Sri Ramanuja's tirumeni was a sight

for sore eyes, in this slOka from Sri Etiraja Saptati,

which closely follows Sri AzvAn " s srisookti-

" Upaveetinam oordhapundravantam

Trijagat puNya palam tridanda hastam

SaranAgata sArtthavaham eedE

ShikayA sEkariNam patim yateenAm "

 

And the following pAsuram,( forming part of Sri

Ramanuja's tirumanjana kattiyam-adiyen is unable to

identify the author) brings before our eyes in vivid

detail,Udayavar's beautiful tirumEni-

" padmam ena tigazh painkazhaL undan pallavamE viralum

pAvanam Agiya pain tuvarAdai padinda marungu azhagum

muppuri noolodu mun kaiyil Endiya mukkOl tan azhagum

munnavar tandidu mozhigaL niraindidu muruval nilA

azhagum

karpagamE vizhi karunai pozhindidu kamala

kaNNazhagaum

kAri sutan kazhal soodiya mudiyum ghana nal

sigaimudiyum

eppozhudum etirAsan vadivazhagu en idayatthu uLadAl

illai enakku edir illai enakku edir illai enakku

edirE "

 

And, to conclude, here is Sri Varavaramuni's moving

description of Perumboodur MAmuni's aprAkrita diva

soundaryA-

SeerArum etirAsar tiruvadigaL vAzhi

Tiruvarayil sAttriya sen tuvarAdai vazhi

ErArum seyya vadivu eppozhudum vAzhi

Ilangiya munnool vAzhi iNai tOLgaL vAzhi

SOrAda tuyya mukhacchOdi vAzhi

Toomuruval koNda mukham vAzhi tuNai malar kaNgal

vAzhi

EerAru tirunAmam aNinda ezhil vAzhi

Ini tiruppOdezhil gnAna muddirai vAzhiyE " .

 

Srimate Sri LakshmiNrsimha divya paduka sevaka

SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya

Nama:

-dasan, sadagopan.

 

 

 

 

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- SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -

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