Sri Yamunacharya Thirunakshatram

[Guest guest]

Respected Ramanuja Bhaktas,

 

Throughout history, we find stories of how at the heart of a great

person's life is a great teacher and supporter. If this is the case,

then one can only imagine the greatness of Sri Yamunacharya, the

inspiration behind much of Sri Ramanuja's teachings, whose Holy

Appearance Day is today, a:di utthira:dam.

 

A prodigious thinker and scholar, Sri Yamunacha:rya lived a royal

life for many years after winning a debate with a learned king. He

readily gave up all fame and fortune, however, to serve the orders of

his teacher, Sri Mannaka:l Nambi.

 

Sri Yamunacharya, or A:lavanda:r, as he is called in Tamil, wrote

several monumental philosophical works including the Siddhitra:yam,

the Gi:tha:rthasangraham, and a:gama prama:nam. All of these would

serve as the basis for Bhagavad Sri Ramanuja's validation of the

proper understanding of Ve:da and Veda:nta that we have come to know

as the philosophy of Visistadvaita.

 

Along with these philosophical works, Sri Yamunacharya also composed

two masterful devotional works, the Sto:tra Ratna, The Hymn-Jewel of

Surrender to the Lord, and the Ka:nthachatuslo:ki, a four verse

description of the beauty and compassion of the Divine Mother, Sri.

 

But, to me, Sri A:lavanda:rs greatest contribution are his are

fervent prayers to the Lord that an equally prodigious young man

would succeed him; a prayer that the Lord would fulfill by bringing

into fold the only person that both He and his humble devotee knew

would make the SriVaishnava faith flourish...Bhagavad Sri Ramanuja.

 

On this day, let us reflect on this venerable teacher, Sri

Yamunacha:rya. A photograph of his iconographic image at his

birthplace, and more information about him are available at:

 

http://www.srivaishnavan.com/tomcat/alavandar.html

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Mohan