Nammazhvar Thirunakshatram.

[Guest guest]

sri:

 

A SEASON TO

CELEBRATE

 

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Written by Sri Sridhar Srinivasan

http://vedics.net/magazine/index.html

[Vol2, Issue2]

Swami Azhakiya maNavALapperumAL nAyanAr, one of the most

brilliant and insightful Acharyas in the hoary Sri Vaishnava

tradition,

bequeathed us sAmpradAyic gems that occupy the very pinnacle of the

exalted thought underpinning rAmAnuja darshanam.

Amongst these compositions, Acharya Hrudayam stands apart as an

immensely

beautiful, uplifting work that exposes the fundamental essence of

Swami

nammAzhvar’s thiruvAimozhi (considered the ‘sAma vEdam’ in tamizh

vEda) using aphoristic chUrNikais (couplets), a veritable garland

woven

from inimitable words and phrases, fragrant flowers, picked from

thiruvAimozhi and divya prabhandam (tamizh vEdas).

In this magnum opus, Swami Azhakiya maNavALap-perumAL

nAyanAr wonders of Swami Nammazhvar thus (churNikai 92):

atri-jamadagni-pankthiratha-vasu-nandasUnuvAnavanuDaiya

yugavarNakramAvatAramO

that is, whether it was our lord Sriman Narayana who took

birth

progressively in different varNas, corresponding to different guNas

dominant in different yugas: dattAtrEya, son of atri, as a brAhmaNa

(Krita yuga); parasurAma, son of jamadagni, as a combination of

brAhmaNa-kshatriya (TrEta yuga); srIrAma, son of dasharatha, as

kshatriya (TrEta yuga); krishNa, son of vasudEva and nandagOpa, as

vaishya (DwApara yuga) and now, in the age of Kali, Swami SaTakOpa

in the varNa of the shUdra, thus demonstrating that manifestation of

the

ultimate divinity was not the domain of any one varNa (occupation

based on guNa and karma).

But Swami NammAzhvar is even more special than the earlier avaTaras

(incarnations), because the three suns in this Universe that we know

about could not do what Swami Nammazhvar did; Again, Swami

Azhakiya maNavALapperumAL nAyanAr:

Aditya-rAmadivAkara

achyutha-bhAnukkaLukkup-pOgatha uLLiruL neengi

sOshiyAda piravikkaDal vaRRi vikasiyAda pOdil kamalamalarndadu

vakuLabhooshaNa bhAskarOdayaththilE (churNikai 83);

meaning, the sun we see on a daily basis removes external, physical

darkness, but the more dreadful inner darkness of agnyAna

(ignorance)

grows on, unimpeded; that Sun called srI rAma could only dry up the

ocean of rAkshasas, not the ocean of samsAra; Sri Krishna, brought

light

to the womb and blossomed the heart of dEvaki, but he could not shine

a

lasting light on the darkness of janma and karmA enveloping souls;

and

only when the Sun bedecked in the vakuLa garland called Swami

nammAzhvar rose, the inner darkness of ignorance (agnyAna) was

permanently removed, the ocean of samsAra, that cycle of perpetual

entanglement through which there was no way out, dried up for good,

and as a consequence, the lotus-like hearts of true vaidikas (followers

of

shAstra, vEda) blossomed.

It took one such vaidika, Swami Ramanuja, the epitome of humanity,

compassion and SAstric erudition, to show that Azhvar’s

thiruvAimozhi

was the essence of the Vedas, only simpler to understand. That the

supreme God was our nitya nirupAdhika bandhu, (permanent relative,

our

unconditional-everything), only easier to access. That Swami

nammAzhvar was our kulapathi (the Original Preceptor), because it

was

Azhvar that showed the true message of the Sastras lay in his

magnificent outpourings of love for the divine, and more

importantly,

the immense love of the divine for us. Swami MadhuraKavi Azhvar, a

contemporary of Swami nammAzhvar, who was instrumental in

begetting thiruvAimozhi and tamizh vedas for us, appropriately refers

to

nammAzhvar as ‘tEvu maRRariyEn’ (I know of no other Supreme God

other than kArimAran SaTakOpa)

Swami Ramanuja’s intense love and respect at the lotus feet of Swami

nammAzhvar is reflected in the appellation that Swami Ramanuja was

given by his exalted disciple Thiru-arangaththu amudhanAr; the name

mAran aDi paNindhu uyndavan aptly

encapsulates the notion that

propelled the vision of Swami Ramanuja as one who, immersed in the

path lit by the lotus feet of Swami nammAzhvar and his aruLiccheyal

(divine outpourings), found the message that brought the ultimate

divinity to the hearts and minds of one and all. Fittingly, at

Azhvar

Thirunagari, the birthplace of Swami Nammazhvar, Swami Ramanuja is

known as parAnkusha pAduka (divine feet of

Swami nammAzhvar).

The close connection shared by Swami Ramanuja and Swami

Nammazhvar is evident in the thaniyan for thiruvAimozhi given by

paramAchArya parASara bhaTTar, who in words reflective of his

unparalleled intellect, says of thiruvAimozhi thus:

EenRa mudalthAi SaTakOpan mOympAl vaLartha

idaththAy irAmAnusan,

that while the mother who gave birth to the Tamizh Veda, the

very basis for Sri

Vaishnava philosophy, was Swami nammAzhvar, it took the milk of

love and affection flowing from the foster mother Swami Ramanuja to

grow it to its current state of magnificence.

And happily for us, the thirunakshattirams (appearance days) of

Swami

Nammazhvar, Swami Madhurakavi Azhvar, Swami Ramanuja and

Swami parASara bhaTTar occur during the months of chaitra and

VaishAkha (April 15 – June 15). And then, we also have the

opportunity

to celebrate the appearance days of Swami Mudaliandan and Swami

Thirumalai AnanthAnpiLLai, two of the most celebrated disciples of

Swami Ramanuja.

No wonder our bewitching lord Krishna celebrates that He, being the

best amongst every class of things, is this season of vasantha

(ruthoonAm

kusumAkaraha, BG 10:35) amongst seasons. And the real reason, one

our mAyan Sri Krishna will never reveal openly, one that we will not

find anywhere but within the hearts of Sri Vaishnavas everywhere, is

that this was the season that gave us Swami Nammazhvar and Swami

Ramanuja.

Is this not reason enough to celebrate?