Sri Periya Jeeyer's Arthi Prabhandam-4

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha

 

SrisailEsa dayA pAthram deebhakthyAdhi gunArnavam

Yateendra pravanam vandhE ramyajAmataram munim

 

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Our poorvAcharyas say that all acharyas before Sri Ramanuja got uplifted and

attained moksha due to his head and those after him through his feet. Lets see

how.

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There is one legend in our guru paramparai about the appearance of the

bhavisyadhAcharya vigraham (Sri Ramanjua idol). Madurakavi alwar wanted to make

the vigraham of his acharya, nammAzhvar and hence as per the instructions of Sri

Sadagopar he started making the same by boiling the tambarabarani river water.

But the first one, which appeared, didn’t resemble his acharya but it was a

vigraham of some other acharya. He rushed to his acharya and told him about

that. For which nammAzhvar replied, “This is the vigraham of the

bhavishyadAcharya, who will take avatar later and uplift the masses. This is

the same acharya about whom I have sung in the ‘poliga poliga pAsuram. So have

this with you with due regards and go and boil the tambarabarani water again to

get my vigraham”.

 

Both these vigrahams (idols) are there in Alwar thirunagari today. After the

period of madurakavigal, Sri Sadagopar handed the two idols to nathamunigal,

when he got the divya prabhandam and other arthas after meditating on the

kanninun siruthAmbhu of madurakavigal. Nammazhvar also told natha munigal to

keep expecting the arrival of such an acharya and consider that acharya to be

his feet. And that is why ramanuja is praised as “mAran adi paninthuindhavan”

and hence all acharyas before ethirajar’s time got uplifted by his head (feet of

nammAzhvar).

 

During the muslim invasion, Alwar thirunagari was also affected like Srirangam

and hence some srivaishnavas ran out along with nammAzhvar thirumEni for safety.

At that time the bhavisyadhAcharya vigraham was buried underground.

ThiruvAimozhi pillai, the acharya of Sri mAmuigal, got back alwar to

thirukurugoor and renovated the nava thirupathi temples and decorated Alwar

thirunagari like heaven. At that time, coming to know of the ramanuja vigraham

thiruvAimozhi pillai dug the idol out and constructed a beautiful temple and

around the temple developed a ‘ramanuja chaturvEdi mangalam’ and got many

srivaishnavas to live there.

 

Sri Manavala mAmunigal (then, azhagiya manavAlan) was reading under

thiruvAimozhi pillai at that time. The greatness of all our poorvAcharyas is

that they never considered themselves to be a master instead they always

considered them to be a shisya of their own acharya and their shisya also to be

only their acharya’s shisya. So thiruvAimozhi pillai told mAmunigal to consider

rAmanujar to be his acharya and not himself. By the order of his acharya,

mAmunigal then sung the 21 excellent slokas on ethirAjar, the “YethirAja

vimsathi”. ThiruvAimozhi pillai was highly pleased with the love and respect

mAmunigal had for ethirAjar, which was expressed in simple slokas, but with

indepth meaning. At that time, thiruvAimozhi pillai presented his thiruvArAdha

rAmanuja vigraham to mAmunigal and asked him to remain with same prathipaththi

(gratefulness) always towards ethirajar.

 

This is the reason why mAmunigal in his arthi prabhandam cried to ethirajar to

grant moksha, washing all his sins with swamy’s krupai. But never did mAmunigal

forget that, he falling into the feet of ethirajar happened only due to the

grace of thiruvaimozhipillai. That’s why he says, (Arthi prabhandam-58)

 

“endhai thiruvAimozhi pillai ennarulAl vunthanuravai vunarthiya pin

endha vuyirukku ella vuravum nee yendrE yethirAsA! NillAdha thundO ennenju.”

 

Meaning: Due to the grace of thiruvAimozhi pillai Oh ethirAja! Now I know the

relation between you and me. After that how can I stay without thinking that

you are everything for my soul?

 

So each of our acharyas put us all into their acharya’s feet and they inturn put

us to the feet of Sri rAmanuja who is the udaiyavar who grants us all moksha

(“vishnulOka manimantapa mArgathAyi”). Since thiruvAimozhi pillai instructed

mAmunigal to consider emperumAnAr as his sole refuge, mAmunigal, with the

gratefulness towards his acharya completely filled in mind, surrenders to the

divine feet of ethirajar. That’s why in his upadesa ratnamalai he says, “endhai

thiruvaimozhi pillai ennarulAl vandha upadesa mArgaththai sindhai seidhu” (iam

talking as per the instructions of my jnana pitha sri thiruvAimozhi pillai).

 

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There is one other legend in the life history of Sri ramanujar, which confirms

that ramanuja sambhandam will surely grant us moksha.

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Let ‘s see in the next posting.

 

(To be continued)

 

Alwar EmperumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigalE sharaNam

 

Adiyen Ramanuja dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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