Greatness of Acharya; Qualities of Acharya; Acharya parampara.. on Alavandhaar Thirunakshathram today...

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SrI:

SrImathE Yamuna munayE namah:

Dearest all

Today is Sri Alavandhar- Sri YamunAchArya

Thirunakshathram [birthday]. Hence adiyEn thought it

is more apt to contemplate on this GLORIOUS Acharya

lineage for which [as can be seen below] Swami

Alavandhar is the Key… in his vailakshaNya kataksham

on Ramanuja… [when Ramanuja was young and was walking

with his former Guru Yadava prakasa].

Let us read end enjoy the qualities and greatness of

our acharyas.

 

Swamy Desikan describes the greatest qualities of

AchArya in nyAsavimsati

slOkA 1:

 

1.Sound philosophical jnAnam obtained (learnt) through

the greatest lineage of his AchAryAs

2.Having an undisputed clear knowledge on sAsthrAs;

3.Free from any sins and attachments;

4.Complete knowledge of Vedas, its subsidiaries and

ithihAsAs

5.Deep unshakable faith in Brahman (Almighty-

unsurpassed unparalleled Sriya: Pathi Sriman

Narayanan)

6.possesses sAtvic guNA;

7.Always speaks truth

8.lives in accordance with the manner laid down in

sAsthrAs;

9.free from jealousy, show etc..

10. having control over sense organs

11.friendly and affectionate towards all;

12.Compassionate towards all;

13.helps the disciples who err, correct them and make

them follow right track as laid down in sAsthrAs

14.wishes for everyone?s welfare at all times.

 

Our Greatest AchArya parampara as mentioned earlier

starts with Sriman Narayanan.

The lineage is:

Sriman Narayanan.

Sri Mahalakshmi

Sri VishvaksEnar (sEnai nAthan- commander in chief)

Sri SaTakOpar (nammAzhwAr)

Sri nAthamuni

Sri puNdarIkAkshar (uyyakkoNdAr)

Sri rAmamisrar (maNakkAl nambhi)

Sri yAmunAchAryar (ALavandhAr)

Sri mahApUrNar (Periya nambhi)

Sri rAmAnujar (udayavar- EmperumAnAr- yathirAjar)

 

This AchArya paramparA also is nicely recited by Swamy

desikan in the following Tamil prabhandham.

 

ennuyir thandhaLitthavaraich charaNampukku

yAnadaivE avargurukkaL niraivaNangi

pinaruLAl perumpudhUr vandha vaLLal

periyanambhi ALavandhAr maNakkAl nambhi

nanneRiyai avarkku uraittha uyyakkoNdAr

nAthamuni saTakOpan sEnainAthan

innamudhatth thirumagaL enRu ivarai munnittu

emperumAn thiruvadigaL adaiginREnE.

 

What an excellent sweet prabahndham!

 

asmadhguru paramagurUn yathivarapUrNau sayAmunam rAmam

padmAksha nAtha saTajith sEnEcha ramA ramApathIn

vandhE.

 

(Given below is an extract from a post written by Sri

N Krishnamachari on nyAsa vimsati- thanks to Sri

Krishnamachari for his permission)svAmi deSikan

concludes the stotra with a gist of how he was led to

prapatti, and how he lives his life as a prapanna

after performing prapatti. This concluding Slokam is

included as part of the nitya-anushandhAnam at the

end of the nyAsa daSakam which is recited during the

nitya bhagavad-ArAdhanam.

 

samSArAvarta vega praSamana Subha-dr*k deSika

prekshito'ham

samtyakto'nyairupAyair-anucita cariteshvadya

SAntAbhisabshih |

niS-Sankhah tatvat-dr*shtyA niravadhika dayam prArthya

samrakshakam

tvAm nysya tat-pAda padme varada nija-bharam nir-bharo

nir-bhayo'smi ||

 

" I chose a good AcArya who could instruct me on how to

get out of the whirl of samsAra, and had his divya

kaTAksha. Because of the AcArya's teachings,

I obtained the knowledge that could help me analyze

and understand the difficulty of bhakti yoga and the

realization that prapatti is the only recourse open to

me, which I could perform easily, and attain the

desired moksham by performing it once and only once.

I learnt the facts about prapatti and so had no doubt

whatsoever about its efficacy. I sought refuge

of peraruLALan with pirATTi as the sole refuge who

could protect me. I surrendered all responsibility

for my protection at the feet of peraruLALan

and performed prapatti at His feet. Since I am now

living the life of a prapanna, I feel completely

relieved of all responsibility for my self from

that point. Since all my acts from that point on have

been directed to only kaimkaryam for bhagavAn, there

is nothing more to fear about any accumulation of

karma. So I continue to lead a life of nishkAmya

kaimkaryam to bhagavAn while spending the rest of my

life in this world, and deriving infinite happiness

from it " .

 

The greatness of our Srivaishnavam is that we not only

show respect and pay obeisance to our prakritam

(present) AchArya, also to the entire lineage of

AchAryas, right upto the Lord. The thaniyan

(dedicatory verse) of our AchArya and thaose of his

predecessors, are to be recited by every srivaishnava.

It is not only in paying respect to the glory of these

AchAryAs, also to show our gratitude for what GREAT

service rendered by them to our srivaishnava

sampradAyam, by way of disseminating through granthas

and kAlakshEbams.

 

Swamy Desikan describes this very movingly:

 

yERRi manatthu yezhil jnAna viLakkai iruLanaitthum-

mARRinavarkku oru kaimmARu mAyanum kANagillAn

pORRiugappathum pundhiyiR koLvadhum, pongupugazh-

sARRivaLarppathum saRRallavOmunnam peRRadhaRkkE.

 

To the One who has lit the lamp of jnAnam (knowledge)

(in us) and dispelled the darkness from our minds,

there is nothing (no way ) even the Lord can do

to repay (for what the AChArya has done). Praising

such AchAryan and telling about his greatness to

others, spreading his name, glories, continuously

will be like an infinitesimal portion for what He has

done. (saRRu - iota)

 

Sri maNavALa mAmunigaL in his upadEsaratthinamAlai

says

 

" jnAnam anuttAnam ivai nanRAgavE udaiya

nAna, guruvai adaindhakkAl - mAnilatthIr!

thEnAr kamalatth thirumAmagaL kozhunan

thAnE vaikuntham tharum. "

 

When one takes refuge at an AchAryan (Guru), who is

the great personification of jnAnam and anshtAnam, oh

folks! the Lord Sriya: Pathi Sriman Narayanan will

grant mOksham.

 

He also stresses that if one wishes to get saved,

place your mind (and yourself) at the feet of your

AchAryan. (uyyaninaivuNdAgil u~ngurukkaL

thampahatthE vaiyum.. anbuthannai.. )

 

Our Srivaishnava AchArya lineage- upto (our AchArya)

asmadhAchAryan, it is

of the highest order; blemishless; faultless; with

absolutely no interruption (avicchinnam); continuous.

Folly, mistake, falling in character, a black mark in

their qualities, - no way! It is due to our

limitless puNyam, grace of Sriya: Pathi Sriman

Narayanan, we have been blessed to have such Greatest

AchArya paramparA. There can be no doubt at

all on this in any of our minds.

 

We should recite our AchAryan?s thaniyan everyday and

also of PoorvAchAryAs. There can not be a better one

than the dedicatory verses of (y)our AchAryas to grant

you what you wish for. GuruparamparAdhyAnam,

GuruparamparAsmaraNam, anusanthAnam, - when one does,

there will be showering of sarva ma~ngaLam!

There can be fullest blessing of Divya Dampathi on

him.

 

Swamy Desikan has said AchAryAdhiha dEvathAm

samadhikAm anyAm na manyAmahE! Is there a God more

than AchArya? We will never ever consider

so.- says thUppul PiLLai. In every one of our

Srivaishnava AchAryAs, Sriya: Pathi Sriman Narayanan

has entered into and been blessing the Humanity.

 

GuruparamparA smaraNam is the most important and

essential one. It is the most necessary deed, which is

nithya karma; naimittika karma, as well as

kAmyam too. This can also be for prAyaschittham for

one?s pApam. It grants everything that we wish for.

 

Those who feel that they cannot recite Vedas, recite

Divya prabandham, etc., at least should recite

thaniyan, mediate on the Greatest AchArya paramparA.

 

let us sEvicchufy our AchArya lineage. Let

us pay our obeisance to the greatest Guru paramapara.

 

Given below is an extract from Sri Nrusimhapriya of

1997 issues on Swamy Desikan's YathirAja sapthathi

(first 12 verses)- translated to English by

Sri U.Ve. V.N Vedanta Desikan SwAmy (from Tamil

Commentary by Paramapadhavaasi Villivalam Sri U. Ve.

Narayanacharya SwAmy)

 

1. I pay obeisance to the First and foremost AchArya,

the Consort of MahAlakshmi. He is the Head of the

Family, which the whole Universe constitutes. He is a

singular AchAryA, who is Himself, the first reciter of

Vedas, and also the author of Paancharaathra Saasthra.

 

2. I now pay obeisance to the Spouse of the Lord,

MahAlakshmi, who is never ever separated from the

Lord; who is incapable and also unaware of any

punitive action / treatment whatsoever and who is the

embodiment of gracious benediction, and who always

exchanges plans with the Lord for the good of

the Universe and beings.

 

3. I pay my respects to VishvaksEnar, the Consort of

Soothravathi. He is the Commander-in-chief of the

Lord. At the tip of His disciplining ward (whip)

the whole universe stays put in proper place and is

rightly led on.

 

4. We mediate on ShaTaari, (NammAzhwAr) whose garland

of VakuLa flowers gets its fragrance exuded into the

fluent flow of poetry - a work of literature

at which the Vedas, having been tired of imparting

codes of life, even ineffectively, can safely rest and

relax now, since AzhwAr's works will suffice and do

the same job more effectively!

 

5. I hold as my Naatha (master) the seer Naathamuni,

in whose hands the essential crux of the Vedas

acquired a clarity of understanding - to call it

HasthAmalaka, as one would say with this Natha

available for me, I can not be " anaatha " (forlorn).

 

6. I obey PuNdareekaakshar (UyyakkoNdaar), who ever

stands on the mental contour described by Nathamuni,

our master at all times, and who is of unalloyed

Saathvika Character, even like avataars of the Lord.

 

7. We meditate on Raamamisrar (MaNakkaal Nambhi), who

is forbearing, who is dangerous to unholy persons, who

had forsaken taste for lust and anger, - who thus was

the fourth Rama (i.e- unlike: (1) Parasuraama- who was

not forbearing, (2) Ramabhadra -who was dangerous to

PuNyajanas (euphemism for Raakshasaas), and (3)

Balaraama, - who was used to drinking liquor.)

 

8. We shall bathe in the holy waters of Yamuna

(Alavandhaar), who has severed all connections with

mean passions and attachment, who stood steadfast in

safeguarding the Saadhus, and in whom the things

emphasised by Krishna were present perfectly. (A

second meaning: We shall bathe in the holy waters of

Yamuna river, form which poisonous snake had been

removed, which is close to Brindhavanam, and in which

Krishna was interested.)

 

9. I place myself at MahapoorNar (Periya Nambhi) whose

extreme daya enslaves him to itself (daya) (he

becoming an abject servant of Daya quality) who

gave us the Great Ramanuja, thereby making the hope of

the Prime creator realised.

 

10. May Sri Ramanuja-muni, accept my humble

prostration - he whose works performed the service as

the woman- attendant for the Veda- lady (who has

captivated the Lord and is His consort), this Veda-

lady holding the Lord under her spell, in a dependent

manner- so to say.

 

11. I praise Yathiraja, who shines with a Yajna

Upaveetham, on His chest and with the OordhavapuNram

who is really the fruit of the Good deeds of all

worlds, who has a thridaNda, in His hand, and finally

has a tuft of hair on the Head. He is the saviour of

the Vaishnavites, surrendered unto Him, guaranteeing

for their salvation.

 

12. The Lord's five weapons (Chakkra, Sankhu, Gadha,

Khadga, and Saarngha) have unitedly taken the

incarnation of Sri Ramanuja. He is therefore harsh

on the enemies (say of our religion). That AchArya is

sure to protect us.

 

After Sri Ramanuja, the most important disciples

(descendents) of Ramanuja are:

PiLLAn, VishNuchitthar, NadAdhUr ammAL, AppuLLAr and

Swamy Vedanta Desika

 

AND

 

Sri embAr, Parasara bhattar, Numjeeyar, NampiLLai,

Vadakku thiruveedhipiLLai, PeriyavAcchAnPillai,

PillailOkAryar, SrIsailar (ThiruvAymozhipiLLai), Sri

Manavala mamunigaL.

 

Let us place our heads at the lotus feet of this most

illustrious acharya parampara and pray to them for

their continued benign glances on us for “correcting”

us at the right moments [thirutthi paNikoLLal] and

grant us eternal service [kaimkarya ruchi] at their

Feet.

Acharyan ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dAsan