The man with no name!

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The man with no name?

 

 

This is what I found in the pages of The Hindu on 26 Nov 2009:

 

The Hindu, Trichy, Nov 26 2009 p12 Variety, Religion, The Real Thieves

A brief report on a discourse by M.A.Venkatakrishnan.

 

.... A man goes to Engalazhvan to become the latter's disciple. The prospective

sishya knocks on the door to Engalazhvan's house. " Who is there " asks

Engalazhvan. " It is I " answers the man. " Go away and come back when I am dead "

replies Engalazhvan. The man is puzzled by Engalazhvan's words... So in

turning back the man Engalazhvan...

 

I wonder why M.A.Venkatakrishnan keeps using " man " to describe Nadathur Ammal?

Surely, at least once he could have said Nadathur Ammal or Vatsya Vardacharya?

 

Do you know who was being referred to? Read on...

 

SrImatE vaatsya varadArya mahA guravE nama:

guravE varadAryAya kurvImahi namskriyAm |

yat padAmbhOja sEvA na: sudhE vedAnta sampatAm ||

 

Amma to Vardaraja Perumal:

 

He is the Mother and Father of all, without exception. He has no mother or

father. To experience the status of a son He chose some fortunate souls to be

His parents during His various incarnations in this world, vibhava avatara. It

is always the mother who is the more important parent. Aditi,Prishni,Kousalya,

Devaki and Yashoda were His mothers. In Krishnaavatara He arranged to have two

mothers, one who begot Him and another who brought Him up. Like all sons, He

favoured His various mothers rather than the fathers.

Next He set up a mother when He took the form of an image, archaavatara. This

can be done only by Him, because of His aghatanagatitha samarthyam, as our

preceptors keep writing. The ability to do the undoable.

In Kanci, about 800 years ago, a young man, Vardacharya by name, removes the

vessel containing the tasty aromatic milk from the stove burning kindling

wood.He cools it down to a temperature optimum for drinking. Warm enough to be

soothing but neither hot nor cold. He then submits it to the image of the God of

gods. The expression on his face seems to suggest that our Lord is partaking his

offering contentedly. He then takes the vessel away and distributes the

remainder to the fortunate devotees nearby. Vardacharya then goes on to his

other duties.

The Most Gracious Lord marvels at the maternal altruism of this young man. He

smacks His coralline lips, tasting once again the nectar like milk. It reminds

Him of when Yashoda used to catch hold of Him and force Him to drink milk. Moved

by the young man's mother like love, He decrees that Vardacharya will be

henceforth called Ammal. Being a scion of the Nadathur clan he later becomes

famous as Nadathur Ammal, a Sribhasya

Simhasanathipathi.

Nadathur Ammal (1165-1275 A.D): also known as Vatsya Varadacharya, Vatsya Varada

Guru and Varada Vishnu Misra.

 

Why Akhila why not Nikhila or Sakala:

 

Vardacharya is being tutored by his father Devaraja Mahadesika and he

interrupts at the very beginning of the exgesis of SriBhasya. He asks his pater

with all the thoughtlessness of youth that why did Bhasyakara chose the word

" akhila " instead of " nikhila " or " sakala " . His father replies that " akhila "

begins with the most auspicious " a " which represents Vishnu viz. " akaarartha

Vishnuh " hence the great Bhasyakara did not use the other words. Devaraja

Mahadesika realised that he would not be able to withstand the impetuous

questioning of his son and arranged to send him to Thiruvellarai about 15kms to

the north-west of Srirangam. There the great Vishnuchitta of the " poorva-sikha "

clan, endearingly renamed as Engalalvan by the redoubtable Bhasyakara himself

was instructing apt pupils on Ramanuja's Sri Bhasyam.

The scene is set for the first meeting of Vatsya Vardacharya and the formidable

Engalalvan who is issueless. A tryst of youthful enthusiaism and learned

rectitude.

The young Varadacharya is directed fearfully and reverently to the abode of the

great acharya who is considered the equal of the peerless Kuratalvan. He knocks

on the door and a voice from within asks " Who is it? " Our bubbly youngster

replies in all the innocence of youth, " It is I, Vatsya Vardacharya from

Kanci... " An astounding reply comes from within " Return after I is dead " .

Silence ensues. A shocked Vardacharya does not know what to do next. There is

nobody to guide him there. He ruminates on the statement. ...I is dead?? " I " can

mean his own self or his preceptor to be. But...how or why to return after

death? Vardacharya hastens back to Kanci and tearfully reports the turn of

events to his father.

His father tells him that he should have answered in a self effacing manner. He

teaches his son the proper reply and sends him back to Thiruvellarai.

With understandable trepidation our Vardacharya again approaches the closed door

like a mouse going to the cat's house. Knock! Knock! " Who is it? " " Adiyen

Vardacharya from Kanci " . " Come in " . Adiyen here means " ...the humble one who

resides at your feet, your servitor " . This is how a pupil is supposed to

approach a preceptor.

 

Ammalakku Acharyan:

 

Thus began a relationship unique in the colourful history of Ramanuja Darsana.

Engalalvan agreed to take on Vardcharya as his pupil on the condition that he

become his son and promise him to conduct his, Engalalvan's, last rites as per

the injunctions of the scriptures. Vardacharya secured assent from his

biological father and became Engalalvan's adopted son. He remained with his

guru-father till Engalalvan proceeded to His ever effulgent domain. Vardacharya

conducted the last rites as befitting one of the greatest Visistadvaita

Simhasanathipathi, a successor to Sri Bhasyakara himself, at Kollakonda near

Srivilliputhur.

He established an image of his preceptor at the magnificent Sri Pankajavalli

sametha Sri Pundarikaksha Perumal temple at Thiruvellarai. His own image can be

found in a reverential posture at his acharya's feet. This is just like

Ramanuja's image at Tiruppanalvar's feet in the Nachiyar Temple at Woraiyur.

Vatsya Vardacharya returned to Kanci after his preceptor's demise and blossomed

into one of the greatest Sri Bhasya Simahasanthipathi and came to be hailed as

Nadathur Ammal, a name by which he is better known. The image of Engalalvan at

Thiruvellarai is called Ammalakku Acharyan.

 

The genesis of Sruthaprakasika

 

The most famous commentary on Ramanuja's SriBhasya is Sruthaprakasika by Sri

Sudarsana Bhatta. He was the grandson of Sri Vedavyasa Bhatta the twin of the

one and only Sri Parasara Bhatta, their father being the peerless Sri

Kuratalvan.

Sudarsana Bhatta went to Kanci from Srirangam to learn at the feet of Nadathur

Ammal who was then being hailed as the foremost teacher of SriBhasya. Being

quiet and studious Sudarsana Bhatta was mistaken for a dimwit. Nadathur Ammal

knew the true potential of his pupil and once when he came a bit late to the

class he asked him, Sudarsana Bhatta the reason he had kept his acharya and the

whole class waiting. To this Sudarsana Bhatta replied that, the night before he

had been awake transcribing the previous day's lessons. When asked to elaborate

on it he discoursed on it so fluently that his class mates were rendered

speechless. Sudarsana Bhatta " notes " on Ammal's lectures later on became justly

famous as Srutha Prakasika and till today it is the bedrock on which the

understanding of Bhasyakara's SriBhasya rests. During the heinous sack of

Srirangam Sri Vedanta Desika saved this work and Sudarsana Bhatta's two sons by

feigning to be dead among the corpses.

Such is the horripilating history of Srutha Prakasika. It would have never come

into existence if Nadathur Ammal had not been born.

 

Forecasting greatness:

 

It was Nadathur Ammal again who recognised the potential of the greatest post

Ramanuja Visistadvaita exponent when he, Sri Vedanta Desika, was just five years

old. Every one knows the story of how an aged Nadathur Ammal embraced the five

year old Venkatanatha and forecast his future greatness, in a packed assembly in

the temple of Lord Vardaraja in Kanci.

Repeatedly Sri Vedanta Desika has acknowledged the debt he owes to this

pracharya(preceptor's preceptor) of his. The profound work Prapanna Parijatam by

Nadathur Ammal is the basis of Desika's magnum opus, his definitive work, the

crown jewel in the treasure chest of his writings, Sri Rahasyatrayasara.

There is nothing left to be said about the greatness of Nadathur Ammal.

 

Dr.S.Sundar Rajan MS ortho, Trichy

4 Dec 2009.