THIRUVALLIKENI KANDENE   

  BRINDARANYA NIVASAYA BALARAMANUJAYACHA RUKMINI PRANANADHAYA PARTHASOODHAYA MANGALAM

                      THIS SITE IS SUBMITTED TO THE HOLY FEET OF SHREE PARTHASARATHI EMPERUMAN

                                                                            Sri Parthasarathi thunai

                                                                        Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

                                                                        Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha

                                                                    Sri VanAchala mahA munayE Namaha

                                                           SrisailEsa dayA pAthram deebhakthyAdhi gunArnavam

                                                          Yateendra pravanam vandhE ramya jAmataram muni

                                                          RamyajAmatru yOgeendra pAdha rEkhA mayam sadhA

                                                          thathAyath thAthma sadhdhAthim rAmAnuja munim bhajE

In the last posting we saw that Swami Azhagiya manavAla perumal nAyanAr and vanamamalai rAmAnuja jeeyer swami reached Srivilliputtur.  They did mangalAsAsanam to vada-perun-kOil-vudaiyAn and periyAzhvar and then proceeded towards Sri Andal sannadhi and did mangalAsAnam starting with “neelA thungastana giri tadee” and ending with “nama etha mitham Bhooya A-vAsthu Bhooya:” They stayed for three days over there and then nAyanAr along with jeeyer proceeded to thirumAlirunchOlai.

 Both of them bathed in the sacred noopuraganga and finished their anushtAnams and proceeded to have the divine darshan of the thirumAlirunchOlai azhagar (sundaran).  On their way, Srivaishnavas of that place payed their homage to nAyanar and jeeyer swamigal and lead their way to the temple.  At the Gopura vAsal (main entrance to the temple-“kodiani nedu madhil gOpuram”) kainkaryaparas (the persons involved in the divine service of emperuman at the temple) and archakas welcomed them along with the sreesadagopam.

 Nayanar accepted the sreesadagopan on his head with great regards and entered inside.  As per the verse, “thadarsha sundaram drushtu drishti-chittApahArinam” they were mesmerized by the beauty of azhagar (“thirumAlirunchOli nindrAn”).  They did mangalAsAsanam to the sundarar by reciting the thiruvAimozhi padhigam “senchor kavigAl”.  Accepting the theertha prasAdam, thirumAlai, thiruparivattam and other honors they got themselves deeply involved with the emperuman and stayed there for three days.

 Then both of them proceeded towards Srirangam.  Some days passed on the way and they finally reached Srirangam, the bhoolOka vaikundam (“sezhunthadam punal soozh thiruvarangam”).  They took bath in kAveri – “gangayil punidhamAya kAviri”, the kAveri which is even more sacred than even the river ganga and finished their appropriate anushtAnams and with great joy, nAyanar and his shisya vanamamalai Jeeyer proceeded towards the temple, passing many beautiful gardens on the way and then the divine mAda veedhis (streets around the temple) and then reached the ‘nAnmugan gOpura vAsal’ (nAnmugan entrance).

 Starting with “dEvee gOdhayathi pathi sadathveshinou” they did mangalAsAsanam and reached the sannadhi of Sri ranganAchiyAr.  They prostrated the divine mother and did mangalAsAsanam to her.  Further, they proceeded towards the perumal sannadhi, payed homage to the dvArapAlakas and then entered inside and inbetween the two divine pillars (“mAyOnai manaththOnE pattri nindru vAyAra vAzhththi”) had the pAdhAdhikEsAntham (from the thiruvadi to thirumudi- as per thirupAnAzhvar in amalanAdhipiran) darshan of periya perumal and did mangalAsAsanam with pallAndu.  Then they requested perumal to bless them with his kainkaryam and showed their gratefulness to have given such a great Acharya-shisya sambhandam (relationship).  Periya perumal with a graceful look blessed them with his theertha prasAdham, thirumAlai, thiruparivattam and Sreesadagopan.  Nayanar and his shisya, jeeyer swami, accepting the same enjoyed the divine beauty of emperuman along with sri and bhoo devees, with immense happiness came out of the sannadhi in pradakshinam.

 While doing pradakshinam, around the temple vanamamalai- ponnadikkAl jeeyer followed nAyanar like his shadow enjoying the thirumEni (physical) beauty of nAyanar while doing pradakshinam.  Nayanar was highly pleased with the shisya and hence he blessed him with the perumal prasAdams in his hand, to Jeeyer as his own prasAdam.  Jeeyer accepted the same with great regard and followed nAyanar as his padarEka.

  (To be continued)

 Alwar EmperumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigalE sharaNam

 Adiyen Ramanuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan