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 previous posting we saw that Sri Rangachariyar and his three sons proceeded towards alwar thirunagari for Acharya samAsrayanam.  Let us continue further….

On reaching alwar thirunagari they took a refreshing bath in the divine tAmparabharani river, which is regarded even more sacred than ganga, yamuna, godavari, saraswathi, kaveri and all other rivers.  They then went to have the darshan of the prapanna jana koodasthar, Sri NammAzhvAr.  Getting pleased with the darshan, they then proceeded towards the thirumAligai of their acharya, ThiruvAimozhi pillai.

Swamy at that time was delivering the divine arthas of thiruvAimozhi(thondarkku amudunna sonna sol mAlai), along with sabdha, artha and bhAva rasAs to a crowd of vaishnavas, in such a great manner that, even ignorant and innocent people easily understood the vedantic arthas in alwar’s paasurams.  Sri RangAchariyar and his sons prostrated before the acharya, who with great love enquired about their well being and asked them to have their seat. Then, they accepted the sree pAdha theertham of their acharya with great regards and sat down to hear his divine out pouring.

The next day, Sri RangAchAriyar took bath, finished his nithyAnusandhAnams proceeded along with his sons to pillai’s sannadhi, prostrated the acharya, and requested him to accept his son Azhagiya Varadar and others as his shisyas and pour his divine grace on them.  At that time, Azhagiya ManavAla perumal nAyanar, a scholar of all sastras and a disciple of ThiruvAimozhi pillai, doing guru kula vAsam under pillai, came and prostrated the acharya.  ThiruvAimozhi pillai was a jnani(sarvegner).  Hence he realized that Azhagiya varadar was a shisyAvatAram of Azhagiya manavAla perumal nAyanAr.  So he ordered nAyanAr to do pancha samskAram to Azhagiya varadar and others.  Nayanar remained quiet hearing the order of the acharya.  He then looked at Azhagiya varadar with eyes filled with krupai.  On seeing Azhagiya varadar nAyanAr realized that he had divine qualities (A-mudalvan evan) and hence showered his special grace on him.

NayanAr did pancha samskAram first to Azhagiya Varadar and then to the others.  Then Azhagiya Varadar and others did danda pranAmam to their acharya, nAyanAr and the acharya graced them with his Sree pAda theertham and prasAdam.  Nayanar then started from his acharya thirumAligai along with his shisyas, azhagiya varadar and others to do mangalAsAsanams to alwar.  On the way, nAyanAr first did mangalAsAsanam to EmperumAnAr, starting with “SrimAdhavAngri jalajath vaya nithya sEvA” and ending with “RamAnujam yethi pathim pranamAmi moorthnA”.  NayanAr then showed azhagiya varadar, the divine feet of emperumAnAr but azhagiya varadar fell into the feet of nAyAnar (vara vara muni mEva chintayenthi), since nAyanAr has always been under the divine feet of emperumAnAr (nithyam yatheendra tava divya vapus smrithoumE…vruthyantharEsthu vimukam karanathrayancha) azhagiya varadar felt it to be more appropriate to fall in his acharya nayanAr’s feet.

Azhagiya varadar then did mangalAsAsanam to his acharya, and requested his divine grace always on him. (“apakatha madhamAnai: anthimOpAya nishthai: athikatha paramArthai: arthakAma anabhEkshai:! Nikila jana suhruthbihi: nirjitha krOdha lObhai: vara vara muni brithyair astumE nithya yoga:).  They then accepted the theertha prasAdam given in the sannadhi and then accepted the divine thiruvadi of EmperumAnAr on their heads and with great happiness and gratefulness came out in pradakshinam.

(To be continued)

Alwar EmperumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigalE sharaNam

Adiyen Ramanuja dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan