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

The disciples, filled with deep sorrow due to the separation from their acharya, Sri vanamamalai onnana ponnadikkAl Jeeyer swamy, remembered and discussed each and every event in the life of swamy from the day swamy took avataram till the end and talked greatly about the divine contributions of their acharya to the srivaishnava community, following the words of his acharya, Sri manavala mAmunigal at all times.

 The close shisyas of swamy then, submitted the following sloka to the divine feet of swamy to let the whole world know the greatness of the great day in which swamy left this world and ascended to the divine abode of emperuman:

  “ArudE katakam prabhaparibrudE srisOpakruth vatsarE moolE sukra dhinE trayOdhasi thrithow pakshE valarshE subhE l vairAkhyAdhi samastha sathguna nidhi rAmAnujAk Yojvala: srivAnAchala yOgirAt nijaguru: pAdharavindhou yayowll”

 Then Varada muni, the next Jeeyer along with the others did Srisoorna paripAlanam, accepted the sesha (left over) prasAdham himself and also distributed the same to all the srivaishnavas, celebrated with oil and turmeric spraying and then neatly decorated the pushpaka vimanam and placed swamy’s vimala charama thirumEni on it.  Then the disciples carried the pushpaka vimanam with due respects (chatra sAmaram honors and amidst the sound of all divine instruments) went through the streets of deivanayakan, which were all decorated in a traditional manner with dvajas, flags and auspicious plants like kadali.  The other disciples carried sugarcane in hands and reciting the nootrandhadhi and others went through the well decorated streets throwing pori (a type of rice cereal) and flowers all over the place with the playing of a single thiruchinnam indicating the attainment of divine abode of emperuman by Sri Vanamamalai Jeeyer swamy. (Darshanaththil varamangai munivan thirunAttukku ezhundharulinAr).

 Sumangali (married women with their husbands alive) womenfolks held a deepam in their hands.  Everyone had darshan of swamy and thus the divine procession reached the eastern side of the settruthAmarai.  Facing the vAnamamalai divya vimAnam, yethi samskAram was done to Sri PonnadikkAl Jeeyer just, like that which was done to Alavandaar, ethirajar and periya Jeeyer.

 Then all the Srivaishnavas, along with varada ramanuja jeeyer, payed their homage to swamy and then took avabrutha snAnam (divine dip after a holy ritual) and returned back to the mutt.  The mutt appeared to be ayodhyA without rAma piran for all of them, quiet and without any life due to the absence of his holiness Sri PonnadikkAl Jeeyer swamy (“ellAm veriyOdittrAlO!”).  They all talked among themselves greatly about swamy and his words and slowly recovered from the shock of separation and did all the rituals to be done for 12 days and on the last day did a grand thiruvadhyayanam, to honor the greatness of swamy and accepted the theertham and prasadam with due respect.

 Later, vanamamalai varada ramanuja jeeyer, decorated the peedam of Vanamamalai mutt, like the change in rAsis, due to the passage of time or like the change in rathapeedam of sooryamoorthi and took the place of vanamamalai ramanuja muni peedam which has remained varamangai muni peedam till then.  Though time has passed and Varada Ramanuja Jeeyer took the place of Varamangai muni, he considered himself to be the pAdhukai of varamangai muni and acted according to the words of his acharya and continued the kainkaryams.  Varada rAmanuja Jeeyer swamy took utmost care of all the srikAryams in the vAnamAmalai perumal sannadhi and also did all that had to be done to uplift the jeevatmas.  He followed his acharya and delivered the divine meanings of thiruvAimozhi and rahasya granthas to the interested srivaishnavas and remained with glory in the peedam.

 All the ashtadiggajas of ponnadikkAl swamy followed their acharyas orders and continued with their allotted kainkaryams.  Ramanuja pillai along with the divya mangala vigraham of swamy returned back to thirunagari and stayed with great devotion in the divine feet of his acharya, delivering ubhaya Vedanta kalashepams to the shisyas.

 In the next posting we will conclude, Sri Varamangai muni vaibhavam with the thaniyan and vAzhi thirunAmams of Vanamamalai ponnadikkAl Jeeyer swamy.

 (To be continued)

 Alwar EmperumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadigalE sharaNam

 Adiyen Ramanuja dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan