posted Jun 25, 2010 10:09 PM by Gopalakrishnan Azhagiyamanavalan
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updated Jun 26, 2010 12:02 PM
]
Sri: Srimate
Ramanujaya Nama: Srimath
Varavara Munaye Nama: Ani-yil
thirumUlam எம்பெருமானார் தரிசனம் என்றே இதற்கு நம்பெருமாள் பெரிட்டுநாட்டிவைத்தார் Our SrIvaishnava sampradAyam is well known for and celebrated as 'emperumAnAr
darshanam'. This glorious sampradAyam encompasses an eminent guru paramparA
(disciplic succession) that can be traced from SrIman nArAyanA, the prathamAchAriyan,
followed by SrI mahAlakshmi thAyAr, AzhwArs, nAthamunigaL and finally swAmi manavALa
mAmunigaL with swAmi emperumAnAr occupying the central position of the radiant
jewel studded on the guru paramparai ratnamAlai. Among our acharyas is our
beloved AchAriyan Visadavak Sikamani , swamy ManavALamAmunigaL, who was none
other than the punar avatAram of swAmi rAmAnujA (the manifestation of AdisEshA/thiruavananthAzhwAn). He is
greatly known for establishing the charma parvam and anthimOpAyanishThai and
for resolutely serving the lotus feet of SrI namperumAL at thiruvarangam.

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திருமூலமே நமக்கு மூலம் (ThiruMoolame is the Moolam (precious source for us) | |
The
auspicious star of Thirumulam The auspicious star of thirumUlam, the thirunakshatram of our
krupAmAtra prasannAchAriyan-Ana manavALa mAmunigaL, is observed in the month of
AnI today. Not only is this day the
thirunakshatram of swAmi but is the most
auspicious day (thirunannAL) that
is to be celebrated by our entire SrI
vaishnava kulam. It was this day on which the
thaniyan , SrisailesaDayaPatram (ஸ்ரீசைலேச தயா பாத்ரம்), was rendered by periya perumAL in
the honor of swAmi manavALa mAmunigaL at the end of his kAlakshEpam on
thiruvaimozhi that was
delivered based on swAmi Nampillai's eeDu
muppathArAyairam
kAlakshEpam . By doing so, namperumAL had accepted mAmanunigaL
as his AchAriyan.
This magnificient thiruNannal is being celebrated annually at
thiruvarangam in swAmi
manavALa mAmunigaL's sannidhi at pallavarAya thirumanDapam,
which was bestowed by
namperumAL to swAmi during his stay in SrIrangam.
ThiruMoolame
is the Moolam (precious source) for us
திருமூலமே நமக்கு மூலம்
பூதூரில் வந்துதித்த புன்னியனோ?
பூங்க்கமலும் தாதார் மகிழ்மார்பன் தானிவனோ?
தூதூரவந்த நெடுமாலோ?
மனவாளமாமுனிவன் எந்தையிவர் மூவரிலும் யார்?
(swAmi AyI
gyAnAchariyar swAmi has described mAmuni's prabhAvam).
The
word 'moolam' in Tamil is interpreted as "source" (kAranam kartA).
Today we are able to
relish the bhOgiyam of our well-flourished SrI vaishnava
sampradAyam owing to the AchArya who
appeared in the star of thirumUlam- none
other than our krupAmAtra prasannAchArya, swAmi
manavALa mAmunigaL. swAmi spent
all his life in the holy land of thiruvarangam by unflinchingly
performing kainkaryams to the lotus feet of namperumAL by means of which he
firmly i llustrated that "seshathvamae Athmavuku Swarupam
(சேஷத்வமேஆத்மாவுக்குஸ்வருபம்)".
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Swamy VaraVaraMuni's Tribute to Arangam
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Swami
VaravaraMuni's Tribute to Thiruvarangam
SrIrangam was a victim of the
consequences of the brutal Muslim invasion that took place in the
early 14th
century. During this time, the place was structurally in disrepair and was
parched for
intellectual stimulation for it was then subject to spiritual,
social and moral corruption.
Misuse of rights, corruption and disorder were
rampant. In response to this, swAmi manavALa
mAmunigaL had to exert tremendous
effort in bring back to action swAmi emperumAnAr's nishThai , which led to the reinstatement of the daily
sacred and festival procedures at SrIrangam. Our beloved
AchAryan, swAmi
varavaramuni, realized the importance of bringing the focus back to the essential
tenets of our core SrI vaishnnavam and achieved this objective by bringing to
the forefront the
scholarly works of AchAryAs that had been shoved away into
the side. Owing to swAmi's
commitment
and devotion, he was made responsible for the daily temple administration and
appointed as the leader for all SrI vaishnavAs of his period.
The Muslim invasion and assault on the divine land of SrIrangam
had miserably affected both the place and the life of the residing
SrIvaishnavAs; if we are able to enjoy the darshanam of our beloved Lord at
thiruarangam, it is solely because of
the fruits of our dearly loved paramaAchAriyan SwAmi ManavALamamunighal's
steadfast endeavors in protecting and nourishing our sampradAyam.

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அமுதினை மயக்கும் சொல்லமுது
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அமுதினை மயக்கும் சொல்லமுது Our beloved swamy ManavALa mAmunigaL is- the ocean of knowledge, anushThAna
seelar,
parama sAthvikar and azhagiya solvannam konDavar. The auspicious dvaya
mantram was the life
and soul of swAmi manavALa mAmunigaL. His contributions to
our sampradAyam can be
seen in his granthams, which in simple and elegant terms
bring out the deep-rooted teachings
that are present in the Vedic scriptures
that are by themselves difficult to understand.
Further, his renditions in
Tamil enable those who are not conversant in Sanskrit to appreciate
the glories
of our sampradAyam. emperumAn is well known to be called "vAkmi" (வாக்மி)because of his
exquisite
oral grace (சொல்லமுது-vallavar chol amuthu). In rAmAvatAram,
emperumAn was uttering
"madhurA
madhurA lAbhA" மதுரா
மதுராலாபாand had the chol
amudu (சொல்லமுது)anubhavam of periya pirAtti when he was
separated from
sItA pirATTi . In krishnAvataram,
he was having the bhOgiyam of speaking to and hearing Gopikas'
shabdam (சப்தம்). In his Archa avataram, emperumAn was
pleased to have the bhOgiyam of hearing the
chol amudu (சொல்லமுது) of our beloved swAmi
manavALa mAmunigaL.
'மனவாளமாமுனிகளின் சொல்லமுது அரங்கத்து அமுதினையும்
ஈர்ந்தது'(sarvEshvaran-Ana namperumAL was
compeletely mesmerized by hearing the
words of our Visadavak Sikamani).

திருக்கையிலே பிடித்த திவ்யாயுதங்களும், வைத்தஞ்சல் என்ற
கையும், கவித்த முடியும்,முகமும்
முறுவலும்,ஆஸநபத்மத்திலேயழுத்தின திருவடிகளுமாய்
நிற்கிற நிலையே நமக்கு தஞ்சம்"
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எம்பெருமானும் கற்க வேண்டுமோ? (Does Emberuman need to learn?)
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எம்பெருமானும் கற்க வேண்டுமோ?
When emperumAn appeared as chakravarthi thirumagan (rAmar), he
learned kalaigal and
sasthrangal from
Vishwamitharana Vashistar (வசிஷ்டர்).Then in KrishnA Avataram, he learned
all the 64 sasthra kalaigal from sAndhipani (ஸாந்தீபனி). This illustrates that even though
Emberuman
is the Supreme Almighty (sarvEshwaran), he submits himself to learn from a
proper
AchAriyan in his
vibhavaAvataram in this Bhoologam. He does so to highlight to us the i mportance
of learning from a bonafide teacher (AchAriyan)
. It is thus essential that everyone
learns from an AchAriyan to obtain and
relish the relationship we have with the
Lord (emperumAn sambantham).
Likewise swAmi ManavALa mAmunigaL had learned all the shAstrArthAs
and vedavedanthangal
from his AchAriyan, SrISailESar aka
thiruvAimozhipillaiAn/thirumalai Alzhwar and from
his thirutahoppanAr (சொல்லார் தமிலொரு மூன்றும் ச்ருதிகள்
நான்கும் எல்லையில்லா
அறநெறி யாவும அறிந்து).
SwAmi mAmunigaL is glorified as
the ocean of knowledge since his unparalleled
contributions to our sampradAyam
enables us to enjoy the wonderful works of our poorvAchAryAs.
கேட்டார் பின்னைகும் தகையவாய்
எளிமையாகும் இனிமையாகும் சொற்களை கூறும் மனவாளமாமுனிகளைசேவிக்கும்
சாதாரண
பாமர மனிதனும் "யார் கொல் இச் சொல்லின் செல்வர்" என்று
கொண்டடுவர்கள்.
His SrIsUktIs and granthAs were rendered in a lucid and simple
manner, which as mentioned above,
enables everyone to comprehend and rejoice
the profound teachings of the vEdAs and hence
his name "vishadavAk shikhAmani."
When a flower is borne by a plant, it can be plucked out
effortlessly." பூ பறித்தார்
போலே".
This analogy is pointed out
by our AchAryAs to drive home the point that swAmi mAmunigaL's
vyAkhyAnams are
like the flowers of a plant, which can be easily understood by devotees who
desire
to relish our sampradAyam. It is thus evident why our beloved namperumAL
rightly chose
swAmi mAmunigaL as his AchAriyan!
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An
interesting thought elucidated by PBA swAmi:
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An
interesting thought elucidated by PBA swAmi:
During rAmAvatAram,
Sage vishvAmitra was emperumAn's (Sri Rama's) guru who imparted
shAstra gyAna
to rAma. But was he the right AchAriyan for the Supreme Almighty, emperumAn?
No. He himself was a victim of kama and krodha- he became the father of shakuntalA
and in
another instance forgot his nithya anushthanam. From this perspective,
emperumAn was not
fortunate enough to get an appropriate AchAriyan who would be
best suited for his brilliance (prabhAvam).
emperumAn thus waited in
anticipation of finding the right teacher until his next avatAram.
In the
subsequent yugA of dvApara, sAndhipani was krishnA's guru. When the vidyAbhyAsa
(education)was complete, krishnA wanted to offer to his guru dakshina that his
guru desired.
When krishnA insisted, sAndhipani consulted his wife and requested
krishnA to search for and
bring back his lost son (odu vaimayumuvaniyarpirappum
unakku mun tanda anthanan oruvan -
kaadal en magan pugaliDam kanen - kanDu nee
taruvai - kodil vaymayinAn).
Though krishnA
fulfilled the wish of his guru, he was upset. Why so ? Would it have not been
appropriate for sAndhipani, who was known as a great AchAriyan, to request emperumAn
for
kainkaryam and mOksham?
Leaving this aside, he asked for the satisfaction
of a worldly pleasure. Therefore, krishnA
had to
continue to wait to find an apt AchAriyan. Later in his archAvataram as
thiruvaranga RengaNathan
(Sri NamperumAL), emperumAn continued to eagerly wait to
find the right AchAriyan.
Finally, during swAmi mAmunigaL period when swAmi delivering
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இப்புவயில் அரங்க்கேசற்கு ஈடுஅளித்தான் வாழியே
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Finally, during swAmi mAmunigaL period when swAmi delivering
thiruvAimozhi kAlakshEpam,
everyone praised swAmi's nishThais and gradually swAmi's
fame was appreciated by sranganathan
following which namperumAL accepted swAmi mAmunigaL
as his own AchAriyan. emperumAn,
azhagiya manavALan, was thus very eagerly
waiting to hear mAmunigaL's kAlakshEpam in thiruvaranga periya kOvil sannidhi. vEedam
tamizh seitha nammAzhwarin
thiruvAimozhiyai. "வான்திகழும் சோலை மதிலரங்கர் வண்புகழ்மேல்
ஆன்ற
தமிழ்ஆயிரம்"
As emperumAn , rAmar heard his charithram from KushalavargaL's (குசல்வர்கள்) mouth.
Likewise,
Alagzhiya ManavALan , wanted to hear
thiruvAimozhi eeDu kAlakshEpam from
swAmi
manavALa mAmunigaL. He thus invited
mAmunigaL and wanted to hear in entirety the
eeDu kAlakshEpam, well known as
" swAmi pramakArunikarana nampillai eeDu
muppatAyiram
kAlakshEpam"
ெதள்ளியதா
நம்பிள்ைள * ெசப்பு ெநறி தன்ைன *
வள்ளல் வடக்குத்
திருவீதிப் பிள்ைள ** இந்த
நாடறிய * மாறன்
மறைப் ெபாருைள நன்குைரத்தது *
ஈடு
முப்பத்தாறாயிரம்.

As said by thonDaraDipoDi AzhwAr in his tirumAlai,
" kATTinAn tiruvarangam uypavarkku uyyum
vannam (காட்டினான் திருவரங்கம் உய்பவர்க்கு உய்யும்வண்ணம்)", swAmi manavALa mAmunigaL, in accordance with the thiruvuLLam
(desire) of namperumAL,
agreed todeliver kAlakshEpam in the presence of namperumAL.
Emperiman sings arulappadu for MAmunigaL.
இப்புவயில் அரங்க்கேசற்கு ஈடுஅளித்தான் வாழியே
emperumAn then sung aruLappAdu for swAmi mAmunigaL (periya jeeyar)
and invited swAmi to
his periya kOvil sannathi for rendering kAlakshEpam. emperumAn
with SrI periya pirrATTi and
nityasUris-ananthAzhwAn, vishvaksEnar and garuDan
thus had the bhOgiyam of hearing the wonderful
nectar of swAmi mAmuni's
remarkable commentaries of EeDu Vyakyanam. That particular year
all the
uthsavams were brought to a standstill and SrI namperumAL enjoyed the nectar of
eeDu kAlakshEpam, an opportunity when he treasured since he finally got
sambandam
with yathIndra pravanar in this bhUlOkam.
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எப்புவியும் ஸ்ரீசைல மேத்தவந்தோன் வாழியே
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The rendition of the glorious thaniyan
எப்புவியும் ஸ்ரீசைல மேத்தவந்தோன்
வாழியே
During bhaghavat vishaya sAtrumurai
on the last day of discourse, namperumAL was greatly
impressed by swAmi manavALa mAmunigaL's
expositions. Out of immense pleasure and
respect, namperumAL manifested himself
in the form of a priestly child called
"ArangaNayakam" and appearedin
front of the gathering where he rendered a benedictory verse
(thaniyan) honoring
swAmi mAmunigaL after which he quickly disappeared into the sanctum sanctorum.
Thaniyan-
SrishailEsa
dhayapaAthram DhibhaktyAdi guNArNavam |
yathIndhrapravaNam
vandhE ramyajAmAtharam munim ||
Translation: I offer my respectful
obeisances to Sri ManavALamamuni, the receptacle of
the divya anugraham (grace) of Srisailesa's (tiruvaimozhipillai's),
who is the embodiment of
auspicious guNAs such as knowledge and bhakti and who is greatly devoted to swAmi rAmAnujA.
Customarily, everyone prostrates before Sri NamperumAL saying,
namaha or vandE. Here, the
Lord himself is uttering "vandE" towards mAmunigaL.
Such is the greatness of our beloved AchAriyan in our sampradAyam. This is an
instance of our beloved NamperumAL showing his respect and
devotion to his AchAriyan,
swamy ManavALamAmunigaL. This event concludes a beautiful circular
symmetry in
the disciplic guru paramparA lineage for with this thanniyan the first acharya
( Sriranganatha) becomes the disciple of the last, swAmi mAmunigaL. Both the acharya and
sishya stand out for
their beauty. shishyan here is azhagiya manavALan and AchAriyan is
azhagiya manavALa mAmuni.
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Analyzing
the details of the thaniyan...
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SrIshailEsha dayApAtram
This may be understood as chakravarthi thirumagan becoming a
servant of sughrIvan.
Shaila = mountain = riSyamUka parvatam
shailEsa = owner of this mountain = matangar
dayApatram = matangamunivar's
kripa (mercy) on sughrIvan. sughrIvan escaped
death
only due to this parvata
Therefore, SaiEsa
dayapatram = sugriva
Rama first said sailEsa dayapatram vande (lOkanAtha: purA bhUtva
sugrIvam nathanmichati).
However, after becoming the King of kishkindA,
sughrIvan forgot to keep up his promise to assist
rAmar and lakshmaNar to find
mother sItA. Thus rAmar, who is known for keeping up his word, found difficulty
to show this kalyana gunam of prostrating to his abimananatha sughrIvan, i.e. he
was
not happy with saluting sughrIva.Now with SrI+ SailESA dayApAthram (i.e. manavALa mAmunigaL,
who is bestowed with the grace of tiruvoimozi
pillai), emperumAn celebrated mAmunigaL as his AchAriyan and glorified him
as the one who is the faultless
recipient of SriSailesar causeless mercy.
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dhIbhaktyAdi guNArNavam
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2. dhIbhaktyAdi guNArNavam
emperumAn next celebrates that his AchAriyan is the abode of innumerable/countless
kalayana
guNas. Again, chakravarthi
thirumagan sought the favor of samudrarajan (the king of the seas),
who is the
abode of opulent wealth like pearls, corals and other precious gems. In the
process, he performed sharaNAgati to samudrarAjan- arnavam vande.
However,
Ramar who promises to protect anyone
who even surrenders to him once could not
show this kalyana gunam to his then
nAtha-Samudhrarajan who did not heed to emperumAn's
request inspite of rAmar waiting for 3 days at the banks of the sea. Again,
rAmar was not happy by having samudra raja (arnavam) as his nAtha. emperumAn rejoices that his
AchAriyan, manavALa mAmunigaL , is the abode of bhakti, gyAnam, vairAgyam and
other countless kalyAna guNAs. Thus, emperumAn, leaving Samudrajan whose gems, pearls
and diamonds have little value, takes refuge of manavALa mAmunigaL who is the
source of gems such as kalyAnA guNAs.
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yatIndram vandE versus yatIndra pravaNam vandE
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Again emperumAn had a problem! As emperumAn, he always best reveals
himself only to those who
are the devotees of his devotees (adiyarkku adiyar) rather than to his own (direct)
devotees.
emperumAn better revealed himself to madhurakavi AzhwAr, the blessed
disciple of
swAmi nammAzhwAr than to nammAzhwAr.
"tirithandakilum
teva piranudai kariakola tiruuru kanpan naan."
(kanninun siruththAmbu,
madhurakavigaL)madhurakavi,
who was bent upon not looking at
polinda ninra pirAn, now says that he saw him
(i.e. madhurakavi). Why ? nammAzhwAr
was yearning to have a glimpse of the Lord but the Lord
never came before him and now the
Lord wanted to give darshan to
madhurakavigaL, who does not want to see him.
"madbhakta bhakteshu prIti: abhyadhiko bhavet'. 'arul peruvar adiyar tam
adiyanerku
azhiyan arul taruvan'are the words of nammAzhwAr.
yatirAsar was emperumAn's direct devote much like swAmi nammAzhwAr. Finally, namperumAL
celebrates manavALa mAmunigaL as "yatIndra pravaNar", one whose tirumEni
is nothing but the
limitless mercy of swAmi rAmAnujA in visible form.
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ramyajAmAta = azhagiya manavALan =
ranganatha = 'a'
muni = one who meditates (mananam karoti
iti muni:)= jIva = 'ma'.
Therefore, one who always thinks about ranganAtha as his Lord is the Lord's shEsha. This phrase also
denotes seshatvam.
Since all the four parts of SrisailEsa mantram expounds the
meaning of Om ,
this thaniyan is glorified and worshipped as a mantram.
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Goshti kramam at Srirangam Manavala
Mamunigal Sannidhi:
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Morning ghosti:
On the morning of the day of swAmi's mUlam thirunakshatram
,the morning goshti is recited with
thirupallAnDu, thirupalliyezhuchi, thiruppAvai,
upadesa ratinamalai. sAtrumurai gOshti sevakalam
takes place after that.

Evening ghosti:
The evening Ghosti is recited with Thirupallandu,
Amalanthipiran. kanninum siruthambhu,
Kovil ThiruvaiMozhi ThiruvaiMozhi
Nootrandhadhi,Upadesa Ratinamalai, Ramanuja Nootrandhadhi
and ends with
Saatrumurai.
One of Swami's Ashtadiggajas , swami Appillar's work, Sampradaya
chandrikai, will be recited in the night.
This Sampradaya Chandrikai is
being recited by sanathi acharyan Sri U.Ve Gomadam
SampathKumaraAchariyar swAmi.
சேற்றுக்கமலவயல்சூழ்அரங்கர்தம்சீர்தளைப்பப் போற்றித்தொழும்நல்லஅந்தணர்வாழஇப்பூதலத்தே
மாற்றற்றசெம்பொன்மணவாளமாமுனிவந்திலனேல்
ஆற்றில்கரைத்தபுளியள்ளவோதமிலாரணமே
(Above rendered by Swami Appillaar, from Sampradaya
Chan drikai
(one of our Swami ManavalaMamunigal ashTa-dig-gajas).
Translation: If our manavALa
mAmunigaL had not appeared in this world, the sweet utterances of the
Alzhwars thiruvAimozhi
and their meanings would have dissolved and disappeared like tamarind in
a
flowing river. Therefore, the avatAra of Swami Manavaala Maamunigal is a
source of glory for us.
His golden, lotus feet are our wealth, are the
only source of attaining SrIman nArAyanar.
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Glory to our Bhoologa SriVaikundam (Thiruvaranagam)
| ஆழ்வார்கள்வாழிஅருளிச்செயல்வாழி மன்னியசீர்மாறன்கலைஉணவாகப்பெற்றோம்
பிறர்மினுக்கம்பொறாமைஇல்லாபெருமையும்பெற்றோம்
முன்னோர் மொழிந்த முறை தப்பாமல் கேட்டு
பின்னோர்ந்துதாம்அதனைப்பேசாதே
For Varavaramuni Sambanthis
அபகதமதமாநை: அந்திமோபயநிஷ்டை:
அதிகதபரமார்தை:
ஆர்ததகாமாநபேக்ஷை:
நிகிலஜநஸுக்ஹ்ருபி:
நிர்ஜிதக்குரோதலோபை:
வரவரமுனிப்ருத்தையர் அச்துமேநித்யயோக:
மணவாளமாமுனியேஇன்னுமொருநூற்றாண்டிரும்.
ஸ்ரீமதேரம்யஜாமாத்ருமுநீந்த்ராயமகாத்மனே ஸ்ரீரங்கவாஸினேபூயாத்நித்யஸ்ரீர்நித்யமங்களம்.
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