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Swamy Ramanuja and Thirupavai Pasuram 22

PASURAM 22 (Thingalum aadithyanum ezhundaar pol)

 “Thingalum aadithyanum ezhundaarpol angan irandum kondu” – This phrase details out Swami Ramanuja’s “Ubhaya Vedaantha grantha pravachanam” , i.e., Swami would enjoy granthams from both thamizh and sanskrit. “Thingal” is moon and “aadithyan” is sun. Andal says “thingalum aadithyanum ezhundaar pol”. She says “like how sun and moon appears together”. Sun and moon appearing simultaneously is impossible. When sun comes out, we can feel the “deekshanyam”, (austerity in duties, sharp etc).

 When moon comes out, we tend to relax due to the coolness it gives. Swami, the “ubhaya vedaantha pravarthakar” that he is, during morning times would do kaalakshepam of “Sri Baashyam”. During evening / night times, he would do “Arulicheyal/Bhagavath vishayam” kaalakshepam. When Swami does Sri Baashyam, that is a commentary on Brahmasutram, that talk about the salient and storng fundamental blocks of Srivaishnavism, one can feel the deekshanyam (madhaanthara prath yaakya ananthaparamaana sribaashyathin arthangal anubhavikapadum podhu deekshanam thotrum). When Swami does bhagavath vishaya kaalakshepam, (“sevikiniya senjol”, “eera chol”), one can see “Sowmyam” on Swami Ramanuja’s face.

 Now we may get a question, as to whether Sri Baashyam did not have any “sowmya gunam” in it, or whether “Bhagavath vishayam (thiruvaimozhi)” did not have any salient and strong fundamentals. The answer is that both, i.e., Sribaashyam in Sanskrit and Thiruvaimozhi in thamizh, has both the quality of storng fundamentals of Srivaishnavism and and the quality of coolness (unfathomable love for Perumal). But it is the preponderance of one quality in a particular text. So, Sribashyam, though it has both qualities, talks more about the tenets of Srivaishnavism and argues in a rational way. This is the major focus of it. In Thiruvaimozhi though, though it has both quality, the overwhelming quality is “attaing HIM through HIM” and azhwar’s outpouring of love toward Emberumaan.

 “Angan irandum kondu engal mel nokudhiyel engal mel saabam izhindhu” - There is a request mentioned here. Andal, on behalf of us, requests Swami Ramanuja to grant the meanings of “Ubhaya Vedaanthams”, i.e., both sanskrit and thamizh to us. As per the vaakyam “Chakshushmaththatnu saastrena”, eye refers to saastram. Both, the thamizh vedantham (arulicheyal/dhivya prabandham) and the Sanskrit vedantham, are like two eyes to our Swami. Can someone say my right eye is more important than the left eye or vice versa? Certainly no. Both eyes are equally important and only when both are in balance, we can see things clearly, otherwise, it is very difficult to see things the way it is and the way it should be seen. “Saapam” – To support one Vedantham and to disregard the other. If one says that “I will only read Sanskrit Vedam and not worry about nalayira dhivya prabandham” or “I will ready only thamizh vedam and ignore Sanskrit”, it is a curse on them (saapam). It is this saapam that Andal requests Swami Ramanuja to annihilate, on our behalf again.

[adiyen-blog]

Swamy Ramanuja and Thirupavai Pasuram 21

Pasuram 21 (Vallal perum pasukkal aatra padaithaan)

 When someone says “vallal perum pasukkal aatra padaithan”, nothing comes to our mind other than the glories of Swami Ramanuja. If we ask a person as to how many sishyas did, acharyas before Swami Ramanuja had, the answer would be in single digits, one, two, five, or six. But if we ask how many sishyas did Swami Ramanuja had, the answer would be “ekaanthinaam dvaadasabis sahasrai”, “samsevidhas samyamisapdasathya”, i.e lots and lots of them. Imagine Swami Ramanuja walking first, followed by 700+ sanyaasis, followed by 12,000 srivaishnavas, followed by innumerable women in the streets of Srirangam. What a sight it would have been! As Swami Nammazhwar himself remarked about the future emergence of Swami Ramanuja and said “Kandom Kandom Kandom! kannuku iniyana kandom” (Thiruvaimozhi 5.2.2). This may be the best phrase of exclamation for that sight.  Not only that, He chose the cream of the cream and appointed them as the 74 simhaasanaadhipathis. If we look at the glories of these 74 simhaasanaadhipathis, there is one word that captures it “yetra kalangal edhir pongi meedhalipa”. They are sishyas of Swami Ramanuja, who are characterized by the highest qualities that a sishya should possess to match an acharyan like Swami Ramanuja. (aacharya saarva baumaraana Ramanujaku yetriirukum thanmai udayaya sathpaathra boothargalaana chachisyargal). (Edhir pongi meedhalipa – “sishyadicheth paraajayam” , they surpass the acharyan as well. These qualities of those sishyas were again due to Swami Ramanuja’s divine blessing upon them.

 One of the 74 simhaasanaadhipathis was Swami Koorathaazhwaan. Once upon a time, Swami Ramanuja and Swami Koorathaazhwan set to Kashmir to get the Bhoodayanavruthi grantham from the library over there. With great difficulty, they got there and even got the permission to read and take notes from that voluminous book. But due to some unforeseen circumstances, the book was not available to us for the time that they wanted to enjoy them. Swami Ramanuja said “Oh! Koorathaazhwaan! We did not get a good opportunity to read that grantham this time. We were not able to finish the book fully”.  Swami Koorathaazhwan replied “Swami. Do not worry! Last night, when devareer went to sleep, adiyen glanced it once and due to your divine grace, adiyen is able to remember all the pages of the book verbatim. So, please tell me where should adiyen tell those contents to devareer. Right here? or in the middle of the 2 rivers (referring to Srirangam)”.  (“Inge vinnapam seyyavo, irandaatrin naduve vinnapam seyyavo?”).

 Swami Thiruvarangathamudhanar celebrates Swami Koorathaazhwan in his Ramanuja Nootrandaadhi

 “Mozhiyai kadakum perum pugazhaan vanja mukkurumbaam

Kuzhiyai kadakum nam koorathaazhwaan saran koodiyapin

Pazhiyai kadakum iraamanusan pugah paadi, alla

Vazhiyai kadathal, enakini yaadhum varutham andre”

  -Ramanuja Notrandaadhi 7

 Yetra Kalangal Edhir Pongi Meedhalithava Swami’s sishyaas

This is one example of how a sishya of Swami Ramanuja is. Likewise, there are many more stories in Swami’s life like this to illustrate the glories of the great sishyas that Swami Ramanuja graced. Swami Arulala Perumal Emberumanar, Swami Mudhaliaandaan, Swami Embaar, all were like this. These sishyas are referred to as “maatraadhe paal soriyum”. They shower the meanings and explanations that they learnt from Swami Ramanuja without any change, without inserting any of their own thoughts. They give us those thoughts of Swami Ramanuja in a book form of us, like how a cow would give copious amount of milk incessantly, when it listens to Krishna’s flute. Such sishyas (vallam perum pasukal) were made so (aatra padaithavar) by Swami Ramanuja. (aatra refers = aparimithamaaga, i.e., without any boundaries, brilliant, wonderful etc). “maatraar unaku vali tholaindhu un vaasar kan” refers to Yadhavaprakas, the guru of Swami Ramanuja earlier, who realized that he is in the wrong path, and surrendered at the Lotus feet of Swami Ramanuja (maatraar (Yadhavaprakasar), vali tholaindhu (after realizing that he is week , i.e., his fallacies, un vaasar kan – at the Lotus feet of Swami Ramanuja.

Swami and his sishyas par excellence

The 74 simhaasanaadhipathis that Swami Ramanuja established are given below. They are sorted in alphabetical order.

 1.           Aalavandhaar aandaan

2.           Aasoorip perumaal

3.           Aatkonda villi seeyar

4.           Alankaara vengadavar

5.           Ammangi ammaal

6.           Ammangi yaandaan

7.           Ammangip perumaal

8.           Ananthaazhvaan

9.           Arana puraththu aazhvaan

10.        Arulaalap perumaalemperumaanaar

11.        Eechchambaadi aachchaan

12.        Eechchambaadi seeyar

13.        Eesvar aandaan

14.        Eeyunni pillai aandaan

15.        Embaar

16.        Engalaazhvaan

17.        Kaaraanci somajiyaar

18.        Kaattup pillaan

19.        Kaniyanoor siriyaachchaan

20.        Kidaambi aachchaan

21.        Kidaambi perumaal

22.        Komaandoor ilaiyavilli

23.        Komaandoorp pillai

24.        Komadaththu aazhvaan

25.        Kongil aachchaan

26.        Kooraththaazhvaan,/battar/sriraama pillai

27.        Koyil aazhvaan

28.        Kuravai nambi

29.        Kurinchiyoor siriyaandaan

30.        Maaruthip periyaandaan

31.        Marudhoor nambi

32.        Matronrillaa maaruthicciriyaandaan

33.        Mazhuvoor nambi

34.        Milagaazhvaan

35.        Mudhaliyaandaan/kandhaadai aandaan

36.        Mudumbai ammaal

37.        Mudumbai nambi

38.        Munip perumaal

39.        Nadaadhoor aazhvaan

40.        Naduvil aazhvaan

41.        Nambi karundhevar

42.        Neyyundaazhvaan

43.        Paruththi kollai ammaal

44.        Periya kovil vallalaar

45.        Periyaandaan

46.        Pillaipillai aazhvaan

47.        Pilli urandhai udaiyaar

48.        Pundareekar s/o periya nambi

49.        Ramaanujam s/o peria thirumalai nambi and his son thirumalai nambi

50.        Sattampalli seeyar

51.        Seeyar aandaan

52.        Settaloor siriyaazhvaan

53.        Siriyaandaan

54.        Siruppulli dhevaraaja Battar

55.        Somaasiyaandaan

56.        Sottai ammaal

57.        Sottai nambi s/o aalavandhaar, His son ennaacchaan, his son pillaiappan.

58.        Sriparaangusa nambi

59.        Sundhara tholudaiyaan s/o thirumalaiyaandaan

60.        Therkaazhvaan s/o thirukottiyoor nambi

61.        Thiru kannapuraththu araiyar

62.        Thiruk kovaloor aazhvaan

63.        Thiruk kurugai piraan pillaan

64.        Thirukkurungudi nambi

65.        Thirumalai nallaan

66.        Thirumogoor aazhvaan

67.        Thirunagari pillaan

68.        Thiruvellarai seeyar

69.        Thondanoor nambi

70.        Ukkal aazhvaan

71.        Ukkalam ammaal

72.        Vaduga nambi

73.        Vangeepuraththu nambi

74.        Vedhaanthiyaazhvaan

[adiyen-blog]

Swamy Ramanuja and Thirupavai Pasuram 20

PASURAM 20 (MUPPATHU MOOVAR)

 In this pasuram, the phrases “seppamudayaay”, “thiraludayaay” fit perfectly for Swami Ramanuja. There is a character (kalyaana gunam) known as “Aarjavam”. What one thinks, one should talk about it and do it. In other words, mano, vaak and kaayaam, all these three should be synchronized. As Andal puts is “vaayinaal paadi, manathinaal sindithu, thoomalar thoovi thozhudhu”. One who does it is said to possess “Arjavam”. Swami Ramanuja himself would repeat it in his gadhya thrayam when he bundles up a set of kalyana gunams for Perumal, “maardhava, aarjava…” etc. The thamizh word for “aarjavam” is “seppam”. Whenever we recite Swami Ramanuja’s divine works, we can see that it reflects this great quality of “seppam” / “arjavam” in it. What Swami thinks (not his own but all his poorvacharyars only), writes in his works and abides by that.

 Thiral udayaay – Thiral refers to “Paraabhivana saamarthyam”, i.e, quality by which Swami Ramanuja emerges like a fire that has water in it and quells / ensures that there are no arguments of his opponents (neeru pootha nerupu pole irundhu idhara vaadhigalin dhurvaadhangal thalai eduka ottaadhapadi seydharulm aatralum swamiku asaadharanam).

 “Setraar” – One who is not able to tolerate the glories of Perumal. Swami Paraasara Bhattar says “Guninamapi gunais tham dharidhraanaam ahuhu”. These “setraar” are those people who say that Perumal is “sarva dharidhran”.  To those people, swami was like a “veppam” / heat. (setraarku veppam kodukum vimalan).  “Veppam” means “jvaram”, i.e., jvaram due to peedhi. “thasmai ramanujaarya namaha parama yogini, yachruthi smrithi soothraanaam anthar jvaramasee samath”. Swami annihilated the “jvaram” that was given to sruthi, smrithi and soothrams by the setraars. Where did Swami let the jvaram go? Swami let that go inside the hearts of these same “setraars”. Recollect how Hanuman burnt Lanka. How did he burn that, with which fire? Is it with the fire that the rakshasaas set up in his tail? Not at all. As they say, “shokavahnim janagaathmajaayaa aagaaya denaiva thadaaha lankaam”, Hanuman set Lanka on fire with the heat inside Piraati that was caused due to her sadness of separation from Lord Rama. This heat was given to Piraati by the Lankan people and Hanuman used the same heat and set the whole country on fire. The same way, the setraar who gave heat to the shruthi, smrithi and soothram, was burnt by the same heat that Swami Ramanuja used and took to annihilate their arguments. (Sruthi smrithi soothrangalin anthar jvarathai eduthu setraar vayitril erindha padi)

 Swami Ramanuja, who was an incarnation of Aadisesha, at one point in Thondanur, showed his real form by answering 1000 people with 1000 tongues of Aadisesha. These 1000 people were having different arguments and points of conflicts. Swami totally destroyed all their arguments.

 Swami Thiruvarangathamudhanar’s Ramanuja nootrandaadhi pasurams for this point:

 Pidiyai thodarum kalirenna yaan un pirangiya seer

Adiyai thodarum padi nalga vendum aru samaya

Chediyai thodarum marul serindhor sidaindhoda vandhu ip

Padiyai thodarum raamanusa mikka pandidhane

         -Ramanuja Nootrandaadhi 63

 Pan tharu maaran pasunthamizh aanandham paai madhamaai

Vindida engal iraamnusa muni vezham meimai

Konda nal vedha kozhundhandam yendhi kuvalayathe

Mandi vandhendradhu vaadhiyargaal ungal vaazhu atradhe

         -Ramanuja Nootrandaadhi 64

 Also recollect the following lines in vaazhi thirunaamam of Swami:

“Arusamaya chediyadhanai adi aruthaan vaazhiye

Adarndhu varum kudhitigalai arathurandhaan vaazhiye”

[adiyen-blog]

Swamy Ramanuja and Thirupavai Pasuram 19

PASURAM 19 (Kuthu vilakeriya)

Swami Ramanuja went to Thirukotiyur and met one of his acharyan namely Swami Thirukotiyur Nambi 17 times. He did not get any rahasya artham then. However, he passed his acharyan’s test and got the rahasya artham the 18th time. There were a few people who had already told Swami Ramanuja that if he is able to successfully get the rahasya artham from Swami Thirukotiyur Nambi, they would like to know it as well. Swami Ramanuja had promised to tell the rahasya artham to those few people who expressed genuine interest in learning it. Swami had indeed got the artham the 18th time which he is said to have shared with those few people atop the vimanam at Thirukotiyur. It is a common misconception that he shared with all the people of this world. Swami Manavaala Maamunigal says “aasai udayorkellam ubaesithu”. This story is being refelected in this pasuram.

There are two types of lamps (vilaku) namely “thorana vilaku” and “kuthu vilaku”. “Thorana vilaku” is stationary and so it does move from its place, while the “Kuthu vilaku” is mobile and can be moved from one place to another. (thorana vilaku sthaavaramaay irukum, kuthu vilaku jangamamaay irukum). Swami Thirukotiyur Nambis is like a thorna vilaku since he was in Thirukotiyur itself, involved in bhagavath chinthanai. Swami Ramanuja is like “kuthu vilaku” since he moved to different places until finally settling in Srirangam. When Andal says “kuthu vilaku eriya”, she means that in order for this kuthu vilaku called Swami Ramanuja to glow (eriya), it had to to get the artha vishesham from Swami Thirukotiyur Nambi, the thorana vilaku. The word “Kotu”, according to Sanskrit grammar, “eka desa vikrutham ananyavath bhavathi”, can be interpreted to mean “Koti”. The Sanskrit word “goshti” when converted to thamizh, becomes “Koti”. Hence it refers to Thirukotiyur. In that place called Thirukotiyur, Swami Thirukotiyur Nambi had asked Swami Ramanuja to touch his feet and promise not to share the rahasya artham with anyone. Since Swami Thirukotiyur Nambi had asked Swami Ramanuja to touch his feet, the phrase that Andal uses to refer is “kaal kaatu”. By this “kaal kattu”, Swami Ramanuja had promised his acharyan to not tell the meaning to anyone. “Mel yeri” – As mentioned earlier, Swami had promised certain people that he will share the meanings if Swami Thirukotiyur Nambi tells him in the first place. So, after getting it from Swami Thirukotiyur Nambi, Swami Ramanuja climbed the Thirukotiyur gopuram (mel yeri) and shared it with those few individuals in a secretive place. Now, we may get a question as to if it is right on Swami Ramanuja’s part to break the promise (kaal kattu) that he had done to his acharyan. To answer this, Andal herself gives the answer in the same pasuram by using the word “malar maarbaa”. Swami Ramanuja, the Krupaa maathra prasannaacharya that he is, because of his large, generous heart (hrudaya vaisaalyam) shared it with those few people, even after knowing that he would get hell because of his acts. Such an acharyan was Swami Ramanuja who had a big heart and expressed pure compassion towards ignorant people like us. If not for Swami Ramanuja, we can’t even imagine the dire straits that we would be in. Thus Andal celebrates her brother as “malarndha hrudayam udayavare” in the phrase “malar maarbaa”.

Thus, in order for the Kuthu vilaku called Swami Ramanuja to glow (eriya), Swami Thirukotiyur Nambi (kottu) was the reason because he shared the rahasya artham of Charama slokam and Thirumanthram. This thorana vilaku “Swami Thirkotiyur Nambi” made sure that there is a “kaal kaatu” (promise that the kuthu vilaku had to undertake). After the kaal kattu was done, the kuthu vilaku called Swami Ramanuja climbed (mel eri) the gopuram and shared the secrets with few people. Long live the generous heart of such a wonderful acharyan (malar maarba). Now if we read the phrase “Kuthu vilakeriya kottu kaal kattil mel, “mel eri”, “malar maarbaa”, we can connect them all and can recollect this important story in Swami Ramanuja’s life which changed the total format of acharya – sishya upadesa kramam.