SrI: SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya nama: Dearest all, Accodring to Srivaishnava Guru paramparA, Lord VishvaksEnar forms the bridge to the Celestial Acharya and the Acharyas who appeared in human form for our sake. Senapathi VishvaksEnar himself came down to Alwar Thirunagari, and gave pancha samskAram and initiated Swami SatakOpa [Nammazhwar]. Swamy Vedantha Desikan pays his obeisance to Sriman Nathamuni thus: nAthEna muni nAthEna bhavEyam nathavan ahamam | yasya naigamikam tatvam hastAmalakatam gatam || Sriman Nathamuni is the most benign master (Acharya ) for me. Sriman Nathamuni indeed availed the good opportunity to perceive the true and purport of Vedas, like a tiny amla fruit on one?s palm (uLLankai nellikani). Let me pay my humble obeisance to Sri Nathamuni by the folding of my palms. Sriman Nathamuni [Sri Ranganathamuni] is the most benign Acharya. Because of Sri Nathamuni alone, I could boldly consider me as the one ever taken care by a true Guardian. Sri Nathamuni, indeed, availed the good opportunity to perceive the nigama tattva [the true and subtle purport of Vedas] like a tiny fruit on one?s palm [of the hand]. Let me convey my whole- hearted reverence to Sriman Nathamuni by the folding of my palms. May that supreme master protect me! Sriman NathamunigaL was born in 824 CE in Aani anusham star, in Kaattumannargudi, at veeranarayanapuram near GangaikoNda chaozhapuram. AzhwAr's paasurams (poems) called naalaayira divyap prabhandam composed by twelve AzhwArs. It was by divine grace of Sriman Narayanan that Sriman Naathamuni came to know of the Tamil poems praising Lord Vishnu. It is believed that Sriman Naathamuni heard some devotees visiting his home town singing a few (11) Tamil songs starting with "aaraa amudhE adiyEn udalam" and ending with "... kuruhoor sadagOpan kuzhalil maliyach sonna Or AyiratthuL ippatthum, mazhalai theera vallaar kaamar maanEy nOkkiyarkE." (NammAzhwAr's Thiruvaaymozhi 5.8.1 - 5.8.11) Sriman Nathamuni was greatly excited and enchanted with the exquisite beauty of the poems. He approached the devotees and enquired about its origin. The ending of the 11 poems, "aayiratthuL ippatthu,"(means this ten of the thousand) suggested that there are many more such poems (may be thousand?). Unfortunately, the devotees were unaware of any other poems besides the eleven they had just finished reciting. However, they suggested to Sriman Nathamuni that he may try enquiring in the town of thiruk kuruhoor, present day AzhwAr thiru nagari near thirunelvEli. So he set out to travel from kaattumannarkudi to thiruk kurugoor, where he found one paraangusa daasar. >From him, Sriman Nathamuni learnt 11 more paasurams called kaNNinuN sirutthaambu. These were composed by Madhurakavi AzhwAr and all 11 paasurams are in praise of kurugoor SatakOpan(NammAzhwAr). Paraangusa daasar suggested that he repeatedly recite this great kaNNinuN sirutthaambu (sung in praise of Sri Sadagopan- NammAzhwAr) in the hope of pleasing the Lord. Sriman Naathamuni took his advice sincerely and recited it about 12,000 times! It is said that NammAzhwAr was impressed with Sriman Nathamuni's persistence and appeared before him. NammAzhwAr was so impressed that he revealed to Sriman Nathamuni not just the 1102 paasurams of his own "thiruvaay mozhi", but also all the rest of the paasurams composed by the other eleven AzhwArs. Sriman nathamuni set these 4000 to tune and music and taught to Melai agatthAzhwAn and Keezhai agatthAzhwAn (his nephews) and propagated the 4000 in various Divya Desams. Nathamuni re arranged 4000 into four parts and introduced the same as part of recitation in Divya Desams, as part of worship. Following the teaching of NammAzhwar, Sri Nathamuni seems to have advocated the adoption of prapatti (self- surrender) as the means of salvation in [place of rigorous bhakti yogam] Sri Nathmuni wrote two works: Nyaya tatvam and Yoga rahasyam. Both are not extant But Swamy Desikan and Ramanuja have referred to nyAya tatvam in their works. Sri Alavandhar in his Athmasiddhi says, nyAyatatvam is the most wonderful composition.. Sri NathamunigaL has unalloyed devotion to Sri Ranganthan. Once, Chozha Rajan (king chola), who is also a sishya of Nathmuni, came to pay his obeisance to Acharyan. He came in his chariot along with his few devis (spouses). When Raja got down with his spouses, in such great ornaments, crown, and silk cloth, Sri Nathamuni for a moment lost himself and thought Sri Krishna with His devis have come from Dwarakai. He fell at the feet of the king to prostrate. The king was shocked and immediately sprung to lift Sri Nathamuni from the ground. Later he came to know of the mind of Sri Nathamuni, and why he fell at the feet. Also, when on another occasion, the same king had completed discussing with Sriman Nathamuni and he took Acharya?s permission to leave. He started walking towards the chariot. When he was about to board, (as usual, the king used to call the chariot driver on whose shoulder he sets his foot to jump into the chariot), the driver was there for the king to jump in. After he jumped in, he saw below and it was Sriman Nathamuni?s shoulder. The king was stunned and got down to apologize to Acharyan. What have I done! Stepped on your shoulders! I am terribly sorry!. Sriman Nathamuni then only came to this world. He had thought it is Sri Rama who had come by the chariot along with Sumanthrar. Hence, he offered his shoulders for Rama to step into the chariot. That was Sriman Nathamuni?s [akrithrima bhakti] unalloyed devotion. No acting.. No show.. No exhibitionistic.. Swami YamunAchArya praises Sriman Nathamuni in the first verse of Sthothra Rathnam saying: - Sriman Nathamuni is the repository of jnAna, VairAgya and Bhakti. namO(S)cinthya adhbhutha akliShta j~nAna vairAgya rAshayE | nAThAya munayE agADha bhagavadh bhakthi sinDhavE || How did he ever get this jnAnam? How much jnAnam does he have? ? However many times or ways one analyses, no answer. Not understood. Thus such extent of jnAnam, the manner in which the jnAnam was acquired, is beyond understanding, it is athi Ascharyam- most wonderful, marvellous, and excellent never heard or seen in the world. It is rarest and hence apoorvam; hence addressed as aklishtam. Also it is not acquired with hard work or penance; it is effortless due to the grace of the Lord, like Sanaka, Sanathkumaras. It is the acquisition of jnAnam with complete accordance with saasthrAs, running nowhere haywire towards other religions, looking for the correct philosophy. Not a single word is understood by Sriman nAtha muni is wrong manner; everything in tandem with saasthrAs and thus effortless, so naturally acquired. Thus, there is no decaying or change in his jnAnam and always consistent and coherent- not contradicting any other word in saaathrAs, when one word or statement is understood. And such a characteristic is also due to his greatest virAgyam [detachment and renunciation] as well; Due to such rarest Para, avara tattva jnAnam, he is able to take his mind away from worldly pleasures, materialistic pursuits and hence jnAna, vairAgyam are both essential and are found in Sriman nAThamuni as the embodiment of both of them in one lot. Thus on lower tattvams, he has vairAgyam, and on Para tattvam, love and focus with paripoorna jnAnam and hence bhakti is flooded in his heart for Sriman Narayanan. Thus he becomes the repository of deep ocean of great bhakti towards Sriman Narayanan and to such greatest sage, Saint Sriman nAThamuni- I pay my namaskarams says Sri Alavandhar wonderfully. He is called RanganAthan; shortly called as nAThan; nAThan- as he is nAThan [master] for all of us. How blessed am I to be born in his family! Enjoys Sri Alavandhar on his birth as Sri NAthamuni?s grand son. kaaLam valampuriyanna naRkaadhal adiyavarkku thaaLam vazhangit thamizh maRai innisai thandha vaLLal mooLum thavaneRi naattiya nAthamuni kazhalE naaLum thozhudhezhuvOm namakku aar nigar innaanilatthE Swamy Deshikan says that, we bow at the holy feet of Sriman Nathamuni, by becoming his subservient (adiyan), who by means of his nephews has done great service to our community by helping us to enjoy the sweet nectar of bhagavat-vishayam. Who can be equal to us who are thus bequethed with such GREATEST Acharya- Sriman Nathamuni. NathamunigaL is the vaLLal who gave us the 4000 the insatiable nectar, set to music.. He is the One who has passed to us the path of Saranagati through his sishyas about whom we will see tomorrow. Sriman Nathamuni ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam asmadhAchArya paryanthAm vandhE GuruparamparAm Regards Namo Narayana dasan ____________________________________________________________________________________ Any questions? Get answers on any topic at www.Answers.yahoo.com. Try it now. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Oppiliappan/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Oppiliappan/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:Oppiliappan-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx mailto:Oppiliappan-fullfeatured@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Oppiliappan-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! 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