Dear Sri Pattangi, I really appreciate you having to indulge in such a noble work. I recently subscribed into this since last Marghazhi hoping to gain some insight into our sampradayam and I've got more than I would want. This discussion about Swamy Desikar and Swamy Manvala Mamunigal has been an eye opener for a beginner like me to introspect into one's own self. Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan, Anand -----Original Message----- From: Pattangi [mailto:danp@xxxx] Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2002 8:25 AM To: ramanuja@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [ramanuja] Message from U.Ve Velukkudi Swami & U.Ve M.A Venkatakrishnan Swami(Re: Lord's Acharya) sri: Dear bhagavatas, I had to unfortunately go through a write up by Sri Anand Swamy on Swamy Manavala mamunigal. The following are the main allegations: 1. Srisailesa taniyan was taught to a common archaka boy and made to recite - Sri Ranganatha did not come in disguise as this boy - yatindra pravana prabhavan wrongly quoted for this. 2. Srisailesa means Kidambi iyengar purushothaman who was a disciple of Brahmatantra jeer - mistaken identity. 3. Swamy Desikan is a purvacharya for thenkalayars and so they should recite Swamy Desikan taniyan. 4. Swamy Manavala mamunigal is not a purvacharya for vadakalayars and so they need not recite Swamy MMunigal taniyan (or even worship him ?) 5. Thenkalayars being fanatics and a sampradaya ignorant lot, glorify Swamy manavala Mamunigal to degrade Swamy Desikan. Sri U Ve Venkatakrishnan swami was requested to come out with the correct facts on the above. He was kind enough to promptly do so. Issue wise they are given below. ==================================== Manavala Mamunigal & Sriranganatha ==================================== The biography of Manavala Mamunigal was written by Pillailokam Jeeyar of 16th Century A.D. It is known as Yathindrapravana Prabhavam. This is the only ancient work on the biography of Mamunigal and hence, people who want to quote the incidents that took place in life of Manavala Mamunigal, as well as the people who want to misquote also depend only on this book. In that book, it has been clearly said that Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam himself invited Manavala Mamunigal to give a detailed discourse on Thiruvalmozhi in front of him. The discourse went on for one year and on the concluding day of the discourse, Lord Ranganatha, came in the disguise of one Sriranganayakam, a five year old son of an Archaka, uttered the thanian "srisailesa daya patram dhi bhaktyadi gunarnavam yathindrapravanam vande ramya jamataram munim". Having unttered this, he disappeared. This incidnent is narrated in the book called Yathindrapravana Prabhavam, which is still available in print and it is for everybody to verify it with their own eyes. ('Ythindrapravana Prabhavam' published by Dr.V.V.Ramanujam, Srirangapriya Publications, 68 T.P.Koil Street, Triplicane, Chennai 600 005; page 158-159) But recently some persons who are not able to tolerate the greatness of Manavala Mamunigal, have misquoted the portions from that book and tried to establish that it was not Lord Ranganatha, but only the Archaka's son Aranganayakam who composed the thaniyan. When doing so, they have conveniently ignored the next Para in that same book: "uDane tirumalai perumAlkoil thodakkamAna thiruppadigalukkellAm sri sEnaimudliyAruDaya srimukamAga anusandhAna kAlangal thorum jEyar vishayamAga namperumAl arulichcheida taniyan "srisailesa daya patram dhi bhaktyadi gunarnavam yathindrapravanam vande ramya jamataram munim". endru anusandhithu thodangavum ............." (immediatly, the messeage was sent through sEnaimudaliyAr to all the Divyadesams like thirumalai, perumAl koil etc. to commence the recetations only with this thaniyan composed by namperumAl i.e. Lord Ranganatha) (page 160). If they say that they don't accept the authority of that book it is for them to do so. But if they quote (why quote? misquote) some lines of from the above book, and conveniently ignore the following lines (which are against their ideas), it is a blatant cheating. ==================================== Srisailesa dayapatram ==================================== Out of the 108 Srivaishnava Divyadesams, Divyaprabandhams are recited only in about 80 Divyadesams (excepting the ones that located in the North India and Kerala.) Out of these 80, in all about 70 Divya desams only "srisailesa dayApAtram" is recited at the commencement of the sevAkAlam. Apart from this, in the birth places of all the Alvars and Acharyas, (without any exception), including thUppil, the birth place of Vedanta Desika, "Srisailesa dayApAtram" taniyan alone is recited. This itself is the clear proof that the taniyan was composed by the Lord Himself, and only by His order it is recited in all the Divyadesams. Even today, the annual Thirunakshatram and Thirtham of Manavala Mamunigal is celebrated none other than by Lord Ranganatha Himself, just as a disciple would do for his Acharya. If anybody is jealous of this we can't help it. Even in the very few divya desams where divyaprabandam is started with out srisailesa dayapatram there are very clear court records to prove when it happened so. ==================================== Manavala Mamunigal & Kidambi Nayanar ==================================== In the same 'yathindrapravana prabhavam' it is stated that Mamunigal had his Sribhashya kalakshepam under one Kidambi Nayanar. (Note that the name has not been mentioned as Kidambi Thirumalai Nayanar.) His thaniyan is recited in the Thengalai kalakshepa guruparampara and his name is mentioned as varadacharya in that thaniyan. But the name of Kidambi Thirumalai Nayanar, disciple of Brahmatantra Jeeyar swami is mentioned as Purushottama Desikar in the (vadagalai) moovaayrippadi guruprampara. Thus it is clear that Kidambi nayanar (sribhashya Acharya of Manaval Mamunigal) and Kidambi thirumalai nayanar (the disciple of Brahmatantra jeeyar) are two different persons. Even assuming that Manavalamamunigal had his Sribhashya Kalakshepam under the disciple of Brahmatantra Jeeyar, then one can ask why the vadagalis (at least the followers of Brahmatantra jeear) do not accept Mamunigal as one of the Acharyas, when he had his Sribhashya kalakshepam under their Acharya? ==================================== Manavala Mamunigal & Vedanta Desika ==================================== If Manavala Mamunigal's thaniyan is recited in preference to the other thaniyans it is because of the Order of the Lord Sriranganatha. It doesn't mean any disrespect to any other Acharya. Even the thaniyan (mAthA pithA) of Nammalvar is recited only after the thaniyan (yonithyam) of Ramanuja by all the Srivaishnavites without any exception. Does this mean disrespect to Nammalvar? The individual thaniyans of Nathmuni, Yamunacharya, Periyanambi, Tirumalai Nambi, Kurattalvan, Embar, Bhattar, Nanjiyar, Nampillai and so many other Acharyas are not at all recited while the Divyaprabandhams are recited. Does this undermines their contribution to Srivaishnavism? So when the thaniyan of Manavalamamunigal is recited, it is because of the Divine Order, and it does not mean any disrespect to any other Acharya, including Vedanta Desika. Hence, if anybody thinks that the greatness of Manavala Mamunigal is affecting the greatness of Vedanta Desika, he is only doing an Asahyapachara on both these Acharyas. (Asahyapachara is a sin committed towards a devotee of the Lord, without any reason whatsoever and mere out of jealousy.) Thangalais accept Vedanta Desika as an Acharya and they do recite his thaniyan in Sribhashya prampara. Almost in all the Thengalai temple, the idol of Vedanta Desika is there and his thirunakshatrams are also performed. But not even in a single vadagalai temple Manavala mamunigal idol is consecrated. Though Manavalamamunigal was mainly responsible to bring the Edu Muppatharayirappadi to light, his thaniyan is not being recited by even the Vadagalais who accept Edu. This clearly shows who are jealous against whom. ------------------------------------------------------ These replies are given for both thenkalayars and vadakalayars to know the truth. Enough has been written about the author of the write up and so I would not like to add. We have answered only the direct issues in the write up. I have many unanswered questions. 1. What was the need for this write up ? 2. What is the objective of this write up ? 3. What is the value added to malolan net by publishing this write up ? 4. There was a controversy a few months back in bhakti list. After that every one resolved that we would not indulge in this mudslinging. Why is our resolution/self contol so short lived ? All the members of Yati sammelanam came to a consensus that derogatory remarks (like calling someone as fanatic) would not be published hereafter, irrespective of whether the issue on hand is true or false. It was also agreed that NO damaging remarks would be passed on either sect (like alpa buddhi etc)or an individual acharya. This resulution was published in many of our sampradaya monthly journals. This write up is being put up to the members. Either malolan net can say that they are not bound by the sammelanam resolution in which case they are not connected to Ahobila mutt. Or if they feel they are connected to Ahobila mutt and so they are bound by the resolution, let them be kind enough to announce the removal of this posting from their list. Let us continue our discussions only to learn more. =============================================================== U.Ve. M.A Venkatakrishnan Swami U.Ve Velukkudi Krishnan Swami =============================================================== azhwAr emberumAnAr JeeyAr thiruvadigalE saranam adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan Mukundan Vangkipuram Pattangi http://www.radioramanuja.com azhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyAr thiruvadigalE saranam Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia |
ramanuja-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the list |