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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00060 May 2003

 
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Sri Parthasarathi thunai
Srimathe rAmAnujaya Namaha
Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha
Sri Vanachala mahA munayE Namaha

Today is chitiraiyil chitirai, the thiruavadhAra thirunakshatram dhinam of the 
great Madurakavi Azhvar. This azhvar is regarded very special in our 
sampradayam since he showed a different and very easy way to attain emperuman, 
which is through acharya nishtai. Like arunOdhayam before sunrise, thisazhvar 
took birth earlier to the rise of the vagulabhooshana bhaskaran, nammAzhvar. 
The only prabhandam in the whole 4000 that doesn?t praise the lord but talks 
about another person (nammazhvar) ?kanninun ciruthAmbhu?was given by this 
azhvar. Our acharyas regarded Madurakavigal to be theirrole model. Manavala 
mAmunigal in his Arthi prabhandam says, ?madurakavi sol padiyE nilaiyAga 
pettrOm?. All srivaishnavas should follow madurakavigal and remain with utmost 
acharya nishtai. Mamunigal in his upadesa ratnamalai,

?A-rAr madurakavi evvulagil vandhudhiththa
seerArum chitiraiyil chitirainAl-pArulagil
mattrulla AzhvArgal vandhudhiththa nAlgalilum 
uttrathemakku endru nenjE O-r? (25)

?vAitha thirumandiraththin maththimamAm padhampOl
seerththa madurakavi seikalaiyai-Arthapugazh
Ariyargal thAngal arulicheyal naduvE
SErviththAr thAtpariyam thErindhu? (26)  

In the first paasuram mAmunigal says that we should all regard this great day, 
chitiraiyil chitirai (the day on which the star chitrai appears in the tamil 
month of chitirai) more special than the thirunakshatram dhinams of all the 
other Azhvars. Mamunigal says ?A-rar madurakavi? what is madurakavi?s Armai? 
The greatness of madurakavigal lies in his acharya nishtai. The other azhvar?s 
were filled with devotion towards the lord but madurakavi had a special 
devotion only towards his acharya, nammAzhvar. Since such a great azhvar was 
born on this day, this chitiraiyil chitirai has gotits seermai (seerArum 
chitiraiyil chitirainAl). Why is this day greater than the other Azhvars 
thirunakshatrams? The other ten Azhvars talked in one manner when they were 
with perumal (samslEsha dasai) and in another manner when they were away 
(vislEsham) but madurakavigal?s mode of talk never varied since he was always 
under the divine service of his acharya and never went away from him.

In the second paasuram, mAmunigal talks about the greatness of madurakavigal?s 
prabhandam. Though there is no reference to the lord in the prabhandam still 
due to the depth in the meaning, the acharyas who have given vyakhyanams to the 
4000 have included kanninun ciruthAmbhu also to the list. Ok. It has been 
included but where have they done it? Is it included as thelast prabhandam? No. 
Like the ?Nama:? padham in thirumandiram this prabhandam has also been included 
in the middle of the 4000-divya prabhandam. Why is this prabhandam given such 
importance? That is because it has both sweetness in words and meaning. It 
supports the jeevatma svaroopam. Manthram is one, which saves those who recite 
it. In thirumanthram the middle word ?nama:? indicates the dhadheeya 
pArathandriyam of the jeevatma. That is the jeevatma is a slave of emperuman. 
Even bhagavat kainkaryam has to be done for the happiness of emperuman and not 
for our pleasure. Bhagavan get happy when we do kainkaryam to bhagavatas. So 
nama: padham inturntalks about bhagavata pArathantriyam also. Madurakavigal has 
all along talked only about bhagavata parathantriyam and hence our acharyas 
have included this prabhandam in the middle.

If we consider the 4000 paasurams to be thirumanthram (which will release us 
from the bondage of this samsAram) then the first padham Omkaram is 
periyAzhvar?s thirupallandu and the middle term is madurakavi azhvar?s kanninun 
ciruthAmbhu.

On this great day one another acharya who took birth was ananthAzhvan, the 
direct shisya of EmperumAnAr. The acharya nishtai and kainkaryams of 
ananthAzhvan is well known. AnanthAzhvan is otherwise called as madurakavi 
dAsan and that is why till today all srivaishnavas in the lineage of this 
greatacharya call themselves as madurakavi dAsan. Let us remember these great 
azhvar and acharya on this very great day and meditate on their acharya nishtai 
and try to develop the same towards our acharyas.

Madurakavi Azhvar thiruvadigale sharanam
AnanthAzhvan thiruvadigale sharanam

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigale sharanam

Adiyen rAmAnuja dAsee
Sumithra Varadarajan

 


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