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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00174 Oct 2002

 
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srishailEsha dhayapAthram DhibhaktyAdi guNArNavam |
yathIndhrapravaNam vandhE ramyajAmAtharam munim ||

Sri:
Srimathe Ramanujaya nama:

Dear Devotees,
Salutations to all. Continued from where it was left 
off.

Sri MaNavALa mAmunigaL established himself in Srirangam by 
winning the allegiance of KandhAdai ANNan and his entire family. Soon 
PrathivAdhi Bhayamkara ANNA became MM's follower. PB ANNA was 
initiated by SriKumAra VaradhAchArya,son of Swami Desika,and also 
studied Sri BhAShyam under him. ANNA was one of the 
aShTadhiggajas,one of the eight chief disciples of Sri MM. After few 
years in Srirangam,Sri MM returned to AzhvAr Thirunagari to visit the 
sacred shrines and to give discourses on AzhvArs' hymns and rahasyas. 
While lecturing AchArya Hrdhaya,he had trouble intrepreting some 
verse and he was recommended to consult ThiruNArAyaNapuraththAy with 
whom Sri MM's own AchArya had studied TiruvAymozhi at one time. So 
Sri MM set out to Melkote but ThirunArAyaNapuraththAy had heard of 
MM's erudition and had already headed southwards to see MM. Both met 
just outside of AzhvAr Thirunagari. Sri MM brought him back home and 
studied the secret meanings of AchArya Hrdhaya with him for some time.
Meanwhile,through some prominent and wealthy disciples MaNavALa 
mAmunigaL renovated several temples near AzhvAr Thirunagari.

Soon after returning to Srirangam,Sri MM converted eRumbi 
appA,who became MM's loyal supporter. Through eRumbi appA,Sri MM 
gained several disciples,notably AppiLLai and AppiLLAn. Around AD 
1430,Sri MaNavALa mAmunigaL conducted a one-year lecture series on 
ThiruvAymozhi according to all the five commentaries
(Six,Nine,Twelve,Twentyfour,Thirtysix/Idu Thousand)with special 
reference to Idu. On the last day of the lecture series,a small boy
(Lord SriRanganATha)stepped forward and uttered the thaniyan 
"srisailesa dayapAthram....munim". For rest of the MaNavALa mAmunigaL-
SriRanganATha story,please read Mukunda's(Vangipuram Pattangi)
postings on Lord's AchArya/MaNavALa mAmunigaL.

After this MM started writing maNipravALa commentaries on 
the works of pUrvAchAryas (1) Sri PiLLai lOkAchArya's Sri Vachana
BhUShaNam(SVB),Tattvatraya,Rahasyatraya(known as Mumukshuppadi),
(2)Tiruvarangaththu AmudhanAr's Ramanuja nURRandAdi(RAN),(3)AruLALa
PerumAL EmperumAnAr's J~nAnasAra and PramEyasAra. Sri MM also 
composed (1)TiruvAymozhi nURRandAdi,a thamizh work praising 
NammAzhvAr's major work TiruvAymozhi,(2)UpadEsha RathnamAlai which 
gives the guruparampara of AzhvArs'teachings and(3)TiruvArAdhanakrama
a maNipravALa work modeled on the samskrt nithyagranthas of 
EmperumAnAr and Nanjeeyar.

Sri MaNavALa mAmunigaL's last three works:after discovering 
Periya vAcchAn PiLLai's commentary on PeriyAzhvAr's Tirumozhi was 
missing(first four decads),wrote commentary only for the missing 
portion. By the time he completed this work,his health was also 
deteriorating;yet with great difficulty but wholeheartedly undertook 
his commentary on AchArya Hrdhaya "for the sake of future 
generations". He became too weak to worship in the temple,he started 
dictating one thamizh stanza a day expressing to Bhagavad Ramanuja
his anguish(Arthi)at staying in this world and his eagerness to reach 
VaikuNTa. These collected verses are known as Arthi Prabandham,his 
final work. 

During his last days,Sri MaNavALa mAmunigaL called all his 
disciples together and asked their forgivenss for any past offenses 
he may have committed against them and the disciples in turn begged 
his pardon for any offenses on their part. His final advice was to 
serve Lord SriRanganATha without fail and to live in harmony among
Sri VaiShNavas. After surrendering all his property to Sri 
RanganATha,MaNavALa mAmunigaL reached ThitunAdu/VaikuNTa.

What's the point of publishing many works if one can not 
preserve those works. Precisely for the same reason,Sri MaNavALa 
mAmunigaL preserved and safeguarded pUrvAchAryas works by writing 
commentaries on the same rather than producing numerous works of his 
own.

Sri MaNavALa mAmunigaL's chief disciples,the 
aShTadhiggajas or "the elephants of the eight directions": 
(1)vAnamAmalai jeeyar (2)bhattarpirAn jeeyar (3) thiruvEnkatam jeeyar
(4)kOil kandhAdai aNNan (5)prathivadi bhayamkara aNNan (6)eRumbi appA
(7)appiLLai and (8)appiLLAn.

Five ThiruvAmozhi commentaries:

(1)ArAyirappadi/Six Thousand - Thirukkurugai pirAn piLLAn by 
EmperumAnAr's grace and lectures

(2)onpadhinArAyirappadi/Nine thousand - Nanjeeyar by Parasara 
Bhattar's grace and lectures

(3)pannIrAyirappadi/twelve thousand - vAdhikEsari azhagiya maNavALa
perumAL jeeyar by NAyanAr AcchAn PiLLai's grace and lectures

(4)irupaththunAlAyirappadi/twentyfour thousand - Periya vAcchAn piLLai
by NampiLLai's grace and lectures

(5)muppaththArAyirappadi/thirtysix thousand/Idu - Vadakku thiruvIdhi 
piLLai by NampiLLai's grace and lectures

Note:Sri PiLLai lOkAchArya and Azhagiya MaNavALa PerumAL NAyanAr are 
the sons of Sri Vadakku ThiruvIdhi PiLLai,disciple of NampiLLai. Sri 
Azhagiya MaNavALa PerumAL NAyanAr's AchArya Hrdhaya is the essence of 
Idu and NAyanAr had written in cryptic style(with hidden 
meanings),defending the thoughts of NammAzhvAr and affirming 
the "spontaneous" Grace of the Lord in effecting salvation and hence 
one should learn under an AchArya otherwise may get mislead(aj~nAnam
and viparItha j~nAnam)

Just out of my desire I wrote this. Learned people may contribute 
more information.

AzhvAr EmperumAnAr Jeeyar TiruvadigaLE saraNam
NC Nappinnai







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