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sri:


A SEASON TO CELEBRATE
                                 - Written by Sri Sridhar Srinivasan
                 http://vedics.net/magazine/index.html    [Vol2, Issue2]

Swami Azhakiya maNavALapperumAL nAyanAr, one of the most
brilliant and insightful Acharyas in the hoary Sri Vaishnava tradition,
bequeathed us sAmpradAyic gems that occupy the very pinnacle of the
exalted thought underpinning rAmAnuja darshanam.

Amongst these compositions, Acharya Hrudayam stands apart as an immensely
beautiful, uplifting work that exposes the fundamental essence of Swami
nammAzhvar?s thiruvAimozhi (considered the ?sAma vEdam? in tamizh
vEda) using aphoristic chUrNikais (couplets), a veritable garland woven
from inimitable words and phrases, fragrant flowers, picked from
thiruvAimozhi and divya prabhandam (tamizh vEdas).

In this magnum opus, Swami Azhakiya maNavALap-perumAL
nAyanAr wonders of Swami Nammazhvar thus (churNikai 92):

atri-jamadagni-pankthiratha-vasu-nandasUnuvAnavanuDaiya
yugavarNakramAvatAramO

that is, whether it was our lord Sriman Narayana who took birth
progressively in different varNas, corresponding to different guNas
dominant in different yugas: dattAtrEya, son of atri, as a brAhmaNa
(Krita yuga); parasurAma, son of jamadagni, as a combination of
brAhmaNa-kshatriya (TrEta yuga); srIrAma, son of dasharatha, as
kshatriya (TrEta yuga); krishNa, son of vasudEva and nandagOpa, as
vaishya (DwApara yuga) and now, in the age of Kali, Swami SaTakOpa
in the varNa of the shUdra, thus demonstrating that manifestation of the
ultimate divinity was not the domain of any one varNa (occupation
based on guNa and karma).

But Swami NammAzhvar is even more special than the earlier avaTaras
(incarnations), because the three suns in this Universe that we know
about could not do what Swami Nammazhvar did; Again, Swami
Azhakiya maNavALapperumAL nAyanAr:

Aditya-rAmadivAkara achyutha-bhAnukkaLukkup-pOgatha uLLiruL neengi
sOshiyAda piravikkaDal vaRRi vikasiyAda pOdil kamalamalarndadu
vakuLabhooshaNa bhAskarOdayaththilE (churNikai 83);

meaning, the sun we see on a daily basis removes external, physical
darkness, but the more dreadful inner darkness of agnyAna (ignorance)
grows on, unimpeded; that Sun called srI rAma could only dry up the
ocean of rAkshasas, not the ocean of samsAra; Sri Krishna, brought light
to the womb and blossomed the heart of dEvaki, but he could not shine a
lasting light on the darkness of janma and karmA enveloping souls; and
only when the Sun bedecked in the vakuLa garland called Swami
nammAzhvar rose, the inner darkness of ignorance (agnyAna) was
permanently removed, the ocean of samsAra, that cycle of perpetual
entanglement through which there was no way out, dried up for good,
and as a consequence, the lotus-like hearts of true vaidikas (followers of
shAstra, vEda) blossomed.

It took one such vaidika, Swami Ramanuja, the epitome of humanity,
compassion and SAstric erudition, to show that Azhvar?s thiruvAimozhi
was the essence of the Vedas, only simpler to understand. That the
supreme God was our nitya nirupAdhika bandhu, (permanent relative, our
unconditional-everything), only easier to access. That Swami
nammAzhvar was our kulapathi (the Original Preceptor), because it was
Azhvar that showed the true message of the Sastras lay in his
magnificent outpourings of love for the divine, and more importantly,
the immense love of the divine for us. Swami MadhuraKavi Azhvar, a
contemporary of Swami nammAzhvar, who was instrumental in
begetting thiruvAimozhi and tamizh vedas for us, appropriately refers to
nammAzhvar as ?tEvu maRRariyEn? (I know of no other Supreme God
other than kArimAran SaTakOpa)

Swami Ramanuja?s intense love and respect at the lotus feet of Swami
nammAzhvar is reflected in the appellation that Swami Ramanuja was
given by his exalted disciple Thiru-arangaththu amudhanAr; the name
mAran aDi paNindhu uyndavan aptly encapsulates the notion that
propelled the vision of Swami Ramanuja as one who, immersed in the
path lit by the lotus feet of Swami nammAzhvar and his aruLiccheyal
(divine outpourings), found the message that brought the ultimate
divinity to the hearts and minds of one and all. Fittingly, at Azhvar
Thirunagari, the birthplace of Swami Nammazhvar, Swami Ramanuja is
known as parAnkusha pAduka (divine feet of Swami nammAzhvar).
The close connection shared by Swami Ramanuja and Swami
Nammazhvar is evident in the thaniyan for thiruvAimozhi given by
paramAchArya parASara bhaTTar, who in words reflective of his
unparalleled intellect, says of thiruvAimozhi thus:

EenRa mudalthAi SaTakOpan mOympAl vaLartha idaththAy irAmAnusan,

that while the mother who gave birth to the Tamizh Veda, the very basis for Sri
Vaishnava philosophy, was Swami nammAzhvar, it took the milk of
love and affection flowing from the foster mother Swami Ramanuja to
grow it to its current state of magnificence.

And happily for us, the thirunakshattirams (appearance days) of Swami
Nammazhvar, Swami Madhurakavi Azhvar, Swami Ramanuja and
Swami parASara bhaTTar occur during the months of chaitra and
VaishAkha (April 15 ? June 15). And then, we also have the opportunity
to celebrate the appearance days of Swami Mudaliandan and Swami
Thirumalai AnanthAnpiLLai, two of the most celebrated disciples of
Swami Ramanuja.

No wonder our bewitching lord Krishna celebrates that He, being the
best amongst every class of things, is this season of vasantha (ruthoonAm
kusumAkaraha, BG 10:35) amongst seasons. And the real reason, one
our mAyan Sri Krishna will never reveal openly, one that we will not
find anywhere but within the hearts of Sri Vaishnavas everywhere, is
that this was the season that gave us Swami Nammazhvar and Swami
Ramanuja.

Is this not reason enough to celebrate?



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





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