Sri:
Srimathe Ramanujaya nama:
Dear Smt Nappinnai,
adiyEn's praNams.
Unfortunately, I do not have the vyakhyanam for
Upadesaratthinamalai. So, I will simply point out
directly what Mamunigal has said about Andal and
why she is thought of as greater than the Azhvars.
The first point he raises is "emakkAgavanRO ingu
ANdAL avathariththAL" - she came to this world for
our sake. And what did she leave behind? "kunRAtha
vAzhvAna vaikuntha vAn bOgam thannai igazhnthu" -
she left that place where the joy never diminishes
("anthamil pErinbam"). The other azhvars did not
have the same status as our thayar. They were jIvas
like us (there is also the thought that they were
amsams of nithyasUris), who were seeking to reach
His lotus feet. In that process, they were showing
us the path. Andal on the other hand was already at
His lotus feet; so her supreme sacrifice (after all
the upanishads say that no one returns here from Him
"na ca punarAvartate") in leaving Him to walk amongst
us and show us the path to reach Him, makes her greater
than the Azhvars.
She was born as "periyAzhvar peNpiLLai". She could
have been born anywhere, to anyone; but she chose
to be born as Periyazhvar's daughter. Periyazhvar's
greatness is amazing. Who would think of singing
mangalashasanam to Him for His protection? Perhaps
the gOpikas with their unconditional love for Him
come the closest. To be born as his daughter simply
elevates her to unseen heights.
The effect of being Periyazhvar's daughter is seen
in the fact that her bhakti and love for Him came to
her right from the time she was born. After all, she
was born not in a lotus, but in a thulasi bed, the
same thulasi which is extremely dear to Him. Mamunigal
makes this point of her devotion starting at a young
age by saying "pinjAy pazhuththALai". The other
azhvars don't appear to have had this kind of devotion
starting at such a young age.
Mamunigal next says "ANdALukku (oppu) uNdAgil" - this
means that she has none equal to her (and the implied
is that none superior to her). Recall, Parasara Bhattar's
famous point to Sri Ranganatha that He could not match
thAyar's karuNa that She shows in Her eyes, even when He
matches Her beauty in the nAcciyAr kOlam.
Finaly, Mamunigal says "anjukudikkoru santhathiyAy" -
she is the sole heir to the Azhvars (and perhaps even
all Srivaishnavas) - the anjum kudi - the clan that is
forever worried about His safety and well-being. Being
their only heir means that she inherits all their wealth
(which is their qualities, knowledge, devotion, love),
as stree dhanam. Possessing their combined wealth makes
her greater than them.
To top it all, She is also the heir to the greatest amongst
acharyas, Bhagavad Ramanuja. She became his younger sister
("perumbUdur mAmunikku pin AnAL") and as such inherits
everything from him as well.
Let me finish with this anecdote. Someone once asked
Ramanuja to discourse on a pasuram of Thiruppavai. His
answer was "One may find someone capable of speaking
about even ThiruppallANdu, but one will not find such a
person for Thiruppavai". So, the fact that she gave us
Thiruppavai alone ("vEtham anaiththukkum viththAgum" -
the seed for all the Vedas), is probably sufficient to
prove her greatness.
Azhvar Emperumanar Jeeyar Thiruvadigale Sharanam
adiyEn madhurakavi dAsan
TCA Venkatesan
--- "vaidhehi_nc <nappinnai_nc@xxxx>"
<nappinnai_nc@xxxx> wrote:
> Sri:
> Srimathe Ramanujaya nama:
> Srimad Vara Vara Munaye nama:
>
> Dear Sri Venkatesan,
> Pranams to you. Thanks for posting Sri PVP's
> vyAkhyAnam. I
> would also like to know what Sri MaNavALa mAmunigaL has
> got to say
> about this(as per his own words in Upadesa Raththina
> MAlai). If you
> have his vyAkhyAnam,can you please post it?
>
> AzhvAr EmperumAnAr Jeeyar TiruvadigaLE saraNam
> NC Nappinnai
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