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Srimathe Ramanujaya Namah: 

This is Part 1 of a series of articles...


SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA

SRIMATHE BALADHANVI MAHAGURAVE NAMAHA

SRIMADVARAVARAMUNAYE   NAMAHA
         

A LIFE SKETCH OF SRI NAMPILLAI - Part 1                            
(By Sri. U. VE. Bhuvarahacharya  Swamy  M.A. Rtd.Prof. of Sanskrit,  
Alwar  Thirunagari )

     
        A unique and distinctive feature of our Sri Vaishnava 
Sampradayam is its unbroken chain of successive great Azhwars and 
Acharyas. Sri Vedanta Desika in his"Yathiraja Sapthathi" waxes 
eloquent as regards this uninterrupted appearance  (Avataram) of 
Acharyas and metaphorically compares it to a beautiful garland of 
gems.

                   A MUNA TAPANATI SAYEE BHUMNA    .
                   YATHIRAJENA  NIBADHA NAYAKASRI I
                    MAHATI GURUPANKTI HARA YASHTIHI
                   VIBHUDHANAAM  HRIDAYANGAMA VIBHATI  II


         In this stanza he compares our Acharya Parampara to a 
garland of gems for which the central sapphire is Sri Ramanujar. The 
diamond chain embellishes only the body where as this Acharya 
Paramparam adorns the soul.

          Many of us , nowadays are not aware  of the Guruparampara 
(succession of Acharyas). Hence I give their order of appearance.

1.      Periya Perumal. (Lord Sri Ranganatha, the presiding deity 
reclining on the serpant bed at Srirangam)

2.      His consort Sri Ranga Nachiyar

3.      Senani (Sri Vishwaksenar The chief commander of all beings)

4.      Nammazhwar

5.      Nathamunikal

6.      Uyyakondar (Pundarikaksha)

7.      Manakkal  Nambi (Sri Rama Misrar)
 
8.      Alavandar (Sri Yamuna chariyar)

9.      Periya Nambigal (Sri Parankusa Daasar)

10.     Emberumaanar (Sri Ramanujar)

11.     Embar

12.     Sri Parashara Bhattar

13.     Sri Nanjeeyar

14.     Sri Nampillai

15.     Vadakku Thiruveedhi Pillai

16.     Sri Pillailokacharyar

17.     Thiruvazhmozhi Pillai

18.     Manavala Mamunigal


           Of these 18 Acharyas, the fourteenth one is Swamy 
Nampillai. An attempt is made to sketch the biography of this great 
stalwart following the Guruparampara Prabhavam Text written by Swamy 
Nampillai's earnest and deeply devoted disciple Sri Pinbazhahiyaram 
Perumal  Jeeyar (Pinbazhahiyaram Perumal is the name of Lord 
Ranganatha namely, Periya Perumal as his back view is more 
fascinating than the front view).

        During the period of our Acharyas, Srirangam was the capital 
of our Srivaishnava Kingdom. All our Acharyas though born at 
different places finally came to live at Srirangam to propagate our 
sampradayam. Under their leadership Srivaishnava sampradayam spread 
far and wide and was at its zenith.

        Nanjeeyar ascended the throne of Acharyas after Sri 
Parashara Bhattar.  Though at Karnataka, he was vanquished by Sri 
Parashara Bhattar at the wordy duel (Vaada sadas), he became a 
devoted disciple of Sri Parashara Bhattar & learnt Nalayira Divya 
Prabhandam etc at his holy feet. After his arrival at Srirangam to 
live in the company of Sri Bhattar he renounced all worldly 
pleasures and became a recluse (Sanyasi).  He was affectionately 
called by Bhattar as "Nam  Jeeyar"(Our Sanyasi).  [His] Acharya's 
blessing was mainly responsible for his writing the superb 
commentary on Tiruvazhmozhi which is called " Ombadinaayirapadi"

         In those days our Acharyas used to write the commentary on 
palm leaves. After completing the writing Sri Nanjeeyar desired to 
preserve it for the posterity. He wished to have a scribe who is 
highly skilled in writing it on palm leaves legibly and neatly. His 
close attendants who were always with him drinking his nectarine 
discourses told him that there was a gentleman by name Nambur 
Varadarajan (Nambur is the name of a village  on the southern bank 
of Cauvery river at Trichy. Now the village has vanished, eroded by 
Cauvery flood waters) who used to attend Swamy Nanjeeyar's 
Kalakshepam regularly. 


"He has very good handwriting" ? they said. Nanjeeyar lost no time 
in inviting Sri Varadarajan and ordering him to write a shloka on a 
palm leaf so that he might check out his good handwriting. Observing 
the neat performance of Sri Varadarajan, Nanjeeyar became highly 
pleased and he read out the commentary on holy stanzas of 
Thiruvazhmohi and wherever it was necessary he also explained it to 
him so that he might write the commentary without any mistake as he 
is posted with clear cut meanings of the commentary. 

At the bidding of the Acharya, the disciple took the manuscript with 
great reverence and departed to his village from where he could 
write the commentary with great concentration and relaxation. He had 
to cross the river Cauvery on the way. In the midst of the river 
there was a place which he had to cross by swimming. As the 
manuscript was very holy and respectable he fastened it to the 
turban on his head but as ill luck would have it a strong wave of 
the river dashed his turban and carried away the manuscript. All his 
attempts to retrieve it were in vain. Highly dejected he swam across 
the river and reached the shore. Somehow he calmed himself and 
thinking of the holy feet of his Acharya, Sri Nanjeeyar, he 
recapitulated the entire commentary as read out to him by his 
Acharya. As he was highly shrewd and adept in Tamil language and 
literature, he wrote the commentary from his memory and added in 
some places highly relevant parallel ideas etc from Tamil literature 
and thereby enriched the commentary, the 9000 padi. (Padi means 32 
syllables, 9000 padi means the commentary contained 9000 X 32 
syllables; Padi equals a measure).

After completing it without loss of time, Sri Varadaraja submitted 
the manuscript reverently for the perusal, comments and corrections 
of his Acharya. The Acharya went through that carefully and was able 
to observe in some places magnificient and highly suited meanings 
for the words and sentences of Thiruvazhmozhi which he failed to 
make. Though he was highly pleased with the commentary he wished to 
know what transpired after handing his commentary over to his 
disciple. So he asked Sri Varadarajan ? "Why this addition?"

Sri Varadarajan was damn afraid to narrate the unfortunate incident 
but being encouraged by his revered teacher he told the truth.

The Guru was struck with wonder at the amazing, sharp and retentive 
memory power of his pupil and praised him to the skies. He embraced 
him and declared -"He is my dear child ? NAMPILLAI". Therefore his 
original name Nambur Varadarajan has become something unheard of. 
The Acharya abhimana ? the soul means of salvation ? we can 
understand from this episode.

>From that day onwards, Sri Nanjeeyar kept his dearest disciple under 
his benevolent care and without allowing any lapse of time he taught 
him all the secret doctrines of Sri Vaishnavism and Visishta Advaita 
philosophy with all the Rahasya Granthas and made him a full fledged 
scholar. 

He also named him "Thirukalikanri Daasar". Kalikanri is the name of 
Thirumangai Azhwar. Nampillai was also born on the same day i.e as 
that of Thirumangai Azhwar. (i.e Karthika month and Kritthika 
nakshatram). Therefore Nampillai is looked upon as the incarnation 
of Thirumangai Azhwar by our Acharyas, for which, a very aesthetic 
explanation is also given by them. Thirumangai Azhwar is known for 
his deep-rooted love towards Archa Avatara. Hence in the course of 
his ramblings to all Archa Avatara temples, he once reached 
Thirukkanna Mangai. He sang in praise of Lord Krishna there. Lord 
Krishna, the presiding deity became highly pleased by the sweet 
divine songs of the Azhwar, expressed his desire to learn the Divya 
Prabhandam. Sri Kaliyan told Him ? "Vensangam onru yendiya kanna, 
Nin thanakku thanakkum kurippakil karkalam kaviyin porul thane" (Oh 
Krishna! wielding white conch, if you are so very particular about 
learning the Divya prabhandam, you may do so. But in this state of 
your Archa Avatara it is possible for you to learn only the meaning 
of the text). Sri Krishna understood the implied sense of this 
statement. In the state of Archa Avatara idol, He can grasp only the 
meaning of the stanzas. If He has to learn and understand both the 
text and its inner meaning in its depth, He should be born in this 
world and learn it under the guidance of a superb master. So Sri 
Krishna was born as Sri Periyavachan Pillai on a Sri Jayanti day and 
becoming the pupil of Sri Nampillai, studied all the 4000 hymns 
along with Vedavedantam, Ithihasa Purana etc along with their 
commentaries from Sri Nampillai ? who was born on the birthday of 
Sri Thirumangai Azhwar.

TO BE CONTINUED....








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