You are here: SriPedia - Ramanuja - Archives - Oct 2002

Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00172 Oct 2002

 
Oct 2002 Indexes ( Date | Thread | Author )
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]


srishailesha dhayapAthram DhibhaktyAdi guNArNavam |
yathIndhrapravaNam vandhE ramyajAmAtharam munim ||

Sri:
Srimathe Ramanujaya nama:

Dear Devotees,
Salutations to all. A brief write up on Sri MaNavALa
mAmunigaL's life. Sources taken from YathIndhra PravaNa prabhAvam(YPP)

Sri MaNavALa mAmunigaL/Azhagiya MaNavALa PerumAL was born 
in Sikkil KidAram in 1370. His father, ThikazhakkidandhAn ThirunAvIRu-
daiyapirAn,gave him basic education on the teachings of AzhvAr's 
hymns and the rahasyas(srivaiShNava doctrine) and also performed his 
marriage. Sri MaNavALa MAmunigaL(MM) then moved to AzhvAr Thirunagari 
and took Thirumalai AzhvAn/ThiruvAymozhipiLLai/Srisailesanatha,a 
prominent scholar of ThiruvAymozhi,as his AchArya. ThiruvAymozhipiLLai
took refuge at Sri PiLLai lOkAchArya's feet as a small boy and had 
studied NAlAyira Dhivya Prabandham,Idu and the rahasya doctrines with 
several of Sri PiLLai lOkAchArya's disciples. KurakulOththama dAsa 
taught ThiruvAymozhi PiLLai Sri Vachana BhUShaNam(SVB),nAlUrAcchAn 
PiLLai of KAnchi taught him ThiruvAymozhi and Idu and with 
ViLAnchOlai PiLLai of Trivandrum ThiruvAymozhi PiLLai studied the 
rahasyas and AchAryabhimAna.

Sri MM's devotion to the shrines of NammAzhvAr and 
Ramanuja and his own AchArya Thirumalai AzhvAn grew as he studied the 
AzhvArs' hymns and rahasyas in AzhvAr Thirunagari. During this 
time,he composed his first work "YathirAja Vimshathi" twenty samskrt 
stanzas in praise of EmperumAnAr and he also named his son Ramanuja.
Thirumalai AzhvAn's final advice to his foremost disciple MM was that 
he should spend his time teaching and discoursing on AzhvArs' hymns 
especially ThiruvAymozhi(primary importance),to give only secondary 
importance to samskrt sources and SriBhAShya(should study only once)
and to live in Srirangam like our elders. After his guru's departure,
Sri MM headed north to Srirangam with his co-disciple Ramanuja Jeeyar
(later to be known as vAnamAmalai jeeyar).

In Srirangam,Sri MM was well recceived by the Sri VaiShNava
community. After some initial friction with Uththama nambi,who was in 
charge of temple administration,MM instituted teh distribution of 
honors,the way Ramanuja did. MM conducted research on the rahasyas of 
pUrvAchAryas,restored them and recopied. Then he set out on 
pilgrimage to Thirumalai,KAnchi and Sriperumbudur. Sri MM stayed in 
KAnchi for a few months and studied SriBhAShyam with KidAmbi nAyanAr,
a descendent of Vedanta Desika's guru(kidambi appiLLAr)and a disciple 
of Desika's follower Brahma Tantra swatantra jeeyar. This confirms 
that kAnchipuram was the centre for vedantic studies.

After returning to Srirangam, MM renounced his householder 
status and became a sannyAsi. He started giving discourses on AzhvArs'
hymns and gathered a flock of disciples. He had deep reverence for 
the previous AchAryAs of Srirangam and renovated Ramanuja's old maTam 
for his activities. He brought clay from the floor of PiLLai 
lOkAchArya's house and named the hall as "Thirumalai AzhvAn". He also
ordered Sri PiLLai lOkAchArya's idol to be set up in the Srirangam 
temple.

to be continued...

AzhvAr EmperumAnAr Jeeyar TiruvadigaLE saraNam
nappinnai






[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index ] [Thread Index ] [Author Index ]
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
ramanuja-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to the list