The term "garu", as Sri Ramanujam and Smt. Jayasree have said, is a term
of respect akin to "avar" in Tamil. However, while Ayyagaru is used to
refer to Brahmins in general, Iyengar is not at all used by SriVaishnava
families in Andhra Pradesh. In fact, the term Iyengar is used to refer
only to Tamil speaking SriVaishnavas. Vaishnavas in Andhra generally
refer to themselves and are referred to by others with the term
Acharyagaru, or in more colloquial term simply as Charigaru. The only
unique variation on this is the term "Jeeyengar", which is used by
traditional families to address Jeeyars.
Be that as it may, however, I think it is important to note that
historical references do not limit the use of the term Iyengar just to
Brahmin SriVaishnavas alone. Indeed, there was one Kandadai Ramanuja
Iyengar of non-brahmin origin who was instrumental in convincing the
Vijaynagaram kings to renovate and support Thirumala. He took the name
of Kandadai from his acharyan, but Iyengar was a title that I personally
feel could only have been conferred upon him because of his dedication
to Sri Vaishnavam.
adiyen Ramanuja dasan
Mohan
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azhwAr emberumAnAr jeeyAr thiruvadigalE saranam
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