sri:
srimathE rAmAnujAya nama:
srimadh varavaramunayE nama:
sri vAnAchala mahAmunayE nama:
srImAn vENkatanAthArya: kavithArkika kEsarI
vedhAntAchAryavaryo mE sannidhaththAm sadhA hrudhi
May vEnkatanAtha who is filled with kainkarya srI (divine wealth of servitorship, knowledge, devotion, etc) and a lion among poets/philosophers and who is famously known as vEdhAnthAchAryar reside in my heart eternally.
Adhi kEsavan emperumAn and nAchiyArs and emperumAnAr
vEdhAnthAchAryar has compiled a beautiful sthOthra grantham named yathirAja sapthathi on emperumAnAr (jagadhAchArya). In the 15th slOkam, he beautifully brings out the unique position of emperumAnAr in our sath sampradhAyam.
amunA thapana adhisAyi bhUmnA
yathirAjEna nibhadhdha nAyaka srI:
mahathI srI guru pankthi hAra yashti:
vibhudhAnAm hrudhayangamA vibhAdhi
அமுநா தபந அதிசாயி பூம்நா
யதிராஜேந நிபத்த நாயக ஸ்ரீ:
மஹதீ ஸ்ரீ குரு பங்க்தி ஹார யஷ்டி:
விபுதாநாம் ஹ்ருதயங்கமா விபாதி
Our guru paramparai is explained as a beautiful necklace here. Great personalities decorate their chest with this wonderful necklace. Each AchArya is considered as a rathnam (gem) placed in this necklace. Of these gems, srI rAmAnuja is the most radiant center-piece. His radiance is more shining than the sun’s brightness.
mAmunigaL also highlights the glories of emperumAnAr being the focus of our sath sampradhAyam in upadhEsa rathina mAlai 38th pAsuram as follows:
emperumAnAr dharisanam enRE ithaRku
namperumAL peyarittu nAtti vaiththAr
ampuviyOr inthath dharisanaththai emperumAnAr vaLarththa
anthach cheyal aRigaikkA
namperumAL peyarittu nAtti vaiththAr
ampuviyOr inthath dharisanaththai emperumAnAr vaLarththa
anthach cheyal aRigaikkA
எம்பெருமானார் தரிசனம் என்றே இதற்கு
நம்பெருமாள் பெயரிட்டு நாட்டி வைத்தார்
அம்புவியோர் இந்தத் தரிசனத்தை எம்பெருமானார் வளர்த்த
அந்தச் செயல் அறிகைக்கா
namperumAL established that our sampradhAyam is called “emperumAnAr dharisanam” in glorification of the very many efforts srI rAmAnuja took to bring the sampradhAyam to great heights.
vEdhAnthAchAryar had great devotion towards srI rAmAnuja. He was blessed by nadAdhUr ammAL who is a direct disciple of engaLAzhwAn who was very dear to emperumAnAr and thirukkurugai pirAn piLLAn.
piLLai lOkAchAryar, vEdhAnthAchAryar
vEdhAnthAchAryar has compiled many beautiful samskritham and thamizh literature. Amongst those, kumAra lOkAchArya panchAsath is a beautiful sthOthra grantham in glorification of piLLai lOkAchArya who was the leader of the srIvaishNava sath sampradhAyam and who was residing in srIrangam during the times of vEdhAnthAchAryar. Through his srIvachana bhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram, piLLai lOkAchArya establishes the most important principle of becoming the target of AchAryan’s mercy to be uplifted eternally. vEdhAnthAchAryar identifies this principle of AchArya abhimAnam quoting it from srIvachana bhUshaNam in the concluding slOkam of his kumAra lOkAchArya panchAsath. The whole grantham with English meanings can be viewed from https://acharya.org/bk/eb/vyakhyanam/LokacharyaPanchasatVyakhyanaSaram-English.pdf.
Today, in srIperumbUthUr we had a wonderful opportunity to witness Adhi kEsava perumAL with ubhaya nAchiyArs, emperumAnAr, piLLai lOkAchAryar and vEdhAnthAchAryar. Today being purattAsi thiruvONam (sravaNam), vEdhAnthAchAryar‘s grand thirunakshathram celebrations were observed. As it was the final thiruvONam before aippasi thiruvONam (appearance day of piLLai lOkAchAryar), piLLai lOkAchAryar also accompanied vEdhAnthAchAryar for mangaLAsAsanam, thirumanjanam, gOshti and sARRumuRai.
vEdhAnthAchAryar‘s thirunakshathram is celebrated here in srIperumbUthUr for 10 days with thiruvAimozhi gOshti. On the final day, in the morning piLLai lOkAchAryar arrives to the main sannidhi for mangaLAsAsanam. Both piLLai lOkAchAryar and vEdhAnthAchAryar has gandhappodi (fragrance powder) uthsavam followed by managLAsAsanam to Adhi kEsava perumAL and emperumAnAr with dhAti panchakam and yathirAja vimsathi gOshti.
vEdhAnthAchAryar
Subsequently, a divine sight of Adhi kEsava perumAL with his nAchiyArs, emperumAnAr, piLLai lOkAchAryar and vEdhAnthAchAryar having thirumanjanam together was observed. Followed by that, thiruppAvai, thiruppallANdu, kaNNinuN chiru thAmbu, thiruvAimozhi 10th centum, rAmAnusa nURRanthAdhi, upadhEsa rathina mAlai and yathirAja vimsathi are recited. Except for thiruppAvai and yathirAja vimsathi, everything else is recited in munnadi/pinnadi kramam. After that a grand sARRumuRai is performed and emperumAnAr‘s prasAdham of mAlai (garland), parivattam (vasthram and shawl) are presented to vEdhAnthAchAryar with aruLappAdu for vEdhAnthAchAryar.In the evening piLLai lOkAchAryar returns to his sannidhi with dhAti panchakam and yathirAja vimsathi gOshti.
Overall, it was a very nice day filled with wonderful events. Let us pray at the lotus feet of vEdhAnthAchAryar to be blessed with devotion towards piLLai lOkAchAryar and emperumAnAr. It was wonderful to have the anubhavam of vEdhAnthAchAryar, piLLai lOkAchAryar and jagadhAchAryar together. Full set of pictures of the events can be viewed at https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/107723698299182214927/albums/5934261436842467793. Glimpses of vEdhAnthAchAyar’s full glories can be viewed at https://acharyas.koyil.org/index.php/2015/06/05/vedhanthacharyar-english/.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
purattAsi thiruvONam (Oct 13th, 2013)
purattAsi thiruvONam (Oct 13th, 2013)
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