Introduction to rahasya granthams – nAyanAr – AchArya hrudhayam

This
article is based on the vyAkyAna avathArikai (introduction to the
commentary) blessed by mAmunigaL for nAyanAr’s rahasya grantham named
AchArya hrudhayam.

sarvESvaran who is the divine
consort of SrI mahAlakshmi and is the lord of all, is accepting the
eternal services rendered by nithyasUris in SrIvaikuNtam (paramapadham,
spiritual realm) which is filled with unlimited bliss. nithyasUris are
those who have unlimited pure knowledge, bliss etc; they act according
to the divine will of emperumAn and sustain themselves with that. While
accepting their services, emperumAn thinks about the bound souls who are
in material realm, who are also equally qualified to render services
but are not doing it, grieves for them and desires to uplift them.

He is constantly engaged in many efforts to uplift them.

• Seeing the chEthanas (sentient beings) remaining without body and
  senses (during creation) similar to achEthanas (insentient objects),
  thereby unable to engage in enjoyment in this world or to attain
  liberation, out of overwhelming mercy, he bestowed them body and senses
  which are useful for them to attain his divine lotus feet and gave them
  knowledge and the ability to act and restrain.
• Out of great mercy, he bestows vEdham so that the chEthanas can use
  the knowledge and identify what is to be pursued and what is to be given
  up.
• Further, being the antharyAmi (in-dwelling super soul) of manu and
  sages, he mercifully reveals smruthi, ithihAsas and purANas. These
  SAsthrams exist for the sake of AthmAs who are with bodies.
• Since there are lots of restrictions to learn these SAsthrams, and
  since they are learned after trying for long time, considering in his
  divine heart that they are difficult to attain, he revealed the brahma
  vidhyA named ashtAksharam which is solely focussed on the salvation of
  AthmA.
• Seeing that this also did not help in fulfilling his desire [of
  uplifting all], just like the kings who would themselves step out to
  help when their message does not accomplish what is required, he himself
  descended as SrI rAma, krishNa et al., to uplift them.
• Seeing that no one got uplifted even after his efforts, thinking
  that his being different species (paramAthmA different from jIvAthmAs)
  and thinking that he cannot reform them, as those who catch deer would
  use another deer to do it, he decides to help the jIvAthmAs through
  other jIvAthmAs. He started mercifully glancing everywhere to create the
  best person, and as no one was becoming a target of his glance, in the
  southern direction, his glance befell upon nammAzhwAr who was a bound
  soul who was suffering through birth and death cycle continuously, and
  as a result of that merciful glance and emperumAn’s causeless mercy, he
  attained divine knowledge and devotion.
• AzhwAr deeply enjoyed emperumAn’s svarUpam (true nature), rUpa
  (forms), guNa (qualities). vibhUthi (wealth, activities) and as an
  outcome of such experience, mercifully composed the pAsurams. Just as
  the SlOkam which was recited by vAlmIki out of sorrow, lead to SrI
  rAmAyaNam which was perfect per poetic rules, by the grace of brahmA,
  AzhwAr’s pAsurams became thiruvAimozhi which is perfect per poetic
  rules, by the grace of bhagavAn. Note: Through these pAsurams, all chEthanas got the means for their upliftment.

As this thiruvAimozhi is in thamizh, being vast and revealing
many principles, since it is difficult for everyone to understand the
essence in it, azhagiya maNavALap perumAL nAyanAr, out of his great
mercy, thinking about revealing the special meanings in it, the divine
will of AzhwAr in it and the subject matter which is desirable for our
AchAryas is the refuge for all, mercifully explains these principles
which were orally taught by AchAryas thus far, in this prabandham named
AchArya hrudhayam which is aptly sized (neither too small nor too big).

This
prabandham is divinely named “AchArya hrudhayam” since it reveals the
principles which are dear to the divine heart of AzhwAr who is the first
AchArya of the followers of vEdham as said in “Adhyasya na: kulapathE:“,
as he explained in his dhivya prabandhams. nAyanAr mercifully used the
words from dhivya prabandham to construct this prabandham. The reason
for this is – as AzhwArs were divinely blessed by bhagavAn with divine
knowledge and devotion, their words are most trustworthy and enjoyable,
they are dear to him too.Further, as a necklace strung by an expert in
pearls will be very expensive, these words which were collected from
dhivya prabandham and compiled by nAyanAr with his ability to do so, the
text itself will be sweet for those who are interested in dhivya
prabandham. Thus, this prabandham will be very relishable for those who
are scholars due to the quality of the words and their meanings.