SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavaramunayE nama:
Now, incidents about AzhwAr
When namperumAL left kOzhikkodu, AzhwAr could not accompany him due to the impropriety of people in position (sthAnaththArs or archakars et al) and people of the abode (sthalaththArs). During that time, on the western as well as eastern side (of AzhwAr’s location at kOzhikodu) robbers had inhabited; on the northern side , the muslim invaders were active. Thus, they took AzhwAr in a south-western direction, over a long distance. Since there was fear from robbers, with no other option, they found a descent from a mountain at a particular place, made AzhwAr to rest inside a divine trunk, wrapped a [protective] chain around the trunk, kept all the divine ornaments and treasures of AzhwAr in a safe place nearby and started descending from the mountains. On their way down, they were accosted by robbers; they surrendered whatever valuables they had on them and reached their respective place.
Among them was thOzhappar, who had great devotion towards AzhwAr. He went to madhurai, met thirumalai AzhwAr [thiruvAimozhippiLLai, the Acharyan of maNavALa mAmunigaL] and told him of these events. After hearing him, thirumalai AzhwAr sent a message to the rAjA (king) of malayALa dhESam, along with trusted people. Since by then, the troubles due to invasion had died down, they reached thiruvAngOttUr, met the king and presented thirumalai AzhwAr’s message. After reading the message, the king presented thOzhappar with gifts, sent his trusted people and materials, asking them to mercifully install AzhwAr at thirukkaNAmbi. They went with planks and chains to a place called mundhirippu and started climbing the mountain. When they reached the spot from where one has to descend to locate the position of AzhwAr, they were wondering, out of fear for their lives, as to who would volunteer for this. thOzhappar volunteered to carry out the task. The people of the abode promised him that he will have a share equivalent to vaguLAbaraNabhattar (a prominent kainkaryaparar in AzhwAr thirunagari, the divine abode of nammAzhwAr) in the temple and that during occasions when thirumanjanam, a divine bath, is given to AzhwAr, he would receive the divine garland decorating the divine head of AzhwAr with “AzhwAr thOzhappar” aruLappAdu (aruLappAdu is a procedure when the name of the recipient of an honour is called out loudly for everyone to hear, before the honour is presented to him). They then lowered thOzhappar on a plank with chains, which they had brought with them, so that he could reach the location where AzhwAr had been mercifully protected in a trunk. As thOzhappar started searching for the location where they had left AzhwAr, a [garuda] bird started making noises at a particular place. Realising that it is not a coincidence, thOzhappar found that there was a trunk there. He prostrated and meditated on AzhwAr for some time. The bird flew away. He opened the trunk and found AzhwAr inside. He again prostrated in front of AzhwAr. Since he had taken a few palm leaves and writing instrument, he wrote down everything which he had seen from the moment he descended from the plank. He then placed the divine trunk on the plank and signalled to the people above, to lift the plank. They lifted the plank, read all that thOzhappar had written, worshipped AzhwAr, removed the trunk from the plank and lowered the plank again for thOzhappar to return. As they lifted the plank with thOzhappar, the plank hit an obstacle, tripping thOzhappar who fell down and couldn’t be retrieved.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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