SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama: SrI vAnAchala mahAmunayE nama:
avathArikai (Introduction)
nAyanAr mercifully addresses the doubt “This prabandham, thiruvAimozhi, is used by learned scholars to determine the meanings of SAsthram, being more famous than all upabruhmaNams (SAsthrams which explain vEdham) and further as explained previously, being dhrAvida vEdham (thamizh vEdham) which means it is equivalent to [samskrutha] vEdham, and hence is most trustworthy and authentic; in this prabandham, why is AzhwAr quoting some other pramANams to prove its authenticity?”
chUrNikai 67
Apthikku ivar surudhi mArkkaNdEyan pArththan engiRa ivai vyAsa manu brahmavAdhigaLai vEdham sollumA pOlE.
Simple Explanation
For trustworthiness, AzhwAr is quoting Sruthi, mArkaNdEya, arjuna et al, similar to vEdham quoting vyAsa, manu and knowers of brahmam.
vyAkyAnam (Commentary)
That is – to bring trustworthiness for the principles explained in his prabandham, AzhwAr quoted vEdham, mArkaNdEya and pArtha (arjuna) as in thiruvAimozhi 1.1.7 “uLan sudarmigu surudhiyuL” (He is the main object of the most radiant vEdham), thiruvAimozhi 5.2.7 “mArkkaNdEyanum kariyE” (mArkaNdEya rishi is a witness for bhagavAn’s supremacy), thiruvAimozhi 2.8.6 “pArththan theLindhu ozhindha” (arjuna established krishNa’s supremacy); this is similar to the most trustworthy vEdham quoting vyAsa, manu and knowers of brahmam for its trustworthiness as in AraNam “sahOvAcha vyAsa: pArASarya” (vyAsa, the son of parASara muni told), yajur vEdham “yadhvai kincha manuravadhath thath bhEshajam” (Whatever is said by manu, that is medicine) and yajur vEdham “brahmavAdhinO vadhanthi” (knowers of brahmam spoke).
Thus quoting some reputed person is not an inferior aspect but it only helps in increasing the trustworthiness. With this, nAyanAr has explained whatever was missed out while previously speaking about vEdha sAmyam (equivalence with vEdham) for AzhwAr’s prabandhams.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
archived in https://granthams.koyil.org/
pramEyam (goal) – https://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – https://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – https://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – https://pillai.koyil.org