SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavaramunayE nama:
Explaining the attributes of SrIvaishNavas
SrIrangam was a divine residence of perumAL which was frequented by people from both the northern and southern parts. Hearing jIyar’s ukthyanushtAnams (words and activities), a SrIvaishNavaprabhu (a well-to-do SrIvaishNava) in the upcountry (northern part), sent a message to jIyar through some devotees who were visiting SrIrangam from his place. In the message, he had said “Please write briefly the meanings of all SAsthras such that it could be followed in practice and mercifully send it to adiyEn”. jIyar replied in his message to that prabhu “For the qualified person who knows that the taste of being a servitor to perumAL is purushArtham (benefit), merely serving him is not purushArtham. It is not enough if one merely applies the symbols of chakram (divine disc) and Sankham (divine conch) on his shoulders. It is not sufficient if one merely worships perumAL. It is not sufficient if one has the qualification of being merely totally dependent on one’s AchAryan. It is not enough if one were merely subservient to bhAgavathas (followers of bhagavAn). Then, how does one correctly attain purushArtham? By being engaged with apt kainkaryam (service) and by allowing SrIvaishNavas to enter his residence without any hurdle and to live there with comfort, in such a way that “they could even sell me” that one can realise the purushArtham. Just as many branches of a banyan tree are contained within the banyan seed and just as many letters and words are contained within praNavam, if one were to follow bhAgavatha SEshathvam (totally dependent on bhAgavathas) to the end, all the meanings of sathsampradhAyam will come on their own. In other words, if one were to follow charamArtham (being totally dependent on bhAgavathas), there is no compulsion to know all the esoteric meanings related to bhagavAn, which are endless in any case. If one were to hear and practice everything about sathsampradhAyam without following this distinguished meaning, it will be a waste, similar to a courtesan talking about pathivrathA dharmam (the right way of following one’s husband’s words).
pUjAnAth vishNu bhakthAnAm purushArthO’sthi nEthara
thEshu vidhvEshatha: kinchith nAsthi nASakam AthmanAm
(There is no purushArtham superior to worshipping SrIvaishNavas who are fully devoted to emperumAn. There is no action which will destroy the nature of AthmA more than showing hatred towards them)” Thus jIyar explained through his dhivyasUkthi (divine words), the charamArtha nishtai (being firmly engaged with the ultimate meaning of purushArtham) which is the essence of thirumanthram.
On receiving the SrImukham (message) from jIyar, the SrIvaishNavaprabhu in the upcountry became firmly engaged with bhAgavatha ArAdhanam (worshipping and being totally dependent on SrIvaishNavas); just as it is said in “thasyai nithyam prathiSadhdhiSE dhakshiNasyai namasyAm” (always salute that southern direction) and “dhiSEvApi namaskuryAth yathrAsau vasathi svayam” (let him offer his salutations at least to that direction where this AchAryan is dwelling) the prabhu used to perform anjali hastham (cupping the palms together) every day, immediately on waking up, towards the southern direction where mAmunigaL resided, in line with thiruvAimozhi 6-5-5 pAsuram “thozhum aththisai uRRu nOkkiyE” (worship that direction, looking keenly) and carried out service to jIyar’s matam in line with his varNam (classification)
During that time, bhattar perumAL (descendant of kUraththAzhwAn, prime disciple of rAmAnujar) prostrated before jIyar in perumAL’s sannidhi and told him “Your disciples are not prostrating before us and are disrespecting us”. jIyar on reaching the matam, called his disciples and asked them the reason for their doing like this. They told him his conduct and said “We do not wish to be subservient to him”. He told them “In that case think that perumAL and pirAtti are sitting in the divine simhAsanam (throne) and worship him”. Thus, jIyar had such affection towards emperumAn that even in a place where there were faults, he could look for auspicious qualities; since he knew the correct conduct to be displayed, he was able to cherish distinguished entities and carry out activities towards them which pUrvAchAryars would have done.
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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