Ramanujacharya became an ascetic and established his own math near the temple in Kanchi. His first disciple was his elder sister's son Mudali Andan (Dasarathi) and a scholarly and wealthy Brahmin called Kurattalvan (Kuresa) Also called Sri Vatasanka who gave away his wealth and lived with his wife in great simplicity. also Nadadur Alavan the son of his other sister is considered one of his early disciples. Next in line was his former teacher Yadava Prakasa. who was given a new name Govinda Jiyar. He was asked to write a book by Sri ramanuja on the rules for Vaishnava ascetics (Yatidharma samuccaya)
Now the Yamunacharya disciples of Srirangam when they heard that Ramanujacharya had become an ascetic and had started his own muth. they had the temple authorities to send a message in the name of the temple diety Lord Ranga to the temple diety of Kanchipuram Lord Varada requesting permission for Ramanujacharya to leave the service of Lord Varada and Join the Service of Lord Ranga. at his temple. The first request was declined by Lord Varada speaking through his priests. Then a senior disciple of Yamuna, Thiruvarangattu perumal Ariyar succeeded in the second attempt by so charming Lord Varada through his singing and dancing, while reciting five verses of Alwars in Lord Varada's praise that the Lord promised him any boon he required. Thus Ramanujacharya reached the sacred Srirangam he was met by Periya Nambi (MahaPurna) and other disciples and also by a procession from the temple headed by the image of Visvaksena, the commander of Lord Vishnu's army. He was led through to the central shrine. where he sang the famous Alwar hymn Tirupallandu and two verses from Yamuna's Stotraratna. It is said Lord Ranga addressed him as follows."We have given the wealth of both our realms (this world and the eternal world, ubhaya Vibhuti aisvarya) for you and your people. After examining everything manage all the works of our house" whereupon Ramanujacharya turned to Periya nambi and quoted a verse from Nammalvar's Tiruvaymoli(10-6-10) meaning "If you are connected with great people, you can attain even a good that is both great and difficult" (I owe this honour to you as my acharya) to this Periya nambi replied with another line from Tiruvaymoli (5-2-1) meaning "You will see that this Kali is going to be destroyed.' this prophecy is now fulfilled, take up what the Lord has commanded.
Ramanuja then examined the treasury, he then inspected the supplies of rice, sandal paste, flower garlands and lights, looked into the duties of higher and lower servants of the temple, attended to repairs of the ramparts and examined the maintenance of flower gardens. He took Akalanga Nattalvan a non brahmin headsman of a nearby village as his disciple and made him the supervisor of the daily periodic rites in the temple. this may have been in the interest of honesty.
Ramanujacharya proceeded to reorganise the temple administration little at a time. It did result in the displacement of some temple functionaries while curtailing the power of others. gradually some posts were allotted to his disciples of which some were related to him as they belonged to a different group of brahmins. this angered the temple archakas and there was an attempt to poison Ramanujacharya. He therefore retired to Tiruvellarai for two years when what he was trying to do became clear and the temple servants repented. they now sent Yamucharya's senior disciple (T P Ariyar) to persuade Ramanujacharya to come back. Ramanujacharya conceded and returned but he still found that the Periya Koil Nambi (High Priest) still held the key to the temple. this led to conflict of power. The High priest opposed Ramanujas plan to change from five fold to ten fold divisions of the temple servants.(Parijanas). Here Lord Ranganatha appeared in Ramanujacharyas dream and pointed out that The Periya Koil Nambi has entrusted himself to our care, but he could do as he wished. In the morning Ramanujacharya called for his disciple Kurattalavan and related his dream and said "The existence of our enemy appears to be agreeable to the Lord Ranganatha let us go to Kanchipuram. He was pacified by Kanchipurna saying Gad may have greater design and that they should be patient. Kurattalavan succeded in persuading the high priest to seek Ramanujacharya as his guru. there is a small story behind how this is done. Ramanujacharya was pleased and gave the Periya KoilNambi a new name Amudanar. The same Amudanar is considered to be the author of a hundred stanzas of the Tamil poem in praise of Ramanuja. The original works contained ample descriptions of Ramanujacharya and his greatness his qualities and deeds. Ramanujacharya disapproved of it and they were dropped in the final presentation. It comes as no surprise that Ramanujacharya was so highly praised by the same person whose authority in the temple he had so seriously diminished. This only goes to prove how great our Ramanujacharya was. No small feat this happening time and again proving he was just and fair to all concerned. He thus brought about a sort of cooperation between brahmins and non brahmins in the temple administration.
Every Sri Vaishnava is competent to perform worship to his own household image of the deity. Ramanujacharya had not been instructed and initiated into the esoteric lore of the sect by Yamuna charya, he had to receive this instruction from his disciples. His entire education upto this point had been in the sanskrit scriptures alone thus he had to be thoroughly instructed in the tamil hymns from the time of Nathamuni to that of Yamunacharya's time.
Periya Nambi or Maha Purna was the first who taught him for six months initiating him into Sri Vaishnava sampradaya. this had to be abruptly stopped due to the quarrel between their wives. By then they had covered the first 2000 of the four thousand hymns.
Tirukottiyur Nambi or Gosthi Purna who instructed Ramanujacharya into the first of the rahasya mantra. an interesting story is spun round this learning which brings out the greatness of Ramanujacharya.
TirumalaiAndan or Maladhara taught Ramanujacharya the four great works of Nammalvar.
Tiruvarangattu Perumal Araiyar taught Ramanuja charya the secret of Guru Prapatti i.e. total reliance on the Guru who is to be regarded as god himself.
Periya Tirumalai Nambi or sri Saila Purna his own uncle was his final treacher who taught him the meaning of the Ramayana.
all the teachers found Ramanuja to be an argumentive pupil who would not simply accept what was being taught until he was convinced that it was right and was as per what was Yamunacharya's principle.
With all of the five Yamunacharya's disciple Ramanujacharya began as an obedient disciple but then proceeded to demonstrate his own special gifts and finally his unique authority. all his mediators committed one or more sons to Ramanujacharya's care to be his disciples.
Now the Yamunacharya disciples of Srirangam when they heard that Ramanujacharya had become an ascetic and had started his own muth. they had the temple authorities to send a message in the name of the temple diety Lord Ranga to the temple diety of Kanchipuram Lord Varada requesting permission for Ramanujacharya to leave the service of Lord Varada and Join the Service of Lord Ranga. at his temple. The first request was declined by Lord Varada speaking through his priests. Then a senior disciple of Yamuna, Thiruvarangattu perumal Ariyar succeeded in the second attempt by so charming Lord Varada through his singing and dancing, while reciting five verses of Alwars in Lord Varada's praise that the Lord promised him any boon he required. Thus Ramanujacharya reached the sacred Srirangam he was met by Periya Nambi (MahaPurna) and other disciples and also by a procession from the temple headed by the image of Visvaksena, the commander of Lord Vishnu's army. He was led through to the central shrine. where he sang the famous Alwar hymn Tirupallandu and two verses from Yamuna's Stotraratna. It is said Lord Ranga addressed him as follows."We have given the wealth of both our realms (this world and the eternal world, ubhaya Vibhuti aisvarya) for you and your people. After examining everything manage all the works of our house" whereupon Ramanujacharya turned to Periya nambi and quoted a verse from Nammalvar's Tiruvaymoli(10-6-10) meaning "If you are connected with great people, you can attain even a good that is both great and difficult" (I owe this honour to you as my acharya) to this Periya nambi replied with another line from Tiruvaymoli (5-2-1) meaning "You will see that this Kali is going to be destroyed.' this prophecy is now fulfilled, take up what the Lord has commanded.
Ramanuja then examined the treasury, he then inspected the supplies of rice, sandal paste, flower garlands and lights, looked into the duties of higher and lower servants of the temple, attended to repairs of the ramparts and examined the maintenance of flower gardens. He took Akalanga Nattalvan a non brahmin headsman of a nearby village as his disciple and made him the supervisor of the daily periodic rites in the temple. this may have been in the interest of honesty.
Ramanujacharya proceeded to reorganise the temple administration little at a time. It did result in the displacement of some temple functionaries while curtailing the power of others. gradually some posts were allotted to his disciples of which some were related to him as they belonged to a different group of brahmins. this angered the temple archakas and there was an attempt to poison Ramanujacharya. He therefore retired to Tiruvellarai for two years when what he was trying to do became clear and the temple servants repented. they now sent Yamucharya's senior disciple (T P Ariyar) to persuade Ramanujacharya to come back. Ramanujacharya conceded and returned but he still found that the Periya Koil Nambi (High Priest) still held the key to the temple. this led to conflict of power. The High priest opposed Ramanujas plan to change from five fold to ten fold divisions of the temple servants.(Parijanas). Here Lord Ranganatha appeared in Ramanujacharyas dream and pointed out that The Periya Koil Nambi has entrusted himself to our care, but he could do as he wished. In the morning Ramanujacharya called for his disciple Kurattalavan and related his dream and said "The existence of our enemy appears to be agreeable to the Lord Ranganatha let us go to Kanchipuram. He was pacified by Kanchipurna saying Gad may have greater design and that they should be patient. Kurattalavan succeded in persuading the high priest to seek Ramanujacharya as his guru. there is a small story behind how this is done. Ramanujacharya was pleased and gave the Periya KoilNambi a new name Amudanar. The same Amudanar is considered to be the author of a hundred stanzas of the Tamil poem in praise of Ramanuja. The original works contained ample descriptions of Ramanujacharya and his greatness his qualities and deeds. Ramanujacharya disapproved of it and they were dropped in the final presentation. It comes as no surprise that Ramanujacharya was so highly praised by the same person whose authority in the temple he had so seriously diminished. This only goes to prove how great our Ramanujacharya was. No small feat this happening time and again proving he was just and fair to all concerned. He thus brought about a sort of cooperation between brahmins and non brahmins in the temple administration.
Every Sri Vaishnava is competent to perform worship to his own household image of the deity. Ramanujacharya had not been instructed and initiated into the esoteric lore of the sect by Yamuna charya, he had to receive this instruction from his disciples. His entire education upto this point had been in the sanskrit scriptures alone thus he had to be thoroughly instructed in the tamil hymns from the time of Nathamuni to that of Yamunacharya's time.
Periya Nambi or Maha Purna was the first who taught him for six months initiating him into Sri Vaishnava sampradaya. this had to be abruptly stopped due to the quarrel between their wives. By then they had covered the first 2000 of the four thousand hymns.
Tirukottiyur Nambi or Gosthi Purna who instructed Ramanujacharya into the first of the rahasya mantra. an interesting story is spun round this learning which brings out the greatness of Ramanujacharya.
TirumalaiAndan or Maladhara taught Ramanujacharya the four great works of Nammalvar.
Tiruvarangattu Perumal Araiyar taught Ramanuja charya the secret of Guru Prapatti i.e. total reliance on the Guru who is to be regarded as god himself.
Periya Tirumalai Nambi or sri Saila Purna his own uncle was his final treacher who taught him the meaning of the Ramayana.
all the teachers found Ramanuja to be an argumentive pupil who would not simply accept what was being taught until he was convinced that it was right and was as per what was Yamunacharya's principle.
With all of the five Yamunacharya's disciple Ramanujacharya began as an obedient disciple but then proceeded to demonstrate his own special gifts and finally his unique authority. all his mediators committed one or more sons to Ramanujacharya's care to be his disciples.
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