Nishta.

To a man whose understanding is firmly and properly fixed on (a knowledge of) his essential

nature, on the upaya adopted by him, viz prapatti and on the ultimate aim of life (Purushartha)

a recognition that he is steadily fixed in this state gives more delight even than his 

approaching moksha. For by the might of this knowledge, he is able, with a disciplined mind,

to close up the chasms lying before him (as obstacles) which are deep and hard to fill and

which are as immense as the sky.

"ittham vichintyah sarvatra bhAva santi padE padE
kavi tArkika simhasya kAvyEshu lalitEshvapi"

(In the verses of this lion among poets there are
beauties and sentiments of immeasureable beauty, at
every turn of phrase -- however simple they appear to
be... and these are to be fathomed after deep study!)

The meaning of this great 'yadAvAbhyudaya' would have
been totally lost to posterity but for the commentary
.. that an Advaitin scholar
called Appayya Dikshita wrote.

"Vanja Para Samayam Mattra Vandhon Vazhiye


Mannu Pughaz Bhoothooran Manamuhappon Vazhiye


Kanja Thirumangai Ughakka Vandhon Vazhiye


Kaliyanurai Kudi Konda Karuththudayon Vazhiye


Senjol Tamil Maraigal Thelindhu Uraippon Vazhiye


Thirumalai Mal Thirumaniyay Sirakka Vandhon Vazhiye


Thanja Parakadhiyay Thantharulvon Vazhiye


Than Tamil Thoopul Thiruvenkadavan Vazhiye!!!


Nanilamum Than Vaala; Naan maraigal Thaam Vaala


Maanagaril Maaran Marai Vaazha


Gyaniyargal Senniani Ser Thoopul Vedantha Desikane


Innum Oru Nootrandirum!!!


Vazhiyani Thoopul varum Vedathasiriyan


Vazhiyavan Paadhara Vindha Malargal


Vazhiyavan Kodhila Thal Malarai Kondadi Kondirukkum


Theethilla Nallor Thiral!"


The meaning of the Tamil Verses are as following:


"May Your grace live long; for you have changed many unrighteous paths to the righteous path


May Your grace live long; for you have lived a life as pleasing to Sri Ramanujacharya


May Your grace live long; for you have given joy for great men with your service


May Your grace live long; for you have been an embodiment of the words of Thirumangai Alwar


May Your grace live long; for you have presented the Tamil Vedas the Divya Prabandams very clearly


May Your grace live long; for you have proved your incarnation of being the Divine bell of the Lord of Seven Hills


May Your grace live long; for you are blessing us with the path of Salvation


May Your grace live long; for you are the Lord of Seven Hills whom came to elaborate the Tamil Verses"


"May our Swami Desikan live for one more century, for the well-being of the Worlds ( The Earth, the worlds above Earth,


the worlds below Earth and the Eternal world), for the well-being of Vedas, for the sacred text of Nammalvar's


Thiruvaimozhi to present glorious in sacred Sri Rangam; Oh Swami Vedanta Desika, the dusts from your holy feet


are being worn by the great Gyanis to get betterment in their Spiritual life; May You live one more century for our sake!"


"May Your grace live long; the grace of Swami Desikan who was born in Thoopul, who has no equivalent in knowledge; who is our greatest Philosopher; Long live His Lotus Feet! Long live the sacred men who are divine and pious always meditating and


celebrating the grace of this Aacharya and who are staying away from all sorts of evil deeds and who are always surronded with


the good and sacred deeds!"

The life of an illustrious Advaitin admirer of
Desikan, Sri Appayya Dikshitar. I am deeply grateful
for the kind gesture of Sri Parthasarathy. I dedicate
this posting to the doyen.

Appayya Dikshitar was born in a village called
Adayappalam near Kanchipuram. His lineage was an
interesting one.

His grandfather was a scholar named Vakshasthala
Ganapati of Bharadhwaja 'gOtra'. He had two wives of
which the second was Totadri Amba, the daughter of
RangarAjadhvari who belonged to family of one
VaikuntachArya. This appears to have been a very
unusual "mixed marriage" between Vaishnava and SmArta
families in those days! Appayya Dikshita himself is
reported to have confirmed this.

Two sons, RangarAjadhvari (again) and Achan Dikshita
were born of this alliance. Appaya Dikshita was born
to the first one. Achan Dikshita's grandson was the
reputed Nilakanta Dikshitar of later years.

Appayya Dikshitar's father RangarAjadhvari was the
author of many Advaita works. He passed away when his
son was only 9 years old. But Appayya Dikshitar even
by that tender age had learnt and mastered all that
his father had taught him by way of Veda, vEdAnga,
vyAkarana and traditional arts and sciences. Appayya
Dikshita's mastery over chandas, nirukta and jyotisha
is said to be easily evident in his works, the
"nakshatra vAdavalli" and "prAkrita manidIpa".

Appayya DIkshita was deeply Advaitic in outlook. He
was also a staunch Siva bhakta. In 2 highly
controversial works Dikshita attempted to prove that
the heroes of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were
incarnations of Siva, the supreme Lord of the
Saivites. Though these works stired the proverbial
hornet's nest even in those days, scholars even today
admit that a reading of these classics of Appayya
Dikshita speak volumes about his originality and
mastery over the 2 "itihAsAs".

Although Dikshita lived for a long time in Chidambaram
(the Vatican of Saivism in those days), and served in
the temple of Lord Nataraja there by composing many
works in praise of Siva, it did not stop him from also
composing works in praise of Lord Vishnu. Two works
are known today -- "Sri Krishna DhyAna paddathi" and
"Varadarajastava". Diskhita was an indomitable
intellectual.

Even amongst the Advaitins, Appayya Dikshita was a bit
of a maverick and a stormy petrel. His interpretation
of Advaitic 'mImAmsa' and 'alankAra' were entirely
original and for this he had to face loud and bitter
criticism from other Advaitic pandits of the times
like Khandadeva, Somanatha and Venkatadhvari. Appayya
Dikshita's brand of Vedanta also came under attack
from the famous Sri Rangaramanuja muni, the Vaishnava
commentator on the Upanishads.

In spite of all these severe critics, everyone who was
acquainted with Dikshita's works, whether Advaitin or
Vaishnava, held no two opinions about his many-sided
scholarship and sincerity of purpose. They considered
him to be a 'sarva-tantra-svantatra', a master of all
arts and sciences, much in the mould of Vedanta Desika
on whose work Dikshita was later to write a
commentary. SriVaishnavas of those times, especially,
had no hesitation whatsoever in proclaiming that even
a scholar belonging to their own 'sampradAya' could
not have written a better commentary on Swami
Venkatanathan's classic Sanskrit opera
"yAdavAbhyudaya".

Appayya Dikshita happened to be the poet-laureate
('asthana-vidwan') at the royal court of Chinna Timma,
who was the local ruler of Vellore between 1574 and
1585. The King Chinna Timma came from a lineage of
royal kings of the Raja dynasty and they were great
patrons of literature. Some of the kings like Chinna
Timma also adopted Vaishnavas as personal mentors or
'sadAchAryAs'. It is this Vaishnava connection of his
forbears which probably had made this king familiar
with Desikan's 'yAdavAbhyudaya'. Chinna Timma was
desirous of having someone write a detailed commentary
on this 'mahA kAvya' of Desikan and felt his
poet-laureate Appayya Dikshita was the best suited to
undertake it. It is said the king performed a
"kanakAbhishEkam" on Dikshita for having successfully
completed the royal commission.

The 'yAdavAbhyudaya' is a Sanksrit opera of 24
'sargas' or cantos. It is an equal of KalidAsa's
magnificent works like Raghuvamsha or Meghasandesham.
Swami Desikan himself considered it to be his best
poetic work when he attested:

"gauda vaidarbha panchala malakaram sarasvatim
yasya nityam prasamsanti santah
saurabhavedinah"

(The cognoscenti who realize the true value of
perfumery, extol the poetic muse of Desika who wears a
garland woven out of Gauda, Vaidarbha and Panchala
'riti').

It is common among SriVaishnavas to hail the 'stOtra'
of YamunAchArya as "stOtra-ratna" and Desikan's
'yAdavAbhyudaya' as "kAvya-ratna". This operatic
magnum-opus traces the life of Krishna from his days
in Gokulam right upto His ascent unto Heaven at the
end of His avataric sojourn on earth. Scholars to this
day have never ceased marvelling at the breath-taking
beauty of Sanskrit poetry that brims over in this
'kAvya'. Dikshita in his own times, having lost
himself in the enchanting poetry of Desikan, is said
to have declared:

"ittham vichintyah sarvatra bhAva santi padE padE
kavi tArkika simhasya kAvyEshu lalitEshvapi"

(In the verses of this lion among poets there are
beauties and sentiments of immeasureable beauty, at
every turn of phrase -- however simple they appear to
be... and these are to be fathomed after deep study!)

Sri T.S.Parthasarathy writes: "Desika's original along
with Dikshita's commentary has recently been edited
and published by Abhinava Desika Sri Uttamur
Viraraghvacharya swami on behalf of the Ubhaya Vedanta
Granthamala of Madras. The original and the commentary
by two intellectual giants of two different times are
literary treasures deserving to be cherished and
preserved forever".

The meaning of this great 'yadAvAbhyudaya' would have
been totally lost to posterity but for the commentary
... believe it or not... that an Advaitin scholar
called Appayya Dikshita wrote on it! 







Fourty Ninth SlOkam (Prayer for the Lord's Mercy)
*************************************************
ajn~Ana vaaridhim apAya-dhurandharam mAmm
ajn~A-vibhanjanam akinjana-saarvabhoumam
vindhan BhavAn ViBhudhanATa SamasthavEdhi
kim nAma pAthram aparam manuthE krupAyA:

General Meaning:
*****************
Oh Dhaiva NaayakA! I am the central abode of ajn~Anam.
I stand in the front row of all sinners. I regularly
trespass Your commands enshrined in Your sAsthrams.
I do not have any capital for gaining sadhgathi.
adiyEn stands before You with all these deficiencies
and consider myself an appropriate fit to recieve Your
compassion. Why would You even think of anyone more fit
than this aparAdhi to be the object of Your anukampA?
Therefore , You should take pity on me and bless 
adiyEn with Your abundant KaruNai.

Additional Comments:
*********************
Swamy Desikan thinks of all of us and expresses his
nirvEdam (sorrow over his deficencies )and aakinchanyam 
( being without any spiritual wealth whatsoever)
on our behalf. Swamy Desikan is sarva Saathvika GuNa 
Saarvabhouman and the Lord knows that Swamy Desikan had 
none of the deficiencies that he is accusing himself of having .
Yet, Swamy Desikan as a ParamAchAryan seeking our welfare
showed us the way of approaching the Lord and performing
SaraNAgathy before Him. He assumes on himself the sufferings
of the SamsAris (kaama krOdhAthi KOlAhalam ruining
their lives) and reaches nirvEdha prAchuryam ( the height
of despondency over the sufferings of us ,the Bhaddha jeevans)
and appeals to the Lord :

1)I am the ocean of aj~nAnam (Aj~nAna Vaaridhi)

2)I am in the front row of the sinners(ApAya dhurandharam )

3)I am the Trespasser of Your commands(Aj~nA vibhanjanam)

4)I the leader of those without any spiritual wealth
( akinchana Saarvabhouman).

As Seshi (Swamy) , who knows every thing ( Samastha Vedhi),
You have acquired me as Your Seshan , who has gained Svaroopa 
Jn~Anam to perform SaraNAgathy. Swamy Desikan has performed 
MokshArTa SaraNaagathy and has thvarai (a sense of urgency )
to perform nithya kaimkaryam to the Lord there. Swamy Desikan
wishes to develop ruchi for Parama PurushArTam thru
the SaraNAgathy performed at the sacred feet 
of Lord DEvanAthan.

Swamy Desikan challenges the Lord to find one , who is
more deserving of His KaaruNyam and rakshaNam than himself
based on the combination of aj~nAnam , accumulated sins from
repeated trespasses of the Lord's commands. Swamy asks the Lord:
Why would You as a Samastha Vedhi (sarvaJ~nan) need any one else 
to rescue , who is more deserving than me for being the object of 
Your compassion (BhavAn krupayA aparam pAthram kim nAma 
manuthE?).In the next slOkam , Swamy Desikan presses
his case further as the one to be saved by the Lord .

SlOkam 50: (Importance of Protection by the Lord)
************************************************
PrahlAdha Gokula GajEndhra ParikshidhAdhyA:
thrAthas-ThvayA nanu vipatthishu thAdhruseeshu
saravm tadEkam aparam mama rakshaNam tE
santhOlyathAm Thridasa Naayaka kim garIya: 

General Meaning
****************
Oh Dhaiva NaayakA! Once You took NrusimhAvathAram
to come to the rescue of Your child devotee , PrahlAdhan ,
when his cruel father exposed to him to many dangers.
You protected then that dhaanava sisu. During KrishNAvathAram ,
You protected the cattle and the people of Gokulam from
the wrath of Indhran, who sent hail storms and stone rains 
on the defenseless people of Gokulam for not worshipping 
him as before. You rushed to the lotus pond to free 
GajEndran from the the terrible teeth of the crocodile
and protected that srEshta Bhakthan.During KrishNAvathAram 
once again , You responded to the saraNAgathy appeal of
Uttharai to save her embryo from being destroyed by 
the angry AsvatthAman , who sent the apANDavAsthram 
to eliminate even the last trace of PaaNDava vamsam.
Thus You have performed many mighty deeds of SaraNAgatha
RakshaNam. Now, Oh Lord Dhaiva NaayakA ! adiyEn
has a request to You. Please place all of the above
deeds of rescue of Your BhakthAs on one scale of
a balance;next, place the deed of rescuing this 
MahA aparAdhi, who is bent on breaking Your SaastEic 
commands on the other scale of the same balance.
When you examine as to which scale stays below, 
You will find the act of rescuing me will stay 
down . From that test , You will be convinced 
that offering protection to me is of utmost priority
and importance to You. 

Additional Comments:
********************
Oh Dhaiva NaayakA! Please think about Your raksaNam
of PrahlAdhan during your NrusaimhAvathAram ,
Your rescue of GopAs and Gopis from IndhrA's anger as
Govardhana Girdharan, protection of the Lord of
elephants from the cruel jaws of the crocodile as
Gajendhra Varadhan, saving of Child Parikshith 
in Uttharai's womb. When they faced dire dangers , 
You came to their rescue in a trice ( PrahlAdha 
aadhyA: thAdhrudheesushu vipatthishu ThvayA thrAthA:).
Oh Lord ! Please place the weight of ALL those mighty 
rakshaNams on one scale of a balance and place the act
of RakshaNam of adiyEn on the other scale. Please
evaluate for Yourself, which is the bigger of the two
rakshaNams (Tath sarvam tE yEkam mama rakshaNam aparam).
Oh Lord! You will find that the scale of the balance 
carrying my rakshaNam will outweigh the other scale .
Please see it Yourslf as to which act is more heavy
( Thridasa Naayaka! kim gariya: ithi santhOlyathAm).

NamO SrI DevanAthAya,
Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan 

P.S: May the powerful prayers and appeals of 
Swamy Desikan for becoming the beneficiary of
the compassion of Lord Dhaiva Naayakan and 
to protect him thereafter inspire you all to take part
in the RathnAngi Kaimakryam for Him and recieve
His eternal blessings !













772. sAkshAthpadham maDhuBhidha: prathipAdhayanthyoU
mAnOpapatthiniyathE maNipAdhukE dhvE
anyOnyasangathivashAdhupapannacharyA
mAjnyAm shruthismruthimayImavaDhArayAmi

The twin-Paadukas are exactly equivalent to the Lord's commandments 
[which enlighten us on the Lord's Swaroopa (nature) which are 
recognized as the right authority on the basis of scriptural 
authority and logical conclusion, and which guide us on the right 
dutiful conduct in respect of dharmic behavior. The Paadukas together 
show us the Feet of the Lord, nay, even the Abode of the Lord. They 
are established as valuable treasure by scriptural and logical 
authority and they together conduct the Lord in His course of action 
and moment.

One is Sruti; the other is smriti-the two Paadukas thus constitute 
our guide in action.





SlOkam 772:

1) UtthamUr Swamy's anubhavam: In the previous slOkam,
Swamy Desikan compared the Paadhukais to the two vibhUthis
of the Lord. The support for those two VibhUthis arise from
Sruthis and Smruthis , which are created as a rsult of
the Lord's commands. In this slOkam , Swamy Desikan 
compares the two Paadhukais to to Sruthi(VedAs) and 
Smruthis( code of laws established by the Lord). He says:
" Oh PadhukAis! You bring the Lord's feet directly 
to us for worship; You accompany the Lord and fit 
His feet in a perfect manner and thus truly belong to Him. 
You take the matching steps with each of Your PaadhukAs , 
when He moves around ". The above three steps are known as
Paadha PratipAdhanam(sequential steps), MaanOpapaddhi 
Niyamanam and AnyOnya Sangathi vaasam . These three 
attributes also fit the Srutis and Smrutis. They reveal
directly the Lord's holy feet to the righteous persons.
They belong to the Lord(MaanOpapaddhhi niyamanam) and
they go in unified steps like the PaadhukAs(anyOnya 
sangathi vAsam). In view of these close similarities , 
Swamy Desikan states that the two PaadhukAs are 
the manifestations of Srutis and Smrutis.

2) SrImath Andavan's anubhavam: Oh Paadhukais! When we have
your darsanam , You both remind adiyEn of Sruthi(Vedam) and
Smruthi. They do not separate from each other.You both do not
separate from each other in Your kaimkaryam to the Lord.
The topics covered by Vedams and Smruthis are totally 
compatible with the PramANams and Yukthis. VedAs and Smruthis 
are BhagavAn's commands.Therefore no one should transgress
them . 

3)The PaadhukAs bring the Paadhams of the Lord directly
before the people( Madhubhidha: padham saakshAth 
prathipAdayanthyou).The PaadhukAs measure closely to
the feet of the Lord( Maana) and fit them well( Upapatthi).
They are of the form of Sruthii and Snruthi (Sruthi-smruthi
mayam). adiyEn considers them as being equivalent to the Lord's
command ( Madhubhida: aj~nAm avadhArayAmi). These pair of 
Paadhukais of the Lord through their companionship
(anyOnya sangathivasAth) are a perfect fit ( upapanna)
for ideal sanchAram ( Upapanna charyAm) and are of
the form of both Sruthi and Smruthi( Sruth-Smruthimayam)..(V.S)

single minded devotion.

 Andal’s single-minded devotion and its growing intensity over time
A young girl Andal, distinguished with the left-side hair bun, wears the newly made flower garland meant for Lord Vatapatrasayee, and sees Krishna with her in the reflection in the well. Before she asks him to promise to be with her, he is gone. She goes to the temple she sees the deity. She stares mesmerized, recognizing her bangle around his wrist in uninhibited delight. lead to Andal’s dream of the wedding rituals. Andal’s longing  ‘Karpooram naarumo’ pasuram when she addresses the conch asking him whether the fragrance of Krishna’s mouth is like camphor or the blossomed lotus flower. 
Andal sinks into viraha seeing Krishna everywhere and the sounds of the cuckoo and others bother her physically. Krishna finally appears before Andal. Andal’s happiness is infectious.

SKE

The observance of Ekadasi with fasting, worshipping Narayana and listening to the scriptures has been highly valued in India. The Padma Purana speaks in detail about the vrata undertaken on the Ekadasi day of each of the 12 months in the Indian calendar. On this day, one has to fast and spend time in thoughts of Vishnu. Indeed, the Sanskrit term, upa-vaasa for fast means “remaining beside the Lord”. As one spends the day listening to the story of Hari, meditates upon Hari, and recites the names of Hari, Ekadasi has also come to be known as Harivasara.

Our scriptures have recorded several legends. We have the story of King Rukmangada who was firm about observing the very important Uthana Ekadasithat marks the Lord’s rising from his yogic sleep. He was prepared to endure any privation, including the tortures of Hell but he would not give up the Kaisika Ekadasi that falls in the month of Kartika. This Ekadasi festival which is part of the Prabhodotsava is the important festival that precedes Vaikunta Ekadasi in Srirangam.

The Varaha Purana relates the legend of a chandala singer who happened to meet a Brahmarakshas in a garden adjacent to Mithila. This legend has acquired tremendous popularity among the devout in South India and the relevant cantos in Varaha Purana have been culled out and given with suitable modifications as the Kaisika Mahatmya for which Bhattar has written a pellucid commentary.

n the Kaisika Mahatmyam recited in the Vishnu temples of South India, the event is located in Tirukurungudi. The Puranam speaks of the Tirukurungudi temple and the Harijan singer, Nambaduvan. Sri Bhattar, son of Koorattalwar, has written a pellucid commentary to the Kaisika Mahatmyam . According to him, singing about the glory and good of Narayana at the Brahma muhurtam , especially on Kartika Ekadasi marking the Lord’s waking up, brings enormous punya. Such was his wonderful exposition of the tale as a sattvika purana hailing Vishnu that there was a spontaneous reaction of joy from the listeners and they accorded him the rare honour of being escorted home from the temple in Brahmaratha, a palanquin carried by Brahmins

Why did Bhattar choose the incident of the chandala singer in the Varaha Puranafor exposition in the Srirangam temple? If we meditate upon it, it becomes clear that Srirangam has shown the way to the rest of the land not only in religious living but in social camaraderie as well. The caste system may have been created by our ancients, but not caste-born arrogance. Bhattar, son of Sri Ramanuja’s disciple, Koorattazwar, had imbibed the message of Srivaishnavism very well indeed.

It was Sri Ramanuja who sought to break down the fences that isolated a section of humanity as “untouchables”. There is the incident of Maraner Nambi’s sickness and passing in the annals of Srirangam.

Maraner Nambi was a Dalit student of Alavandar, the predecessor of Sri Ramanuja as Acharya of the Srivaishnavas. He was gentle, a great soul, and was highly respected. When he fell ill, another student of Alavandar, Peria Nambi used to take him food. When he passed away Peria Nambi performed the final rites. When some people objected to this, Sri Ramanuja defended Peria Nambi and his divine humility that had rejected casteist conceit.

When Bhattar became the head of the Srivaishnava community and was in charge of the temple affairs, he chose this particular legend of the chandalasinger to do away with such divisive prejudices that still lurked in the community. The story points out how the world of bhakti ought not to be “broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls”.

This is the Kaisika Mahatmyam legend. There was once a devotee of Narayana born in the panchama caste who would go daily before dawn to the temple of Tirukurungudi, stand outside and sing soulfully, twanging his lute. One morning he lost his way in the darkness and was caught by a brahmarakshas who wanted to eat him up. The panchama, Nambaduvan, pleaded with the demon to let him go so that he could sing for the Lord. When his prayers failed, he promised to return to the same place after fulfilling his heart’s desire of singing for the Lord at the dawn of Kartika Ekadasi. The brahmarakshas relented and was surprised when Nambaduvan did return as promised. Now he pleaded for the punya of Nambaduvan to overcome the curse of being a demon. At first, Nambaduvan would not agree. He would rather die than give up his punya. Vijayanagar emperor Sri Krishnadeva Raya, in his Telugu epic Amukta Malyada, has dealt with this legend in a detailed and poetic manner. The demon gives a wonderful account of Ramanuja’s ministry brimming with compassion.

Nambaduvan replied that it was self-defeating to think that the fruits of serving the Lord could be divided. The Lord’s compassion was infinite. He exclaimed: “May the Lord save the unfortunate!” Immediately the demon got back his original form of a Brahmin. With self-pity, he relates how due to his grasping tendency, he had misused his Vedic learning. Now, attired as an orthodox devotee of the Lord and carrying a volume of the hymns of the Alwars, the Brahmin worshipped Nambaduvan with choice words and proceeded to Badarinath to end his days meditating upon the blissful form of Narayana.

Thus, Srirangam’s lead in promoting communal harmony down the centuries needs to be underlined in gold.

It may be pointed out here that Sri Ramanuja did not inspire only his immediate successor Bhattar. Even in our own times Swami Vivekananda received tremendous inspiration from Sri Ramanuja. When he initiated 50 non-Brahmins with Gayatri Mantra in the Sri Ramakrishna Math on February 22, 1898, he chose Sri Ramanuja’s Sribhashyam to be placed on the head of each initiate. For Sri Ramanuja had brought even the panchamas into the social fold, re-named them as Thirukulathar (caste of Mother Lakshmi) and had made their temple-entry possible.

All this information envelopes us as we attend the Kaisika Ekadasi festival in Srirangam. On the Ekadasi morning, Lord Ranganatha has thirumanjanam performed in the Santhanu Mandapam and returns to the sanctum. At around 8 p.m., the Lord moves out to the Arjuna Mandapam indicating the time when Nambaduvan left his dwelling, veena in hand, to go to Tirukurungudi. Going briskly up the steps to Arjuna Mandapam and the lilting swing of the palanquin are meant for the joy of Thulakka Nachiar in the Mandapam niche. When settled in his regal seat, He is offered 365 garments. Camphor light is waved repeatedly followed by the Arayar’s recitation of the Tirukurungudi decad by Tirumangai Alwar and a decad of Nammalwar.

Now Bhattar is led to the Lord in tune with time-honoured ceremonies. Bhattar would now submit the Kaisika Mahatmyam which extols Nambaduvan of Tirukurungudi. All these rituals go on through the night. At dawn on the following day, the Lord returns to the sanctum. As He moves up the steps, camphor powder is sprinkled on Him, transforming the atmosphere with an ethereal presence. Once the Lord reaches the top of the steps he issues a command: “Give Brahma-ratha honour to Bhattar who has pleased me by reciting the Kaisika Mahatmyam.” Bhattar is led out and taken to his residence in the special palanquin, reminding us of how his great ancestor had been honoured thus centuries ago.

Srirangam’s Kaisika Ekadasi account cannot be complete without a mention of the gracious Vijayaranga Chokkanatha Nayak, (18th century) son of the legendary Rani Mangammal. A pious ruler and devotee of Lord Ranganatha, he came once to watch the famous Karpoora Padiyetram (Going up the steps while camphor is sprinkled) seva but was late by a few minutes. The Lord had, by then, reached the sanctum. Though he was the ruler and had offered countless benefactions to the temple, he decided to remain in the pilgrim centre for one whole year, till the next Kaisika Ekadasi.

Reminding us of this utter humility of a person in power two life-size statues of ivory of Vijayaranga Chokkanatha and his queen Minakshi as also his adopted son Vijayakumara and his wife have been set up in the western promenade of the second enclosure of the Srirangam temple. The king was a connoisseur of art and author of Sriranga Mahatmya and Thulakaveri Mahatmya and the Harikambhoji kriti, Hecharika Sadanambu that serenades the deity going up the western steps to reach the sanctum in a shower of camphor scent.

nammalwar hymn

A devotee who was very addicted to chewing betel nut used to carry a very small Salagram, one of the self-manifested forms of the Lord, in his pocket and worship it regularly by chanting the hymns compiled by Nammalwar. The devotee used to often mistake the Salagram for a betel nut, as he used to carry both Salagram and betel nuts in similar boxes, and used to put it in his mouth. Immediately after realizing his mistake he used to take the Salagram out of his mouth and perform abhisheka to the Lord while singing Nammalwar’s hymns to atone for the sin that he had committed.

Unable to quit his habit and being disgusted with himself, the devotee handed over the Salagram to a pious Brahmin thinking that his Salagram would be properly taken care of. However, the Lord appeared in the Brahmin’s dream and told him to return His Salagrama form to the devotee who gave it to him. The Lord also told the Brahmin that though the said devotee used to often put the Salagram in his mouth mistaking it to be a betel nut, He liked the manner in which the devotee used to sing the hymns that Nammalwar had compiled with love.

May all glories be to the lotus feet of Nammalwar and his disciple, Madhurakavi-alwar and blessed be the devotees who read the glories of Nammalwar, who is included among the greatest devotees.

The Pandya King who ruled over Thirunagari and its surrounding areas had passed a law making it mandatory for every poet to submit his works to the council headed by the court poet, Kambanatt-azhwan, for its scrutiny. As Nammalwar’s works did not have the approval of the council, the Pandya king, sent his men to summon Madhurakavi-alwar. The King’s soldiers asked Madhurakavi-alwar to bring Nammalwar to the court and present all his works before the council for its scrutiny. Being enraged at the arrogance of the soldiers, Madhurakavi-alwar told them that his master, Nammalwar, would not even budge from the place where he is sitting and gave them a palm leaf that contained one stanza from one of the hymns of Nammalwar and asked them to place it before the council for its scrutiny.

The passage engraved in the palm leaf read, “Kannan-kazhal inai nannu manam udayir ennum tiru-naman tinnam naraname,” which means “Those whose hearts are in love with the lotus feet of Lord Krishna, take this mantra for meditation, it is indeed the holy name of the Lord.”

After reading that particular passage the council consisting of 300 scholars and the court poet, Kambanatt-azhwan, became the disciples of Nammalwar.

According to popular belief, Nammalwar stayed on this planet till he turned 32 and the Lord Himself came to Vaikuntha’s door to take him in. To commemorate this, Vaikuntha Ekadashi is celebrated in all Vishnu temples. 1,296 hymns were compiled by Nammalwar during his lifetime.

A crown with the lotus feet of the Lord on the top of it is kept in the Sri Vaishnava temple, signifying Nammalwar’s intense desire to dwell under the lotus feet of the Lord. The crown represents Nammalwar’s head.  This crown is named Shatari and is symbolically placed on the heads of the believers who visit the temple to show the Lordship of the Supreme Lord as well as to signify our eternal servitude to His lotus feet.

importance of Satsang.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Uddhava, by associating with My pure devotees one can destroy one's attachment for all objects of material sense gratification. Such purifying association brings Me under the control of My devotee. One may perform the aṣṭāńga-yoga system, engage in philosophical analysis of the elements of material nature, practice nonviolence and other ordinary principles of piety, chant the Vedas, perform penances, take to the renounced order of life, execute sacrificial performances and dig wells, plant trees and perform other public welfare activities, give in charity, carry out severe vows, worship the demigods, chant confidential mantras, visit holy places or accept major and minor disciplinary injunctions, but even by performing such activities one does not bring Me under his control.

 In every yuga many living entities entangled in the modes of passion and ignorance gained the association of My devotees. Thus, such living entities as the Daityas, Rākṣasas, birds, beasts, Gandharvas, Apsarās, Nāgas, Siddhas, Cāraṇas, Guhyakas and Vidyādharas, as well as such lower-class human beings as the vaiśyas, śūdras, women and others, were able to achieve My supreme abode. Vṛtrāsura, Prahlāda Mahārāja and others like them also achieved My abode by association with My devotees, as did personalities such as Vṛṣaparvā, Bali Mahārāja, Bāṇāsura, Maya, Vibhīṣaṇa, Sugrīva, Hanumān, Jāmbavān, Gajendra, Jaṭāyu, Tulādhāra, Dharma-vyādha, Kubjā, the gopīs in Vṛndāvana and the wives of the brāhmaṇas who were performing sacrifice.

 The persons I have mentioned did not undergo serious studies of the Vedic literature, nor did they worship great saintly persons, nor did they execute severe vows or austerities. Simply by association with Me and My devotees, they achieved Me.

 The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, including the gopīs, cows, unmoving creatures such as the twin arjuna trees, animals, living entities with stunted consciousness such as bushes and thickets, and snakes such as Kāliya, all achieved the perfection of life by unalloyed love for Me and thus very easily achieved Me.

 Even though one engages with great endeavor in the mystic yoga system, philosophical speculation, charity, vows, penances, ritualistic sacrifices, teaching of Vedic mantras to others, personal study of the Vedas, or the renounced order of life, still one cannot achieve Me.

 The residents of Vṛndāvana, headed by the gopīs, were always completely attached to Me with deepest love. Therefore, when My uncle Akrūra brought My brother Balarāma and Me to the city of Mathurā, the residents of Vṛndāvana suffered extreme mental distress because of separation from Me and could not find any other source of happiness.

 Dear Uddhava, all of those nights that the gopīs spent with Me, their most dearly beloved, in the land of Vṛndāvana seemed to them to pass in less than a moment. Bereft of My association, however, the gopīs felt that those same nights dragged on forever, as if each night were equal to a day of Brahmā.

 My dear Uddhava, just as great sages in yoga trance merge into self-realization, like rivers merging into the ocean, and are thus not aware of material names and forms, similarly, the gopīs of Vṛndāvana were so completely attached to Me within their minds that they could not think of their own bodies, or of this world, or of their future lives. Their entire consciousness was simply bound up in Me.

All those hundreds of thousands of gopīs, understanding Me to be their most charming lover and ardently desiring Me in that way, were unaware of My actual position. Yet by intimately associating with Me, the gopīs attained Me, the Supreme Absolute Truth.

 Therefore, My dear Uddhava, abandon the Vedic mantras as well as the procedures of supplementary Vedic literatures and their positive and negative injunctions. Disregard that which has been heard and that which is to be heard. Simply take shelter of Me alone, for I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead, situated within the heart of all conditioned souls. Take shelter of Me wholeheartedly, and by My grace be free from fear in all circumstances.

:Śrī Uddhava said: O Lord of all masters of mystic power, I have heard Your words, but the doubt in my heart does not go away; thus my mind is bewildered.

: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Uddhava, the Supreme Lord gives life to every living being and is situated within the heart along with the life air and primal sound vibration. The Lord can be perceived in His subtle form within the heart by one's mind, since the Lord controls the minds of everyone, even great demigods like Lord Śiva. The Supreme Lord also assumes a gross form as the various sounds of the Vedas, composed of short and long vowels and consonants of different intonations.

 When sticks of kindling wood are vigorously rubbed together, heat is produced by contact with air, and a spark of fire appears. Once the fire is kindled, ghee is added and the fire blazes. Similarly, I become manifest in the sound vibration of the Vedas.

: The functions of the working senses — the organ of speech, the hands, the legs, the genital and the anus — and the functions of the knowledge-acquiring senses — the nose, tongue, eyes, skin and ears — along with the functions of the subtle senses of mind, intelligence, consciousness and false ego, as well as the function of the subtle pradhāna and the interaction of the three modes of material nature — all these should be understood as My materially manifest form.

 When many seeds are placed in an agricultural field, innumerable manifestations of trees, bushes, vegetables and so on will arise from a single source, the soil. Similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who gives life to all and is eternal, originally exists beyond the scope of the cosmic manifestation. In the course of time, however, the Lord, who is the resting place of the three modes of nature and the source of the universal lotus flower, in which the cosmic manifestation takes place, divides His material potencies and thus appears to be manifest in innumerable forms, although He is one.

Just as woven cloth rests on the expansion of lengthwise and crosswise hreads, similarly the entire universe is expanded on the lengthwise and crosswise potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is situated within Him. The conditioned soul has been accepting material bodies since time immemorial, and these bodies are like great trees sustaining one's material existence. Just as a tree first blossoms and then produces fruit, similarly the tree of material existence, one's material body, produces the various results of material existence.

This tree of material existence has two seeds, hundreds of roots, three lower trunks and five upper trunks. It produces five flavors and has eleven branches and a nest made by two birds. The tree is covered by three types of bark, gives two fruits and extends up to the sun. Those lusty after material enjoyment and dedicated to family life enjoy one of the tree's fruits, and swanlike men in the renounced order of life enjoy the other fruit. One who with the help of the bona fide spiritual masters can understand this tree to be a manifestation of the potency of the one Supreme Truth appearing in many forms actually knows the meaning of the Vedic literature.

With steady intelligence you should develop unalloyed devotional service by careful worship of the spiritual master, and with the sharpened ax of transcendental knowledge you should cut off the subtle material covering of the soul. Upon realizing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you should then give up that ax of analytic knowledge.

practice of devotional service.

Lord Sri Krishna describes to Uddhava the difference between conditioned and liberated living entities, the characteristics of a saintly person and the different aspects of the practice of devotional service.

In the previous chapter Uddhava had presented questions regarding conditioned and liberated souls. In His replies, the almighty Lord Sri Krishna states that although the spirit soul is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, on account of his infinitesimal nature, he falls into contact with the material energy, which causes him to accept the covering designations of the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. Thus the soul has been bound up since time immemorial. But when he achieves the shelter of pure devotional service, he becomes designated as eternally liberated. Transcendental knowledge is therefore the cause of the living entity's liberation, and ignorance is the cause of his bondage. Both knowledge and ignorance are produced by the maya energy of Lord Sri Krishna and are His eternal potencies. The living entities who become attracted to the modes of nature are bewildered by false ego, which causes them to see themselves as the enjoyers of misery, confusion, happiness, distress, danger, and so on. In this way, they meditate upon such states of being, although in the real, or spiritual, world these things do not exist. Both the jiva (individual soul) and the Supersoul reside within the same body. The difference between them is that the almighty Supersoul, being fully cognizant, does not indulge in enjoying the fruits of material work but remains simply as a witness, whereas the infinitesimal conditioned jiva, being ignorant, suffers the consequences of his own work. The liberated jiva, in spite of being within a material body because of the remaining reactions of his past activities, does not become disturbed by the happiness and suffering of the body. He sees such bodily experiences in the same way that a person who has just awakened from a dream sees his dream experiences. On the other hand, although the conditioned living entity is by nature not the enjoyer of the happiness and misery of the body, he imagines himself to be the enjoyer of his bodily experiences, just as a person in a dream imagines his dream experiences to be real. Just as the sun reflected upon water is not actually bound up in the water, and just as the air is not confined to some particular segment of the sky, similarly a detached person takes advantage of his broad outlook on the world to cut off all his doubts with the sword of appropriate renunciation, yukta-vairagya. Since his life force, senses, mind and intelligence have no tendency to fix themselves on sense objects, he remains liberated even while situated within the material body. Regardless of whether he is harassed or worshiped, he remains equipoised. He is therefore considered liberated even in this life. A liberated person has nothing to do with the piety and sin of this world, but rather sees everything equally. A self-satisfied sage does not praise or condemn anyone. He does not speak uselessly to anyone and does not fix his mind on material things. Rather, he is always merged in meditation upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so in the eyes of fools he seems to be a speechless, crazy person.

Even if someone has studied or even taught all the different Vedic literatures, if he has not developed pure attraction to the service of the Personality of Godhead, he has accomplished nothing beyond his own labor. One should study only those scriptures in which the nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, His enchanting pastimes and the nectarean topics of His various incarnations are scientifically discussed; thus one gains the highest good fortune. However, by studying scriptures other than these one simply acquires misfortune.

With full determination one should properly understand the identity of the soul and give up false identification with this material body. He may then offer his heart at the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna, the reservoir of all love, and attain real peace. When the mind is carried away by the three modes of nature, it can no longer meditate properly on the transcendental Supreme Truth. After many lifetimes, faithful persons who have performed Vedic sacrifices for acquiring religiosity, economic development and sense gratification finally engage in hearing, chanting and constantly thinking of the Supreme Lord's all-auspicious pastimes, which purify the entire universe. Such persons then achieve the association of a bona fide spiritual master and the saintly devotees. After that, by the mercy of the spiritual master they begin to follow the paths set out by the standard authorities of spiritual life, the mahajanas, and become actually perfect in realization of their own true identity.

Having heard these instructions from Lord Krishna, Uddhava further desired to understand the characteristics of a factually saintly person and the different aspects of devotional practice. Lord Krishna replied that a real sadhu, or Vaishnava, is qualified with the following characteristics. He is merciful, nonenvious, always truthful, self-controlled, faultless, magnanimous, gentle, clean, nonpossessive, helpful to all, peaceful, dependent on Krishna alone, free from lust, devoid of material endeavor, steady, in control of the six enemies of the mind, moderate in eating, never bewildered, always respectful to others, never desirous of respect for himself, sober, compassionate, friendly, poetic, expert and silent. The principal characteristic of a sadhu is that he takes shelter of Krishna alone. One who engages exclusively in Krishna's service and understands Him as the limitless, indwelling Lord who comprises eternity, knowledge and bliss, is the topmost devotee. The practice of devotional service includes sixty-four kinds of activities. Among these are: (l-6) seeing, touching, worshiping, serving, glorifying and offering obeisances to the Deity of the Lord and His pure devotees; (7) developing attachment for hearing the chanting of the Lord's qualities, pastimes, and so on; (8) remaining always in meditation upon the Lord; (9) offering everything one acquires to the Lord; (l0) accepting oneself to be the Lord's servant; (11) offering the Lord one's heart and soul; (12) engaging in glorification of the Lord's birth and activities; (13) observing holidays related to the Lord; (14) performing festivals in the Lord's temple in the company of other devotees, and with music, singing and dancing; (15) celebrating all varieties of yearly functions; (16) offering foodstuffs to the Lord; (17) taking initiation according to the Vedas and tantras; (18 )taking vows related to the Lord; (19) being eager to establish Deities of the Lord; (20) endeavoring either alone or in association with others in constructing, for the service of the Lord, vegetable and flower gardens, temples, cities, and so on; (21) humbly cleansing the temple of the Lord; and (22) rendering service to the Lord's house by painting it, washing it with water and decorating it with auspicious designs.

After this, the process of worshiping the Deity of the Supreme Lord is described in brief.

bridal mysticism of Nammalwar

bridal mysticism of Nammalwar in 
Tiruvyoumozhi is par excellence. 

Which means Alwar speaks in his natural form while he is in 
the state of knowledge and when his love towards God 
intensifies him, he speaks in the voice of a woman. 

Under the second category, there are 27 decads in 
Tiruvoymozhi which speaks Nammalwar's intoxicated love 

for God in the form of heroine, a mother and girl friend. Unlike 
in Sangam Literatures wherein heroine, mother and girl friend 
were of three different personalities, here in Tiruvoymozhi, 
Nammalwar himself being a bride speaks in three voices i.e., 
Parankusa Nayaki, mother and a girl friend. It is to be noted that 
Alagiya Manavala Perumal Nayanar opines that as heroine, 
Parankusa Nayaki showed her hurriness in the unison of God 
through 17 decads; as a mother, she showed her deserveness in 
approaching God to do service in 7 decads; and as a girl friend, 
she established her study thinking of no less a person than God 
and his deeds etc. in 3 decads 

There is an equality for Nammalwar to speak with the 
voice of a lady like Lord's Consort, as all souls in the presence 
of God are feminine and He is the only Hero. Further, souls 
are subservient only to God and not to others; souls depend 
only on God; when happiness occur in unity and restlessness 
arise in separation; to give happiness to God; God is the only 
redeemer and other thing are to be protected by him - all 
these qualities were inherent in Nammalwar and so he began 
to speak in female voice 2 . The great commentator, Nampillai 
elaborately discusses Alwar's bridal mysticism in Idu 
commentary. Until the emergence of Nampillai's Idu, there 
was a candid oral conversations, discussions, and dialogues 
on the Alwar's hymns among the Acharyas. In Nampillai's 
commentary, the explanation on the hymns by Acharyas like 
Ramanuja, Embar, Bhattar and other Acharyas find a place 
which speaks their approach on the bridal mysticism of 
Nammalwar in Tiruvoymozhi. 

In Tiruvoymozhi first centum, fourth decad 
 Parankusa. Nayaki sends the birds that are 
Appearing before her as messengers to God with her sorrowful 
message. Acharya Bhattar nicely decribed here as follows: 


which means that mokeys species were considered to be 
popular after the birth of Sri Rama in Ramayana as they 
helped Rama in finding out Sita and for crossing the ocean. 
Likewise the birds species also considered great after the 
birth of Alwar who directed them as messengers to God 4 . 

The mcandiscent mystical experience of Nammalwar is 
only to do kainkarya (service) at the holy feet of Lord and not 
for any evanescent pleasure. Though he speaks with the voice 
of Nayaki, her quest is not to embrace Lord in His chest, but 
only to do kainkarya at His holy feet like Brahmins who, 
when become mad and wish in reciting Vedas only 5 . 

In another hymn, Nayaki instructed the swans to tell 
Lord that she has unlimited sins and wants to get rid of the 
same for which His grace alone will redeem those sins and 
then only she can attain Him 6 . That is the state of mental 
agony of Parankusa Nayaki. 

In the second centum first decad eurriL/p glempiLi&i&ib, 
Nammalwar shows his spiritual love for God in Nayaki state as 
he, having experienced in mental state in the penultimate of this 
decad, the divine vision of Lord Tirukkurunkudi Nambi's easy 
accessibility and beauty. Alwar now in this emriLip 5} an it iq 
decade wanted to embrace and have unison with God in outward 
experience. That was not accomplished. Having pluged into 
bhagavat gunas and got separated, she send messengers like 
birds in whereas 
she could not send messengers who are not available at that time. 
Hence, she thought that all those are experiencing sorrowness by 
seperation. So, she went out of the house in the dark midnight to 
sustain the adversity and reached a garden near the sea shore 
where all things like birds are in the state of sorrow. Nampillai 
nicely describes Nayaki's state of mind at that time 



Further, Nampillai lucidly compares the separateness 
with that of Rama when he heard the death of His father 
Dasaratha through Bharata and cries along with Sita and 
Lakshmana in high tone. 

 we would notice the steep 

plight of Parankusa Nyaki. Nampillai summarises this in the 
foilwing way. 

Actually  Nayaki does not 
know that birds are not conversant to tell her message to 
God, but she looked into its easy movings and stirred. Even 

 Nayaki does not know that the 
colour of water birds etc. are naturally white and felt that 
they were also in distress for having separated from God like 
herself. Further, Nayaki feels  
not getting the vision of Trivikrama avatara for outward 
experience as was seen earlier, whereas 
she could not get the vision of Tirukkurunkudi Nambi.
 she is somewhat able to bear the 
sorrowness by sending messengers. But in 
she thought that the birds which were gone earlier as 
messengers are also suffering from separateness of God like 
herself 

When we look into the second centum fourth decad 
wherein Nammalwar wanted to have the heavenly 
bliss and enjoyment with the holy gatherings of Bhagavathas. 
That was not accomplished. This resulted to speak with the 
voice of a mother as Nammalwar could not 
speak due to her intense plight. Nampillai succinctly narrated 
Nayaki's incandiscent intoxicated love for God as follows: 

which means when a person loses a small amount of money, 
his grief will be for some time; when one loses his jewels, the 
sorrow will be double/thickened whereas for a loser of a 
percious diamond the anguish/pain will lost long. Likewise 
Nammalwar’s yearning for spiritual experience is more, than 
in the first decad and in the second 
decade  her distress is unlimited for not getting the experience of Nityasuris