Acharya Utsavam in thiruvallikeni

Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

Srimad Vara Vara munayE Namaha

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

Pranams,

As per Lord Parthasarathi’s wish I now conclude my anubhavams about Sri Parthasarathi Brahmotsavam. Let us now enjoy the excellent Utsavam of one of the incarnation of Sri Parthasarathi himself “Sri Acharya Ramanuja”.

Before going to the subject of Swamy Utsavam let us bring to memory some important facts about Swamy, which make him our ParamAcharya. Our Acharya Paramparai actually starts with Sriman Narayana, followed by Piratti, then followed by Vishvakshenar and subsequently by Nammazhvar. After Sri Sadagopan, Nadamunigal leads the Acharya list. Then why do we regard Sri Ramanuja to be our paramAcharya? It is because of the wish of the Bhagavan himself. There is one Iythiham in the Guru parampara that, when Madurakavi Azhvar tried to make the vigraham of Nammazhvar using the Tamaraparani river water, he found that the vigraham which came out was not of his Acharya but someone else. When he asked his Acharya (Sri Nammazhvar) about it, Nammazhvar told him that it was the vigraham of the BhavishyadhAcharyan (Sri Ramanujan) about whom he has said in his ‘Poliga Poliga’ Pasuram. This vigraham got passed on through the various Acharyas of Guru paramparai and today we can have the darshan of the same, in Alwar Thirunagari. Nammazhvar visits this sannadhi once during the Vaikasi Utsavam and has Thirumanjanam with the BhavishyadhAcharyan. So it is an accepted fact that even Sri Sadagopan accepted Sri Ramanuja as a great Acharya who will take birth to remove the sins of the kali yuga as he says ‘Kaliyum kedum kandu konmin’.

There is one saying in our sampradhayam that all the Acharyas before Sri Ramanuja attained Emperuman’s feet by the head of this great Acharya Sri Ramanuja and those after him by his feet. In our Guru parampara all Acharyas before Sri Ethirajar are called as ‘Anuvritti prasannAcharyas’ i.e, they passed on the excellent meanings in our sampradhayam to their sishyas only after checking the capability of the sishyas, that they are really eligible. Even Acharya Ramanuja had to go 18 times from Srirangam to Thirukottiyur to get the great Rahasya arthas from Sri Thirukottiyur Nambi. And he instructed Sri Ramanuja not to give the meanings to anyone.

But Sri Ramanuja due to his apara kArunyam climbed on top of the Thirukottiyur Gopuram and gave the meanings of charama slokam to all who were interested. That is why Sri Manavala Mamunigal in his UpadesaRatnamalai says “Asai Vudayorkku Ellam Ariyarkal Koorumendru Pesi Varambaruthar Pin”(Sri Ramanuja broke the tradition of “Passing the RahasyArthas only to qualified disciples” by giving the meanings to all who were interested). Hence, all the Acharyas who came after Sri Ramanuja were called “Krupa Mathra PrasannAcharyas”. They don’t expect our eligibility to give the divine meanings. So in Ramanuja Sampradhayam ‘interest in Bhagavat Vishayam’ is the only eligibility for a disciple to get the meanings from his Acharya. When we say Ramanuja Sampradayam it doesn’t mean that Vishistadvaitam was invented or created by Sri Ramanuja. It is actually a Vaidika Madam, which Sri Ramanuja brought to light.

Sri Ramanuja was a born intellect. He gave arthas to the Vedic verses even when he was a student. You may ask me then why did he learn things from 5 Gurus. This can be explained by the verses of Sri Thirukottiyur Nambi to Sri Thirumalai Andan. He says don’t think Ramanuja to be your disciple but think him like Sri Rama to Vashista and Sri Krishna to Sandeepini. Though Rama and Krishna were the gods themselves they did do their Gurukulavasam under the respective Gurus. Similarly Sri Ramanuja learnt the sastras and sampradhaya granthas from 5 disciples of Sri Alavandar.

There is one more interesting story, which highlights the fame of Swamy. When Sri Ramanuja went to have the darshan of Thirukurungudi Nambi, Nambi asked him how is that he has so my disciples for his credit and how he is able to change the samsaris to Bhagavatas so easily when he himself couldn’t succeed inspite of taking so many avataras and also giving the Bhagavat Geetha. Swamy then replied that it was a great secret and if Nambi really wanted to know he has to give Sri Ramanuja the Acharya padhavi and Nambi has to become his disciple. So the lord Sri Thirukkurungudi Nambi sat under the Acharya and requested him to give the secret and Swamy whispered the Thirumandram in the ears of Nambi and declared that only by the greatness of this Mantra he was able to change the people to Bhagavatas. It is usual that no one accepts the greatness of a person if he talks about himself, but if someone else says about his greatness, then the others believe him to be great. Bhagavan showed himself and said ‘Mam Ekam Sharanam Vraja’ but the Swamy showed the divine feet of the Emperuman and instructed everybody to fall to His feet. People seeing the greatness of Swamy believed his words and fell under the feet of Sriman Narayana. Swamy sannadhi in Thirukkurungudi where he became the Acharya of Nambi himself is really superb. We feel as if Swamy is live in front of us when we see the beautiful moolavar there. Though the sannadhi is little away from the main temple, it is a sannadhi, which any Ramanuja Dasan should visit.

Till now I just tried saying a few things to remind us the greatness of our Swamy, but there are lot more instances which I have left out. As you all know our Swamy was born in Sri Perumbudur. Let me first tell you his avatara Rahasyam. He is supposed to be an incarnation of Adishesha who came to earth to uplift all of us to the divine feet of the Emperuman. There is one more event in the life history of Sri Ramanuja, when I tell this you all will understand the importance of Ramanuja Utsavam in Thiruvallikeni. Acharyan's parents Sri Kesava somayajulu and Sri Gandhimati Ammal didn’t have a child for long. So they did a yagam in Thiruvallikeni after taking bath in the Kairavini Pushkarini. That night, Sri Parthasarathi came in the dreams of Sri Keshava Somayajulu and told him that he himself will be born as a child to them. The couples were very happy. As per the word of Bhagavan, Sri Ramanuja was born to the couples. He was named Elaiyazhvar. So Sri Ramanujar is considered as an incarnation of Thiruvallikeni Sri Parthasarathi Perumal. So in Thiruvallikeni Swamy Utsavam is celebrated in a grand manner for 10 days. Usually in Thiruvallikeni no alwar or Acharya has a separate veedhi Purppadu. They go in front of Perumal facing the Perumal with hands folded. But since Ramanuja is considered as the incarnation of Sri Parthasarathi, he has a separate purappadu. These are the specialities found only in Thiruvallikeni and Ramanuja is the only Acharya who shares the Kannadi Arai with Sri Parthasarathi. During the 10 day thiruveedhi purappadu swamy also rests for a while at gangaikondan mandapam similar to Sri Parthasarathi brahmotsava happening.

All the ten days Swamy goes round the temple and does Mangalasasanams to all the deities in various sannadhis. When Swamy starts from his sannadhi the ghosti starts reciting the ‘Dhadee Panchakam’ (sloka about the Acharya composed by Sri Koorathazhvan and others), then they continue with first few strotras in Sri Alavandar’s Strotra Ratnam and then finally Sri Manavala Mamunigal’s Yathiraja Vimsati and complete it in front of the Thayar Sannadhi. It is really great to enjoy Swamy amidst the chanting of Yathiraja Vimsathi lingering in the air. He marches forward hearing the strotra of his disciple Sri Manavala Mamunigal (Considered to be rebirth of Sri Ramanuja). Swamy starts his Mangalasasanam from the Vedavalli thayar sannadhi, gets the blessings of the thayar and then proceeds to the Varadhar Sannadhi (We should remember here that in Gadya Trayam also the Acharya starts only with his salutations to the Thayar and he did Theertha Kainkaryam to Kanchi Varadhar for many years before he went to Srirangam as per thayar's wish).

Then Swamy proceeds to the Thirumazhisai Alwar sannadhi and gets the blessings of the Alwar. Then he goes to the Azhagiya singar sannadhi and then to meet his beloved sister Sri Andal who regarded Ramanuja as her brother and called him as ‘Nam Koil Annan’. From there Sri Ramanuja gets the Blessings of his paramAcharya, Sri Alavandar (Ramanuja considered himself to be Ekalavya for Sri Alavandar). Then finishing his mangalasasanam to Sri Parthasarathi he goes to get the blessings of Sri Nammazhvar. We all know that the thiruvadi of Nammazhvar is called as ‘Ramanujan’ in Alwar Thirunagari and in other places ‘Madura Kavi’

Thiruvarangathu Amudhanar in his Ramanuja Nootrandhadhi says,

“Poomannu maadhu porundhiya maarbhan

Pugazh malinda paa mannu maaran adipaninduindhavan PalgalaiyOr thAm manna vandha eRamanusan Charanaravindham nam manni vazha Nenje solluvOm avan NAmangale”

Here Amudhanar explains that Sri Nammazhvar has glorified the fame of Sriman Narayana and Sri Ramanuja followed the footsteps of Nammazhvar and for us to live, oh my mind! let us tell the names of Sri Ramanuja.

After getting the blessings from Nammazhvar, Swamy gets into the vahanam and gets ready for the Veedhi Purappadu.

Every afternoon Thirumanjanam to Swamy is done and the kattiyam delivered during this time will be excellent. Nalayira ghosti is chanted these ten days and on the tenth day sattrumarai is done. On the Thirunakshatram of Swamy special thirumanjanam is done for him along with Sri Parthasarathi Emperuman, Nineth day evening Swamy gives divine darshan in the small chariot (Chinna ThEr) and followed by a grand Satrumarai on the next day. Day after thirunakshatram gandhapodi utsavam is celebrated in the morning.

After the ten day Swamy Utsavam Vidhayarthi is done for 3 days.

Adiyen Ramanuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan