SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImadh varavaramunayE nama:
SrIya:pathi, the consort of SrI mahAlakshmi, mercifully created AzhwArs such as parANkuSa (nammAzhwAr), parakAla (thirumangai AzhwAr), bhattanAtha (periyAzhwAr) et al, in order to uplift the samsAris (dwellers of materialistic realm) during the time of kaliyugam (present epoch). Subsequently, he mercifully created nAthamuni, ALavandhAr et al as AchAryas (preceptors) and through them protected the world. The greatness of AzhwArs and AchAryas was made known to the people, including those who came into the world subsequently, through guruparamparA prabhAvam (greatness of lineage of AzhwArs and preceptors) [by pinbazhagiya perumAL jIyar]. Without stopping at that, SrIya:pathi, who is the SEshi (master) of both chith (sentient) and achith (insentient) entities, mercifully ordained yathIndhraprvanAr (one who is affectionate towards the head of ascetics, Sri rAmAnujar; refers to maNavALA mAmunigaL) to come into this world in order to protect all the chEthanas through the Jiyar’s (maNavALa mAmunigaL) actions and words. piLLai lOkam jIyar brought out the greatness of such maNavALa mAmunigal through the grace of his AchAryar (as well as father, SrI SatakOpAchAriyar) and the grace of kandhAdhai nAyan (the divine son of kOyil kandhAdai aNNan, who came in the lineage of mudhaliyANdAn), in his work yathIndhra pravaNa prabhAvam.
This prabandham will be a continuation of the previously composed prabandhams [such as guruparamparA prabhAvam etc] on pUrvAchAryars. Instead of immediately talking about the greatness [of maNavALa mAmunigaL] in all its splendour, piLLai lOkam jIyar speaks initially about how the meanings of the sathsampradhAyam (the purely good, traditional philosophy) reached maNavALa mAmunigaL. He cites the following SlOkam
SrIvathsachinna bhavathaS charaNAravindha sEvAmruthaika rasikAn karuNAsupUrNAn| bhattAryavarya nigamAnthamunIndhra lOkagurvAdhi dhESikavarAn SaraNam prapadhyE ||
(Oh kUraththAzhwAn! I surrender to the great AchAryas such as bhattar (parAnkuSa bhattar, the son of kUraththAzhwAn), nanjIyar, nampiLLai et al, who were full of mercy and who were keen on the nectar of carrying out kainkaryam to your divine lotus feet) to show that the principles of traditional philosophy are deeply entrenched in nanjIyar and nampiLLai. Among the AchAryas following nampiLLai, piLLai lOkam jIyar takes up the narration of piLLai lOkAchAriyar first to show how the principles of traditional philosophy reached maNavALa mAmunigaL. This is brought about through the following pAsuram:
kOdhil ulagAsiriyan kUrakulOththama thAdhar
thIdhil thirumalaiyAzhwAr sezhum kuravai maNavALar
Odhariyapugazh thirunAvIRudaiya pirAn thAdharudan
pOdha maNavALamuni ponnadigaL pORRuvanE
(We will praise the divine feet of (1) faultless piLLai lOkAchAriyar (2) kUrakulOththama dhAsar, (3) thirumalaiyAzhwAr, also known as thiruvAimozhippiLLai, who was without any shortcoming, (4) kOttUr azhagiya maNavALar who was born in kuravai nagar, (5) thigazhakkidandhAn thirunAvIRudaiya pirAn dhAsar who had great fame that one could recite and (6) maNavALa mAmunigaL who had divine lotus like feet) [this pAsuram is rendered at the end of reciting SrIvachana bhUshaNam; among the six great AchAryas listed above, kOttUr azhagiya maNavALa dhAsar was maNavALa mAmunigaL’s maternal grandfather and thigazhakkidandhAn thirunAvIRudaiya pirAn dhAsar was mAmunigaL’s father].
adiyEn krishNa rAmAnuja dhAsan
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