RAMANUJA

 

                                         

(TANIYANS

By Shree koorattAzhvAn)

यॊ नित्यमच्युत पदाम्बुजयुग्मरुक्म व्यामोहतस्तदितराणि तृणायमेने ।

अस्मद्गुरॊर् भगवतॊस्य दयैक सिन्धॊ: रामानुजस्य चरणौ शरणम् प्रपद्यॆ ॥

yO nityamachyuta padAmbujayugmarukma vyAmohatastaditarANi tRuNAyamEnE |

asmadgurOr bhagavatOsya dayaika sindhO: rAmAnujasya charaNau sharaNam prapadyE ||  

I take refuge under the feet of swAmi rAmAnuja who is always obsessed with golden, twin lotus feet of Lord achyuta and shuns everything else as a blade of grass; who is our Guru complete in all auspicious qualities, and who is the ocean of mercy.

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वन्दॆ वॆदान्त कर्पूर चामीकर करण्डक

रामानुजार्यमार्याणां चूडामणिं अहर्निशम्

vandE vEdAnta karpUra chAmIkara karanDaka
rAmAnujAryamAryANAm chUdAmaNim aharnisham

Day and night, I prostrate the venerable rAmAnuja, the crest jewel of the noble/Aryas, and the golden casket containing the camphor called vEdAntas. (Arya means one who is focused only on the good and shuns all other things.)

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SWAMI RAMANUJA'S SIGNAURE IN GRANTHA LIPI

RAMANUJA'S BIRTH AND CLOSE RELATIVES

चैत्रार्द्रासम्भवं विष्णॊ: दर्शनस्थापनॊत्सुकम् ।

तुण्डीरमण्डलॆ शॆषमूर्तिं रामानुजं भजॆ॥

chaitrArdrAsambhavaM viShNO: darshanasthApanOtsukam |

tuNDeeramaNDalE shEShamoortiM rAmAnujaM bhajE||

"I worship Ramanuja, who was born in Ardra Nakshatra in the month of Chaitra, who was eager to establish the VaishNava SiddAnta, and who is an incarnation of Adi Shesha in the toNDaimaNDalam region."

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Saint rAmAnuja was born in ShreeperumbUdUr in 1017 A.D in PingaLa Samvatsaram, Chittirai mAsam, on Shukla Paksha Panchami tithi,  guruvAram, on tiruvAdirai (ArdrA) nakshatram to parents Asuri Keshava sOmayAji deekshitar and KAntimati ammAL.  ShreesailEshapUrna alias Periya tirumalai nambi (kAntimati's brother) who was doing kainkaryam in tirumala, was his uncle. GOvinda bhaTTar alias embAr (kAntimati's sister's son) was his cousin brother.  dAsarathi alias MudaliyANDAn was rAmAnuja's younger sister BhoomA's son.  

AVATAARA VISHESHAM OF RAMANUAJA

1. SwAmi rAmAnuja is revered as the incarnation of the serpent AdisEshan. (SESHAVATAR) 

अनन्त: प्रथमं रूपं लक्ष्मणश्च तत: पर: ।

भलभद्रं त्रितीयस्तु कलौ कश्चित् भविश्यति ॥

ananta: prathamaM roopaM lakShmaNashcha tata: para: |

bhalabhadraM triteeyastu kalou kashchit bhavishyati ||

This old poems reads: AdisEshan (ananta) was the first form in kRuta yuga in which he served Lord VishNu. LakshmaNa is AdisEshan's next incarnation in trEtA yuga in which he served Lord rAma. BalarAma is the third incarnation in dvApara yuga in which he served krishNa. rAmAnuja (kashchit) will take incarnation in kali yuga to redeem the whole world. - (yAdavAchala mAhAtmyam).   

                                                                                                                                                      *Another proof that rAmAnuja was the incarnation of AdisEshan is the real life incident that took place in toNDanoor, melukOTE. Once, 12000 Jain monks advanced towards rAmAnuja and demanded that rAmAnuja debate with them on religion and philosophy.  rAmAnuja asked a curtain to be dropped between him and the monks. He spontaneously answered every question posed by them. When one of them peeped into the curtain, he saw that AdisEshan with a thousand heads was actually answering their questions.

 2. In his work ‘Ramanujarya Divya Charitai’,  Shree PiLLai LokAchArya narrates that the couple Sri Asuri kEshava sOmayAji and kAntimati ammAL from Sriperumbudoor worshipped Sri PArthasArathy temple in tiruvallikEni, Madras, and performed putrakAmEShTi yAgam on the advice of tirukachchi nambi. Lord PArthasArathi (krishNa) appeared in their dream and blessed them that He would Himself be born as their son in order to explain the import of His teachings of the Bhagavat GeetA.  Hence rAmAnuja is also considered Lord krishNa incarnate.

THE NAME RAMANUJA

1. RAMANUJA is also considered as the incarnation of LakshmaNa since Lakshmana was an incarnation of AdisEshan. LakshmaNa is also called rAmAnuja =  rAma + anuja  = “anuja” younger brother of rAma), hence the name.

2. Lord krishNa was called “rAmAnuja” meaning younger brother of balarAma. Hence rAmAnuja is also considered to be the incarnation of KrishNa. Even tiruvarangattu amudanAr, his ardent shishya, says in verse 33 of his prabandham 'rAmAnuja nooRRandAdi" that rAmAnuja is verily the incarnation of krishNa with all His five weapons.

3. NammAzhvAr was considered as Lord rAma. Hence yatirAja who was devoted to nammAzhvAr is like his younger brother (anuja), and so, referred as rAmAnuja.

4. "rAmA" in sanskrit also means goddess or Lakshmi.  Lakshmi dEvi is the mediatrix between the jeevAtmA and paramAtmA. She recommends to her husband VishNu to grant mOksha to mankind.  Since rAmAnuja also supports the jeevAtmAs and prays to bhagavAn to liberate us, he is like Lakshmi's younger brother.  Hence the name rAmAnuja.

RAMANUJA'S ACHARYAS

Raamaanuja's first Guru was Shree yAdavaprakAsha, an advaiti philosopher. After few years of tutelage under him, rAmAnuja was unable to reconcile with the faulty interpretations of his guru. Hence, he decided to approach vaishNava AchArya ALavandAr's five disciples for clarifications. There were five main vaishNava AchAryas for rAmAnuja - Periya Nambi (samAshrayaNam, 4000 divya prabandhams), tirukOShTiyoor Nambi (ashTAksharam), tirumalai nambi (rAmAyaNam), tirumalai aNDAn (bhagavat vishayam), tirukachchi nambi (cleared the six doubts of rAmAnuja with six answers uttered by Lord PeraruLAlan of kAncheepuram).  ALavandAr was his mAnasika AchArya and prAchArya too.

RAMANUJA'S TWO MAIN DISCIPLES

1. MudaliyANDAN alias dAsharathi was rAmAnuja's nephew. He shared a very close relationship with rAmanuja. He is considered as  rAmAnuja's tridANDam, the triple staff held by sanyAsis.  He is also revered as "rAmAnuja pAdukA" or "yatirAja pAdukA" because he is considered as the sancred mount that bears the footwear of rAmAnuja.  He is also hailed as "rAmAnujan ponnaDi" - rAmAnuja's golden feet.

2. KoorattAzhvAn alias ShreevatsAngam hailed from a zamindAr family. He gave up his riches to serve rAmAnuja. He was like rAmAnuja's pavitram (the dharbha ring) held by sanyAsis.

Both ANDAN AND AZHVAN, as fondly called by rAmAnuja ,assisted rAmAnuja in the administration of shreerangam temple. They always flanked rAmAnuja where ever He went and were pillars of strength for him.

RAMANUJA'S NAMES: SwAmi rAmAnuja was conferred with many special titles during his illustrious life.  They are :

1.iLaiyAzhvAr / iLaya perumAL/lakshmaNa - The name was given on birth by Periya tirumalai Nambi (rAmAnuja’s uncle).  

2.rAmAnuja – Periya Nambi gave the name during rAmAnuja’s pancha-samskAram at MadhurAntakam.

3.EmperumAnAr: This name was conferred by His AchAryan tirukOShTiyoor nambi.  RAmAnuja approached AchArya tirukOShTiyoor nambi for ashTAkshara mantrOpadEsam. After making rAmAnuja come to TirukOShTiyoor from shreerangam 18 times, He finally taught him the tirumantrArthams which were supposed to be kept secret and learnt only from a qualified AchArya. But Raamaanuja climbed the third tier of the temple gOpuram, called out to the devotees, and bellowed the meaning of the mantra so everyone could hear. When an angered nambi taunted him saying that he will reach hell for letting the rahasya out, Raamaanuja sought his pardon and said: “If crores of people can benefit after hearing the meanings of the aShTAkshara mantra, I am prepared to go to hell”. Moved by rAmAnuja’s unconditional compassion for humanity, Nambi embraced him and exclaimed, “ivar emperumAnArO?”. Is he my master? TirukOTTiyoor Nambi also declared that the shreevaiShNava tradition would henceforth be known as "rAmAnuja darshaNam". 

3.yatirAjA -  yatirAjA means king of yatis or sanyAsi-s – The name was given by kAnchi varadarAja perumAL when rAmAnuja took sannyAsa.

4.uDaiyavar:  This name was given by namperumAL on Raamaanuja’s arrival at Srirangam.  After swAmi had darshan of ranganAtha, namperumAL conferred the name "uDaiyavar" to rAmAnuja and declared that swAmi rAmAnuja will be the owner of the "ubhaya vibhootis" - He will possess leadership of both vibhootis (realms/properties) – nitya vibhooti and leelA vibhooti.

5.bhAshyakAra – The name was given by Goddess Saraswati to accredit rAmAnuja’s work called “shree bhAshyam”, a commentary on the Brahmasootras.  

6.kOvil aNNan / gOdAgraja – nam kOvil aNNan means ‘my brother in the temple’, gOdA-agraja means – elder brother of gOdA/ANDAL.  SwAmi rAmAnuja offered 100 vessels of sweet pongal and 100 vessels of butter to Azhagar perumAL of tirumAlirunchOlai to fulfil ANDAL’S wish that she expressed in her poem nAchchiyAr tirumozhi 9.6 (NOORU TADA VENNAI).  When he came back to Shreevilliputtoor to thank ANDAL,  she acknowledged his kainkaryam saying “nam kOvil aNNanO!” – my brother in the temple. This is also the reason why ANDAL is referred as rAmAnuja's younger sister in her vAzhi tirunAmam as "perumpUdUr mAmunikku pinnAnAl vAzhiyE!".

7.appanukku sangaazhi ALitta PerumAL – When there was a dispute as to whether the deity in Tirumala was Shiva or VishNu, Raamaanuja told the panDits to place two sets of weapons -  "trishoola and Damaruka" and  "shankh and chakra" in front of the Lord before closing the door of the sanctum sanctorum at night. Next morning VenkaTEsa Perumal had the shankh and chakra on his shoulders signaling that He intended to give darshan as Vishnu. By doing this act, rAmanuja almost performed samAshrayanam to the Lord, and hence he is known as 'appanukku sangaazhi aLitta perumAL".

8.tiruppAvai jeeyar – Once, swAmi rAmAnuja was seeking alms and singing tiruppAvai in shreerangam. When he reached swAmi mahApoorNa’s (periya nambi) house, he was singing 18th pAsuram 'undumadagaliRRan'. in which ANDAL awakens Nappinnai PirATTi.   As he was uttering the words “seerAr vaLai olippa vandu tiravAy”, the door opened, periyanambi's little daughter "attuzhAy" came out. Thinking that nappinnai pirATTi herself had opened the door, uDaiyavar fainted.  Due to his deep engrossment in tiruppAvai divya prabandham, He was named 'tiruppAvai jeeyar'.

9.lakshmaNa muni- Name given by Tirumalai ANDAN and Tiruvaranga PerumAL Arayar to signify that rAmAnuja served bhagavAn just like LakshmaNa.

10. panchAchArya seeDar - ‘Disciple of Five AchAryas’ - RAmAnuja had five AchAryas: tirukkacchi nambi, tirumalai nambi, tirukOShTiyoor nambi, periya Nambi and tirumalai ANDAN.

11.dEsikEndra – The king of AchAryas. This name was given by TiruvEnkaTamuDaiyAn.

12.shaThakOpan ponnaDi – This name was given by tirumalai ANDAN after he taught rAmAnuja the essence of tiruvAymozhi.

13.Bhootapureesha, perumbUdUr mAmuni – The leader of Bhootapuri alias ShriperumbUdUr, the birth place of rAmAnuja – This title was given by Shree Adi kEsava PerumAL of ShreeperumpUdUr.

14.Am mudalvan ivan – He is the future leader – These words of blessing were given by saint yAmunAchArya (ALavandAr) when He saw a spark in young rAmAnuja while he was learning from his advaita Guru yAdavaprakAsha.

 

GREATNESS OF SWAMI RAMANUJA

The eminence of our jagadAchArya rAmAnuja is truly indescribable in words (pORRa aRuseelattu irAmAnusa).  A proficient leader, he dedicated his entire life towards human upliftment, and brought in cultural and social cohesion through vaishNava philosophy.    Let us peek into his main contributions to the society.

1. The king of ascetics, rAmAnuja was an outstanding proponent of shreevaishNava philosophy.

2. He authored nine sanskrit vEdAntic treatises collectively named as “NAVARATNAM” – They are  ShreebhAshyam (elaborate commentary on the brahmasootras), geetA bhAshyam (commentary on the bhagavat geetA), vEdArtha sangraham (a prose on the Upanishads), vEdAnta sAram ( a very concise commentary on the brahmasootras), vEdAnta deepam ( a short commentary on the nature and relationship of brahman, chit and achit), nityam ( a manual of nitya tiruvArAdhanam), sharaNAgati gadyam ( a prose on prapatti), shreeranga gadyam ( a prose on lord Ranganatha), and shree vaikuNTha gadyam (a prose on the supreme abode vaikuNTha). 

3. This is the essence of rAmAnuja's teachings - “VishNu who has for his body all the sentient (chit) and non-sentient (achit) beings, is the immanent self (antarAtmA) of everything.  He is ever associated with Goddess ShreedEvi. He is the ocean of unblemished and unlimited bliss.  The Lord is possessed of a host of auspicious qualities. He is the principal cause of creation and redemption of the universe. He is the highest goal. He can be attained by bhakti or prapatti, prapatti being the easiest means. Once the soul reaches the highest abode vaikuNTham, it never comes back to samsAra.

 

4. SwAmi rAmAnuja rose to be a mass spiritual leader with noble intentions. He honestly wished that everyone in the world should surrender to Lord Shreeman NArAyaNa and attain mOksha.  

5. He travelled to many pilgrimage centres from rAmasEtu to HimAlayas and reformed temples like Shreerangam, MelukOTe, Tirumala, etc., with his effective leadership and governance skills.

6. RAmAnuja appointed 74 simhAsanAdhipatis as his successors and ordained them to propagate the vaishNAva siddhAntam and sharaNAgati shAstra all over the world.  

 

7. Endowed with sharp intellect and logical acumen, rAmAnuja refuted adversaries in philosophical debates with unbelievable self-confidence. When great philosophers misinterpreted the Bhagavat geetA verse 18.66 - “sarvadharmAn parityajya सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य” to mean “All nitya karmas should be abandoned”, swAmi rAmanuja quoted chapter 18.9 - “sangam tyaktvA phalaM chaiva sa tyAga sAttvikO mata: सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा फलं चैव स त्याग: सात्त्विको मत:” and clarified that “NityakarmA should not be abandoned at all. It should be duly performed but the attachment to the rewards of nityakarma should be relinquished. This is called “sAttvika tyAgam”.  True to his words, swAmi performed his nityAnuShThAna-s sincerely until his last, notwithstanding the tApa-trayams that afflict humans, and left his mortal coils at the age of 120.

8. SwAmi dEsikan’s 11th verse from yatirAja saptati is enough to understand the austere life of rAmAnuja as a yati.

उपवीतिनं ऊर्ध्वपुण्ड्रवन्तं त्रिजगत्पुण्यफलं त्रिदण्डहस्तम् ।

शरणागतसार्थवाहमीडे शिखया शेखरिणं पतिं यतीनाम् ॥ ११॥

upaveetinaM oordhvapuNDravantaM trijagatpuNyaphalaM tridaNDahastaM ||

sharaNAgata sArthavAha meeDE shikhayA shEkhariNam yateenAm || 11

Hail the king of ascetics! He wears the sacred thread yagyOpaveetam hanging from the left shoulder, the resplendent tirumaN and shreechoornam (oordhvapuNDram) on his forehead, carries the staff tridaNDa in his hand, the tuft shikhA on his crown. With a countenance of the sum of all penances of the three worlds, rAmAnuja flourishes as the leader of the sharaNAgatas.

9. Although rAmAnuja was orthodox, he made himself affable and approachable to all people without any discrimination. And this exceptional quality is what makes Him emperumAnAr (The Lord of everyone). 

THE GLANCE OF ALAVANDAR

यत्पदाम्भोरुह-ध्यान विध्वस्ताशेष कल्मषः||
वस्तुताम् उपयातोऽहं यामुनेयं नमामि तम् ||

yatpadAmbhOruha-dhyAna vidhvastAshESha kalmaSha: |
vastutAm upayAtO ahaM yAmunEyaM namAmi tam ||

“I offer my obeisance to YaamunAchArya, by meditating on whose sacred feet, I have all my sins destroyed and been counted as a thing - By Raamaanuja in GeetA BhAshyam"

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When noted saint  ALavandAr of Shreerangam visited kAncheepuram temple, rAmAnuja also visited the temple along with his fellow students. ALavandAr's eyes turned to rAmAnuja and was wonderstruck at His brightness. Casting his merciful glance on rAmAnuja, He remarked - "Am mudalvan ivan - He is the future leader".  

SALAI KINARU - THE GRACE OF KANCHI DIVYA DAMPATIS  

                                                                                                                                                                            

As a young student, rAmAnuja used to attend Guru yAdavaprakAsha's advaita school in kAncheepuram.  As lessons advanced, rAmAnuja was unable to accept his Guru's interpretations on some of the Vedic verses. When he pointed out the wrong interpretations, Guru yAdavaprakAsha became annoyed. Many such occasions cropped up and created an unfriendly atmosphere between them.

YAdavaprakAsha once took his students to vAranAsi and decided to get rid of rAmAnuja there. His plan was to leave rAmAnuja on the way and tell the people that his student had drowned in the Ganges.  While the group was amid the thick forests of Central India, vindhyA range,  gOvindan, rAmAnuja's cousin, sensed the conspiracy and told rAmAnuja to run away immediately. RAmAnuja soon disappeared from the group. His Guru and disciples thought that he might have lost his way somewhere and must have been devoured by wild animals.

Caught inside the dense forests, rAmAnuja had no way to escape. Just then, a hunter couple passed by. They asked him where he was heading towards. When rAmanuja said 'KAnchi', they replied that they were also going there and asked him to follow them.

After some time, the hunter's wife wanted water. The couple showed rAmAnuja the way to a well and asked him to bring water from the well. When Ramanuja returned with the water, the couple had disappeared. He turned back and was shocked to see the gOpuram of KAnchee temple at a short distance. He realised that it was the divyadampatis of KAnchee VaradarAja temple who had indeed helped him reach kAncheepuram in such a short time.  He also realised that the hunter’s wife was none other than PerundEvi tAyAr,  the consort of Sri VaradarAja SwAmi,  and felt miserable that he could not bring water in time to quench the divine mother's thirst*. As a mark of gratitude and kainkaryam,  rAmAnuja decided to carry water in a pitcher daily from that street well for Lord VaradarAja's ablutions (tirumanjanam) . This well can be seen even today at SevilimEDu which is around 5 kms from Kaancheepuram. A shrine for rAmAnuja has also been built near the well. The well is called Saalaikkinaru, and the shrine is called "RAmAnuja Sannidhi". There is also a pond near by which is called AnushThAna kuLam.

SwAmi Desikan recounts this incident in 'YatirAja Saptati' - 62 explaining how swAmi Raamaanuja's teertha kainkaryam to Lord VaradarAja done many years ago is being reciprocated to us by that merciful, cloud like dark Lord in the form of extra-ordinary rains/blessings at the proper time.

वन्दॆ तं यमिनां धुरन्धरमहं मानान्धकारद्रुहा 

पन्थानं परिपन्थिनां निज दृशा रुन्धानमिन्ध्यानया ।

दत्तं यॆन दया सुधाम्बुनिधिना पीत्वा विशुद्धं पय:

कालॆ न: करिशैलकृष्णजलद: काङ्क्षाधिकं वर्षति ॥

vandE taM yaminAM dhurandharamahaM mAnAndhakAradruhA 

panthAnaM paripanthinAm nija dRushA rundhAnamindhyAnayA |

dattaM yEna dayA sudhAmbunidhinA peetvA vishuddhaM paya:

kAlE na: karishailakRushNa jalada:  kAnkshAdhikaM varShati ||

* Another version of this story says that Goddess PerundEvi drank the water and then the divine couple vanished from the spot.

 

THE TEACHINGS THROUGH ACHARYA TIRUKACHCHI NAMBI

श्री काञ्चीपूर्णमिश्रॆण प्रीत्या सर्वाभिभाषिणॆ ।

अतीत अर्चा व्यवस्थाय हस्त्यद्रीशाय मङ्गलम् ||

shrI kAnchIpUrNamishrENa prItyA sarvAbhibhAShiNE |

ateeta archA vyavasthAya hastyadreeshAya mangalam ||

MangaLAshAsanam to Lord VaradarAja of Hastigiri, who out of great love towards tirukkachchi nambi, broke the boundary of his archA samAdhi and had detailed conversations with him.

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 Although rAmAnuja continued learning from yAdavaprakAsha after the unpleasant incident, his Guru told him to discontinue on another instant of difference of opinion. Hence rAmAnuja decided to leave and dedicate himself entirely to the service of Lord VaradarAja of kAncheepuram. (It is to be noted that years later after rAmAnuja took sanyAsa, yAdavaprakAsha approached rAmAnuja.  He took interest in rAmAnuja's interpretations, was convinced with his explanations, and became his disciple. He later took to sanyAsa, and was renamed as 'gOvinda jeeyar' -  He also authored the work "yati dharma samuchchaya" - The compendium of rules for ascetics").  

kAnchipUrNa or tirukkachchi nambi who was born in "poovirundavalli" was doing "tiruvAlavaTTa kainkaryam (Fanning service)" for Lord VaradarAja.  KAnchipUrNa's devotion was such that dEvaperumAL and perundEvi tAyAr used to converse with him.  An inquisitive RAmAnuja sought answers for six philosophical questions from The Lord's confidante tirukachchi nambi. The Lord gave tirukachchi nambi six answers (aru - vArtaigaL) which turned out to be the six assertions (Aru vArtai) of vishiShThAdvaita.  They are:

1. अहम् ऎव परं तत्वम् । "aham Eva param tatvam" - I ( VaradarAja/Shreeman nArAyaNa) am the supreme truth. 

2.  दर्शनं भॆद ऎव च । "darshanam bhEda Eva cha"- Though I am the controller, I permeate into and appear as different sentient and insentient beings as proclaimed by the vEdas.  

3. उपायॆशु प्रपत्तिस्यात् ।  "upAyEshu prapattisyAt" - Prapatti/sharanAgati is the best means to attain mOksha. 

4. अन्तिम स्मृति वर्जनम् । "antima smRuti varjanam"  - Remembering the Lord during our final journey is not mandatory.  

5.  दॆहावसानॆ मुक्तिस्यात् । "dEhAvasAnE muktisyAt"  - The soul shall attain mukti at the fall of the body. 

6. सदाचार्यम् समाश्रय। "sadAchAryam or poorNAchAryam samAshraya" - Accept the virtuous  MahApoorna/Periya Nambi as AchArya (or) Receive samAshrayaNam samskaaram from a qualified AchArya.    

Raamaanuja was instrumental in getting the six truths from the Lord's mouth,  hence rAmAnuja became tirukachchi nambi's abhimAna shishya (favorite student).   RAmAnuja requested Nambi to initiate him with pancha samskaaram but Nambi refused quoting his ineligibility on account of his vaishya caste.                                                                                             

THE THREE WISHES OF ALAVANDAR

After some time, when ALavandAr fell ill, he asked Periya Nambi to go and bring rAmAnuja to Shreerangam inorder to make him his successor for the shreevaishNava guru paramparA.  RAmAnuja left kAncheepuram with Periya Nambi and hurried towards Shreerangam to meet ALavandAr. Unfortunately, ALavandAr had shed his mortal coils before he reached. RAmAnuja noticed that three fingers of ALavandAr's right hand were closed.  When he enquired if it was normal, the shishyas replied that ALavandAr had three wishes which could not be fulfilled. They were:  

1. A commentary on the Brahma Sootras must be written.

2. The names of the great seers ParAshara BhaTTar and vEda vyAsa must be given to children born in vaishNAva kula to honor the authors of VishNu purANam and Brahma sootram respectively.

3. A commentary on NammAzvhAr's TiruvAymozhi must be written.

RAmAnuja agreed to carry out all the three tasks and to everyone's surprise,  ALavandAr's three fingers opened. He returned to kAncheepuram with a heavy heart.

INITIATION OF RAMANUJA BY PERIYA NAMBI

RAmAnuja was craving to have Acharya Sambandham. A few days later, he proceeded towards Shreerangam to meet Periya Nambi for panchasamskAram.  Periya Nambi was also coming to meet rAmAnuja.  They met in a place called madurAntakam.  RAmAnuja prostrated him and requested to be initiated immediately. When periya nambi suggested that shreerangam would be the right place, rAmAnuja quoted a verse from tiruvAymozhi 1.2.1

"மின்னின் நிலையில மன்னுயிராக்கைகள் என்னு மிடத்து இறை–உன்னுமின் நீரே ! minnin nilaiyila * mannuyir AkkaigaL ennum iDattu * iRai unnumin nIrE!

Meaning:  "The bodies occupied by a jeevAtmA as per its desire last shorter than the flash of lightning. Think for a while, you yourself can analyse and understand the truth behind this continuous delusion (ennum iDattu iRai unnumin neerE).

Periya Nambi was overwhelmed with rAmAnuja's vairAgya and immediately performed PanchasamskAram for rAmAnuja under a magizha tree near 'Eri kAtta rAmar sannidhi', MadurAntakam, on Avani Shukla Paksha Panchami tithi. He also gave him the name 'rAmAnuja' there.

The event is celebrated every year as the Pancha Samskara Utsavam at Madurantakam. This is the only place where Sri Ramanujar can be seen as a Grihastha (family man). Bakthas can see for themselves the Mandapam (which is within the precinct of the temple madil suvar) where the Pancha Samskaram was performed.

RAMANUJA TAKES SANNYAASA

Few months later, rAmAnuja took to sanyAsa Ashrama and was appointed as the head of the shreevaishNava paramparA at shreerangam.   VaradarAja PerumAL at kAnchee conferred rAmAnuja with the title "yatirAjA - king of yatis/sannyAsis".                                                                                                                                                 

When rAmAnuja took over the management of Shreerangam temple, NamperumAL awarded rAmAnuja the title 'uDaiyavar' - meaning the one who has the wealth of the leelA vibhooti (bhoolOka) and nitya vibhooti (vaikuNTha lOka).  He played two major roles - 1. reformation of daily rituals and management of shreerangam temple (leelAvibhUti), 2. Initiating devotees into the "sharanAgati mArga- the path of surrender to Lord Naaraayana" so that they get relieved from samsAra, and reach the supreme abode shreevaikuNTham (nitya vibhUti).  शरणं इति आगति: शरणागती sharaNam iti Agati: sharaNAgati - To approach seeking refuge is sharaNAgati. 

TIRUKOSHTIYOOR NAMBI'S TOUGH TEST

RAmAnuja travelled 17 times to tirukOShTiyUr from shreerangam to learn the esoteric meanings of the ashTAkshara mantram from guru tirukOShTiyoor Nambi (gOShTipUrNa). Every time he introduced himself saying "I am Raamaanuja", the Guru would reply : "Come later". The 18th time,  rAmAnuja introduced himself as "aDiyEn" meaning "a servant ready to serve", and the guru let him in and taught him the inner meanings of the ashTAkshara mantram.   RAmAnuja was always flanked by his shishyas MudaliANDAn and KoorattAzhvAn where ever he went.  TirukOShTiyoor Nambu said that He would give the rashasyArthams only to rAmAnuja in person, and not this shishyas accompanying him.  But rAmAnuja insisted that they also be given upadEsham along with him because MudaliyANDAn is his "tridaNDam" and KoorattAzhvAn is his "pavitram".  Since these are two requisites of yati dharma, tirukOShTiyoor nambi had to give his preaching to all three of thjem.  

After receiving the rahasyArthams which was to be kept a secret according to tradition, rAmAnuja stood on top of the temple tower and invited all the devotees to understand the import of the most sacred mantra. Nambi scorned rAmAnuja and warned him that he will enter hell for doing such a wrong act.  But rAmAnuja was calmly composed and replied that he was ready to go to hell if the whole world was going to get mOksha because of his act. TirukOshTiyUr Nambi was touched by his unconditional compassion on devotees and exclaimed: "emperumAnArO? - Is it my Lord Himself? He also declared that shreevaishNavam would be recognized as "emberumAnAr darshanam" or "rAmAnuja darshanam".  NamperumAL also acknowledged this title for rAmAnuja.

TIRUKKURUNGUDI NAMBI BECOMES RAMANUJA'S SHISYA

RAMANUJA DRAWS TIRUMAN ON VADUGU NAMBI

When swAmi rAmAnuja was spreading Vaishnavism along with His ardent shishya VaDugu Nambi in PadmanAbhaswAmy kshEtram (Tiruvanantapuram), TirukurunguDi perumAL wanted to hear His teachings. Hence, He told GaruDa to airlift him and bring him to kurunguDi.  Next morning, when rAmAnuja opened his eyes, he was on a rock called TiruvaTTapArai.  Surprised at being in the new place, He called out for his dear shishya, vaDugu Nambi. But vaDugu Nambi was to come later.  The Lord Himself appeared in front of swAmi as VaDugu Nambi. Following his morning routine, swAmi rAmAnuja bathed in the river, wore the 12 tirumaNs, and adorned the Lord's forehead with the remaining tirumaN as per his usual practice, thinking that He was vaDugu nambi.  

When rAmAnuja visited the temple for darshanam, he saw that the Lord's tirumaN was wet and fresh and vaDugu nambi was missing.  He understood that it was kurunguDi nambi who played the mischief. The Lord NinRa Nambi then blessed him and acknowledged swAmi rAmAnuja's great contribution to vaishNavism and expressed His desire to be rAmAnuja's shisya. SwAmi was stunned and asked the Lord how he, a small being was eligible to preach PerumAL who is so huge in form.  Nambi immediately shrunk himself into a handsome young boy, folded his hands in front of swAmi rAmAnuja and humbly requested him to be His AchArya.  Impelled by His lAvaNyam (charisma) and saulabhyam (simplicity),  swAmi rAmAnuja took the position of an AchArya and gave aShTAkshara mantrOpadesam to the Lord.  KurunguDi Nambi, having become a disciple of swAmi, became a Vaishnava and was called VaishNava Nambi.  To mark this beautiful event, there is a seat (peeTham) placed near the garbha graham of NinRa Nambi PerumAL. 

 RAMANUJA'S SHIFT TO MELKOTE (TIRUNARAYANAPURAM)

Around 1100 A.D., it so happened that a chOla king detested swAmi rAmAnuja's ideals and sent him out of Shreerangam.  Traversing through the tough forests, rAmAnuja reached yAdugiri /mElukOTE.  He rested in a place called toNDanoor which was ruled by the Jain hOysAla king Bitti Deva.  The king's daughter was suffering from an incurable disease.  Hearing of rAmAnuja's arrival, the king invited him and apprised him of his daughter's illness. The moment rAmAnuja glanced at her, she got up and felt healthy.  In gratitude, the king adopted shreevaishNava sampradAya. Many jains followed suit. He was renamed as VishNu Vardhana. Few months later, rAmAnuja was short of 'tirumaN (white clay) for wearing his '12 UrdhvapuNDrams". That night, Lord narAyaNa appeared in his dream and said that He and the white clay is near by in the yAdugiri hill; between champaka and vakula tree, and inside a anthill covered with tulasi.  With the support of VishNu Vardhana, rAmAnuja and his disciples traced the place near the kalyAni pond and retrieved the moolavar idol Lord tirunArAyaNa which was burried in the earth ages ago. He also made a furrow near by and got white clay for his tirumaN kAppu. The moolavar was installed with veda mantras and the temple was consecrated.

With a beautiful temple installed by swAmi rAmAnuja, there was a need for utsava moorti for TirunArAyaNa's monthly and annual utsavams. When rAmAnuja was contemplating on the idea, he had a vision of that idol lying with the Sultan at Delhi. RAmAnujA set out to Delhi and requested the Sultan to return the idol. He said that it was with his daughter and she was very much attached to it. He challenged rAmAnuja's bhakti and said that he could call out to the idol and see if it comes running to him.  With great love, rAmAnuja called out "Chella PiLLai' - Dear child please come". The idol came and sat on rAmAnuja's lap to the astonishment of the Sultan and his daughter.  Thus rAmAnuja retrieved chella piLLai and installed the utsava moorti cheluva nArAyaNa too in melukOTE temple and organized the utsavams in a grand manner. This moorti is also called Raamapriya because it was worshiped by Lord rAmA in the trEta yuga and by Lord KrishNa in the dwApara yuga. The daughter of the Sultan could not bear the separation from Raamapriya idol. She came running to melukOTE. When she entered the temple, the doors closed and she merged into her Lord. RAmAnuja installed an idol called 'bibi nAchchiyAr" in memory of her true bhakti for Raamapriya.

RAMANUJA'S RETURN TO SHREERANGAM

RAmAnuja came back to Shreerangam after 12 years in MelukOTE.  When rAmAnuja embarked on writing a commentary on the brahma sootras, he wanted the "bhOdAyana vRtti" for reference. Lord Saraswati came in his dream and asked him to visit Saraswati BhaNDAram, an enormous library in Kashmir. RAmAnuja and koorattAzhvAn went to the library and read the book fully. They returned to Shreerangam and koorattAzhvAn reproduced the entire vRtti as he had an extra-ordinary memory. With the help of koorattAzhvAn, rAmAnuja completed his brahma sootra commentary called "shreebhAshyam", for which Lord Saraswati blessed him with the title "bhAshyakAra".

RAMANUJA  BECOMES ANDAL'S BROTHER (TIRUMALIRUNCHOLAI)

SwAmi rAmAnuja offered 100 vessels of sweet pongal and 100 vessels of ghee to azhagar perumAL of tirumAlirunchOlai to fulfil ANDAL’S wish which she expressed in nAchchiyAr tirumozhi 9.6 (NOORU TADA VENNAI).  When he visited Shreevilliputtoor to thank ANDAL,  she acknowledged his kainkaryam saying “nam kOvil aNNanO!” – Oh, my brother in the temple. The sanskrit variant of the term is called gOdA(a)graja.

RAMANUJA VISITS TIRUMALA

When there was a dispute as to whether the deity in Tirumala was Shiva or VishNu, Raamaanuja told the panDiTs to place two sets of  weapons "trishoola and Damaruka" and "shankh and chakra" in front of the Lord before closing the door of the sanctum sanctorum at night. Next morning VenkaTEsa PerumAL had the shankh and chakra on his shoulders signaling that He intends to give darshan as Vishnu. By doing this act, rAmanuja almost performed samAshrayanam for the Lord, and hence is known as 'appanukku sangaazhi aLitta perumAL - the one who embossed tirupati balaji's shoulders with the shankh and chakra".  The Lord also awarded him the title "dEsikEndra - the king of AchAryas".

RAMANUJA BECOMES TIRUPPAVAI JEEYAR

Once in shreerangam, swAmi rAmAnuja was seeking alms and singing tiruppAvai. When he reached swAmi mahApoorNa’s (periya nambi's) house, he was singing 18th pAsuram 'undumadagaliRRan' in which nappinai pirATTi  is awakened by ANDAL. As he was uttering the words “seerAr vaLai olippa vandu tiravAy”, the door opened, and periyanambi's little daughter "attuzhAy" came out. Thinking that nappinnai pirATTi herself opened the door, rAmAnuja fainted.  Periya Nambi remarked "undumadagaliRRan pAsuram anusandhAnamO!".   Awed by rAmAnuja's  deep engrossment in tiruppAvai divya prabandham, Periya Nambi named him 'tiruppAvai jeeyar'.

FIVE COMMANDMENTS OF RAMANUJA

1. Learn the "Shree BhAshyam" and teach it to disciples.    

2. If you find the above difficult, then learn the "divya prabandhams" and propagate it.

3. If not possible, visit divya dEsams and contribute towards the prasAdam, alankAram, deepam, or pushpa hAram for the Lord.

4. If you cannot afford that also, learn the dvaya mantram and its meanings, and keep reciting and meditating on it. 

5. If you are unbale to recite dyayam also, take refuge under a shreevaishNava who cares for you and serve him.

PLACES TRAVELLED BY SWAMI RAMANUJA

SwAmi RAmAnuja's vijaya yAtrA includes the following places of India.

1. tiruvarangam 

2. kumbakONam (tirukuDandai)

3. tiruvAli tirunagari

4. tirumAlirunchOlai

5. shreevilliputtoor

6. tirupullAni

7. sEtu 

8. tiruppuLLinguDi

9. tirukkurugoor (AzhvAr tirunagari)

10. tirukOLoor

11. tirukkRunguDi

12. tiruppatisAram (tiruvaNparisAram)

13. tiruvaTTAru

14. tiruvanantapuram

15. a few more malayALa divyadEsams (kerala)

16. mathurA

17. gOkulam (AypADi)

18. gOvardhanagiri

19. brindAvanam

20. tirusAlagrAmam

21. tiru ayOddhi

22. prayAg

23. kurukshEtram

24. haridwAr

25. kAsi

26. gayA

27. tirukanDankaDinagar

28. naimishAraNyam

29. tirubadarikAshramam

30. shreenagar (kashmir)

31. pUri JagannAth

32. shreekoormam (Andhra)

33. shreekAkuLam (Andhra)

34. vArAngal (Andhra now telangana)

35. ahObilam (Andhra)

36. tirumala (Andhra)

37. tiruvallikENi 

38. tiruneermalai 

39. madurAntakam

40. kAncheepuram

41. tiruvaheendrapuram

42. veeranArAyaNapuram (kATTumannArkOyil)

43. tiruvarangam

RAMANUJA'S DEATH

SwAmi rAmAnuja attained sAyujyam on a Saturday, dashami tithi, mAsi mAsam, shukla paksha tithi in the pingaLa year, the same year when he was born.  It means he lived for two complete samvatsara cycles of 60 years each.

THREE FAMOUS IDOLS OF SWAMI RAMANUJA

SwAmi rAmAnuja's vigraha moorti finds its sanctum in almost every VishNu temple. But, three vigrahams are of paramount importance.  They are:

1. ShreeperumbUdUr - tAn uganda tirumEni

When rAmAnuja was 120 years old, his shishyas in shreeperumbUdUr made a copper idol that looked like swAmi rAmanuja. SwAmi hugged the idol and passed on his powers to the idol.  Hence it came to be called "tAn uganda tirumEni".

2. MelukOTE (tirunArAyanapuram) - tamar uganda tirumEni

When rAmAnuja was leaving melukOTE after 12 years, his shishyas couldn't bear his separation.  He told them to make an idol of himself with folded hands. He then passed on his divine energy onto the idol and advised them to worship the vigraham. Since the idol was made by the wishes of the shishyas (tamar), the idol is called "tamar uganda tirumEni". 

3. Shreerangam - tAnAna tirumEni

The idol in the vasanta mandapam in Shreerangam temple is the exact look alike of swAmi rAmAnuja.  Hence it is called "tAnAna tirumEni".  It is said to be installed right above swAmi rAmAnuja's samAdhi.  

A poem on rAmAnuja's beauty by swAmi embAr.

பற்பமெனத் திகழ் பைங்கழல் உந்தன் பல்லவமே விரலும்
பாவனமாகிய பைந்துவராடை பதிந்த மருங்கழகும்
முப்புரி நூலொடு முன்கையில் ஏந்திய முக்கோல் தன்னழகும்
முன்னவர் தந்திடு மொழிகள் நிறைந்திடு முறுவல் நிலாவழகும்
கற்பகமே விழி கருணை பொழிந்திடு கமலக் கண்ணழகும்
காரி சுதன் கழல் சூடிய முடியும் கன நற்சிகை முடியும்
எப்பொழுதும் எதிராசர் வடிவழகு என் இதயத்துளதால்
இல்லை எனக்கெதிர் இல்லை எனக்கெதிர் இல்லை எனக்கெதிரே. 

paRpamenat tigazh paingkazhal undan pallavamE viralum

pAvanamAgiya paintuvarADai padinda marungazhagum

muppuri nUloDu munkaiyil Endiya mukkOl tannazhagum

munnavar tantiDu mozhigaL niRaintiDu muRuval nilAvazhagum

kaRpakamE vizhi karuNai pozhintiDu kamalak kaNNazhagum

kAri sutan kazhal chUDiya muDiyum kana naRshikai muDiyum

eppozhudum etirAsar vaDivazhagu en idayattuLadAl

illai enakkedir illai enakkedir illai enakkedirE. 

QUOTES ON BHAGAVAD RAMANUJA

By tirukurugai pirAn piLLAn

सर्व दॆश दशा कालॆशु अव्याहत पराक्रम ।

रामानुजार्य दिव्याज्ञा वर्धताम् अभिवर्धताम् ॥

sarva dEsha dashA kAlEshu avyAhata parAkrama |

rAmAnujArya divyAgyA vardhatAm abhivardhatAm ||

May the most magnanimous teachings of the noble Sri Ramanuja Acharya grow and pervade through all nations, at all times, without any hindrance.

By MudaliyANDAn

रामानुजार्य दिव्याज्ञा प्रतिवासरं उज्वला

दिगन्त: व्यापिनी भूयात् सा हि लॊक हितैषिणी॥

rAmAnujArya divyAgyA prativAsaraM ujvalA |

diganta: vyApinee bhooyat sAhi lOka hitaishiNee ||

May the commandments of rAmAnuja glow every day and spread in all directions far and wide to bring prosperity to the whole world. 

SwAmi dEsikan’s 11th verse from yatirAja saptati is enough to introduce the austere life of rAmAnuja as a yati.

उपवीतिनं ऊर्ध्वपुण्ड्रवन्तं त्रिजगत्पुण्यफलं त्रिदण्डहस्तम् ।

शरणागतसार्थवाहमीडे शिखया शेखरिणं पतिं यतीनाम् ॥ ११॥

upaveetinaM oordhvapuNDravantaM trijagatpuNyaphalaM tridaNDahastaM ||

sharaNAgata sArthavAha meeDE shikhayA shEkhariNam yateenAm || 11

Hail the king of ascetics! He wears the sacred thread yagyOpaveetam hanging from the left shoulder, the resplendent tirumaN and shreechoornam (oordhvapuNDram) on his forehead, carries the staff tridaNDa in his hand, the tuft shikhA on his crown. With a countenance of the sum of all penances of the three worlds, rAmAnuja flourishes as the leader of the sharaNAgatas.

SwAmi MaNavAla mAmunigaL hails rAmAnuja as a unique teacher in upadEsa ratnamAlai 37

ஓராண் வழியாய் உபதேசித்தார் முன்னோர்

ஏரார் எதிராசர் இன்னருளால் - பாருலகில்

ஆசை உடையோர்க்கு எல்லாம் ஆரியர்காள் கூருமென்று

பேசி வரம்பறுத்தார் பின்

"OrAN vazhiyAy upadEsittAr munnOr

ErAr etirAsar innaruLAl – pArulagil

Asai uDaiyOrkkellAm AriyargAL kURum enRu

pEsi varambu aRuttAr pin."

AchAryas prior to rAmAnuja were "anuvritti prasanna AchAryas". They imparted knowledge only to those who complied with vedic studies, anuShThanas and vairAgya. The knowledge passed on only from one qualified AchArya to the other which is referred as 'OrAN vazhi'. But rAmAnuja broke this strict boundary of knowledge transfer.  Our sweet yatirAjA, out of his unconditional mercy, directed AchAryas (Aryas) to impart knowledge to any one who has the desire to know the sharaNAgati shAstra. ( 'Asai uDaiyOrkkellAm kUrum)'. Hence, rAmAnuja is hailed as "kripA mAtra prasanna AchArya" - The one who has mercy alone, towards mankind.  So, it follows that the common man can be liberated only through the sambandham of 'uDaiyavar's redeeming feet -  "uyya orE vazhi uDaiyavar tiruvaDi".

तस्मै रामानुजार्याय नम: परमयॊगिनॆ।               

य: श्रुतिस्मृतिसूत्राणाम् अन्तर्ज्वरमशीशमत्॥

tasmai rAmAnujAryAya nama: paramyOginE|

ya: shruti-smRuti-sootrANAm antarjvaram asheeshamat||

In the invocatory verse of his commentary on Shree BhAshyam, Shree Sudarshanasoori  states that he salutes the paramayOgi rAmAnuja who cured the disease/fever of the vEdas, smritis, and brahma sootrams. The word 'jvara' refers to the faulty interpretations of the vEdic texts.  The 'bhEda shrutis" claim that AtmA and ParamAtmA are different.  The "abhEda shrutis" claim that AtmA and ParamAtmA are one. Raamaanuja supported the "ghaTaka shrutis" that made a bridge between both the shrutis, and included both their statements as being true.  Raamaanuja darshaNam asserts that "ParamAtmA is the supreme reality.   All chEtAnas and achEtanas are the shareera for paramAtmA.

*RAMANUAJA NOORRANDADI TANIYAN BY TIRUKKURGAI PIRAN PILLAN*

சொல்லின் தொகை கொண்டு உனதடிப் போதுக்குத் தொண்டு செய்யும் * 

நல்லன்பர் ஏத்தும் உன் நாமம் எல்லாம் எந்தன் நாவின் உள்ளே * 

அல்லும் பகலும் அமரும்படி நல்கு அறு ஸமயம் 

வெல்லும் பரம! * இராமானுச! இது என் விண்ணப்பமே.

sollin togai koNDu unadaDip pOdukkut toNDu seyyum * 

nallanbar Ettum un nAmam ellAm endan nAvin uLLE * 

allum pagalum amarumpaDi nalgu aRu samayam 

vellum parama! * irAmAnusa! idu en viNNappamE.

Oh, the great rAmAnujA who won over the six philosophies!  I have just one request. Please bless me that my mouth ever sings your glorious names uttered by your supreme devotee tiruvarangattu amudanAr who offered his vAchA kainkaryam at your lotus feet by composing the rAmAnuja nooRRandAdi in the apt count of 108 verses.