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Sri EmberumAnAr

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A. Bharat • April 22, 1999 


Dear Mani	
Today is Sri EmberumAnAr Tirunakshatram and a more
sacred day can't be found in Kaliyuga.So it would
be pleasant to remember him and his greatness.

There is an incident narrated by Sri PeriyavAchhAn
PiLLai in his Periya Tirumozhi vyAkhyAnam (6.7.4)
which is sweet to recall:

One of SwAmi EmberumAnAr's disciples,Vangipurattu
Nambi had been asking him to teach him TiruvArAdhanam
but somehow he had not been able to find time to
do so.Once it so happened that EmberumAnAr had gone to
Tirumalai,and felt like teaching it to KUrattAzhvAn
and Nambi Sri HanumaddAsar.While he was doing so he
happened to look up and found Vangipurattu Nambi
watching him from behind the door.EmberumAnAr got a shock
and immediately told him:"I had long nursed a doubt
regarding Sri Krishna and His being scared when
caught stealing butter by Yashoda:How could the Lord
be scared of a mere subject even if she caught Him in
a wrongful position? Now I know the answer.He was
really scared,just as I was today when I saw my
disciple catch me on the wrong foot.I did two wrongs
to you- I didn't teach you when you asked me to;
and I didn't even include you also in this group
today.And you caught me at it and I really felt
shame and fear- even if you happened to be my Sishya
and I your AchArya."

Such was our SwAmi EmberumAnAr because of whom our DarSanam
itself is called Sri RAmAnuja DarSanam; even though there
were great AchAryas before him like NAthamuni and ALavandAr.
Sri PeriyavAchAn PiLLai in his Periya Tirumozhi gloss
quotes Sri PiLLAn (2.7.6) as saying: Just as a necklace
gets value added through its central pendant so does
our DarSanam through him.Swami DeSikan includes this in his
YatirAja Saptati Sloka 15 : < yatirAjEna nibaddha
nAyakaSreeh mahatI gurupangti-hAra-yashtih vibudhAnAm
hrudayan-gamA vibhAti>

Sri MaNavALa MAmunigal in his superb Aarti Prabandham
says:Is there any one who can commit sins like myself
and is there any one who can  forgive like yourself!
"Enai-ppOl pizhai-SeyvAr ivvulagil unDo?
 Unai-ppOl porukka-vallAr unDo?"
Of course he is putting himself in our place.The
answer is still the same.

As SrI KUrattAzhvAn sums it up for us:



Had there been no word like RAmAnuja in this world
What would have  been the fate of people like us!

EmberumAnAr TiruvaDigaLE SaraNam!

aDiyEn
BHARAT