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svAmi kOyil aNNan.

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Tirumanjanam Sundara Rajan • October 6, 2001 


svAmi kOyil aNNan's asterism (puraTTASi-pUraTTAdi //
kanyA-pUrva-prOshTha-padA) occurred on October 1 2001, and there was a
ten-day celebration (September 22 - October 1, followed by 'iyarpA'
recitation the next day) in the famed Srirangam tiru-mALikai of the
AchArya.

SRI VARADA-NARAYANA-GURU,
DESCENDANT OF SVAMI MUDALI-ANDAN.

kOyil aNNan was the later-day honorofic of  varada-nArAyana-guru
(1389-1448 AD) who was the eighth generation descendant of svAmi
mudali-ANDAn (= dASarathi, nephew of Sri Ramanuja).    

ANDAN'S EMINENT POSITION
IN ADMINISTRATION OF 
SRIRANGAM GREAT TEMPLE.

ANDAn was appointed by Ramanuja as the chief administrator of periya
kOyil ['Sri-kAryam / sEnApati-dhurandhara'] and, down the generations,
this precious responsibility devolved upon aNNan.   Accordingly, aNNan
is among the 'sthalattAr' of 'periya kOyil'
and receives the temple honours as 'vAdhUla-dESikar'. (The full title
and name is 'svAmi kOyil kandADai vAdhUla-dESikan aNNan'.)

THE NAME 'KANDADAI'.

The name 'kand-ADai' genealogically attaches from svAmi ANDAN's son,
kandADAi ANDAn (who installed Ramanuja's "tamar-ukanda-tirumEni" at
Sri-perum-pudUr and "tAn-Ana-tirumEni" at Srirangam), as the latter was
born after uDaiyavar instructed svAmi mudali-ANDAn to partake of the
Lord's food-offering received from the periya sannidhi, in the
cloth-wrapping 'tiru-p-pAVADai'; when the child was eventually born,
uDaiyavar blessed him for a spiritual career as fragrant as the
'tiru-p-pAVADai'. ['gandha' meaning fragrant and 'ADai' for the
cloth-wrapping;   the name, Tamilised as the hybrid 'kandADai', is among
the most pedigreed title among Srivaishnava Acharya households.]

KOYIL ANNAN AND MANAVALA-MA-MUNIKAL.

aNNan was among the disciples ('ashTa-dig-gajam' or the eight custodians
of memory) of 'periya-jeeyar' maNavALa-mA-munikaL.  Both aNNan and Sri
vAna-mA-malai jeeyar had each received from mA-munikaL a pair of his own
(wooden) pAdukA (footwear). Known as the "pon-n-aDiyAm
Sen-kamala-p-pOdukaL", these are encased in gold and adored in the
'tiru-ArAdhanam' of both aNNan tiru-mALikai and vAna-mA-malai maTham,and
are placed on the devotees' crown at the conclusion of
'divya-prabandham' recital ('SAttu-muRai').

aNNan's adoration of mA-munikaL was complete and he dedicated a
'kaNNi-nuN Siru-t-tAmbu' panegyric of mA-munikaL.  aNNan has the unique
blessing of receiving a 'taniyan' SlOkam from mA-munikaL ~

"sakala-vEdAnta-sArArtha-pURNASayam
vipula-vAdhUla-gOtrOd-bhavAnAm varam
ruchira-jAmAtr.-yOGeendra-padASrayam
varada-nArAyaNam mad-gurum samSrayE."

ANNAN WITH NO WANDERLUST!

Renowned for his passionate attachment to living in Srirangam, aNNan was
named by appiLLai (author of vAzhi-tiru-nAmanGaL) as  the One who never
crossed river kAviri flowing by either side of Srirangam,
["kAviri-k-karai kaDavAda kandADai aNNan"].

TIRU-MALIKAI AND SRI AHOBILA MATHAM.

aNNan's ninth generation descendant (17th century AD), SingarAchArya
(second son of kandADai appan Srinivasacharya) became the 'jeeyar' of
Sri ahObila-maTham.   With a view to strengthening the bonds between
aNNan tiru-mALikai and Sri-maTham, he presented to the maTham the
'periya-perumAL' icon which was in worship at tiru-mALikai, and also the
'daSAvatAra sannidhi' (situated close to the koLLiDam river)  which was
originally consecrated by tiru-manGai-AzhvAr and later assigned by Sri
Ramanuja to svAmi ANDAn.

THREE IDENTIFIED 'AZHAKIYA-SINGAR' ARCHA
IN ANNAN TIRU-MALIKAI.

This personage also gifted to tiru-mALikai an 'azhakiya-SinGar', one of
the 'nava-bEra' (nine icons) of ahObilam.   This 'archA' forms the
central piece of tiru-mALikai shrine, and an identical icon is
worshipped in svAmi ANDAn tiru-mAlikai in east Chitra stree and in the
Sri maTham situated a furlong from tiru-mALikai. Besides, the
tiru-mALikai has an 'azhakiya-SinGar', one presented to ANDAn by Sri
Ramanuja, and another to aNNan by mA-munikaL.    Sri Pillai Lokam Jeeyar
records 
[in his Ramanujacharya-divya-charitai] that uDaiyavar got
'azhakiya-SinGar' consecrated in the Seats of all the 74
'simhAsan-adhipati' preceptors.

ANNAN HISTORICALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR
SURVIVAL OF PERIYA KOYIL
AND THE HOLY CITY OF SRIRANGAM.

The hagiology of svAmi kOyil vAdhUla-dESika aNNan Sri varada-nArAyaNa
guru is extensively written into 'yateendra-pravaNa-prabhAvam' and the
Temple chronicle 'kOyil-ozhugu'.  This, besides numerous stone
inscriptions and historical East India Company records testifying to the
several instances when the incumbent aNNan of successive times who, as
an integrated ecclesiastical-temporal ruler of Srirangam, showed great
initiative, at great expense to himself, to ward off marauders' assaults
on Srirangam and its wealth, be they iconoclastic foreigner muslims or
the English or the French or any of the petty local 'rulers'.

A NEW "ashTotra-Sata-nAma stOtram".

ASu-kavi kiDAmbi T. Govinda aiyangar of Srivilliputtoor has just
composed a Sanskrit lyrical-devotional "Sri-varada-nArAyaNa-guru
ashTotra-Sata-nAma stOtram" with Tamil paraphrase.   This has been got
printed  kOyil aNNan (iLaiya svAmy) Sri Venkatacharya, and  released on
October 1 (aNNan's asterism) at Srirangam tiru-p-pAN AzhvAr sannidhi by
Siru-puliyUr tiru-Azhi aNNan svAmy.

PRESENT ANNAN FAMILY ~~ THUMB-NAIL SKETCH.

The incumbent svAmi kOyil aNNan Sri Srinivasacharya jealously tends the
name and glory of the imposing kOyil aNNan tirumALikai in Srirangam east
Uttara street. He is supported by his younger brother Sri Venkatacharya
svami, besides the junior scions Sri Jagannathan svami for adhyApakam
and Sri SinGan svami for daily worship and Temple occasions.

PRAYER FOR KOYIL ANNAN TIRU-MALIKAI.

The Great Temple and holy city of Srirangam owes so much to this
magnificent svAmi kOyil aNNan tirumALikai, and may the Lord 'paravastu'
Sriranga and his divine spouse Sriranga-nAyaki be pleased to grace this
House with many many years of service and guardianship of the sacred
Sri-vaishNava sampradAyam.

aDiyEn rAmAnuja-dAsan
T.S. Sundara Rajan
at Srirangam.


--------------------------------------------------------------
           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
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