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Re: The Life and works of AchArya RaamAnujA : Part 1

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • October 9, 1999 


Dear BhakthAs: We are adding 50 Q&A as well as
a write up on the Life and works of AchArya RaamAnujA
for the CD ROM prior to release to BhakthAs eagerly 
waiitng to receive them.Her eis the input from adiyEn
on the Life and works of Sri RaamAnujA for the CD ROM .
Since the article is longish for the sake of completeness
of coverage of the subject matter , adiyEn will post it
in few parts.
V.Sadagopan 
                       SRI:

 ChaithrArdhrA sambhavam  VishNO: darsana sthApanOthsukam I
 ThuNDIramaNdalE utthitham Seshamoorthim RaamAnujam BhajE II

 AchArya RaamAnujA born as the incarnation of AdhisEshan
 ********************************************************

 AchArya RaamAnujA was born in ThoNdai Naadu as
 the son of Sri BhUmi Piratti and Aasurikula Tilakam ,
 Sri Kesava SomayAji at PerumbhUdhUr on a PingaLa Year ,
 Chitthirai Month, Sukla Paksha Panchami day , when
 ArudhrA constellation ( ThiruvAdhirai ) was in
 ascendance . This PingaLA year in the western calendar
 is 1017 A.D. Thirumalai Nampi , a renowned sishyar of
 AaLavandhAr was the child's uncle . He recognized
 that the child is an avthAram of Adhi Seshan ;he also
 recognized that the child is going to become a great
 Sri VaishNavite  AchAryan .Hence , Thirumalai nampi
 gave the name of RaamAnujan to the new born child .
 This child lived for 120 years on this earth and
 during its rich life systematized and established
 on a firm footing the doctrines of VisishtAdvaithA,
 which have been expounded earlier by BodhAyanA ,
 DramidA and TankA and elaborated by Nathamuni
 and AaLavandhAr .

 The divine recogniton of Sri RaamAnujA's contributions
 ********************************************************

 AchArya RaamAnujA was recognized for his monumental
 contributions to Sri ViasishtAdvaitha Darsanam in his
 own life time by the Divya Dampathis of Srirangam,Kaanchi ,
 ThirunArAyaNapuram , ANDAL of SrivilliputthUr and
 Devi Sarasvathi through their conferring of the titles of
 Udayavar ,Sri BhashyakArar nd amny other honprs .
  AchArya RaamAnujA was also addressed as Ilaya PerumAl
 by his sishyAs . Further , Lord VaradarAjA initiated
  RaamAnujA into SanyAsaasramam and conferred
 on him the title of YathirAjan at that time . Lord VaradarAjA
 reluctantly gave RaamAnujA later as a gift to Sri RanganAthA. Lord
 VaradarAjA also answered through Thirukkacchi Nampi the questions
 that were topmost on the mind of RaamAnujA .The many incidents
 relating to the Vaibhavam of AchArya RaamAnujA are summarized
 in the special home pages created by Srimans Achyutharaman
 and MadhavakkaNNan of Simhapuri and this CD ROM . The works of
 AchArya RaamAnujA are also covred there as well as the highlights of
 Bhagavad RaamAnuja Darsanam . BhakthAs are referred to these
 pages with the URL , http://members.tripod.com/~sri Ramanujar/
 For now , we will content ourselves with a breif summary
 of the highlights of the Life and works of Sri RaamAnujA
 the like of whom we will not be able to see again .

 AchArya RaamAnujA's early Tuetlage at Kaanchipuram
 ****************************************************

 Sri RamAnujA studied VedAnthA first under YadhavaprakAsA
 at Kaanchi. When YadhavaprakAsA misintrepreted the meanings
 of Sruthi and Upanishadh Vaakyams , Sri RaamAnujA pointed
 out the correct meanings following the Sri VisishtAdhvaidhic
 tradition.This angered the Guru .The infuriated Guru plotted
 to kill RaamAnujA . Lord VaradarAja intervened and saved RaamAnujA
 from the jealous Guru's wrath . Meanwhile , the intellectual
 brilliance  and the rich Saastraic Jn~Anam of RaamAnujA
 attracted the attention of Sri ALavandhAr , the greatst
 Sri VaishNava AchArya of that time , who was staying in
 Srirangam . ALavandhAr came to Kaanchi and prayed to
 Lord VaradarAjan to bless RaamAnujA to become the leading
 pravarthakA and nirvAhakA of Sri VishitAdhvaitha siddhAntham .
 ALavandhAr did not get to meet RaamAnujA in person at Kaanchi
 prior to his  return to Srirangam .AaLavandhAr's  health
 weakened after return to Srirangam and he reached Sri Vaikuntam
 without iniitating RaamAnujA in person as his successor .
 RaamAnujA , who had heard about the illness of ALavandhAr
 rushed to Srirangam to receive latter's blessings .It was
 however too late .

 When RaamAnujA saw the charama ThirumEni of AalavandhAr ,
 he noticed that three of the fingers of the right hand
 were closed as if to indicate that he had three
 unfulfilled wishes .RaamAnujA asked the intimate disciples
 about those wishes . RaamAnujA was told that the three wishes
 were :(1) Writing of a commentary for the VyAsa Soothrams
 (2) Naming of two Brahmin boys with the names of ParAsarA
 (the author of VishNu PurANam ) and VyAsA ( the author of
 Brahma Soothrams and Many PurANams )and (3) the writing of
 a commentary for Swami NammAzhwAr's ThiruvAimozhi . RaamAnujA
 pledged to fulfil the three wishes of AaLavandhAr with
 the anugraham of the divya dampathis of Kanchipuram and
 the folded fingers on the body of AalavandhAr suddenly
 opened up after hearing this pledge . All those assembled
 in sorrow around the chrama ThirumEni of AaLavandhar
 were overcome by what they witnessed and hailed RaamAnujA
 as the future Darsana SthApakar of Sri VisishtAdvaitham .
 RaamAnujA took the permission of the chief disciple of AaLavandhAr,
 Sri Periya Nampi ( MahA PoorNar ) and returned to Kaanchi
 with a heavy heart .

(To Be Continued)