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Sri Ramanuja and Sri Andal

From the Bhakti List Archives

K. Srinivasan • July 8, 1994 


I returned from India last week. Among other things, I met the
Dr.M.A.Venkatakrishnan (who had written a criticism on G.V.Iyer's
movie on Sri Ramanuja. Mani has a copy.). It was by a coincidence.
His wife was travelling in the next seat from Trichy to Madras.

She herself has written a book and some articles and is completing
her Ph.D in Vaishnavism soon. Since Madras University does not
permit Tamil to be used for theses, her husband, who is a Professor
of Sanskrit, had to fight all the way to the Vice Chancelor to get
her special permission to submit the thesis in Tamil.

They run a Vaishnava magazine called "geethacharyan" from
thiruvallikEni Madras, in Tamil. They are Mandyam Iyengars

In this trip, I had the occasion to visit two of the three
"mEni"(body) of Sri Ramanujar.

thaan-ugandha-mEni  at mElkOttai, Karnataka
thaan-aana-mEni     at Sri Rangam.
The third is the "thamar-ugandha-mEni" at Sriperumbudhoor.

About Sri Ramanuja being called elder brother of Andal, these are
my thoughts. Andal became immortal at an young age, 12 or so, I think.
So she is always considered as an young girl. Since Ramanujar is
pictured as an elderly person, it seems proper to call him as
"elder brother" for having fulfilled an young girl's wish.

om namo narayanaya


Srinivasan K