Thiruvara~ngatthu amudhanaar Thirunakshathram

From the Bhakti List Archives

• April 1, 1999


Sri:

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namah:

Panguni Hastham- Thirunakshathram of Thiruvarangatthu amudhanaar.  
Members of this list are well aware of the greatness of Thiruvarangatthu 
amudhanaar. He composed 108 pAsurams on Sri Ramanujar called "Ramanusa 
nooRRandhaadhi". Each one of these 108 is S U P E R B. It is a pleasure 
to read them and taste the emotional /AchArya bhakti of amudhanaar. 

Sri Ramanuja shares with Namaazhvaar the honour of a prabhandham 
dedicated to him among the Naalaayira Divya Prabhandham. (Yes. These 108 
verses are included in 4000.)  kaNNinuN siRuththaambu (11 pAsurams) by 
Madhurakavi is entirely devoted to the glory of Nammaazhvaar and 
Ramanusa nooRRandhaadhi, by Thiruvarangaththu Amudhanaar is devoted to 
Sri Ramanuja.  Both of these prabhandhams are in andhaadhi style (Why 
don't we recite them on Ramanujar Thirunakshathram on April 21st?)

It is adiyEn's humble reverential submittal of these translations of 
thaniyans (dedicatory verses) on amudhanaar to this esteemed group of 
Sri vaishnavas, on his birthday.

1.  munnai vinaiyagala moongiR kudiyamudhan*/
     ponna~ng kazhaRkamalap pOdhiraNdum* - ennudaiya/
     chennik kaNiyaagach chErththinEn*  thenpulaththaarku/
     ennuk kadavutaiyEn yaan?            

For long time, (over the ages, for so many births), the sins and karmas 
have accumulated and all of them have simply vanished due to my adorning 
the Beautiful, endearing, Lotus flower like feet of Amudhanaar on my 
head. Amudhanaar hails from the "moongil kudi". Hence, how will I ever 
be answerable to yama and his men hereafter? (for my past sins/karmas; 
they are all pOyE pOcchu; pOyindhE! Gone!)

2   nayantharu pErinbha mellaam pazudhenRu naNNinarpaal/
     jayam tharu keerththi iraamaa nusamuni thaaLiNaimEl/
     uyarndha kuNaththuth thiruvara~ng kaththamuthu Ongu manpaal/
     iyambum kaliththuRai andhaadhi Otha isai nenjamE!             

oh my mind! Pay attention to my advice and agree with me to recite the 
Prabhandham of amudhanaar in "kalitthuRai andhaadhi". These songs do 
only good to the reciters and are composed due to the mercy of the 
graceful Thiruvarangatthu amudhanaar on YathirAjar with his great 
AchArya bhakti towards AchAryar Ramanujamuni's Lotus Feet. Emperumaanar 
Sri Ramanujacharya enables all (of us who surrender to his feet) 
understand and realise ASSERTIVELY that the samsaara bhandham and 
materialistic / sensual pleasures are only transitory, lowly, unworthy 
and are even wrong. 

3.   chollin thokai koNd unadhatip pOthukkuth thoNdu cheyyum/
      nallanpar yEththumun naamam ellaam enRan naavinuLLE/
      allum pagalum amarumpadi nalgu aRu samayam/
      vellum parama!* iraamaanusaa! ithu en viNNappamE.

Oh RamanujA! The One who won all the other (six) religions sects (with 
your unambiguous, purely saasthric, most accurate logical arguments 
interpretations with all sruthis /Vedic statements)! This is my request 
to you. Please shower Your mercy on me and enable me to let all your 
Divine names (that the Bhagawathas who are blessed to serve Your Lotus 
Feet, sing pAsurams in praise of You with bhakti laden words and 
meanings) at all times in the days and in the nights. 

4.   ini yen kuRai namakku? emperumaanaar thirunaamaththaal/
      munithantha nooRRettuch chaaviththiri yennum nuNporuLai/
      kanithantha chenchol kaliththuRai yandhaadhi paadith thandhaan/
      punithan thiruvara~ngaththu amudhaagiya puNNiyanE.

Where is any grievance for us hereafter? Due to the greatest divine 
names of Emperumaanar, in the from of 108 pAsurams, with are sweetest 
bhakti laden words of tastiest fruit in andhaadhi style, composed this 
greatest good work by the blessed Thiruvarangatthu amudhanaar, is there 
any grievance for us hereafter?. 

Due to KooratthAzhwAn kataaksham, Amudhanaar understood the Greatness 
and glory of Bhagawadh  Ramanuja and composed this Prabhandham on 
Ramanuja, for the benefit of us. It is for us to learn and get to know 
YathirAjar's greatness and his Divya kalyANa guNAs, amudhanaar has sung 
these 108 pAsurams which is called "Raamaanusa nooRRandhaadhi".   

Let us have a quick look at pAsuram no. 84 (all 108 is great! This one, 
is my favourite).

kaNdukoNdEn em raamaanusan thannai* kaaNdalumE
thoNdukoNdEn avan thoNdar poRRaaLil* en thollai vennOy
viNdukoNdEn avan seer veLLavaariyai vaaymaduththu inRu
uNdukoNdEn* innamuRRana Odhil ulappillaiyE.

Now I have seen my Ramanuja; what a great sight it is! That makes me 
desire and seek to serve the golden feet of Bhagawathas - his devotees. 
And here, today I take just a sip from this ocean of auspicious 
qualities and all my past karmaas are destroyed. Alas! There is no end 
if I start to say more. (similar to ("aiyO! ivan azhagenna azhiyaa 
azhagudaiyaan")

It is told that once during a sapthaavaraNam procession in the streets 
of Srirangam, Azhagiya maNavaaLan (namperumAL) Sri RanganAthar had asked 
the vAdhya gOsham (the Nadaswaran and Davil) to stop playing and 
listened with great enjoyment the 108 pAsuram recitation of Ramanusa 
nooRRandhaadhi. (I don't know if it is still continued )

Thiruvarangatthu amudhanaar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam

YathirAjar ThiruvadigalE SaraNam

Narayana Narayana

Narayana dAsan madhavakkannan
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