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svAmi mudali-ANDAn

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Tssundararajan • January 11, 2000 


SrImAn oppili-appan sannidhi varadAchAri Sadagopan is to  be lauded
for organising the offering of a gem-set  'tiruvaDi-nilai'  ['pAdukA-pITham']
for SrIrAmAnuja at mElkOTE / tiru-nArAyaNa-puram.     He is fervently
supported in this noble endeavour by generous funding of his friends 
with an exceptional degree of devotion to the 'sampradAyam';   Sadagopan
svAmi is evidently endowed with a charisma made up of two elements,
organisation skill and a rare humility ('naichyAnusandhAnam') in service.

SrI-yatirAja as manifest and worshipped in mElkOTE, and in tirumalai-
tiruvEnkaTam, is associated with vital 'sAmpradAyika' memories.
The very 'nAmakaraNam' (christening) of the Lord was done by
svAmi emperumAnAr at these two places ~~ as sampat-kumAra /
SelvappiLLai, and as SrInivAsa.

There is the vital linkage of uDaiyavar with mElkOTE, that it was in this
sacred site that SribhAshyakAra-svAmi genuflected before SelvappiLLai
and unceasingly prayed,

"SrIman, SrIranga-Sriyam anupadravAm anudinam samvardhaya !" 

In mElkOTE, uDaiyavar is seated facing  south towards SrIrangam, and
his prayer has acquired the status of  'mantram' ~~ "that which  protects 
on contemplation", mananAt trAyata iti ~~ which  is recited every day 
countless times by those fortunate to belong to  the fraternity 
of prapanna-jana / SrIvaishNava.
 
The  intended offering at mElkOTE is accordingly appropriate manifold, 
and his efforts of the kind generates an ambience of the congregation 
of like-minded devotees ('paraspara-hitAishiNAm parisaram', in the 
precious phrasing of dEsikan) devoted to the SACRED FEET OF uDaiyavar.   
It is appropriate to recall two texts here :-

"kASin-vAik-karam viRkilum karavAdu mARRili SORiTTu
dESa-vArttai paDaikkum vaN-kaiyinArkaL vAzh tiruk-kOTTiyUr
kESavA ! puruDOttamA ! kiLar-SOtiyA:i ! kuRaLA-venRu
pESuvAr aDiyArkaL entammai viRkavum peRvArkaLE."

                                                        [ periyAzhvAr 4:4:10.

"abhigamya samyag-anaghA: sumEdhasa:
yati-chakravarti-pada-padma-pattanam
hari-bhakta-dAsya-rasikAh parasparam
kraya-vikrayArha-daSayA samindhatE."

                               [svAmidESikan, yatirAja-saptati 18.

Since the sacred feet of SrIrAmAnuja are designated as 
' mudali-ANDAn ' in the 'sampradAyam', Sri Sadagopan svAmi
was pleased to requisition from me a write-up on ANDAn.
I am beholden to him for the assignment, despite that I have nothing
in terms of scholarship or perception to measure up to the majesty of
the eminence of the AchArya forming the theme of assignment. 

I am especially in debt  to Sadagopan svAmi for the kind words
he has spoken of my posting on ANDAn.

Mrs Vasudha Narayanan has supplied a moving episode from the
life of ANDAn, vivifying his natural disposition of humility.    I am happy 
to 
share it with everybody, as the etiquette is "Eka: svAdu na bhunjIta" ~~
not to savour any delicacy all by oneself ! 

 <<< "Was it not the revered Mutali Andan who was sent by Udayavar 
as Attuzhai's stri dhana vellatti?  Attuzhai's in-laws complained that she 
had 
no "servant" sent as part of her dowry.   Her father, udayavar's teacher told 
her 
that Udayavar will take care of everything.  Udayavar asked Mudali Andan 
to go as the "stri dhana vellatti" for her.   If I remember right he served 
her in laws for several months until they realized who he was and were 
regretted it all.  This is the great Mudali Andan we are celebrating today.

<<< "I am also struck by the number 74 for the simhasana adhipatis. I had
heard--and then my father did the research and confirmed it for me-- that
the great Veeranam lake, when it was built had  4 very large weirs and 74
great outlets out of it.  I recall that Udayavar, according to some
biographies, is said to have appointed 4 principal teachers in addition to
the 74 simhasana adhipatis. Quite striking. I don't have the reference for
it in front of me, but I recall the reservoir being built during the time
of the chola king, Rajendra (11th century).
 
<<< "As you quite aptly put, it was indeed a kind of devotional irrigation,
quite like how the Veeranam waters irrigated the local land!  And of
course, Sri Manavala Mamunigal wrote 74 verses in his Upadesa ratnamalai,
watering other parched fields." >>>

aDiyEn rAmAnuja-dAsan, tirumanjanam Sundara Rajan.