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Alwar meetings with Nayanmars

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jai simman • October 10, 1997 


Hare Krishna. Please accept my humble obeisances.

Regarding the narration pertaining to the meeting between Thirumangai
Alwar and Thiru-jnana-sambhandar, I came across this in the Tamil book
"108 Vainava Divyadesa Sthala Varalaru", or 108 Vaishnava Divyadesa
sthala histories published by the Sri Vaishnava Siddhanta Publications.
The author is 'Vaishnava Sudarazhi' A. Ethirajan B.A. of Karaikudi. The
book has also been blessed by Sri Varada Yatiraja Jeeyar Swamigal of Sri
Perumbudur Mutt and Sri Ranganarayana Jeeyar Swamigal of the Sri Rangam
Mutt. Therefore, the incident must certainly have been taken to be of
serious factuality. 

Were there any other meetings between the Alwars and the Nayanmars ?

Regarding the Saranagati tattvam of Vaishnavism and its alleged presence
in Shaivism, how would we understand Mannikavasagar's Thiruvasagam,
Sundara Moorthy Nayanar's Thiruthondar thogai and Sekkizhar's Periya
Puranam ? Do they not also allude to a type of Saranagati to Lord Shiva?

The Meykandar school of Pluralistic Saiva Siddhanta also seem to point
in this direction. It says that pasu(living entity) can get free from
paasam (illusion) only through surrendering to Pati(Lord Shiva).

Therefore, how do we understand these type of philosophies in Shaivism
vis-a-vis the presence of Saranagati tattva only in Vaishnava dharma ?

Hari bol !



Daso' smi
R. Jai Simman

Hari bol