Sri maNavALa-mA-munikaL
(written by tirumanjanam Sundara Rajan)
Sri maNavALa-mA-munikaL (1370-1443 AD) is the ‘charama-paramAchArya’ (the latest
of the great preceptors) who laid the Srivaishnava faith in unredeemed debt for
his precious services, such as,
(i) revival, reorganization, and acknowledgment of the historic role of the
community of Acharya personages; as in instituting his own ashTa-diG-Gaja-s,
the eight principal disciples, and in setting up the ‘sapta-GOtra-vyavasthA’ for
preservation of the ‘kandADai’ identity;
(ii) restoration of temple structures and worship which had earlier been
vandalised on two traumatic occasions in history, viz., the savage raids of
Malik Kafur (1311) and Ulugh Khan (1331) through the holy ‘divya-dESam’ sites;
for instance, it was mAmunikaL who sanctified the introduction of the
bhUpati-t-tiru-nAL (in the tai / makara-mAsam) of Lord Sriranga, and this is
testified by the beautiful wooden sculpture of mAmunikaL installed by the
donor-devotee Veerappa Bhupati in the rear of the tai-ratham of Lord Sriranga;
(iii) preservation of the esoteric (‘rahasya’) classical works of the liberal,
life-affirming, humanitarian and highly aesthetic doctrines of the Srivaishnava
religion; this was carried out by mAmunikaL by remuneratively engaging
competent copyists on making multiple copies of the classical vyAkhya works;
(iv) propagation of the scriptures and the corollary works of ‘rahasya’
(esoterics) through his own discourses (as on the eeDu bhagavad-vishayam in the
presence of Lord Sriranga), and through his own pellucid commentaries on Pillai
Lokacharya’s esoteric aphorisms (‘rahasya sootra-s’) SRI-VACHANA-BHOOSHANAM,
MUMUKSHU-P-PADI, and ACHARYA-HRDAYAM of his venerated younger brother
azhakia-maNavALa-p-perumAL nAyanAr, etc. This particular endowment of
mAmunikaL was what caused him to be known as ‘viSada-vAk-SikhAmaNi’ (master of
clear expression).
This manner of versatility and multitude of Mamuni’s services patterned after
the life and career of Sri Ramanuja, had earned for Mamuni the revered name of
‘yateendra-pravaNa’ . Mamuni had the venerable pedigree of being descended from
Sri GO-maThattu AzhvAn, one of the 74 simhAsana-adhipati-s identified and
nominated by Sri Ramanuja. At his birth (under mUla asterism, tulA month,
sAdhAraNa year, corresponding to October 24 1370 AD) in AzhvAr tiru-naGari, he
was named azhakiya-maNavALa-p-perumAL (‘ramya-jAmAtA’) after Lord Sriranga, the
festive deity (utsava-archA) specifically, called so as being the Lord of
uRaiyUr kamala-valli dEvi who was adored as the presiding deity of the kingdom
of the early Cholas. Mamuni is the name for Srivaishnavas to acknowledge in
gratitude, pride and in reverence.
The ‘eeDu’ genesis.The ‘eeDu’ is of the Great Literatures of the world, and is the grand
culmination of SrivaishNava vyAkhyA (exegesis) tradition which got started with
tiru-k-kurukai-p-pirAn piLLAn, as authorized by Sri Ramanuja. Sri nampiLLai
it was who delivered the ‘eeDu’ in the form of discourses on the scripture
tiru-vAi-mozhi, while seated in the four-pillared pavilion (‘manDapam’) close
south of sEnai-mudaliyAr (vishvak-sEna) shrine in Srirangam Great Temple. (The
base of a pillar in this manDapam is cut like the back-tilt of an easy-chair,
and this is known as “nampiLLai SAimAnam”, the nampiLLai recline.) It is said
that of a day, periya-perumAL Himself stole to the eastern window of the
gAyatrI-manDapam and peered down to absorb the discourses of nampiLLai. The
eager Lord was noticed by tiru-viLakku-p-picchan, the light-attendant, and
rebuked for His indiscretion and told peremptorily to return to the
SEsha-paryankam, the serpent-couch in the sanctum !
Sri nampiLLai’s lectures were competently and faithfully committed to writing by
vaDakku-t-tiru-veethi-p-piLLai. This record came to be known as EeDu.
Ma-muni appropriately adores VTVPillai as ‘vaLLal’, Blessed Bestower (44,
‘upadESa-ratna-mAlai’). The work is among the ultimate instances of excellence
in ‘rasa’, as meeting the dictum, “mitam cha sAram cha vachO hi vAgmitA” ~
rhetoric consists in brevity and essentiality.
‘SriSailESa’ and mAmuni.
Tirumalai AzhvAr (=SriSailESa) who came to be known as tiru-vAi-mozhi-p-piLLai
(1290-1410 AD) taught ‘eeDu’ to mAmuni (1370-1443 AD). When mAmuni
subsequently came to study the SribhAshyam under kiDAmbi-nAyanAr in Kanchi, the
teacher was impressed with the mAmuni’s facile grasp of SribhAshyam corpus as
principally on account of his deep apprenticeship in eeDu, and encouraged mAmuni
on the course (set for him by his Guru SriSailESa) of reaching eeDu to the
community of scholars.
On mAmuni’s return to Srirangam, there was the divine initiative of Lord
namperumAL to get mAmuni to lecture in public on eeDu. The commodious periya
tiru-maNDapam (= azhakiya maNavALan maNDapam spreading out before the
tiru-aNukkan-vASal guarded by Jaya and Vijaya) was the venue for the year-long
course of mAmuni’s lecture.
Feast for God.
For maNavALa-mA-muni, this was providential approval of his heart’s passion,
this was his God-given means of redeeming his word to his AchArya, SriSailESa,
to enhance community appreciation of the scripture tiru-vAi-mozhi. Lord
Azhakiya-maNavALan and His consorts, ubhaya-nAcchimAr, were in audience in the
‘manDapam’ pavilion which was packed with the grand congregation of devotees.
Each day’s lecture was enriched by mAmuni’s citing of relevant texts and
interpretations from a range of scriptural sources like Sruti, SribhAshyam,
Sruta-prakASikA, GeetA-bhAshyam, the pAncha-rAtra Agamam, SrirAmAyaNam,
mahAbhAratam, SrivishNu-purANam, Srimad-bhAgavatam, etc.
He was assiduous in explaining the meaning of an operative word, the unitive
import emerging from the syntax of a crucial sentence, the apparent meaning
(‘samabhi-vyAhAra-artham’) and the underlying import, the implied message
(‘dhvani’), the SabdArtham, bhAvArtham, the patent reading and the contextual
reading. The venerated text of eeDu which he was expounding demanded such
intellectual alertness and virtuosity, moderated and held on course by mAmuni’s
inborn modesty and manifest devotion to the line of the great AchArya-s who had
bequeathed to him the precious legacy.
The inspired ‘taniyan’.
Lord Sriranga suspended His seasonal festivities for nearly an year to make
possible this vAk-yajnam (worship of the Word) which concluded on the
Ani-t-tiru-moolam of the year pramAdeecha. It is said that as a proper gift
(bahu-mAnam) to the great exponent mAmuni, the Lord inspired a young boy of four
or five (who identified himself by the name Ranga-nayakam) to enter the
congregation and recite the taniyan-SlOkam,
“Sri-SailESa-dayA-pAtram, dhee-bhaktyAdi-guN/ARNavam,
yateendra-pravaNam vandE, ramya-jAmAtaram munim !”
The fervent devotees who had been feasting on the manna of mAmuni’s discourses
wrote down this tribute promptly on a palm-leaf and stamped it with turmeric
paste and placed it at the feet of the Lord in audience.
Ani-t-tiru-mUlam Day
Ani-t-tiru-mUlam of year pramAdeeSa (circa 1432-33 AD) was the blessed day on
which the precious ‘Sri-SailESa’ tribute of mAmunikaL was enunciated. This
sacred couplet was commended (as sEnai-mudaliyAr Sri-mukham) to Tirumalai,
Perumal Koyil (Kanchi) and all the other divya-dESam shrines in the land, and
has ever since been the affix to any formal psalmody (GOshThee recital) of the
‘divya-prabandham’.
The mystic import.
The taniyan is a cryptic formula of ‘praNava-artham’, says piLLai-lOkam-jeeyar,
the author of the twin hagiographic gems, ‘rAmAnujArya divya-charitai’ and
‘yateendra-pravaNa-prabhAvam’. The monosyllabic ‘praNavam’ blends in itself
the identity of the Lord Transcendant, and the entity of the seeker who
instinctively submits to the Lord’s way, and their abiding relationship.
Kanchi prati-vAdi-bhayankaram aNNanGAr-AchArya svAmi reads the couplet to say
how the Lord in his incarnations as SrirAma and SrikrishNa had his dismays and,
as Sriranga-nAtha, he sought out for the rewarding discovery of mAmuni. The
kAnchi-svAmi gets such reflections into each quarter (‘pAdam’) of the couplet.
“SriSailESa-dayA-pAtram” recalls sugreeva who dismayed SrirAma by failing to
mobilise the army in time to fight rAvaNa. sugreeva failed at first to keep
his word, while mAmuni who was the favoured of his AchArya SriSailESa
(tiru-vAi-mozhi-p-piLLai) succeeded, by the very grace of the Lord, to redeem
his pledge to his preceptor to enhance the community appreciation of
tiru-vAi-mozhi.
“dhee-bhaktyAdi-guNARNavam”. Before commencing the war with Ravana, SrirAma
had the unpleasant ceremony of beseeching the aRNava (Ocean) deity but receiving
no response. The Lord would rather seek the consolation of adoring mAmuni, the
Ocean of several merits like intellectual power, unsullied and unbrandished
devotion, unobtrusive wisdom etc.
“yateendra-pravaNam”. The Lord of Tirumalai, SriSailESa, was in debt to Sri
Ramanuja in several respects. However, it transpired that, after the Lord
pondered the Ramanuja-nooRRantAdi verse 97, He prized the service to Ramanuja’s
devotee as exceeding His attachment to Ramanuja himself.
“vandE ramya-jAmAtaram munim !” As Srirama walked the wild under the command of
viSvAmitra muni, he had to put up with very unrewarding narratives like
viSvAmitra’s old-time sports with Menaka, scuffle with VasishTha etc.
Likewise, as Srikrishna proffered the pupil’s gift to his teacher sAndeepinee,
the Lord was disappointed that the teacher did not ask for the ultimate grace,
but as a sentimental parent he merely sought the revival of his child who was
drowned in prabhAsa. On the other hand, mAmuni presented the contrast of
mundane detachment, and this had its wholesome appeal for the Lord who gladly
chose mAmuni to instruct him in tiru-vAi-mozhi itself.
Ani-t-tiru-moolam in mAmuni shrine.
Any event in the maNavAla-mA-muni shrine in Srirangam is marked with
‘aruLi-c-cheyal’ recital by the Great Temple ‘adhyApaka-gOshThee’. The
‘periya alankAram’ food offerings made to the Lord Periya Perumal is received as
a continuing gesture of the Lord’s regard for mAmuni. At the end of the
SAttu-muRai, the devotees receive the holy water and mAmuni’s “pon-aDiyAm
Sen-kamala-p-pOtu” (the wooden sandals used by mAmuni, encased in gold-plate)
are placed on their bowed heads.
Three contemporary corroborations.
At the end of the Ani-t-tiru-moolam protocol, there is chanting of
‘sampradAya-chandrikai’ verses of appiLLAr, and paravAdi-kEsari’s “SriSaila
vaibhavam”, both relating to the momentous emergence of the
‘SriSailESa-dayA-pAtram’ couplet. The minor Sanskrit work ‘SriSailESAshTakam’
by eRumbi-appA on the same theme is another vivid account available to us.
This slender profile of the revered and humane personage mAmunikaL is offered
in celebration of the consecration of the first iconic representation of
mAmunikaL in the USA, and also as a reminder that the revival of his memorial
awaits the expeditious and generous support of every Srivaishnava born.
It would be fitting to end this slim write-up with the following tribute in the
form of a ‘muktaka-SlOkam’ ~
“Sreemad-ranGam jayatu paramam / bhUmi-tEjO nidhAnam,
bhUmA tasmai bhavatu kuSalee / kO/pi bhUmA-sahAya:,
divyam tasmai diSatu vibhavam / dESikO dESikAnAm,
kAlE kAlE vara-vara-muni: / kalpayan manGalAni !”
[ May the glorious (city of) Srirangam prevail as the ultimate reservoir of the
world’s splendour. May (the mother) earth favour this (blessed spot). May
the Lord of bhUmi-dEvi bestow (on Srirangam) divine riches / power time after
time, so that the preceptor par excellence, Vara-vara-muni, could (continuously)
multiply its blessings !]
~ aDiyEn rAmAnuja-dAsan, tirumanjanam Sundara Rajan, at Srirangam
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