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SrI:
SrImathE Gopaladesika Mahadesikaya namah:

Dearest Srivaishnavas,

Yaamunaacharya- SrI Alavandhaar- Tradition records his
period from year 917 AD to 1042 AD. (about 125 years).
Today is his Thirunakshathram (Adi UtthirAdam). He was
the Grandson of the thaaLam vazhangith thamizh maRai
innisai thandha vaLLal Sri Nathamuni. 

YAmunAcharya is the grand -Acharya (PrAchAryA) of
Ramanujacharya. He  established the principles of
VisishtAdhvaita as an expansion of the doctrines
housed in his grandfather's treatises and elaborated
on those doctrines with authoritative scriptures such
as Sruthis, Bhagavadh Gita, AzhwAr's paasurams and
Selected SaatvikaPurAnAs. 

He is the one who composed the earliest Stotras of
Srivaishnava Sampradayam:
He wrote the following works great in content and yet
lucid. 
(1) chatusloki 
(2) Stotra Ratnam 
(3) Siddhitrayam consisting of (i) AtmaSiddhi. (ii)
Samvitsiddhi and (iii) Iswara Siddhi 
(4) Agama Pramanya 
(5 ) Maha Purusha Nirnayam 
(6) Gitartha Sangraha 
(7) Nityam 
(8) Maayaa Vaadha Khandanam 

Swamy Desikan says in YathirAja Sapthathi:

Vighaahe Yaamunam Theertham Saadhu Brindaavane Stitham
| 
NirasthaJih Magha Sparse Yatra Krishnah Kritaa Dharah
|| 

(meaning) Alavandar who learned Vedanta Arthas at the
feet of Manakkaal Nambi was not only the one residing
on the banks of Yamuna (Yamunai Thuraivan) by name but
was also like the clear flowing waters of the river
Yamuna. Lord Krishna got rid of the cruel Kaalinga
from the river and made its water pure and clear for
all to drink. He was most delighted when he played
with the Gopis of Brindavanam in the Yamuna waters.
Likewise, Alavandar vanquished those who
misinterpreted the Vedas and established Vedanta
Siddhanta. Just as one can derive supreme pleasure by
bathing in the holy waters of Yamuna, one can enjoy
supreme Bhagavad Gunanubhava by immersing in the lucid
granthas of Yaamuna. 

Once an arrogant vidwAn by name Akkiyalvan was
challenging and humiliating learned men. Yamuna (as a
16 year old boy) accepted the challenge and went to
the court to argue with him. The queen was so
impressed with the boy that she told the king and
persuaded him to give away half the kingdom if he won
in the debate and offered herself to be thrown to wild
dogs, if the boy failed.Akkiyalvan asked the boy to
state three propositions positive or negative which he
offered to counter. And, if he could not, the boy
would be declared the winner. 

Yamuna asked (or stated) three statements. He asked
Akkialwan to counter.  

( i ) Your mother is not a barren woman- Naturally he
could not counter saying that his mother is a barren
woman (he is very much standing in front of
Yamunacharya).

( ii ) The king is a righteous and powerful ruler -
Obviusoly he can not afford to conuter this.
and ( iii ) The queen is a model of chastity. - oh no!
Never can he counter this. 

Akkialvan accepted defeat and the King now asked
Yamuna to disprove his own statements. 

Yamuna clarified by observing the following:- 

( i ) The sacred laws say that an only son is no son
at all. So, Akkiyalvan's mother was as good as barren
in the eyes of the law. 
( ii ) The king cannot be called righteous when he
entertained such an arrogant person to be his chaplain
and his not dismissing the chaplain showed that the
king was indeed powerless. 
( iii ) According to the Sruti texts, every woman is
wedded first to Soma, then Gandharva and then Agni
before marrying her earthly partner. The queen was no
exception and therefore cannot be deemed a model of
chastity. 

(This is only to drive home a point that logic can not
be the solution fully. One needs to fall back on
Saasthras and Sruthi/Smrthis for praMANams.) 
The King sent Akkiyalvan out of his kingdom and gave
Yamuna half his kingdom. The queen hailed the boy as
?Alavandhaar?- One who came to save me..

Thus, Alavandar has become the king and could not
attend to spiritual pursuits further. 

Meanwhile, Rama Misra (maNakkaal nambhi) was trying to
catch Yamunacharya's attention to fulfil his promise
to his Guru to install Alavandar as the spiritual
successor to Nathamuni.. But, he could not meet
Alavandar, being a king now to discuss the matter. He
came out with an idea. He came to know that the king
relishes thoodhu vaLai keerai (kind of spinach). He
supplied that spinach to the royal kitchen daily.
After few months, he stopped. The king asked the cook
as to why the spinach is not being served. They
replied saying "one brahmin used to supply. He does
not come nowadys." Alavandhar told them that he would
like to meet him, if he comes next. Next day, they met
each other. 

Rama misrar told Alavandhar that his grandfather Sri
Nathamuni had passed on the family wealth (kula
dhanam) that needs to be handed over to Sri
Alavandhar. Alavandhar said, "in that case, give me
that." 
"No. It is not here. Come with me.". He took him all
the way to Srirangam Koil. (ArAdha aruLamudham
podhintha kOil). He showed Alavandhar, the Divya
mangaLa vigraham of Sri Ranganathan. Looking at the
Lord, in such divine splendour, the divine beauty- and
looking (with tears rolling down his cheeks) at those
"kariyavaagi, pudai parandhu, miLirndha,
sevvariyOdiya, neeNda, ap periya vaaya kaNgaL.."
(those dark, well spread, shining, ruddy lined, long,
large eyes)- 

He bursts out:
I have nothing to give you. None at all. I have no
quailifications. I am not religious. What a Great
person my Grand Father was! What am I! I have no one
but You(the embodiment of mercy! Compassion!- dayA) as
my refuge. He performed Saranagathy at the Lotus Feet
of Lord Ranganathan. 

na dharma nishtOsmi na chaatma vEdi
na bhaktimaan tvaccharaNAravindE
akinchanOananyagatih saraNya!
tvat paadamoolam saranam prapadye. (Sthothra Rathnam-
22nd sloka)

Oh you worthy of being sought as refuge! I am not one
established in Dharma, nor am i a knower of the self.
I have no fervent devotion to your lotus-feet. Utterly
destitute as I am, and having none else for resort, I
take refuge under your feet. (Translation by Swamy
Adidevananda)

Rama Misra explained the purpose of his mission and
requested Alavandar to take over the reins of
spiritual leadership bequeathed to him by his
illustrious grandfather, Nathamuni. Alavandar took to
Sannyas and was then known as YAMUNA MUNI. 

Sri Alavandhar's naichyAnusanthAnam (feeling lowly
nature of oneself- the jIvAthma as compared to the
Lord's Greatness, KalyANa guNAs) is very beautifully
reflected in SthOthra Rathnam. They are more
appropriate and applicable to us (and not Sri
Alavandhar). He has composed for us only. 

Sloka 48: 
Aparaaadha-sahasra-bhaajanam
patitam bhiima-bhavaarnav'odare;
agatim saran'aagatam hare!
krpayaa kevalam aatmasaat kuru.

Oh Hari! pray, make me your own out of sheer grace -
me, who has fallen into the depths of the terrible
ocean of worldly existence, and who, being resortless,
have sought refuge at your feet.

amaryAdha: Kshudra: chalamadhi: asUyAprasavabhU:
kruthagnO dhurmAni smara paravasO vanchanapara:
nrusamsa: pApishta: kathamahamithO dukkajaladhE :
apArAth uttheerNa: tava paricharEyam charanayO : 

What a soul stirring sloka! One can not but cry
reciting this, (imagining himself as the hero:-( of
the sloka)

AlavandhAr describes himself as:

amaryAdha: - one who has crossed the bounds of
established rules
Kshudra: - engaging in trivial /worldly
/material/sensual pursuits
chalamadhi:- never steady; (chanchalam), fickle  mind 
asUyA prasava bhU : Place where jealousy is born
kruthagana: Ungrateful one
dhurmAnee:- ill feelings towards fellow human beings;
smara paravasa : Fallen into the gamut of desires and
sensual impluses 
vanchanapara: skillfully deceiving others (at cheating
others ) 
nrusamsa: - engaging in violent acts
paapishta: ( Incorrigible sinner - mahA paapi 

Swamy Desikan says- ahamasmi aparAdha chakravartthi.
(also meant for us).
Swamy desikan also writes in Subashithanivi:

I bow with mind, speech and body to that great Lord,
who is the best among all persons, who approaches
others of His own accord without waiting for them to
take the initiative because of His innate goodness and
agreeable nature, as also to myself who is chief among
the wicked and who harms others without reason, there
being one thing in common to us both, viz., that the
good or evil done to us once has the effect of wiping
off all the good and or evil done before. If what God,
in His wisdom, thinks is good, though not really good,
has been done to Him even once by a person, all the
wrongs committed by him earlier is forgiven by Him.
Therefore, I bow to Him. In my case, if once what I
consider wrong, which may not really be so, is done to
me by someone, all the good done by him to me till
then is completely forgotten by me. Fie upon me!
Ingratitude-being the basest of vices, it has been
mentioned at the very beginning. 

What a naicchiyAnusanthAnam!

Swamy?s works are the ones which give us jnAnam about
our unparalleled unambiguous VisishtAdvaita
Srivaishnava philosophy, the presence of which can
never take us to the wrong roads. 

After taking so many countless births, We, (dAsars
(servants) of Sri Alavandhar), who have been blessed
to be born (due to the limitless, unconditional grace
of the Lord Sriya: Pathi Sriman Narayanan) as
Srivaishnava in this birth, and have realized and
taken up the prapatti maargam (due to again the
nirhEthuka krupA of the Lord), who are bequeathed with
such Great Acharyan ? YamunAchAryan, the learning of
whose SrI sukthis enable us to know the tatvatrayam
crystal clear and upAyam and upEyam (means and goal)
perfectly, and keep us reminded of the same always,
will never ever read (hereafter) works of those who
belong to other religions. ? Says Swamy Desikan.

neeLa vandhu inRu vidhivagaiyaal ninaivonRiya naam/
meeLavandhu innum vinai udambu onRil vizhundhu
uzhalaa(dhu)
ALavandhaar ena venRu aruL thandhu viLangiya seer/
Alavandhaar adiyOm padiyOm ini alvazhakkE. 

Let us place our heads at the feet of this great
Acharya Saarvabhouman - the One who was the source of
inspiration for Sri Ramanujaachaarya. May he bless us
with his vailakshaNya kataaksham to keep us on track
at all times! 
 
SrI yaamunAchArya ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Regards
Namo narayana
dAsan



                
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