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Swami Sri Manaval Mamunikal?s
YATHIRAJA VIMSATI
 
Author: Sri S.Satyamurthi Iyengar
Yatiraja vimsati



Sloka 2

    shrIra~NgarAjacaraNAmbujarAjahaMsaM *
                shrImatparAN~NkushapadAmbujabhR^i~NgarAjam |
        shrIbhaTTanAthaparakAlamukhAbjamitraM *
                shrIvatsacihnacaraNaM yatirAjamIDe ||           (2)


            I adore YATIRAJA, the refuge of Koorathazhvan,
            The steadfast Bee on Nammazhvar?s lovely lotus feet,
            The majestic Swan reposing in Lord Ranganatha?s lotus feet,
The glorious Sun that blossoms forth lotuses like Periazhvar and Thirumangai 
Azhvar.
 
Notes: 
In the preceding sloka, the poet wished to make his head worth its while by 
bowing unto Ramanuja and now the tongue is sought to fulfill its due purpose by 
singing the praise of that king of ascetics (Yatiraja).  Note the words in 
bold, i.e., Bee, Swan and Sun.  Ramanuja has been referred to in this manner in 
keeping with the usage in the Divyaprabandham where the Azhvars, unable to 
stand their separation from their most beloved Lord, employ bees, swans etc, as 
their emissaries to carry messages to the Lord, which, in essence, would denote 
only the great Acharayas interceding between the frail humans, at this feeble 
end and the Super-abundant Benefactor at the other end.  It is particularly 
appropriate to refer Ramanuja as:

1.      Swan-abiding for ever at the lotus feet of Lord Ranganatha even as the 
Rajahamsa dwells in the lotus flower; Even as the swan is endowed with the 
peculiar faculty of separating milk from water, Ramanuja could highlight the 
salient features of the Sastras(Scriptures), eschewing the bewildering maze of 
relatively non-essential aspects; Even as the Lord appeared as a swan to 
disseminate the Vedas, Ramanuja propagated the Sastras among the vast multitude 
of his disciples; Even as the Swan is terribly averse to staying on marshy 
land, Ramanuja would not allow himself to be bogged down by the slushy terrain 
of worldly life (c.f. stanza 100 of Thiruviruttam) and, therefore, became a 
?Paramahamsa?; Even  as the swan is said to imitate the elegant gait of the 
women folk, c.f. Peria Thirumozhi 6-5-5, Ramanuja emulated the Devine Mother, 
Sri Maha Lakshmi, the unfailing intercessor between the ?Jiva? and God, 
pleading effectively with the former and enticing the latter into admission of 
the former unto the latter?s protective fold, c.f. Vedanta Desika?s ?Ukthe 
Rangee nijamapipadam desika desakamkshee?, denoting Ramanuja?s part in securing 
salvation for all his votaries, from Lord Ranganatha.  Similar comparisons 
between swan and Ramanuja could be multiplied.

2.      Bee- drawn to the honey-like sweet qualities of Saint Nammazhvar even 
as the bee hankers after the honey in the lotus flower; like unto the perennial 
humming of the bees, Ramanuja was always reciting the mellifluous hymns of 
Thiruvoimozhi.

3.      Sun- blossoming forth the lotus flower- here, two Azhvars have been 
mentioned, in particular, namely Periazhvar and Thirumangai Azhvar, as the 
lotus flowers being lit up by Ramanuja, the Sun.  The former Azhvar established 
the supremacy of Lord Vishnu over all the other Deities and also indulged in 
disinterested love of God for God?s sake, praying for His well-being instead of 
his own, while the latter Azhvar built the gigantic temple at Srirangam with 
its colossal towers and turrets, spacious mantaps, etc.  By following in their 
footsteps and perpetuating those very activities, Ramanuja pleased them so much 
that their flowery faces brightened up like the lotus blooming at the sight of 
the morning Sun.  Such a response to ?Ramanuja divakara? could well be the case 
with all the other Azhvars and the selective mention of the two Azhvars could 
be taken as their standing for the entire galaxy of Azhvars, the 
fountain-source of inspiration for Ramanuja.



===============================================================
Retyped from the book by Sri Kesavan Srinivasan of Chicago
(The Grandson of Sri U.Ve. Satyamurthi Iyyengar.)
===============================================================


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Azhvar Emberumanar Jeeyar ThiruvadigalE Saranam
adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan 
Mukundan Vangeepuram Pattangi  





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