You are here: SriPedia - SriRangaSri - Archives - Jul 2001

SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00004 Jul 2001

 
Jul 2001 Indexes ( Date | Thread | Author )
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]


SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anubadravam anudhinam samvardhaya/
SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anubadravam anudhinam samvardhaya//
KAvEri VardhathAm kAlE, kAlE varshathu vAsava:/
SrI RanganAthO jayathu SrI Ranga SrIs cha VardhathAm//
===========================================================
SRI RANGA SRI VOL. 2 / 09 DATED 3rd July 2001 ============================================================
SPECIAL ISSUE CELEBRATING TIRUNAKSHATRAM OF SRIMAN NATHAMUNGAL

(Anbil Ramaswamy)

============================================================

Tirunakshatram of Sriman Naathamunigal

Whenever the Vaishnavas refer to 'Muni trayam'- the three sages, they are paying homage to the three extraordinary preceptors of the philosophy- Naathamuni, Yaamuna muni and Raamaanuja muni who have indeed bequeathed to us a rich and vibrant heritage.

Sriman Natha muni was born in the month Aani and in Anusham Nakshatram.

If Vaishnavism has a global appeal today, it is due to the great Naathamuni who literally recovered from oblivion the hymns of the Azhwars and inaugurated devotional Vaishnavism.

Ranganaathamuni as Naathamuni was originally called was born at Veeranaaraayanapuram near Kaattu Mannaar Koil. It was a period when the reign of Buddhism and Jainism had eclipsed the glorious efforts of the devotional hymnology of Azhwars and Naayanmars. People had retired in smug satisfaction, forgetting the Azhwars and their monumental works.

While Naathamuni was worshipping at the local temple, he heard a few pilgrims reciting a decad of Nammazhwar's Tiruvoimozhi praising Lord 'AaraaVamudhan' - the unsatiating nectar. This concluded saying" those who recited these ten which form part of my 1000 psalms would become the darling of the Gods."

Naathamuni was so impressed with the poetic beauty of the decad and asked them whether they knew the full text of Tiruvoimozhi or at least point out anyone who could help. They directed himto one Paraankusadaasa in Kurugur who was a disciple of Madhurakavi.

Naathamuni made straight to Kurugur but Paraankusadaasa also could not help. But, he suggested that if Naathamuni could recite the " Kanninun Siruthambu" of Madhurakavi 12,000 times at one strech in front of the famous tamarind tree in Adhinaatha temple, he might get an insight into the original verses.

This Naathamuni did with utmost devotion. He obtained in his trance a vision of Nammazhwar himself who personally taught him not only his own compositions but also those of all the other Azhwars.

Naathamuni promptly codified the treasure of devotional hymns as the 'Naalaayira Divya Prabhandam'. The tradition of reciting these had been established by him and kept alive these 1000 years and more and institutionalized and observed as 'Arayar Sevai' before the Lord on special occasions - (a form of dance performed by male dancers specially trained for the purpose) in the Srirangam temple even today.

Naathamuni wrote 3 scholarly works

( i ) Nyaya Tattva ( ii ) Yoga Rahasya and  (iii ) Purusha Nirnaya

But none of them is available today.

His grandson, Yaamunamuni later known as Aalavandaar was just 12 years of age when Naathamuni passed away. And, it is this Aalavandaar who inaugurated the matrix of Srivaishnavism by his spiritual leadership.

=====================================================================

 





Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com


[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index ] [Thread Index ] [Author Index ]
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
srirangasri-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to the list