[sri ramanuja] Remembering SrI kUrakulOtthama dAsar!!!

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srI:

srImathE rAmAnujAya namaha:

 

Today (November 9th, 2006) is a very special and auspicious day. Today

is the thirunakshathram of SrI kUrakulOtthama dAsar (aippaSi

Thiruvathirai)

 

SrI kUrakulOtthama dAsar:

Thaniyan:

lOkAchArya krupapAtram koundinya kula bhooshanam |

samasthAthma gunA vAsam vandhE kUrakulOththamam ||

 

Meaning: I pray to SrI kUrakulOtthama dAsar, who was the object of

mercy of Pillai LokAchAryA,the gem of Koundinya kula, and the

repository of all athma gunAs.

 

Life and times:

SrI kUrakulOtthama dAsa was Born in a pUrvaSikha Sri vaishnava family

in Koudinya Gothram at Srirangam on an Aippasi Tiruvadirai. He

received his Panchasamaskaram from Vadakku thiruveedhippiLLai. Sri

PillaiLokAchArya taught him Divyaprabandams with Vyakyanams,Sree

Bashyam and SruthaprakAsika. Rahasya granthas were taught to him

Azhagiya mANavALap PerumAL nAyanAr, Swami PillaiLokAchArya's brother.

swami piLLai lOkAchAryar, entrusted the responsibility of reforming

Tiruvaimozhi piLLai,(Thirumalai Azhvar),who later became AchAryan of

Swami Manavala mamunigaL. He was serving as minister of the pandya

King.In fact he was ruling the kingdom for nearly 8 years, since the

dethroned King's son was a small boy.

 

Tiruvaimozhip piLLai was a great lover of tamil language and its

literature. kUrakulOtthama dAsa's greatest contribution to the

sampradaya is reforming Tiruvaimozhip piLLai and making him the

AchAryA in the orAN vazhi parampara (as per his AchAryan's

directions). He decided to use Tiruvaimozhip piLLai's love of tamil as

the bait. One day kUrakulOtthama dAsa was chanting Nammazhwar's

tiruviruththam in a way in which it is heard by Tiruvaimozhip piLLai.

Out his love for tamil, Tiruvaimozhip piLLai asked the meanings of

those pAsurams. kUrakulOtthama dAsa said that he wont say the

meanings. Tiruvaimozhip piLLai told this to his foster mother, who

reminded him that he was Swami pillaiLokAchArya's disciple.

 

Another day,Tiruvaimozhip piLLai was on doing rounds on elephant as

part of as his Royal activities. At that time, kUrakulOtthama dAsa was

standing on a small hillock. For Tiruvaimozhip piLLai, kUrakulOtthama

dAsa appeared like Swami pillaiLokAchArya himself and he immediately

surrendered to him and requested him to teach the concepts of the

sampradaya. But he said that he was too busy with Royal duties and

requested him to teach only during the time he wears thiruman. This

was agreed to by kUrakulOtthama dAsa. One day when he was thus

teaching,Tiruvaimozhip piLLai was busily thinking about his Royal

duties without concentrating on kUrakulOtthama dAsa's teachings.

kUrakulOtthama dAsa was irritated and stopped coming for a few days.

So,Tiruvaimozhip piLLai walked to kUrakulOtthama dAsa's tirumALigai

and requested pArdon from him and requested him to give SreepAda

theertham and SEsha prasAdam. Once he took these, he felt as if he

suddenly received immense knowledge and was suddenly frustrated of

worldly life. So he immediately surrendered the kingdom to the Queen

and surrendered himself to kUrakulOtthama dAsa. Thus, he was reformed

by kUrakulOtthama dAsa to become the next AchAryan in the great Sri

vaishnava AchArya parampara. Tiruvaimozhip piLLai later settled in

Azhwar tirunagari, doing service to Azhwar and BhavaishyathAchAryan

sannidhi there and he also later became the AchAryan of the ultimate

AchAryan Swami mAmunikAL himself. Thus Tiruvaimozhip piLLai was

reformed by kUrakulOtthama dAsa. kUrakulOtthama dAsa also directed

Tiruvaimozhip piLLai to go to other disciples of Swami

piLLaiLokAcharya so that he can learn ALL the concepts of sampradaya

thoroughly. TThis was done by Tiruvaimozhip piLLai perfectly. Thus

Tiruvaimozhip piLLai received "eedu" from nAlUrAchAn piLLai which he

taught to mAmunikaL, by teaching which (to numberumAL) mAmunikaL got

his "SreesailEsa" thaniyan from him. "SreesailEsa" in that

unparalleled thaniyan refers to Tiruvaimozhip piLLai.

 

kUrakulOtthama dAsa did the great service of reforming Tiruvaimozhip

piLLai and making him an AchArya. He was the direct reason for making

Tiruvaimozhip piLLai a glorious AchAryan. Tiruvaimozhip piLLai was in

turn was the direct reason in making of mAmunikaL. Thus

kUrakulOtthama dAsa was the hidden reason behind the glories of

mAmunikaL. Swami PillaiLokAchArya was one of the greatest AchAryas, in

that he wrote the rahasya granthas. mAmunikaL is THE ULTIMATE

ACHARYAN, since he wrote the commentaries on the rahasya granthas and

had numberumAL himself as his disciple. kUrakulOtthama dAsa thus acted

as the crucial bridge connecting the two AchAryans. He thus played the

most crucial role. It is also to be noted that his times were

difficult times. We need to relate history also to understand the

context of his achievement. The whole nation was ruled by turks. 12000

Sri vaishnavas had been mercilessly killed in the great genocide at

Srirangam and the Lord of Srirangam, the supreme Lord, numberumAL

himself had to leave Srirangam for his 48 year peregrination around

South India. In such difficult times, the service done by

kUrakulOtthama dAsa is probably the greatest, for, even survival was

very difficult in those times.

 

On this special day, let us remember him and thank him. Let us at

least chant his thaniyans.

 

SwayamAhUya sailEsa guravErthapradanataha |

labdha udArAbhidham kUrakulotama gurum bhaje ||

 

Meaning: I pray to kUrakulotama dAsa, who on his own volition, taught

the good teachings to tiruvaimozhippiLLai and thus got the name

"udArar"

 

Azhwar emperumAnAr Jeeyar tiruvadigaLE saranam!

AchAryan tiruvadigaLE saranam!

vAzhi yatirajan! vAzhi ulagAsiriyan!

 

 

adinAyEn,

varadha rAmAnuja dAsan