A peep into thousand years of the history of Sri VaishNavam : Part II

[Guest guest]

SrI :

 

Dear Fellow Students of the History of Sri VaishNavam :

 

In our SampradhAyam , Sriman Narayanan is the First AchAryan ,

Mahaa Lakshmi is the second AchAryan , VishvaksEnar is the third

AchAryan and Swamy NammAzhwAr is the Fourth AchAryan ,

who libed on this earth at the beginning of Kali Yugam .

 

The Taniyan (Benedictory verse) for our Kula Pathi , Swamy NammAzhwAr

composed by Swamy Naatha Muni takes this form :

 

BhakthAmrutham Viswa-janAnumOdhanam

sarvArTadham SrI SaThakOpa Vaangmayam

sahasra SaakhOpanishath samAgamam

NamamAmyaham dhrAvida vEdha sAgaram

 

(Meaning) : adiyEn salutes the divine spech of SrI SaThakOpan ,

which is the veritable ocean of Tamil Vedams . It ( ThiruvAimozhi)

is the SrI Sookthi united with the Saama Vedham linked with its thousand

upanishads . It provides all the meanings of Saama Vedham and is accepted by

all the people as the nectar desired and relished by them .

 

Swamy Natha Muni is the AchAryan , who was accepted by Swamy

NammAzhwAr as His disciple and thus Swamy Natha Muni becomes

our Fifth AchAryan.

 

The salutation to our Guru Paramparai thus takes this form as stated by

KuratthAzhwAr , the disciple of AchArya RaamAnujA :

 

LakshmInATa SamArambhaam Naata-Yaamuna madhyamaam

asmadhAchArya paryanthAm vandhE Guruparamparaam

 

(Meaning ) : adiyEn salutes the Guru ParampArai with Sriman

NaarAyaNan at the beginning , NaaTa Muni and AaLavanthAr in

the middle and with adiyEn's AchAryan at the end .

 

The Goals of this series of Postings

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adiyEn will focus in these postings on the times of AzhwArs and AchAryAs

and the political climate in the country , which had its unavoidable impact on

the mission of AzhwArs and AchAryAs . The many foreign invasions ,

the internecine and pernicious struggle for power among the variouis kings

across the length and breadth of India in support of their religious beliefs

has had a very significant impact . The invasion of the barbarians from central Asia

and Middle East for gold (Somnath to Srirangam) and the rule of the ruthless

colonial powers (East India Company and the British Raj) in search of spices

and other riches in the name of commerce left their distinct scars on the psyche of

India . The AchAryAs were not immune to all these detrimental forces and some times

they had to remove themselves from these hot zones and wait for tranqility to return to

their preferred places of worship to continue with their lives' work as emissaries of

the Supreme Lord at His LeelA VibhUthi . It is in this context , AchArya RaamAnujA

had to leave Srirangam for Melkote and Swamy Desikan had to settle down at

Sathyagalam in Karnataka . It is in this context , KurEsar lost His eyes , PiLLai

LokAcchAr and Sudarsana Soori lost their lives at Srirangam . It is hence important

to understand the tolerant as well as the hostile environment in which the AchAryAs

had to carry on their lives' mission to guide us to the path of Moksham and leave

behind immortal dhivya Sookthis for the benefit of posterity . This tradition continues

and the AchAryAs of today lead us along these ancient and safe paths . Political

parties and their naasthika agenda raise their ugly heads . Our AchAryAs still

find their ways to cope with them and continue to guide us safely across

the wastelands to the comfort and security of Sriman NaarAyaNA's eternal

and comforting kingdom .

 

Diffiuclties in assembling material for this series of postings

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Historians continue to labor in their efforts to find the authentic dates

of the AzhwArs . There are many sources and number of them do not

mesh to create a clear fabric to paint on . We have bits and peaces of

the kings and chieftains , who were disciples of these AzhwArs : Vallabha

Devan of Mathurai belonging to PaaNDya Kulam reigned during the times of

PeriyAzhwAr and ANDAL . Selva Nambi , the AchAryan of PeriyAzhwAr

was the mentor for this king and convened the assembly of scholars to

establish the VedAntha SiddhAntham : Para Tathva NirNayam . ThoNDaradippodi

AzhwAr lived in the times of UrayUr ChOzha Chieftain . This ChOzha king

comes in the lineage of King Dharma Varman of UrayUr ( NisuLApuri) ,

who married his daughter , UrayUr NaacchiyAr ( amsam of NeeLA Devi )

to Sri RanganAthan . ThiruppANAzhwAr was born at the same UrayUr.

KulasEkhara AzhwAr , who married his daughter ChOzha NaacchiyAr

to Lord RanganAtha , was a ruler from the Chera dynasty . Thirumnagai

AzhwAr , the last of the twelve AzhwArs was a commander in chief of

a ChozhA king ruling out of Tanjore after Swamy NammAzhwAr's time

( Before Common Era 3102 ) and before Swamy Nathamuni's time

( 824-924 Common Era).

 

Traditionally , Swamy NammAzhwAr is said to have been born on

the 43rd day after the dawn of Kali Yugam (BCE 3102) . The three

Mudhal AzhwArs are recognized to have been born in the yugam

before Kali Yugam ( DhvApara Yugam , when Lord KrishNa incarnated ).

In adddition to the Mudhal AzhwArs , Thirumazhisai PirAn and Madhura

Kavi AzhwArs are said to have born in the same dhvApara Yugam

( BCE 4202 to 3224 ) . PeriyAzhwAr's time is given as 105 years after

the dawn of Kail Yugam and Thirumangai AzhwAr's time is given as

445 years after the birth of Kali Yugam . These are SamprahAya date lines ,

which may not agree witht he findings of modern day historians adopting

the Western style of analysis . Latter are guided by the occasional references in

some of the AzhwAr Paasurams :

 

(1) PeriyAzhwAr Thirumozhi 4.2.7 ( Nedu MaaRan Thenn KooDarkkOn Thennan ):

 

" konna ViRkkUrvEl Nedu MaaRan Thenn KooDaRkkOn ,

Thennan koNDADum Thenn ThirumAlirumchOlayE " .

 

(2) Thirumangai's Periya Thirumozhi Paasurams ( 1128-1137

about Pallava Kings and other paasurams ( 1498-1507) about

KochenkOtcchOzhan . The first set of Kaliyan's Pasurams are

about the dhivya dEsam of ParamEswara ViNNagaram:

 

" Pallavan Villavan yenRu ulahil PalarAyppala vEndhar vaNangu Kazhal

Pallavan , MallayarkkOn paNintha ParamEcchura ViNNagaramE " ---Paasueam 1128

 

" The other paasraum of this Pathikam carry references to the Pallavaas

who worshipped at ParamEswara ViNNagaram : " Paaarmannu Pallavar kOn

paNintha ParamEcchura ViNNagaramE " , " Paaampudai PallavarkkOn

PaNintha ParamEcchuramE " , " Ulahudai Mannavan Thennavanaik-

kanni-maamathiL soozh KARUVOOR veruva , pala Padai saaya venRAn

paNintha ParamEcchura ViNNagaramE " .

 

To refer to these Pallava kings , Thirumangai Mannan naturally has to have

been born after the time of the above kings .

 

(3) There are kall vettus (Silaa Saasanams) at the stone walls of ancient

dhivya dEsams like Srirangam , poetic styles ( Sanga Kaala poetry)

and grammatical uses ( ilakkaNa nadai) in dhivya Prabhandha Paasurams

that have been used by modern day historians to determine the time of

AzhwArs . That work continues .

 

adiyEn will foucs on the Dynasties --PallavAs , ChOLAs , ChAlukyAs ,

RaashtrakUtAs , Vijaya Nagar kings , Hoysala kings , the Naiks and

the Maraatta Kings of Tanjore -- who formed the backdrop of the times of

our dear AzhwArs and AchAryAs .

 

AzhwAr , AchAryan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan