SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
viLAnjOlaip piLLai had taken shelter under piLLai lOkAchAryar who is the sustainer for SrIranganAtha who is considered as the singular sustainer of the entire world, as specified in the divine words in SrI bhagavath gIthA 7.18 “gyAnI thvAthmaiva mE matham” (it is my opinion that such bhaktha is my soul), and who blessed all rahasya granthams including SrIvachana bhUshaNam which was documented by the orders of hasthigiri aruLALar (dhEvarAjap perumAL), to mercifully reveal the greatness of the ultimate pramANa (scriptures), pramEya (goal) and pramAthru (AchAryas) in proper manner.
By the grace of piLLai lOkAchAryar who is an avathAra viSEsham (distinguished incarnation), viLAnjOlaip ipLLai remained content having learnt from him properly with meanings, without any doubts and errors, 1) all of thiruvAimozhi which is said as in thiruvAimozhi 9.4.9 “thoNdarkku amudhuNNach chol mAlaigaL sonnEn” (I spoke this garland of words for the devotees to enjoy the nectar), 2) the ancillary and sub-ancillary subjects of thirumangai AzhwAr’s prabandhams which are known as in AchArya hrudhayam 43 “irundhamizh nUrpulavar panuvalgaL” (the poems of thirumangai AzhwAr who is known as an expert in thiruvAimozhi) and other eight AzhwArs’ prabandhams respectively, 3) the commentaries which were given for those prabandhams by thirukkurugaip pirAn piLLAn et al, and 4) the special and esoteric rahasyams which directly reveal the essence, taste of the words, taste of the meanings, taste of the mood and internal meanings.
Just as piLLai uRangA villi dhAsar was a close/exclusive servitor for udaiyavar, ERu thiruvudaiyAn dhAsar for nampiLLai and piLLai vAnamAmalai dhAsar for naduvil thiruvIdhip piLLai bhattar, viLAnjOlaip piLLai mercifully remained as piLLai lOkAchAryar’s soul, life, vision, shoulder, ornament, divine feet, lines on the divine feet, shadow of the divine feet, divine sandals and a mattress for the divine feet.
He had natural servitude due to having high birth which did not have any scope for falling down, and was a great sarvagya (omniscient) to even have thiruvAimozhip piLLai who has seen the end of all SAsthrams, sarvagya and very revered as said in Arthi prabandham 22 “thIdhaRRa gyAnath thiruvAimozhip piLLai” (thiruvAimozhip piLLai who has flawless knowledge), to go to him and learn ultimate meanings; he was always glorified saying as in his thaniyan “vAzhi nalam thigazhu nAraNa thAdhan aruL“, by elders who knew the incidents and pure conduct mentioned in AchArya hrudhayam 85 “yAga anuyAga uththara vIdhigaLil kAya anna sthala Sudhdhi paNNina” (emperumAnAr purified his divine form by touching piLLai uRangA villi dhAsar before thiruvArAdhanam, nampiLLai made piLLai ERu thiruvudaiyAr dhAsar to touch the prasAdham before consuming them, naduvil thiruvIdhip piLLai bhattar made piLLai vAnamAmalai dhAsar walk around his new residence as a purificatory ritual); he was mercifully ordered to live in thiruvananthapuram till his last breath by his AchAryar, piLLai lOkAchAryar, in his final moments; based on that merciful order, he went there and remained there in a distinguished manner thinking of him to be the foremost among those who follow nammAzhwAr’s orders in thiruvAimozhi 10.2.8 “nadaminO namargaL uLLIr” (Oh our followers! Go to thiruvananthapuram); he surrendered at the feet of emperumAn who is said as in thiruvAimozhi 10.2.8 “padamudai aravil paLLi payinRavan” (One who has reclined on hooded AdhiSEshan) and sequentially enjoyed the divine face, divine navel and divine feet of emperumAn through the three entrances to the main altar; he then went to a special/secluded location inside a garden in the surrounding of the dhivyadhESam; as said in “guru pAdhAmbujam dhyAyEth” (One should continuously meditate upon guru’s lotus feet), “vigrahAlOkanapara:” (one should be seeing the form of the guru) and “SrIlOkArya mukAravindham akila Sruthyartha kOSam sathAm | thAm gOshtIncha thadhEka leenamanasAsam chinthayantham sadhA ||” (All the meanings of vEdham are present in the mouth of piLLai lOkAchAryar. I am always thinking about him and his gOshti only in my mind …), he meditated upon the divine form of piLLai lOkAchArya which has reddish, divine, lotus feet which is swarmed by beetles, waist which is decorated with the best silk garment, divine chest with sacred thread and lotus-seed necklaces, divine smile with the merciful words of pUrvAchAryas, the eyes which shower mercy, beautiful tuft, crescent like divine forehead, divine eyes and reddish mouth, the golden head with rising glow, sacred thread, golden shoulders, auspicious divine chest, bead necklaces, waist garment, divine lotus feet, the sitting posture of padhmAsanam, the beauty of wearing twelve thirumaNs, the beautiful gyAna mudhrA in his hand; he enjoyed this divine form of piLLai lOkAchAryar and meditated upon it from foot to head and head to foot through uruvu veLippAdu (visualisation) in clear, clearer and clearest manner.
He kept meditating upon the great life of being in piLLai lOkAchAryar’s gOshti which is a replica of nampiLLai’s gOshti which is said in “vArthOncha vruthyApi yadhIya gOshtyAm gOshtyantharANAm prathamAbhavanthi …” (I worship thirukkalikanRi dhAsar (nampiLLai) whose words can be picked up and used, to become leaders in other gOshtis) without thinking about anything else as said by hanuman in SrI rAmAyaNam uththara kANdam 40.14 “bhAvO nAnyathra gachchathi” (My heart will not think about anything else); in the process, spiders would make a web on his divine form and he would remain in samAdhi (total trance) to not realise anything which crawls on him and bites for many days as said in SrI rAmAyaNam sundhara kANdam 36.42 “naivadhamSan” (He does not realise the presence of flies and mosquitoes on his divine form); he would meditate upon the special, ultimate essence of divine works of piLLai lOkAchAryar who is glorified in his thaniyan “ERu thiruvudaiyAn endhai ulagAriyan sol thERu thiruvudaiyAn sIr“, such as SrIvachana bhUshaNam etc all the time; he enjoyed in such a manner that there is no difference between samsAram and paramapadham, to be said by himself as in “pArulagaip ponnulagAp pArkkavum peRROm” (Got to see this material world as the spiritual world).
We will continue with the next part of the avathArikai in the next article.
adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan
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