SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujaya nama: Srimath varavaramunayE nama:
Glories of thiruvAimozhip piLLai
thiruvAimozhip piLLai – kunthInagaram (konthagai)
thiruvAimozhip piLLai was born on vaikAsi, viSAkam in kunthI nagaram (currently known as kondhagai), located near Madurai. His original name was SrISailEsar. SrISailam refers to thirumalai. Therefore, he was called thirumalai AzhwAr. At a young age, he received pancha samskAram from piLLai lOkAchAryar and became his Sishya. Since he was an exceptional scholar even in his youth, the King of Madurai requested SrISailEsar to serve as his minister. Shortly thereafter, after the death of the king, he served as a great advisor to the crown prince who succeeded the throne and ensured the kingdom’s administration was conducted excellently.
During the period when he was not involved in the SrIvaishNava sampradhAya, kUra kulOththama dhAsar (another disciple of piLLai lOkAchAryar) reformed him and moulded him into a great AchArya of our sampradhAyam. Before piLLai lOkAchAryar departed for paramapadham (thirunAttiRku ezhundharuLum munbu), he entrusted this important responsibility to kUra kulOththama dhAsar. Accordingly, just as maNakkAl nambi developed ALavandhAr into an AchArya, kUra kulOththama dhAsar took on the responsibility of shaping thirumalai AzhwAr into a great AchArya. While thirumalai AzhwAr was a minister, kUra kulOththama dhAsar would stand in such places where the minister’s procession passed and recite AzhwArs’ pAsurams. thirumalai AzhwAr, drawn by the pAsurams, contacted him and gradually began to involve himself in sampradhAya matters. He performed kainkaryam for kUra kulOththama dhAsar until the latter reached thirunAdu (paramapadham).
After he reached thirunAdu, thirumalai AzhwAr renounced his ministerial position, realized the greatness of nammAzhwAr, and reached AzhwAr thirunagari. Seeing AzhwAr thirunagari overgrown with forest, thirumalai AzhwAr cleared it, brought back the deity of nammAzhwAr from the Kerala region to AzhwAr thirunagari, performed punar nirmANam (renovation) of the temples of AzhwAr and AdhinAthap pirAn, and ensured kainkaryams were performed excellently. Having seen in a dream that the bhavishyadhAchAryar thirumEni (emperumAnAr’s deity) was beneath nammAzhwAr’s divine tamarind tree (thiruppuLiyAzhwAr), he established a separate temple for him in the western part of AzhwAr thirunagari. He built a chathur vEdhi mangalam (4 streets around the temple) and established a settlement for SrIvaishNavas there. He ensured that the kainkaryams for bhavishyadhAchAryar were carried out well through them.
He learned sampradhAya vishayangaL (sampradhAya matters) from many AchAryas. He learned the core tenets of the sampradhAya from kUra kulOththama dhAsar. He went to viLAnjOlaip piLLai and learned the meanings of piLLai lOkAchAryar’s SrIvachana bhUshaNam in great detail. nampiLLai obtained 36000 padi thiruvAimozhi vyAkhyAnam from vadakkuth thiruvIdhip piLLai and gave to his another Sishya, eeyuNNi mAdhavap perumAL, and instructed him to pass it on to a deserving authority. eeyuNNi mAdhavap perumAL gave it to his son eeyuNNi padmanAbha perumAL, who then gave it to nAlur piLLai. nAlur piLLai gave the eedu vyAkyAnam to nAlUrAchchAn piLLai. In thirunArAyaNapuram, nAlUrAchchAn piLLai taught this vyAkhyAnam to thiruvAimozhip piLLai.
He dedicated his life to nammAzhwAr and thiruvAimozhi. Thus, he was called ‘thiruvAimozhip piLLai’. He was also called as ‘SatakOpa dhAsar’, meaning one who lived for SatakOpan (nammAzhwAr). The descendants of thiruvAimozhip piLLai continue to perform kainkaryams in AzhwAr thirunagari and other dhivya dhESams to this day. thiruvAimozhip piLLai was primarily responsible for reclaiming and renovating AzhwAr thirunagari, which had fallen into a state of ruin. He established the sannidhis of nammAzhwAr, emperumAn, and bhavishyadhAchAryar, ensuring that kainkaryam was performed in a grand and orderly manner. Furthermore, among the OrAN vazhi AchAryas, he is the only one who does not appear to have resided in SrIrangam. Upon hearing the glories of thiruvAimozhip piLLai, maNavALa mAmunigaL travelled to AzhwAr thirunagari specifically to seek him out, took pancha samskAram from him, accepting him as his AchArya. We learn that maNavALa mAmunigaL remained in AzhwAr thirunagari, performing dedicated kainkaryam to his AchArya for the remainder of thiruvAimozhip piLLai’s life. It is understood that thiruvAimozhip piLLai authored a svApadhESa vyAkhyAnam for periyAzhwAr thirumozhi.
thiruvAimozhip piLLai vAzhi thirunAmam
vaiyagameN sadagOpan maRai vaLarththOn vAzhiyE
vaigAsi visAgaththil vandhudhiththAn vAzhiyE
aiyan aruNmAri kalai AyndhuraippOn vAzhiyE
azhagArum ethirAsar adipaNivOn vAzhiyE
thuyyavulagAriyan than thuNaippadhaththOn vAzhiyE
thol kurugApuri adhanaith thulakkinAn vAzhiyE
dheivanagar kundhi thannil siRakka vandhOn vAzhiyE
thiruvAimozhip piLLai thiruvadigaL vAzhiyE
thiruvAimozhip piLLai vAzhi thirunAmam – Explanation
vaiyagameN sadagOpan maRai vaLarththOn vAzhiyE – May thiruvAimozhip piLLai, who nourished and propagated the dhivya prabandhams of nammAzhwAr (known as the thamizh vEdham), so that great souls of this entire world (vaiyagam) may contemplate and rejoice in them, live long (pallANdu)!
vaigAsi visAgaththil vandhudhiththAn vAzhiyE – May the glorious thiruvAimozhip piLLai, who appeared in this world on the day of viSAka nakshathram in the month of vaikAsi, which is notably the same thirunakshathram as nammAzhwAr, live long (pallANdu)!
aiyan aruNmAri kalai AyndhuraippOn vAzhiyE – aiyan means father; like a father, thirumangai AzhwAr gave us his prabandhams. Long live thiruvAimozhip piLLai, who researched and expounded the inner meanings of the dhivya prabandhams of thirumangai AzhwAr (who is known as aruLmAri). We have already seen that an AchArya must be an expert in all SAsthrams, samskrutha (sanskrit) granthams, vEdhams, and thamizh prabandhams. Accordingly, though he was named as thiruvAimozhip piLLai, he was a master of all AzhwArs’ dhivya prabandhams. thirumangai AzhwAr’s prabandhams are considered as the six angams (parts) to nammAzhwAr’s prabandhams. Thus, thiruvAimozhip piLLai analyzed them deeply and explained their essences for the benefit of the world, live long (pallANdu)!
azhagArum ethirAsar adipaNivOn vAzhiyE – Long live thiruvAimozhip piLLai, who worships the thiruvadigaL (divine lotus feet) of ethirAsar (SrI rAmAnujar), who is filled with spiritual beauty. He introduced emperumAnAr to his Sishya, maNavALa mAmunigaL, and insisted that the kainkaryam at the bhavishyadhAchAryar sannidhi (which he established in AzhwAr thirunagari) should always be performed grandly. We know that maNavALa mAmunigaL took his AchArya’s words as his life’s mission; it was at this bhavishyadhAchAryar sannidhi that maNavALa mAmunigaL submitted his yathirAja vimSathi (twenty SlOkams on emperumAnAr). May thiruvAimozhi piLLai, who possesses such great glories, live long (pallANdu)!
thuyya ulagAriyan than thuNaippadhaththOn vAzhiyE – May thiruvAimozhip piLLai, who exists as the shadow of the thiruvadi nilai (pAdhukA) of parama kAruNikar (the supreme merciful) piLLai lOkAchAryar (ulagAriyan), who authored the rahasya granthams for the ujjIvanam (salvation) of everyone in this world, live long (pallANdu)!
thol kurugApuri adhanaith thulakkinAn vAzhiyE – kurugApuri is AzhwAr thirunagari where AdhinAthan emperumAn resides. May thiruvAimozhip piLLai, who performed punar nirmANam (renovated and restored) of the ancient city of thirukkurugUr (AzhwAr thirunagari), live long (pallANdu)!
dheivanagar kundhi thannil siRakka vandhOn vAzhiyE – May thiruvAimozhip piLLai, who graced the divine town of kunthi nagaram (currently known as kondhagai) by taking his avathAram there, live long (pallANdu)!
thiruvAimozhip piLLai thiruvadigaL vAzhiyE – vAzhi thirunAmam concludes by declaring that the matchless thiruvadigaL (divine lotus feet) of thiruvAimozhip piLLai, live long (pallANdu)!
AzhwAr emperumAnAr jIyar thiruvadigaLE SaraNam
adiyEn govindarAja rAmAnuja dAsan
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