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NAMO NARAYANA
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- sri:
- srimate ramanujaya
namah:
- sri padmavati
sametha sri srinivasa parabrahmane namah:
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- Kanchi
Swami Sri P.B ANNangarAryA
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- by
- tirumanjanam
S. Sundara Rajan
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Kanchi Swami Sri P.B ANNangarAryA, was of
Sri-vatsa gOtra and his family name was muDumbai, as was another
noble preceptor-theologian piLLai lOkAchArya. aNNA was the grandson
of the younger brother of lOkAchArya's father, vaDakku-t-tiru-veethi-p-piLLai.
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- aNNA's eponymous ancestor
muDumbai-nambi was among the convocation of
preceptors identified by Sri rAmAnuja and revered as the 74 simhAsan-
Adhipatis.aNNA's spiritual schooling was owed to the line of
preceptors made up of piLLai-lOkA/chArya (of Srirangam), Sri-SailESa
(tiru-vAi-mozhi-p-piLLai of kuntakai...AzhvAr-tiru-nagari), maNavALa-mAmuni
(of AzhvAr- tirunagari. ..Srirangam).
aNNA was born in the 'divya-dESam' tiru-t-taN-kA (in kAncheepuram)
and was named hasti-giri-nAtha after the presiding deity dEva-p-perumAL.
He
received his early instruction from vEdAnta-dESika's son varada-
nAyanAchArya who extolled his disciple's intellectual prowess
by calling him 'prati-vAdi-bhayankaram aNNA' (= formidable in
debate), and presented
to aNNA the 'archA' icon of svAmi-dESikan.
In his later years aNNA came to learn about the outstanding personality
of
kOyil maNavALa-mA-muni and of his great services to the 'sampradAya' in
renovating the 'divya-dESam' temples left ravaged on the brute
trail
(1310-1320 AD) of Malik-kafur, restoring worship and festivals
in the 'divya-dESam' temples,organising a dedicated band of amanuenses
to make multiple copies of the 'sampradAya rahasya' (esoteric)
works so as to preserve them for posterity, writing his own fragrant
exegesis on a part of periyAzhvAr- tirumozhi', 'irAmAnuSa-nUR-RantAdi',
the prasthAna-traya works Sri-vachana-bhUshaNam, mumukshu-p-paDi
and AchArya-hrdayam and, most of all,administering the Great
Temple of Srirangam with great dedication and
vigilance.
Having come to know of mAmuni, aNNA forthwith repaired to Srirangam
seeking to be accepted by the gentle sage. Their very first meeting
was
marked by an outgoing cordiality and expressed admiration for
each other's service in the religion of ancestors.
The 'taniyan' / muktaka-SlOkam of aNNA is nearly a cryptic record
of their
first meeting.
Acknowledging aNNA's early discipleship of nAyanA/chArya, mA-muni
introduced him to the assembly as an intellect nurtured in the
mores of
vEdAnta-dESika (vEdAnta-dESika-kaTAksha-vivrddha-bOdham)
aNNA responded by declaring that he had been singularly blessed
to receive
the grace of mA-muni (kAntOpayantr
-yamina:-karuNAika-pAtram)
- The second line of 'SlOkam'
was then completed by the savants in assembly,
to identify aNNA as of Sri-vatsa descent, and of unblemished
character
(vats-AnvavAyam
anavadya-guNai: upEtambhaktyA bhajAmi paravAdi-bhayankar-Aryam)
aNNA was among the eight select disciples who were thought of
to be the
support and hoist of the religion the 'ashTa-dik-gaja'.
aNNA is to-day remembered for his euphonious hymns drawn upon
the
'divya-prabandham' and dedicated to Sri vEnkaTESa, as bidden
by mA-muni
on a joint pilgrimage to tiru-malai/tiru-vEnkaTam. The 'suprabhAtam'
is
the AzhvAr's tiru-p-paLLi-ezhucchi; the 'mangal-ASAsanam' is
from the
tiru-p-pallANDu; the 'prapatti' draws upon the aruLi-c-cheyal
"ulakam >uNDa",
"Ezhai Etalan", "ArA-amudE" and "taru-tuyaram
taDAyEl"; and 'stOtram'
from diverse hymns of the blessed AzhvAr saints. In the 'mangalA/SAsanam'
and 'prapatti', aNNA's spiritual debt to mA-muni is acknowledged:
"Srimat-sundara-jAmAtr-muni-mAnasa-vAsinE,
SrimatE vEnkaTESAya Sri-nivAsAya mangalam"
(Blessed be the Lord of Sri, and of the vEnkaTam hills, Himself
the abode of
Sri, He the one who dwells in the thoughts of Sri azhakiya-maNavALa-mA-muni
!)
"sAumyOpayantr-muninA
mama darSitau tE,
Sri-vEnkaTESa-charaNau SaraNam prapadyE"
(I seek refuge in Sri vEnkaTESa's feet as were identified for
me
by azhakiya-maNavALa-mA-muni.)
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