Sri Ramanujacharya
Starting today, I would be posting articles/translations of annotated commentary in English by:SrIrangam SrI V. MAdhavakkaNNan on Ramanuja (Iraamanusa) NooRRanthAthi. We all know about the divine glories of Sri Ramanujacharya. Swami Ramanuja’s unparalleled glories have been sung by Amudhanaar in many ways and in different notes in this most wonderful and vine verses. Taittiriya Upanishad says “matru devo bhava, pitru devo bhava, acharya devo bhava” and these verses are pristine example of tremendous acharya bhakti. One may here, read about the glories of acharya and sing; here amudhanaar saw with his own naked eyes and enjoyed the glories of Emperumaanaar and thus bursts out with all these divinely beautiful verses.
Emperumaanaar was born in the month of Chithirai with birth star of Thiruvaadhirai for all of us in this earth and we to get liberated from the cycle of life and death i.e from the ocean of samsaaraa. Swamy was praised and worshipped by all our poorvaachaaryaas and not to exclude our current aachaaryaas and even by us as :-
“Sriman MahaabhoothapurE srimath kesava yajvana:
Kaanthimathyaam prasoothaaya yathiraajaya mangalam “
Swamy was born in Sri Perumbudur. He incarnated in order to make all of us live according to shaastraas, and enjoy the essence and divine nectar of Divya Prabandham and get bhagavadh anubhavam, also understand and dweleve into the meaning of Thirumanthram, other 2 rahasyaa manthrams namely Dvayam and Chara Slokam and also to make us respect and follow the footsteps of our beloved and revered aachaaryan. He incarnated to show us all these by his anushtaanams. It is not only enough you teach or tell everybody about Divya Prabandham or Thirumanthraartham, rahasyams and Aachaarya Nishtai. One should bring these into anushtaanam (Practice). Our beloved emperumaanaar did this in his entire life. If emperumaanaar showed us that we should respect our beloved aachaaryan as he did to his aachaaryaas namely Swaamy Aalavandhaar, Swamy Periya Nambigal, Swamy Thirukkottiyur Nambi, Swamy Periya Thirumalai Nambigal and Swamy Thriuvarangatharaiyar and not to exclude Thirukkachi Nambigal, there should be one who respects emperumaanar as his revered aachaaryan.
One great bhaagavthaa who showed his immense bhakthi towards emperumaanaar was Swamy Thiruvarangathamudhanar through paying his tribute by composing Iraamaanusa Nootrandhaadhi consisting of 108 verses and proving us that reciting this is equivalent of reciting Gaayathri 108 times or even Thriuvashtaaksharam. As we say in the thaniyans that by reciting Gaayathri and Thiruvashtaaksharam we get only Adhrishta Pahalam i.e we dont see Emperumaan as a result of our constant japams but by reciting emperumaanar’s thirunaamam we get both Dhrishta Phalan and also Adhrishta Phalan. i.e we get all the kataaksham of emperumaan and emperumaanaar while we live here and also get Paramapada Praapthi after our life in this earth.
This Iraamaanusa Nootrandhaadhi is also knows as Prapanna Gaayathri which says its equivalent to Gaayathri Manthram.
The first paasuram goes like this :-
“Poomannu Maadhu Porundhiya Maarban, Pugazh Malindha
Paamannu Maran, Adi Panindhuindhavan- Pal kalaiyOr
thaam manna vandha iraamaanusan, saranaaravindham
naam manni vaazha, Nenje solluvOm avan naamangalE”
Our poorvaachaaryaas have enjoyed this paasuram as follows in terms of forming the vyaakyaanam (Inner meaning) :-
“Poomannu maadhu, Maadhu Porundhiya Maarban, Maarban Pugazh Malinda
Paa, Paa mannu maaran, Maaran adi panindhuindhavan, Pal kalaiyor
thaam manna vandha iraamaanusan saranaaravindham naam manni vaazha,
Nenje SolluvOm avan naamangale..”
Poomannu Maadhu :- A woman who sits in a flower
Maadhu Proundhiya Maarban :- A man who has the woman fit in his chest who doesn’t get separated from his chest
Maarban Pugaah Malinda Paa :- “Paa” the meter of composing tamil paasurams or songs in which the above mentioned man is praised all over
Paa Mannu Maaran :- Maaran (Swamy Nammaazhwaar) who dwelves in these verses of Thiruvaaimozhi or entire Divya Prabandham
Maaran Adi Panindhuindhavan :- One who gave his entire life to the lotus feet of Maaran (Swamy Nammaazhwaar) and also followed his footsteps in experiencing the Bhagavadh Anubhavam
Pal KalaiyOr Thaam Manna Vandha Iraamaanuasan :- Scholars who had learnt all 4 Vedaas, shaastras Sruthis failed to realize and understand supreme power took refuge at the feet of Swamy Emperumaanaar
Saranaaravindham Naam Manni Vaazha :- For us to take refuge at the lotus feet of this Iraamaanusan who was praised by all the great scholars of shaastraas
Nenje SolluvOm avan naamangalE :- Oh our mind..!!, let us recite the great Thirunaam of Emperumaanaar which is the easiest and greatest and the one which can give both Drishta and Adhrishta Phalam and it is the name “Iraamaanusaa”
So when we recite emperumaanaar’s thirunaamam what do we get as the phalan or the the benefit ??. What we get is , We can never get separated from emperumaanar and his grace will always be with us throughout our life in this earth and also our life in this earth. Also while in this earth we get all the great fame and all knowledge and power that those great scholars of 4 vedas and shaastraas who took refuge at the lotus feet of Swamy Emperumaanaar. Hence oh our great heart, please recite the
Thirunaamam “Iraamaanusaa”.
For tamil version of the verses and meanings please follow this url Ramanuja Nootranthathi – Tamil
Source: srinivas_ram19 / Annotated Commentary in English By:SrIrangam SrI V. MAdhavakkaNNan
