Arrival at Kāñcīpuram
Arrival at Kāñcīpuram
Rāmānuja marveled at the divine mercy the Lord had showered on him, even though he had not asked for it. He then went on to have the divine darśana of Lord Varadarāja, the presiding deity of Kāñcīpuram. Situated in the present State of TamiļNādu in South India, a historic city of numerous temples and the ancient capital of the noble dynasty of Pallava kings, Kāñcī is one of the famous centres of the Śrīvaiṣṇava religion. Rāmānuja let the Lord of Kāñcī know of his gratefulness for having helped him reach safely from the dense and dangerous forest of the Vindhyas to his own place, Kāñcīpuram. As a token of his gratitude, he started serving Lord Varadarāja, by fetching the holy water for the tirumanjanam (ritual bath) of the Lord everyday. This continued for some time.
Yādava Prakāśa came back to Kāñcī with his entourage. He was surprised and happy to see Rāmānuja at Kāñcī. He embraced Rāmānuja and said, “O Rāmānuja, how happy I am to see you! I was extremely worried about your safety when I found that you had gone missing from the touring party. I am relieved to see you hale and healthy.” Rāmānuja replied, “O Sir! I somehow got isolated from your entourage in the Vindhya forests. However, by the grace of the Lord, I was able to come back safely.” Yādava then realized that Rāmānuja was not an ordinary person. He felt that there was something extraordinary in this young prodigy. He instructed Rāmānuja to continue to attend his classes. Rāmānuja readily agreed and continued his studies under Yādava Prakāśa.
Śrī Yāmuna arrives at Kāñcī
Śrī Yāmuna arrives at Kāñcī
At this time, a few Śrīvaiṣṇavas who were engaged in the service of Lord Varadarāja, happened to visit Śrīraṅgam. They also visited Śrī Yāmunācārya to pay their respects. Yāmunācārya was a great Ācārya and devotee of Lord Viṣṇu. He was a peerless scholar and a pioneering exponent of the Viśiṣṭādvaita philosophy. He had authored many important works that were instrumental in re-establishing the Vedic Dharma and its subsidiary aspects. He had a burning desire to write a commentary on the Brahmasūtras that would bring out their true meaning in accord with the Scriptures. Yāmunācārya was also the grandson of Śrī Nāthamuni. Nāthamuni was a great Yogi, who had achieved God-realization, and was instrumental in the rediscovery of the Divya Prabandhas, the spontaneous, devotional outpourings of the Āļvārs – the Śrīvaiṣṇava saints – in the form of hymns. These divine experiences of the Āļvārs eventually turned out to provide the guiding light for Rāmānuja when he authored his magnum opus, the Śrībhāṣya – an elaborate commentary on the Brahmasūtras.
The Śrīvaiṣṇavas from Kāñcī spoke to Yāmunācārya about Rāmānuja; describing his great personality that was blooming even as he was still a young man. They also mentioned that Rāmānuja was studying under Yādava Prakāśa. They told him about the debates that Rāmānuja used to have with Yādava in the course of his lectures, including the debate about the Vedic passage ‘kapyāsam…’ and Rāmānuja’s beautiful new explanation. Yāmunācārya was greatly impressed by Rāmānuja’s budding genius. He could immediately realize that Rāmānuja was no ordinary person, but the incarnation of a divine being who had appeared in this world to re-establish the Vedic Dharma and guide people to follow the right path to attain fulfillment. He wanted to see Rāmānuja in person. He immediately proceeded to Lord Raṅganātha, the presiding deity of Śrīraṅgam, and prayed for permission to visit Kāñcī. Having obtained this, he started for Kāñcī accompanied by the Śrīvaiṣṇavas who had come there. On the way, they visited the Divya Deśa of Tirukkovilūr, one of the 108 chosen sites of the Lord. It was the place exalted by the meeting of the three early Āļvārs long ago. They worshipped the deity at that place and proceeded to Kāñcī.
Yāmunācārya blesses Rāmānuja
The city of Kāñcī is a place which commands great reverence. According to Indian lore, it is one of the seven cities in India which unfailingly confers liberation to its citizens. It is also one of the four most important holy places for Śrīvaiṣṇavas. Yāmuna directly proceeded to the temple of Lord Varadarāja. He was welcomed by Śrī Kāñcīpūrṇa, one of his many disciples. Even though Kāñcīpūrṇa was born in the Vaiśya caste, he was such a great devotee of the Lord that the Lord used to converse with him. Kāñcīpūrṇa was engaged in the daily service of Lord Varadarāja. He prostrated before Yāmuna and welcomed him. Kāñcīpūrṇa, then led Yāmuna to the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Varadarāja and arranged for the darshan. Yāmuna, after having the darshan of the Lord and partaking of the Tīrtham and Prasāda, then visited the other shrines around the main temple.
Precisely at that time, Yādava and his students happened to pass by the temple premises. Yāmuna immediately noticed them and asked Kāñcīpūrṇa: “Which one of the students is Rāmānuja?” Kāñcīpūrṇa pointed towards Rāmānuja who was in the middle of the group, and said: “There he is; the one who is tall, well built, with beautiful eyes, and with a divine radiance. Verily he is Rāmānuja.” Yāmuna was delighted to see Rāmānuja. He could immediately gauge the young man’s inner worth. He showered his blessings on Rāmānuja and said, “He verily is the person, for whose arrival we have all been waiting. He is the one who will restore the Vedic Dharma to its original glory.” Having said this, he immersed himself in meditation of Lord Varadarāja and requested the Lord to shower His Divine Grace on Rāmānuja, to enable him to accomplish the tasks for which he had appeared in this world. He then addressed Kāñcīpūrṇa and asked him to take good care of Rāmānuja.
Rāmānuja cures the princess of Kāñcī
At that time, the king of Kāñcī was under distress. His daughter was possessed by an evil spirit and he was looking for a person who could rid her of this affliction. When the king came to know about Yādava Prakāśa, he sent for him through his guards. Yādava Prakāśa went to the palace with his students, accompanied by Rāmānuja. Yādava Prakāśa approached the princess who was possessed and started chanting mantras to drive away the evil spirit. However, the evil spirit refused to budge. The evil spirit talked to Yādava Prakāśa and explained the details of the previous birth of Yādava Prakāśa as well as the reasons for its taking possession of the princess. Yādava Prakāśa then asked the evil spirit about the remedial measures to be followed. The spirit replied, “If Rāmānuja, one of your students, who is the incarnation of a divine being, commands me to leave, I will leave the princess.” Yādava Prakāśa requested Rāmānuja to do so. As per the instructions of Yādava Prakāśa, Rāmānuja commanded the evil spirit to leave the princess. The spirit immediately prostrated at the feet of Rāmānuja and left the princess. Yādava Prakāśa marveled at the greatness of his disciple Rāmānuja.
Yāmuna’s thoughts
Soon after, Yāmunācārya returned to Śrīraṅgam. Since he himself was getting old, he felt that he should appoint a successor to take on the mantle of heading the noble Śrīvaiṣṇava Sampradāyam (tradition). While he was thinking about this, thoughts of Rāmānuja would frequently come to him. He felt that Rāmānuja was the right person to succeed him. He also felt that Rāmānuja should be weaned away from Yādava Prakāśa and further educated under a proper guide. He then prayed to Lord Varadarāja that Rāmānuja would move away from Yādava Prakāśa, become his disciple and then succeed him by taking up the mantle of propagating the Śrīvaiṣṇava tradition after his departure.
Rāmānuja renounces Yādava Prakāśa
Shortly thereafter, when Yādava Prakāśa was conducting his classes, he quoted certain Vedic passages and interpreted them in such a way that it implied that the Jīvātmā (individual soul) and Paramātmā (Universal soul) were totally one and the same and there existed no difference between them whatsoever. Rāmānuja openly contested this point of view, and proved that the views expressed by Yādava Prakāśa were untenable. At this, Yādava Prakāśa became very angry. He told Rāmānuja not to attend his class any more, and that he should find an appropriate guru who could answer his queries in a better manner. Rāmānuja then decided to give up Yādava Prakāśa’s classes.
