sri:

srimathe ramanujaya namaha
srimad varavaramunaye namaha

A Beginning or The End?

One of the core tenets of the Visishtadvaitha Srivaishnava Sampradaya as expounded by Swami Ramanuja, also known as the Emperumanar Darsanam, is the theory of causality known as the “satkaryavada”. It is defined by the axiom that the existence of any effect is implied in a latent form whenever a cause is exercised. It is a tenet that found favor with Swami Ramanuja in his explanation of our ontology, which resonates with the message in the Upanishads and lie in tune with the divine outpourings of the Azhwars. It principally helps rationalize the philosophy associated with creation. Much like the Law of Conservation of Energy, which states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, our sampradayam holds that anything which comes to being is wholly real and is only a transformation from something that existed before to another new, present form and has not been created from a previous state of non existence.

Srisailesa Thaniyan

Sri Varavaramuni Suprabhatham

This dictum is one that followers of this tradition hold at high regard and is one that draws a thin line between ours and other schools of Vedanta. Thus, one can always hold a point of view that the end of something is the beginning of another and also infer that the beginning of one signifies the end of some other. The same concept underlies the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, verse 27 - “jaatasya hi dhruvo mrutyuhu”. It is also indicative of the pasurams of Swami Nammazhwar which are composed in the Andhadhi style, where the beginning of the following verse in the same as the end of the current one.

Thus, it is quite clear that a very interesting Möbius strip like phenomenon is quite predominant in our sampradayam. Interestingly, this day is one that holds extreme significance in this regard. we follow a disciplic succession called the Oran Vazhi Acharya Guru Parampara. This lineage is held in the highest regard amongst our elders and to relive of their glories time and again during the day was a favorite past time of theirs. This succession begins with Sriman Narayana. After them comes Sri Vishwaksena, followed by Swami Nammazhwar. Then begins the era of Sriman Nathamuni. Yamuna Muni, Swami Ramanuja and so on unto Srisailesa or Sri Tirumalai Azhwar. Each of them were known as the “darshana pravarthaka acharya”, roughly translated as ‘The Preceptor Promoting the Vision’. Sri Tirumalai Azhwar was succeeded by the most compassionate, benevolent and illustrious Swami Manavala Mamunigal.

Stories abound the legend of how The Supreme Lord himself sought a teacher who was replete with all of the qualities that defined a preceptor in entirety. It was Namperumal, as one of his many displays of divine amusement, who submitted himself as an acolyte by submitting a salutary verse called as a “thaniyan”. This is the thaniyan that begins as “Srishailesha daya pathram”. It was ordained by Sri Namperumal himself that this thaniyan be recited by one and all at the commencement and conclusion of any gatherings.

Thus, we see two instances of where the beginning and the end have been conceived as symmetric expositions. The Lord took it upon himself to complete the Acharya Ratna Haram by ably forging the hook and fastener so that the disciplic succession is one of perpetual propagation. Also, the invocatory and concluding verse of all recitation has ordained to be the Srisailesa thaniyan, the Srisailesa Maha Mantram.

VEDICS Foundation invites you to listen and delve into the glories of one of the greatest events of our sampradayam. We present to you an upanyasam giving the meanings of the Thaniyan, some graphics that illustrate the incident via paintings and some more resources about Swami Manavala Mamunigal for you to enjoy. As always, we encourage you to share our information across your social media channels and with all your friends and family. Happy Learning!

Please Login to Listen to Sri. U.Ve. Velukkudi Krishnan Swami's Upanyasams on "Manavala Mamunigal Thaniyan and Vaibhavam"

Sri Varavaramuni Mangalam