Nathamunigal

Sri Nathamuni was born in 824 CE in the village called Viranarayana in Kattumannar Koil near Chidambaram, in the month of Ani and star Anusham. His father was Isvarabhatta and he had a son by name Isvaramuni. Based on some accounts, he lived during the late 9th or early 10th century.

Sri Nathamuni went on a long pilgrimage that took him to Divya Desams like Mathura, Vrindhavan, Bengal and Puri.

On his return to his home town, he met with some SriVaishnavas from the Western part of the country, who recited some 10 hymns composed by Nammazhvar where the 11th paasuram ended with "orayirathhul ippathum" which roughly means "of the one thousand, this ten poems" then Natha muni asked those srivaishnavas that if they knew the rest of the thousand, for which they answered "no".

In the same poem he noted a kshetra named "Kurugoor" and a name "Sadakopan" which meant that the person Sadakopan from Kurugoor wrote the song. And then he reached kurugoor.

This is where, Nathamuni came in contact with Madhura-kavi azhwar, the disciple of Nammazhwar, and asked him if the hymns of Nammazhwar are available. Madhura kavi azhwar told him that, after composing an extensive book of hymns in Tamil and instructing him the same, Nammazhwar attained salvation. However, the local people, due to their misconception that the study of the hymns would be detrimental to the Vedic religion, threw the work into the river Tamraparani. Only one page, containing to hymns of the work, was picked up by a man who appreciated the hymns and recited them. Thus only 10 hymns have been saved at this time.

Nathamunigal was very much worried and anxious to compile the missing Pasurams. In the night Natamuni was blessed by Satakopa and in the morning he started the parayanam of Kanninunchirutthambu (Prabhandam by madhurakavi, which was common in kurugoor as praise for satakopa). He recited that 12000 times the verse composed by Madhura Kavi Alzwar in adoration of Nammalwar. Then Satakopa blessed nathamuni with the 4000 dhivyaprabhandam. Not satisfied, Nathamuni wanted to know all the purports also in detail, its meanings commentaries. Satagopa revealed all that was asked for by Nathamuni.

Nathamuni brought the hymns together and with the help of his two nephews, Melaiyagattazhwar and Kilaiyagattazhwar, set them to music in the Vedic manner. From that time onwards, these hymns were sung in the temples and were regarded as Tamil Veda.

Shri Nathamuni also practiced Ashtanga yoga. It is with nathamuni that all the five parampara are combined into one, and hence he is called the one who established/combined the "Guruparampara". He then passed these on to Shri Uyyakondar, who in turn passed it on to manakkal nimbi and who inturn passed it to Nathamuni's grandson YAmuna/Yamunacharya/Alavandhar. Yamuna passed these wealth of knowledge to five of his eminent students, one each. He passed on bhagawad geetha rahasyartham to Thirukoshtiyur nambhi (goshti purna), Bhagawad vishayam and its meanings to Thirumalai Andaan, panchasamskara, mantra mantraartha meanings commentaries to Periya nambhi (maha poorna), Ramayanan and ithihasa rahasyas to Thirumalai nimbi, Dhivyaprabhanda and panchamopaya and charamapadArtha and their commentaries to Thiruvaranga perumal arayar.


Nathamuni wrote three works:

Nayaaya-tattva
Purusa-ninnaya
Yoga-rahasya

He was also a great exponent in Yoga and practiced the Yoga of eight accessories ( ashtAnga yoga).

Nathamuni was the one who established/combined the "Guruparampara". He then passed these on to Shri Uyyakondar, who in turn passed it on to manakkal nimbi and who inturn passed it to Nathamuni's grandson YAmuna/Yamunacharya/Alavandhar. Yamuna passed these wealth of knowledge to five of his eminent students, one each. He passed on bhagawad geetha rahasyartham to Thirukoshtiyur nambhi (goshti purna), Bhagawad vishayam and its meanings to Thirumalai Andaan, panchasamskara, mantra mantraartha meanings commentaries to Periya nambhi (maha poorna), Ramayanan and ithihasa rahasyas to Thirumalai nimbi, Dhivyaprabhanda and panchamopaya and charamapadArtha and their commentaries to Thiruvaranga perumal arayar.

PrapannAmrta says that Nathamunigal attained Vaikuntam by entering into Yoga in the city of AgangA.





Whenever the Vaishnavas refer to 'Muni trayam'- the three sages, they are paying homage to the three extraordinary preceptors of the philosophy- Naathamuni, Yaamuna muni and Raamaanuja muni who have indeed bequeathed to us a rich and vibrant heritage.

Sriman Natha muni was born in the month Aani and in Anusham Nakshatram.

If Vaishnavism has a global appeal today, it is due to the great Naathamuni who literally recovered from oblivion the hymns of the Azhwars and inaugurated devotional Vaishnavism.

Ranganaathamuni as Naathamuni was originally called was born at Veeranaaraayanapuram near Kaattu Mannaar Koil. It was a period when the reign of Buddhism and Jainism had eclipsed the glorious efforts of the devotional hymnology of Azhwars and Naayanmars. People had retired in smug satisfaction, forgetting the Azhwars and their monumental works.

While Naathamuni was worshipping at the local temple, he heard a few pilgrims reciting a decad of Nammazhwar's Tiruvoimozhi praising Lord 'AaraaVamudhan' - the unsatiating nectar. This concluded saying " those who recited these ten which form part of my 1000 psalms would become the darling of the Gods."

Naathamuni was so impressed with the poetic beauty of the decad and asked them whether they knew the full text of Tiruvoimozhi or at least point out anyone who could help. They directed him to one Paraankusadaasa in Kurugur who was a disciple of Madhurakavi.

Naathamuni made straight to Kurugur but Paraankusadaasa also could not help. But, he suggested that if Naathamuni could recite the " Kanninun Siruthambu" of Madhurakavi 12,000 times at one strech in front of the famous tamarind tree in Adhinaatha temple, he might get an insight into the original verses.

This Naathamuni did with utmost devotion. He obtained in his trance a vision of Nammazhwar himself who personally taught him not only his own compositions but also those of all the other Azhwars.

Naathamuni promptly codified the treasure of devotional hymns as the 'Naalaayira Divya Prabhandam'. The tradition of reciting these had been established by him and kept alive these 1000 years and more and institutionalized and observed as 'Arayar Sevai' before the Lord on special occasions - (a form of dance performed by male dancers specially trained for the purpose) in the Srirangam temple even today.

Naathamuni wrote 3 scholarly works

( i ) Nyaya Tattva ( ii ) Yoga Rahasya and (iii ) Purusha Nirnaya

But none of them is available today.

His grandson, Yaamunamuni later known as Aalavandaar was just 12 years of age when Naathamuni passed away. And, it is this Aalavandaar who inaugurated the matrix of Srivaishnavism by his spiritual leadership.

Thanks to: Sri Anbil Ramaswamy Iyengar
Published in Srirangasri



Swami Desikan wrote a verse dedicated to Sri
NathamunigaL in his Yathirajasapathathi, whose meaning
is as follows:

nAthEna muninA tEna bhavEyam nathavAnaham I
yasya naigamikam tattvam hasthAmalakathAm gatham II

I humbly salute the leader of our SampradhAyam; he is
the one who made it possible for the deep, difficult
to understand meanings of the VedAs for us to
understand. (through Divya Prabhandham). It is like
the nellikkani (a small fruit) on the palm, which is
so conspicuous and is self revealing ( that it is he
who is the AchAryA who has blessed us with this
treasure and is the link in our lineage of our
AchAryAs)

Swami Desika also pays his obeisance to Sriman
Nathamuni in adhikara sangraham:

kaaLam valampuriyanna naRkaathal adiyavarkku
thaaLam vazhangi thamizh maRai innisai thandha vaLLal
mooLum thavaneRi moottiya naathamuni kazhalE
naaLum thozhudhu yezhuvOm namakku Ar nigar
innaanilaththE.

Sri Nathamuni blesses us with the Tamizh MaRai (Tamil
Veda- namely Divya prabandham). He had set to various
raga, thaalam and arranged thorugh his disciples mElai
agatthAzhwAn and Keezhai agatthAzhwAn to dane singing
these prabandhams with raga and thaaLa.. Thus
propagating the verses in musical manner as sort of
sEvai to Lord Ranganathan {which is being followed
even today during Adhyayana uthsavam- as Araiyar Sevai
at Srirangam and other temples as well).

Swami further states that such most benevolent, most
merciful, vaLLal [as he had given us the invaluable
treasure in the name of Alwar?s 4000 and also the link
for our Srivaishnava acharyas thereby he himself is
gift to our sampradayam) Sri Nathamuni's lotus feet
alone is our only refuge. Swami is proud and roars
that since we have the divya Prabandam given by Sri
Nathamuni and since we have such greatest Acharya in
our lineage which goes down to prakritham acharya,
there is absolutely none equal to us.

namakku aar nigar in naanilatthE? Aar? None..
Naatha muni wrote 3 scholarly works
( 1 ) Nyaya Tattva which contains the following 5
chapters viz., ( i ) Jnaana (Knowledge), (ii) Prameya
( Objects of cognition), (iii)Pramaatru (the
Cognizer),(iv) Karma (Action) and (v) Nyaaya (Logic)
( 2 ) Yoga Rahasya which is said to have contained the
nuances of devotion (Bhagavad Upaasana) to the Lord
through Dhyaanam (meditation) and
(3 ) Purusha Nirnaya. But none of them is available
today. He also composed the Tanian for Tiruvoimozhi
called "Bhaktaamrutham".

His grandson, Yamuna muni later known as Aalavandaar
was just 12 years of age when Natha muni passed away.
And, it is this Aalavandaar who inaugurated the matrix
of Sri vaishnavam by his spiritual leadership.

Namoh Chintayaathbhutha Aaklishta Gnaana Vairaaghya
Raasaye |
Naathaaya Munaye Ekaantha Bhagavad Bhakti Sindhave ||
(meaning)Salutations to Naatha muni who is having
single minded devotion to the Lord and who is the
treasure of both Gnaana and Vairaaghya.
Familial lineage and Guru-Sishya Parampara from Sri
Naatha muni to Sri Raamaanuja muni.

The familial Parampara of Sri Naatha Muni is as
follows:

Sri Easwara Muni.
His son was Sri NAATHA MUNI.
His son was Easwara Bhatta Aazhvaan.
His son was Yaamuna Muni.
His son was Sottai Nambi.
His son was Ennaachaan.
His son was Pillaiappar.
His son was Thozhappar.

The Guru- Sishya Parampara from Sri Naatha Muni to Sri
Raamaanuja Muni is as follows: (The primary Sishyas
name is given in Block Capital letters while the names
of other Sishyas is given in Ordinary letters)

SRI NAATHA MUNI- His Prime Sishya was- PADMAAKSHAR aka
PUNDARIKAAKSHAR, UYYAKKONDAAR. His other Sishyas were:


(1) Kurugai Kaavalappan
(2) Nambi Karunaakara Daasar
(3) Yeru Thiruvudaiyaan
(4) Tiruk Kanna Mangai Aandaan
(5) Vaana Maa Devi Aandaan
(6) Uruppattur Aachaan and
(7) Sogathur Aachaan

Reference: Sri Anbil Ramaswamy mama's book Hinduism
rediscovered..


Gajaananar is a nityasuri in Sri Vaikuntham who is an assistant of
Vishwaksenar along with Kumudan, KumudAkshar and Harivaktrar.
Gajaananar took avataaram as Nathamuni
Kumudan took avataaram as Uyyakondar
Kumudaakshar took avataaram as Manakaal Nambi and
Harivakktrar took avataaram as Yamunacharya

Srirangam Srinivasa Raghava dasan


Thanian:

nAthEna muninA tEna bhavEyam nathavAnaham
yasya naigamikam tattvam hasthAmalakathAm gatham

Meaning: I have as my mentor, Naathamuni of our SampradhAyam, to whom the
profound and difficult meaning of the VedAs was like a nellikkani fruit in the
hand


Tirunakshatram of Sriman Naathamunigal

Whenever the Vaishnavas refer to 'Muni trayam'- the three sages, they are paying homage to the three extraordinary preceptors of the philosophy- Naathamuni, Yaamuna muni and Raamaanuja muni who have indeed bequeathed to us a rich and vibrant heritage.

Sriman Natha muni was born in the month Aani and in Anusham Nakshatram.

If Vaishnavism has a global appeal today, it is due to the great Naathamuni who literally recovered from oblivion the hymns of the Azhwars and inaugurated devotional Vaishnavism.

Ranganaathamuni as Naathamuni was originally called was born at Veeranaaraayanapuram near Kaattu Mannaar Koil. It was a period when the reign of Buddhism and Jainism had eclipsed the glorious efforts of the devotional hymnology of Azhwars and Naayanmars. People had retired in smug satisfaction, forgetting the Azhwars and their monumental works.

While Naathamuni was worshipping at the local temple, he heard a few pilgrims reciting a decad of Nammazhwar's Tiruvoimozhi praising Lord 'AaraaVamudhan' - the unsatiating nectar. This concluded saying" those who recited these ten which form part of my 1000 psalms would become the darling of the Gods."

Naathamuni was so impressed with the poetic beauty of the decad and asked them whether they knew the full text of Tiruvoimozhi or at least point out anyone who could help. They directed himto one Paraankusadaasa in Kurugur who was a disciple of Madhurakavi.

Naathamuni made straight to Kurugur but Paraankusadaasa also could not help. But, he suggested that if Naathamuni could recite the " Kanninun Siruthambu" of Madhurakavi 12,000 times at one strech in front of the famous tamarind tree in Adhinaatha temple, he might get an insight into the original verses.

This Naathamuni did with utmost devotion. He obtained in his trance a vision of Nammazhwar himself who personally taught him not only his own compositions but also those of all the other Azhwars.

Naathamuni promptly codified the treasure of devotional hymns as the 'Naalaayira Divya Prabhandam'. The tradition of reciting these had been established by him and kept alive these 1000 years and more and institutionalized and observed as 'Arayar Sevai' before the Lord on special occasions - (a form of dance performed by male dancers specially trained for the purpose) in the Srirangam temple even today.

Naathamuni wrote 3 scholarly works

( i ) Nyaya Tattva ( ii ) Yoga Rahasya and (iii ) Purusha Nirnaya

But none of them is available today.

His grandson, Yaamunamuni later known as Aalavandaar was just 12 years of age when Naathamuni passed away. And, it is this Aalavandaar who inaugurated the matrix of Srivaishnavism by his spiritual leadership.




Today in all vaishnava temples, in many hindu households and even in mylapore music concerts the hymns of the ‘nalayira divyaprabhandam’ are recited. Whether their meanings are understood or not it is an amazing fact that the same verses were recited in perhaps the same style 1200 years ago. The words have been preserved and have come to us unsullied, unaltered and with a little guidance can be easily comprehended. One man was responsible for this amazing act of preservation Nathamunigal the anthologist of ‘azhvar Pasurangal.’ He did what ‘Nambiyandar nambi’ did to the ‘Saivite Thirumaraigal’ and much later, what Swaminatha Iyer did to Sangam literature. Nathamunigal established an oral tradition of their recitation down the ages. He also gave them Vedic stature - ‘vedasamyam’ Nathamunigal was the first guru of the guru paramparai tradition, a continuous preceptor- disciple lineage, another unique practice in the vaishnava tradition preserved till today.

The religion of ‘ubhaya-vedaanta-maarga’ (path of twofold scripture) is identified in ‘Tirumangai Aazhvaar’s’ (Tiru-nedun-taandakam 4) that the lord is “he that is of the excellent Tamil sounds, he of the Sanskrit word” (செந்திறத்த தமிழோச வடசொல்லாகி - திருநெடுந்தாண்டகம் 4). In this significant phrasing ‘Tirumangai’ affirms that the Tamil scripture has an autonomous divine origin along with Sanskrit.

Nathamuni, finderIt was Sri Nathamuni (whose full name was Ranganatha-muni, born to Isvara Bhatta of Sottai clan in the Vedic lineage of ‘Satha-marshana,’ with the birth asterism of Anuraadhaa in the month of Aani-mithunam ~ occurs on June 30, 2004 this year) who gathered together the precious hymns of the Aazhvaar mystics and saved them for humanity in the Tamil scripture known as ‘aruli-c-cheyal‘ and as ‘divya prabandham.’ It is taken to be a sign of divine purpose that this revered savant picked up a clue to the scripture quite accidentally. Nathamuni was the finder of the treasure, and he did not keep it for himself. He told the world.

Tiru-vaai-mozhi
It is well known that Nathamuni was sparked off on his profound quest when he heard for the first time the ‘Tiru-vaai-mozhi’ decad hymning the deity of ‘tiru-k-kudantai.’ with
“Aara amudhe adiyen udalam”
you are my nectar! My body melts with love towards you.
In ‘kudanthai’ of water filled paddy fields.
My lord, I see your reclining body asleep, aglow.

Even today if you read those ten poems you will feel the same way Nathamunigal did and seek the rest Natamuni was startled by the beauty of the poem and asked them where from they learnt those verses; the last verse they sang mentioned "this ten out of thousand" were there more? They did not know a sage in ‘Thirukurugur’ gave them. Thus began Nathamunis search for the rest of the verses this is the most plausible version.

Expedition of discovery
It is important to remember and cherish with gratitude Nathamuni’s passion which drove him to trek down from his native Kaattu Mannaar Koil to ‘Tiru-k-kurukoor / Azhvar Tirunagari’ in search of the other hymns. The lifetime of Nathamuni is indicated by S. Krishnaswamy Aiyyangar to be 823-917 ad and by M U Raghava Aiyyangar as 825-918, and we have to visualize how challenging and stressful it must have been for Nathamuni to have undertaken the long journey over what must have been difficult terrain. It was fortunate that Nathamuni met the second-generation disciple of Nammazhvar himself, parankusa-dasa, who imparted to him the ten-stanza hymn (Kanni-nunn-siru-t-taambu) dedicated by his preceptor madhura-kavi to his preceptor Nammazhvar.

Spiritual Power
Nathamuni was a yogi par excellence. His renowned grandson ‘Aalavandaar-yaamuna’ personifies him as the ‘totality of Bhakti-yoga’. Parasara Bhatta applies to him the metaphor, Jnaana-jeemootam (= Nimbus of knowing) which is appropriate to one of Nathamuni’s spiritual power. Vedantacharya affirms that he held in his palm the substance of scripture. The poet ‘vadivazhakia nambi daasa’ describes him as one without a match for his penances. Pillai lokam jeeyar calls him a ‘parama-hamsa’, one of ultimate realisation. The poetic-esoteric work Acharya Hrdayam (no.115) says Nathamuni was verily like unto the swan manifestation the lord assumed when he imparted the veda-scripture to brahmathis is mentioned in svetaasva-tara upanishad; and Tiru-Nedun-Taandakam (திருநெடுந்தாண்டகம் - annamaay aru-maraiyai veli-p-padutta ammaann, அன்னமாய்... அருமறையை வெளிப்படுத்த அம்மான், Nathamuni seems to have gone to great lengths to play down his yogic proficiency. It was nevertheless plausible that the simple-sounding kanni hymn of just ten stanzas became a powerful spell (mantram) when recited and repeated by Nathamuni 12000 times, he could behold azhvar materialising before him in a vision, and teach him the entirety of the Divya prabandham corpus.

Debt of gratitude
It is not easy for us to imagine the extent and nature of the excitement, fulfillment and peace that Nathamuni must have experienced as he came by the object of his quest, the Divya-prabandham scripture. There is a beautiful precedent to this in the account of the Hebraic prophet mosses who “wrote upon the tablets the words the Ten Commandments; the skin of his face shone while he talked with” the lord (in the epiphany granted to him) ~ exodus 34.

The sensation of gratitude felt for Nathamuni down his successor generations was evident in acknowledging and adoring him as the grand ancestor of the ‘ubhaya-vedaanta-maarga’ (path of twofold scripture). Lord Sriman Narayana is identified as the first preceptor not only of the
Sri Vaishnava guru-parampara, but also of the Sankara Sampradaayam (“narayanam padma-bhavam vasishtham” etc). It is, however, Sri Nathamuni who is acknowledged as the first acharya நானிலத்தில் குருவரய நாட்டினான் நலந்திகழு நாதமுனி, Nathamuni, who installed the guru-lineage here on this earth, says the grateful Appillai.

It was Tirumangai Azhvar who originally introduced tiru-vaai-mozhi also (in the great temple of Srirangam) in the festival of veda recitation (adhyayana utsavam) held annually from the eleventh day of the bright (sukla) fortnight of the month of maarkazhi / dhanus. Subsequently Nathamuni, in his time, enlarged the scheme of recitation to include the entirety of the (4000 verses of) Divya Prabandham. It was through this manner of canonization of the Divya Prabandham and the concomitant institutionalization of the araiyar-psalmodists, that Nathamuni ensured the preservation, learning and bequeathing of the precious scripture down the generations to come.

Disciples:
His five disciples were, pundarikaksha (uyya-k-kondaar); tiru-k-kurukai-k-kaavalappan; his nephews of the west house and of the east house whom he taught to recite the Tamil scripture in the celestial music system (deva-gaanam) and appointed them as the araiyar (psamodists); and tiru-k-kanna-mangai aandaan whom he first equipped with the esoteric of the twin sacred formula (dvaya-mantram) before imparting to him the fine sensibilities of the Tamil scripture.

Uyya-k-kondaar was charged with bringing up Nathamuni’s grandson yaamuna in the ‘sampradaayam’. Uyya-k-kondaar who sensed his own end approaching, did however discharge this responsibility without any deficiency, by deputing his own disciple Sriraama-misra (manakkaal nambi) on the assignment. Nathamuni’s school of eight-part yoga was represented solely by kurukai-k-kaavalappan on whose expiry, alas, it was lost.

Overcoming Oneself
Nathamuni is said to have composed a few works in Sanskrit but they are not available. The next in succession was his renowned grandson-prodigy, yaamuna-aalavandaar who wrote nothing in Tamil, and is considered the father of the Sanskrit stotra-paatha (hymnal) literature. His stotra-ratnam contains literal translations from the Tamil scripture into sanskrit verse, and this precedent came to be readily adopted by all his successors, culminating in the versatile personality of vedantacharya. Yamuna’s immediate successor was Sri Ramanuja who wrote almost all of his nine definitive works exclusively in Sanskrit.

The acceptance of the Tamil scripture by such ‘sanskritic’ personalities of great learning and long-time orthodoxy was not something ‘promoted’ (as we would say to-day) through any state pressure or by other vested interests. They had no mental barrier to overcome, and the Tamil scripture stood on its own in poetry, grandeur, philosophic content, humanistic values, and clear affirmations of godhead. Its divine inspiration was visible for all to see.

The author of acharya-hrdayam (65) points out that Sri Ramanuja relied on the Dravida-veda to compose his Sri-Bhashyam gloss on the Brahma-sutra. This affirmation of scriptural validity has an echo in vedantacharya’s adhikaara-sangraham, where he says that his studious learning of the Tamil scriptures enabled him to grasp clearly the obscure regions of the veda-chhandas. While Nathamuni described it as an Upanishad of a thousand branches, Vedantacharya extolled it (dramidopanishad taatparya-ratnaavali, 130) as the scripture, which is benign to hear.

Search and revelation
The traditional accounts depict Nathamuni as invoking Nammazhvar in a vision at tiru-k-kurukoor, and receiving by Azhvar’s grace the entirety of the 4000-verse Tamil scripture. Tradition further suggests that, prior to Nathamuni’s recovery of the precious literature, there was a total lapse of ‘racial memory’ in respect of the hymnals of Azhvar-s.

One of the difficulties in traditional accounts of the lives of azhvars and acaryas is the mix of myth and fact usually the factual and historic content will be very little and the traditional account is totally believed. It is very difficult to demythify these traditional accounts. In fact it is not permitted. They are as sacred as the life of Christ or prophet Mohammed, not questioned. This attempt of mine to extract Nathamunis life from traditional accounts is likely to be criticized and I am aware of it. One incident in Nathamunigals life has to be true even if this has two or three versions the version closest to realism is this:- One day while worshipping lord mannanar in the temple in kattumannar koil he heard a group of travelers reciting a few poems they were great verses they happened to be ten poems from nammalwars thiruvoimozhi.

The myth added to this sends Nathamunigal on a pilgrimage to the north there he hears these verses sees a light in the sky and follows it south to kurugur much like the biblical story of the Magi. A similar story is told about mathurakavigal also. Almost all religions need a leading light story for laymen. All myths are created like this and become more obscure down the ages the fact that Nathamunigal went south in search of the leymens is undeniable.

That Naihamunigal “met” Nammazhvar and got from him the entire 4000 verses is also apocryphal and cannot stand much scruriny. It is rather difficult to believe that nammazhwar the silent sage who never left his seat under a tamarind tree had colleceted and collated threehundred years of poetry and simply handed them over to Nathamunijgal by a mental process. Nammalwar was the last of the azhvars. He is placed in the later half of 9th century according to epigraphic evidences Nathamunigal then must at least be a contemporary certainly not 825 ad. What is plausible is that Narhamunigal must have spent a lifetime searching recording arranging and setting to music and sometimes perhaps even writing the eleventh verse of each decade I am pretty sure traditionists will pounce on me for suggesting this Nathamunigal seems to have had some yogic powers too he had several disciples of which pundarikakshar was prominent.

A somewhat varied reading of the history and times of this extraordinary event is proposed in a perceptive paper (journal of anantacharya Indological research institute, Bombay, i-199 by a. Pandurangan of Pondicherry. He cites inscriptions to establish that “the names of azhvars were well-known to the people long before the canonization of nalayira divya prabandham” and that “the study and recitation of the sacred hymns were continuously carried out at various important centres, and not completely lost, as suggested by the guru paramparai accounts.”

Pandurangan further points out that there were Vishnu Shrines antecedent to the recovery and compilation of the Divya Prabandham by Nathamuni, and that the omitting of hymns on these shrines, especially those located in Kongu land (to-day’s salem, Namakkal, Coimbatore, Karur), should be explained as that no Azhvar hailed from thereabouts and that “the activities of Nathamuni for rediscovering the sacred hymns of Azhvars were mainly confined to Pandya, cola and Kerala countries, but not to Konku region” which witnessed wars through his time, and “the situation would not have permitted Nathamuni to undertake a journey in the war-torn region for his sacred mission.”

The mystery does persist about the non-inclusion of some ancient shrines in the traditional list of 108 shrines. These shrines as have been omitted were also possibly hymned by the Azhvars, but were not known to Nathamuni. Pandurangan’s view is that Nathamuni gathered the hymnal literature by visiting various parts of the Tamil-speaking country (to the exclusion of kongu land), and did not come by the entirety of 4000-verse Divya Prabandham corpus in a single spot and moment of revelation. This thesis need not be read as in conflict with the traditional account of revelation received by Nathamuni, for the entire history of discovery and of science is dotted with moments of accident and of unaccountable revelation which, to the believer, is a matter of the lord’s grace. அவன இன்னருளே.


Ref: http://www.desikan.com/blogcms/?item=sri-nathamuni-and-the-path-of-two-fold-scripture&catid=5



Sriman Nathamuni is the most benign master (Acharya )
for me. Sriman Nathamuni indeed availed the good
opportunity to perceive the true and purport of Vedas,
like a tiny amla fruit on one?s palm (uLLankai
nellikani). Let me pay my humble obeisance to Sri
Nathamuni by the folding of my palms.

Srivaishnavam is shining and flourishing even today
(across the globe) due to the most merciful, "vaLLal'
Sri Nathamuni.. It is Emperumaan's upakaram that He
has bestowed His grace on us by giving Sri Nathamuni
to uplift us.

kaaLam valampuriyanna naRkaathaladiyavark kuth
thaaLam vazhankith thamizhmaRai innisai thantha vaLLal
mooLunthavan^ eRi mootiya naathamunikazhalE
naaLunthozhuthozhuv Om namakkaarn^ikarn^ aanilaththE.

What a grand and truthful statement from Swamy
Desikan! (the benevolent one who gave the Tamil Vedas
set to taaLam (music). Let us sEvicchufy (offer our
saashtanga praNAmams at) his feet again and again
everyday.. Who can be equal to us on this earth?
(None- as we only are blessed with such "vaLLal"
Nathamuni..)

Let us enjoy Swami Alavandhaar slokams on this
acharya.

The first three slokas of Sthothra Rathnam on Sriman
Nathamuni also may refer to his
three Acharyas in the lineage order-namely, Sriman
Nathamuni, Sri PundareekAkshar [Sri Uyyakkondaar] and
Sri Ramamisrar[ Sri Manakkaal nambhI]. Since birth,
Sriman Nathamuni had been the cause hence the first
sloka; Being a praachaarya is the second sloka; and
his merciful benevolent act for the lOkOpakAram (for
the sake of the world) is the third sloka.

First verse- Sriman Nathamuni is the repository of
jnAna, VairAgya and Bhakti- says Alavandhar.

namO(S)cinthya adhbhutha akliShta j~nAna vairAgya
rAshayE |
nAThAya munayE agADha bhagavadh bhakthi sinDhavE ||

acinthya - beyond understanding;
adhbhutha ? Ascharya [mysterious, marvellous,
wonderful;
akliShta ? effortlessly acquired by God's grace;
j~nAna, vairagya, rAsayE- personification of
knowledge, detachment together
agADha bhagavadh bhakthi sindhavE? deep ocean of
greatest devotion on Sriman Narayanan;
nAthAya munayE- to Sage, Saint nAThamuni
nama: - my offering prostrations, paying obeisance.

How did he ever get this jnAnam? How much jnAnam does
he have? ? however many times or ways one analyses, no
answer. Not understood. Thus such extent of jnAnam,
the manner in which the jNAnam was acquired, is beyind
understanding, it is athi Ascharyam- most wonderful,
marvellous, and excellent never heard or seen in the
world. It is rarest and hence apoorvam; athi
Ascharyam. Hence is addressed as aklishtam. Also it is
not acequired with hard work or penance; it is
effortless due to the grace of the Lord, like Sanaka,
Sanathkumaras. It is the acquisition of jnAnam with
complete accordance with saasthrAs, running no where
haywire towards other religions, looking for the
correct philosophy. Not a single word is understood by
Sriman nAtha muni is wrong manner; everything in
tandem with saasthrAs and thus effortless, so
naturally acquired. Thus, there is no decaying or
change in his jnAnam and always consistent and
coherent- not contradicting any other word in
saaathrAs, when one word or statement is understood.
And such a characteristic is also due to his greatest
vairAgyam [detachment and renunciation] as well; Due
to such rarest Para, avara tattva jnAnam, he is able
to take his mind away from worldly pleasures,
materialistic pursuits and hence jnAna, vairAgyam are
both essential and are found in Sriman nATHamuni as
the embodiment of both of them in one lot.

Thus on lower tattvams, he has vairAgyam, and on Para
tattvam, love and focus with paripoorna jnAnam and
hence bhakti is flooded in his heart for Sriman
Narayanan. Thus he becomes the repository of deep
ocean of great bhakti towards Sriman Narayanan and to
such greatest sage, Saint Sriman nAThamuni- I pay my
namaskarams says Sri Alavandhar wonderfully. He is
called RanganAthan; shortly called as nAThan; nAThan-
as he is nAThan [master] for all of us. How blessed am
I to be born in his family! Enjoys Sri Alavandhar on
his birth as Sri NAthamuni?s grand son.

Earlier, jnAnam (knowledge) on all matters, devotion
(bhakti) on the Lord alone were described on Sriman
NAthamuni. Bhakti is contemplation or meditation mixed
with love. Here, AzhwAr touches upon a bit about the
life of Sriman nAThamuni through which he describes
the limitless jnAnam and bhakti of Acharya and thus
explains he is part of the Guru parampara for him
(Alavandhar) and others in Srivaishnava sampradaya in
this second sloka.

thasmai namO maDhujidh anghri sarOja thathva
j~nAna anurAga mahima athishayantha sImnE |
nAThAya nATha munayE athra parathra cApi
nithyam yadhIya caraNau sharaNam madhIyam || - SR 2

thasmai- Such [as described earlier the one who is the
embodiment of jnAna, vairAgya, bhakti]
madhujith- of Bhagawaan who conquered Madhu asurA
angrisarOja- the lotus feet
tattva- true nature?s
jnAna anurAga- knowledge and intense love
mahimAdhisaya- glorious [peerless] greatness
antha seemnE- the zenith [of above- namely, jnAna,
anurAga, mahimAdhisaya]
nAThAya nAtha munayE- to The Master [nAThan] of
Srivaishnavas- Sriman nAthamuni
nama: my obeisance;
yadhIya charaNou- whose [Sriman nAThamuni] Feet;
athra pathra api cha- in this world [leelA vibhUthi]
and in this SrI vaikuNta [paramapadham where there is
no need for the upAyam- means]
madhIyam charaNam- my refuge- upAyam [the way] and
upEyam [the Goal]. [thasmai- such?]

For Sriman NAthamuni, the jnAna vairAgya, bhakti were
inherently in him in wonderful, marveloous manner
[athyAscharyam] - such greatest Acharya is now
described as the ultimate pinnacle of its height of
jnAna, vairAgya, bhakti in him in this verse. How? It
implies: Sriman Narayanan alone is Supreme entity
[Iswara] and thereby the Parathatthvam; the other
philosophies like Advaita are incorrect and do not
explain the overall scheme of things per Vedas and
saasthrAs ? Thus Sriman nAThamuni blessed us with such
unparalleled crystal clear concepts with his
nyAyatattva grantha [work]- says Swamy Desikan. Thus
compatible with such great qualities, he had complete
detachment [vairAgya] towards the worldly pleasure and
materialistic pursuits and thus he was resplendent
with greatest amount of bhakti [intense love and
devotion] for the Lord Sriman Narayanan. Being blessed
with the power of meditation, yoga, he focused on the
Lord with the intense love and devotion i.e. bhakti.
Through Karma, jnAna yoga, he could visualise and
realise the jeevathma?s glories and swaroopam and
knowing and realising that only through the divine
thirumEni- dhivya mangaLa vigrham of Sriman Narayanan
alone, he was able to attempt to have saakshAthkAram
[could enjoy the Lord literally within] and thereby
the bhakti grew exponentially day and by day.

That?s the time our blessed Acharya was blessed by the
Lord through few Srivaishnavas in KattumannarkOil
where they recited ArA amudhE ? eleven pAsurams from
NammAzhwAr Thirumaynozhi [5.8]?

ArA amudhE.. He immersed in the Lord?s insatiable
beauty when he heard these verses; Aaraa anudhE!
AdiyEn udalam ninpaal anbaayE" - Aaaraa amudhE! Oh
insatiable nectar! EmperumaanE! What a Divinely
Beautiful form is Your body! However many times I
enjoy that naver satisfies me, Lord! You are giving me
immense satisfaction that is limitless and unbounded.
Due to my love for You, my physical body also has been
melting along with my heart longing to see You. Oh
ThirumaalE! You have been literally killing me with
Your azhagu; I have been blessed to enjoy here at
Thirukkudanthai by seeing Your Most Beautiful form;

en naan seygEn? yaarE kaLaigaN? Ennai en seyginRaay?
Unnal allAl yaavaraalum onRum kuRai vENdEn.. To hold
Your Lotus Feet, there is
nothing that I can do; what is the link between the
action and me? Who is the support for me except You?

dhariyEn iniun chaaraNam thandhu en sanmam
kaLaiyaayE..
when he had heard all these sweetest great pAsurams,
his heart was melting with devotion and anubhavam and
he longed for the rest of the pAsurams as he heard
them saying at the end that these ten out of 1000?
[AyiratthuL ivai patthum], he realised that he will be
immensely benefited if he gets them all.

Thus he could reach the Ultimate zenith of devotion?
kaNNinunchiRutthamb u was made available to him. He
uttered the 11 pAsurams of KanninuchiRutthambu of Sri
MadhurakaviAzhwAr [who had sung in praise of his
acharya NammAzhwAr] 12000 times without interruption;
Sriman nAryanan decided to save the world through this
Acharya and instructed NammAzhwAr to be the Acharya
for Sriman nAThamuni and thus Sriman nAThamuni was
blessed to receive, enjoy the grace of Sri SaTakOpar-
NammAzhwAr- and receive not just his 1000; but all
4000 of all AzhwArs in addition to initiating him with
manthra, tattvArthams. Though he [Sriman nAThamuni]
had the capacity to perform bhakti yoga, SrI
nammAzhwAr instructed him to perform prapatti
[Saranagati] with five angas uttering the greatest
esoteric Dwaya mantra as such a perfroamnce in
accordance with saasthrAs would yield mOkshaanubhavam
at the end of the same life unlike bhakti yoga [where
one may have to take few more births].

Thus his anurAgam [intense love] has reached the
ultimate point. The Lord has greatest love for his
devotees - priyO hi jnAninOthyarttham aham sa cha mama
priya: and blessed them with the best arrangement to
make their devotion increase exponentially. Who else
would have been blessed by the Lord like Sriman
nAThamuni? Probably none at all. Thus he was blessed
with Parathatthva jnAnam, Parama hitham (Prapatti);
and Parama purushaartham. Thus he became the pinnacle
of jnAnam too. It was indeed to help us, the suffering
jeevans, that Nathamuni performed this thapas and had
the darsanam of NammAzzhwAr , who blessed Natha Muni
with the nAlAyira Divya Prabhandham and the sakala
SaasthrAs as well as the knowledge along with the
performance of Prapatti and also about the life
history of the other AzhwArs (AzhwAr paramparai).

That jnAnam is complete and reaches its crescendo only
when one realises that the best way is Prapatti at the
Lotus feet through utterace of Dwaya mantra and that
is mentioned with the word angri sarOja tattva- [The
Lotus Feet]- writes SrI UttamUr Swamy very clearly and
beautifully. prApyam and prApakam are both Lotus Feet
thus.

Thus granting such jnAnam reminds [one of the First
and Prime Acharya] Sri Hayagrivan- Madhusudhanan- the
One who conquered and killed Madhu asurA and hence
refer Him as madhujith.. Now I have realised that it
is SwEthASwatharOpanis had which states: mumukshurvai
SaraNamaham prapadyE.. and thiNkalzhal sErE.. and
thuyaraRu sudar adi.. all mention His Lotus Feet. Thus
Sriman nAThamuni was blessed to be shining with the
jnAna anurAgam [knowledge and intense love].

With the relevant jnAnam and the way to reach Him
through Prapatti with no further births made him great
sadAcharya for others who became his sishya and thus
he became nAThan for all.

when upAyam was not clear, only athra (here in this
world); and after getting upadesam from Manakkaal
nambhI through the instruction (niyamanam) of Sriman
nAThamuni ? Sri Uyyakkondaar- now, it is paratha cha
api.. in Paramapadham as well.

Also yadheeya charaNou- may be interpreted as :
yadheeya- may infer UyyakkoNdaar and charaNou- his
sishya- namely maNakkaal nambhi.. thus mentioning his
acharya [implied] in this verse- enjoys SrI UttamUr
Swamy.

Alavandhar now enjoys his grandfather; acharyan for
others- Sriman Nathamuni blessing us with his
wonderful granthas and also getting to us with
AzhwAr?s verses and declares that he was yogisrEshtar,
offering his praNAmams again and again.

bhUyO namO(s)parimithAchy utha bhakti tattva
jnAnAmrtAbdhi parivaaha sibhair vachObi:
lOkEvatheerNa paramaarttha samagra bhakthi yOgAya
NAthamunayE yaminaam varaaya

Unbounded, limitless Lord?s subject matter namely,
Bhakti and jnAnam; such bhakti jnAnam have over
flooded and poured out in the form of most auspicious
Sri sookthis [of Sriman nAThamuni]; and through
blessing us in this world with the wondefrful divine
granthas (prabandhams) of AzhwArs filled with bhakti;
and through these works, AzhwAr pasurams, came down
and established the unparalled supremacy of Sriman
Narayanan and the truthful, correct nature of His
roopa, swaroopa, vibhUthis and about Him, [our
Nathamuni] had limitless, uninterrupted bhakti yoga.
To that king among Yogis, let me pay my obeisance
again and again.

My humble Obeisance to Sriman Nathamuni again and
again? the best among those who have subdued the
senses; by whose works, granthas; which are the
overflow of unlimited love and jnAnam of the Lord
Achutha; due to which ? the true bhakti yoga appears
to have landed onto the earth.

Achyutha bhakti, tattva jnAna- cane be interpreted to
be the jnAnam based on his own works as well as on the
works of AzhwArs, Sage vyAsa, Parasara et al; He
blessed us with nyAya tattva and Yoga rahasya
granthas. Also he propagated the AzhwAr?s verses; He
performed bhakti yoga as mere pleasing to the Lord
even after he performed Prapatti and thus it is swayam
prayOjanam. That is also kind of dhyAnam and hence it
is also termed yoga as well. The dhyAna yogam came
down to his sishya Thirukurugaikkavala ppan and could
not be reached to Sri Yamunacharya. The Yoga rahasya
though was not passed on later, it could probably be
there during Alavandhar's time and hence lOkEvatheerNa
word is indeed apt. Thus having even performed
Prapatti and been blessed with the same, Sriman
nAThamuni did not leave his dhyAnam and enjoying of
the Lord in uninterrupted meditation i.e. yogam and
hence he was king among Yogins.

Alavandhaar adds in his 65th verse:

Being immersed in samsaaric ocean performing thousands
and thousands of sins for millions of births, now,
being blessed with tattva (entities), hitha (way) and
purushaarttham (goal), the vivEkam (discrimination) ,
vairAgya (detachment) and been blessed to perform
Prapatti [Saranagathi] at the Lord?s Lotus feet- the
reason for all this blessing is due to being born as
the grandson of Sriman nAThamuni shrEshtar and also he
being the praachArya of Alavandhaar. Alavandhaar thus
pays his gratitude and prays to the Lord referring to
his association with such Acharya saarvabhouman.

akruthrimatvacchara NAravindha prEmaprakarshAvathi m
Athmavandham
pithAmaham nAthamunim vilOkya praseetha math vruttham
achinthayithvaa [65]

Sriman nAThamuni- my Grandfather, my Acharya?s
Acharya- the one who has the AtmA, with the
personification and ultimate of Unalloyed natural
flawless devotion and without expecting any other
fruits other than enjoyment of Your Lotus Feet; Such
great yOga purushar;- Thinking of amy association with
him [as his grandson as well as his sishya?s sishya],
please do not look down upon me for my paapams and
bless me with Your grace.

Alavandhaar?s final Statement on the glories of the
anugraham& sambhandham of the Acharya for successful
Prapatthi and inclusion of his fearlessness( nirbhayam
) as a result of performing prapatthi , even if he
does not have the qualifications of his own
(naicchiyaanusandha anam).

For Sriman Nathamuni, the Lord?s love and dayA started
flowing right from his birth. With no explicit fruits;
but was flowing naturally for the mere enjoyment of
Bhagawaan. With that overflowing love of Yours on my
grand father, and that love flowed from him on me? and
hence I am blessed now with tattva jnAnam, hitham that
You are the means and the Purushaarttham that You
alone are the Goal ? I could perform Saranagathi at
Your Lotus Feet as vyAjam for obtaining your grace. I
have been blessed with sampradAya jnAnam due to
adiyEn?s association and blood relation with the muni
shrEshtar Sriman Nathamuni.

Though I had all limitless unbounded sins and
disqualifcatiosn as per my verse amaryaadha kshUdhra:
etc.., still, due to my association with grand father
ad Acharya, You need to bless me . There is no mandate
for You to punish me severely due to the bodily
relation with the devotee of Yours ? who is Your
favourite.

When Your could assure even VibheeshaNaas- who were
even from raakshasa vamsam, can You oh nAThA, leave me
(who has the greatest sambandham with Sriman
nAThamuni)? I have been blessed with Your jnAnam as
Acharya prasAdham..

Thanks to: "Madhavakkannan V" srivaishnavan@yahoo.com