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CH. V. HIS BIRTH AND STUDIES. 29
" The Scriptures are lost, and so this Trdditional Laws,
The twice-horn have become degenerate.
The allied sciences as well are wrecked,
Oh, how Kali {Iron age) groics in power ! "
To Harita Rishi was also, by God,
foretold the coining of
the Great Luminary, Racnanuja, as follows :
iKW ^l 1fR?4 ^?INI?i:: I sPTtTT 'ST^iRrq ^ ^ HR^fT II'
In thy line, Harita ! will he horn Saha himself—
My Own— fm- tcorlds' Salvation.
Thus then was ushered into the world a Great Saviour, in
the fulness of his own age.
Tirumalai-Nambi" (the disciple of Yamun&charja) got
tidings of this birtli, and forthwith proceeded to Sri-pernmbudiir
(10 miles from the station of Tiruvallur, Madras Railway),
to visit the child. Seeing his friend Asiiri K6sava, he congratulated
him on the auspicious event and said :— " Friend, I
see the blessed child. He is above his kind. Thfe light in his
face indicates this. He possesse.^, iu embryo, all the qualities
which shall make him a sage, learned and wise. Name liim
therefore Lakshmana as he will be to God as Lakshmana was to
Rama. Lakshmana (llaiya-perumal) is incarnated as Ramanuja,
(llai-Azhvar). As tlie illustrions child grew, the several
sacraments binding on the Brahmanas were duly administered
till he came to be full sixteen years of age ; and by that time,
he had pas.sed through the student's course, viz. the learning of
the Vedas and all that appertains to that study. He was now
married ; or as the Vaidikas say, he duly entered into the
Order of the Householder after Brahmacharya. He left his
home in search of a competent teacher who would teach him
the Vedsbiita and found one in Tadava-prakasa, living at
Tiru-p-putkuzhi in the neighbourhood of Pernmal-k6il, or
KancMpuram (Conjivaram) ; and hex e he joined other students
learning under that teacher.
1 BhiltapuH-mdftdtmya, III, (104-5).
' Galled Sri-Baila'pArna, tha maternal uncle of BdmS^nuja.