Ramanujacharya – Biography - ebooks - ISKCON desire tree

The Life ofRamanujacaryaTABLE OF CONTENTSPrefaceForewordIntroductionI. YamunacaryaII. Ramanuja's Student LifeIII. SannyasaIV. Acarya at Sri RangamV. Travelling and PreachingVI. Instructions to DisciplesVII. Exile From Sri RangamVIII. Final Days in Sri RangamPREFACEGreat saints and devotees of the Lord give purpose tothis material world and its history by their presence; their2

absence renders this world useless and its history achronological record of nonsense. By providing anotherglimpse into the ways that pure devotees transform the livesof materialistic people and alter the course of history,Naimisaranya Prabhu has done great service to all Englishreaders, especially Vaisnavas and aspiring Vaisnavas.Without such information, people tend to doubt or forgetthat another plane, beyond the mundane, exists and evencontrols the destiny of that mundane plane. In the examplesthey set in their lives, however, saintly persons help us tosee the path to Krsna consciousness. "Example is better thanprecept" The philosophy of Krsna consciousness remainsinaccessible except by the mercy of the pure devotees whosebehavior gives three dimensions to such philosophy.Only the hearts of unfortunate persons will not meltupon reading or hearing this moving depletion of the life ofSrila Ramanujacarya. The nectarean subject matter and thecompetent rendering by Naimisaranya Prabhu combine toproduce genuine spiritual effects within the mind. I hopeNaimisaranya Prabhu will continue producing suchilluminating accounts of the lives of great devotees.-Jagadisa GosvamiFOREWORDIt is the desire of all teachers working in ourgurukulas to give the children an acute awareness of thegreat Vaisnava tradition that they will inherit wheninitiated into our sampradaya. We hear frequently that theKrsna Consciousness movement is propounding the highest formof religion found anywhere in the world, but, living in thewestern culture, we sometimes find it hard to be constantlyaware of the true position of Vaisnavism. In the WestVaisnavas are frequently looked upon as strange fanaticsenacting bizarre rituals or some residual leftover from thehippy days of the sixties and early seventies. Therefore itis very important that all devotees, and the children inparticular, become conversant with the centuries oldreligious tradition that our movement today represents.It was for these reasons I felt it imperative tostart a course on the history of Vaisnavism when I beganteaching a class of older boys at the Bhaktivedanta VillageGurukula in California. From studying Srila Prabhupada'sbooks I was aware that Ramanuja was one of the greatVaisnava acaryas, but I knew little of his life andteachings. Therefore I set about researching the subject,using various books that I was able to obtain from India andthe university libraries in Los Angeles. At this point I3

egan to learn the wonderfully instructive stories containedin this book. As I recounted them to my students, 'Historyof Vaisnavism' quickly came to be our most popular class.From this point, with the encouragement of otherdevotees working in gurukula, it seemed natural to beginwriting down the subject matter as I was teaching it. Thereis, of course, a great need at the present time to providesuitable reading material for the hungry young minds eagerto employ the reading skills we have taught them in theirearly years in gurukula. It is therefore my hope andexpectation that this book will be the first of many as webuild up a full library of books for our older students, inaddition to the publications for younger children that havebeen provided by Bala Books.Although this book was originally written for ourolder gurukula students-and for this reason the emphasis ison pastimes rather than philosophy - I am confident that alldevotees will like to read about the life of this greatacarya and gain inspiration from the wonderful example heset. In addition, I think that parents of younger children,for whom the style of writing may be too advanced, will findthat their sons and daughters will relish these stories ifthey are read aloud to them.The main source for the life of Ramanuja is a bookcalled the Prapannamrta, written in Sanskrit by Anantacarya,a descendant of Andhrapurna. There is some controversy aboutthe date of this work. Some scholars have tried to show thatit was written as late as the seventeenth century, but mostauthorities agree the author was a junior contemporary ofRamanuja's and therefore able to compile the material fromfirst-hand sources. There are 126 chapters in thePrapannamrta, the first 68 of which describe the life ofYamunacarya. The remaining 58 chapters deal with the livesof Yamunacarya, Nathamuni, and other south Indian Vaisnavas.It is this book to which Srila Prabhupada refers when hementions the life of Ramanuja in his purports to theCaitanya Caritamrta.Another important work on the life of Ramanuja is theDivya-suri-charitai, a book written in Tamil by Garudavaha,who was also probably a contemporary of Ramanuja, althoughagain this fact is disputed by some authorities. Inaddition, there is the Guru-parampara-prabhavam by PerumalJiyar, written in the early part of the fourteenth centuryand Lokam Jiyar's Ramananujacarya-divya-charitai.The main pastimes are the same in all these works,but it is frequently found that they vary quite considerablyin the detail. For this reason I have occasionally had touse my own discretion in choosing between the differentversions. The names of the various characters described alsovary, depending mainly on whether they are given in Tamil orthe Sanskrit equivalent. By and large I have used theSanskrit form of the names where I could find them, as I4

considered that these might sound more familiar to thereader.One further point that I feel should be mentioned atthis stage is the debt that all Vaisnavas owe toRamanujacarya, whether they be within or outside of hisdirect disciplic succession. As Gaudiya Vaisnavas, most ofour philosophical doctrines come from the writings of thesix gosvamis of Vrindavana, in which they transcribed theteachings that had been given orally by Caitanya MahaprabhuHimself. However, any devotee who studies the philosophicalteachings of Ramanuja, and Yamunacarya also, will quicklyrealize how much we have inherited from him in our basicphilosophical conclusions. Particularly in the refutation ofthe mayavada ideas of Sankara, the works of Ramanuja play akey role. As Srila Prabhupada explains: "The statements ofthe Sankara philosophy, which are the teeth of the mayavadiphilosopher, are always broken by the strong arguments ofthe Vaisnava philosophers such as the great acaryas,especially Ramanujacarya."Finally I would tike to offer my most humbleobeisances at the feet of His Divine Grace A. C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, without whose mercy theglories of the Vaisnava acaryas would still be a closedsubject to the Western world. I would also like to thank allthe devotees who have helped and encouraged me in devotionalservice over the years. I am well aware that there are manydiscrepancies and shortcomings in this presentation, but Iam praying that all the Vaisnavas will display theircharacteristic generosity towards me and try to overlookthese deficiencies.- Naimisaranya dasa,Los Angeles,January 1986.INTRODUCTIONRAMANUJA'S PHILOSOPHY OF VISISTADVAITARamanuja is well-known as the great philosopher andacarya of the Sri Vaisnava sampradaya. However, it shouldnot be misunderstood that he was the founder of the SriVaisnavas. Originally started by Laksmidevi Herself, the Srisampradaya contained many exalted devotees prior toRamanuja's appearance to whom he admits his debt in hiswritings. In their expressions of devotion to the SupremeLord, all South Indian devotees were influenced by the nineAlvars, who lived several hundred years before the birth of5

Ramanuja. Despite some minor philosophical differences, itis plain that the themes of devotion and surrender to God,which are essential to Ramanuja's teachings, are based to alarge extent on the writings of the Alvars.In terms of philosophy also Ramanuja was undoubtedlyinfluenced by the teachings of previous Vaisnava acaryas,most notably Yamunacarya and Bodhayana, the commentator onthe Vedanta sutras. In many ways the major achievement ofRamanuja as an acarya was to establish a solid philosophicalbasis for the devotional sentiments that had been expressedin the hymns of the Alvars. In order to do this it was firstessential that he refute the impersonalist teachings ofSankara's advaita-vada and large sections of hisphilosophical writings are dedicated to this task. To combatthe teachings of the nondevotional monists, Ramanujaattacked them on their own ground, rarely expressingdevotional sentiment and for the most part citing theUpanisads and Vedanta-sutras as scriptural evidence, ratherthan the overtly Vaisnava sastras. It is for this reasonthat Ramanuja, unlike Madhva, does not use the Srimad-Bhagavatam to support his teachings. The main philosophicalworks of Ramanuja are his commentary on Vedanta-sutra (SriBhasya), the Vedartha-samgraha, the Vedanta-sara and hiscommentary on the Bhagavad-gita.Three hundred years before Ramanuja, Sankaracarya hadattempted to establish his doctrine of absolute oneness, aconcept bearing many similarities to the Buddhistphilosophy. According to Sankara, nothing exists anywhereexcept Brahman, which is formless, changeless, eternal, anddevoid of all attributes. Therefore the variety that weperceive in this world is simply an illusion and does not inreality have any existence. Because the living being iscovered by ignorance (avidya or maya) he perceives varietyand changes; but when enlightened by pure knowledge, he willrealize that everything is in fact Brahman and that hisprevious perceptions were simply illusion. Obviously, insuch a philosophy devotion is also ultimately meaninglessbecause the distinction between God and His devotee is alsoillusory.In his commentary on Vedanta-sutra, Ramanuja stronglyattacks Sankara's ideas. He states that the concept ofBrahman as being indeterminate, without qualities orchanges, is meaningless. Any reality that cannot beperceived, known, thought of, or even spoken about is simplyfiction. The cosmic manifestation with all of its varietiesmay be temporary, but that does not mean it is unreal.Illusion is to perceive something as different from its realnature and not, as Sankara states, to perceive somethingthat does not in fact exist. When one mistakes a shell forsilver, both the silver and the shell are real, but theillusion is mistaking one thing for the other. Therefore theuniverse is real, but the illusion is to accept it as the6

all in all, and not consider the underlying basis ofexistence, which is God.In commenting on the the second aphorism of theVedanta-sutra, janmady asya yatah, Ramanuja establishesthat all manifestations from the Supreme Reality must alsobe real. The sutra states that Brahman is that from whicheverything else has come into being. Because it does notstate that Brahman is that from which the illusion ofmanifestation arises, it must be accepted that themanifestation are not illusory.The philosophy Ramanuja presented as a logicalalternative to that of Sankara is called Visistadvaita-vada,or qualified oneness. It is accepted that there is anunderlying unity to all existence, but this oneness ofBrahman is qualified by variety. Three categories arerecognized , which are distinct from one another , buttogether comprise a unity. These are cit , the individualliving beings, acit, inert matter and Isvara, thecontroller-God. Cit and acit are seen as the body of Godand thus are dependent upon Him, just as the body isdependent on the soul and cannot exist without it. This ideaof matter and living beings comprising the body of God isessential for understanding the relationship between them.There is unity between the body and soul, yet a realdistinction is recognized.Transformation takes place within the world, and thiscannot be dismissed as illusion. Sankara tried toestablished that nothing exists except for the oneundifferentiated, changeless Brahman. Transformation isreal, but it pertains only to the cit and acit; Isvararemains eternally changeless. Just as transformation affectsthe body although the soul is unaffected, so the universeand the living beings, the body of God, are subject tovarious transformations; He remains eternally changeless.The distinctions between the three categories are real; but,because the cit and acit are dependent on Isvara, theycannot be looked upon as being separate from Him. The livingbeings are inseparable from Brahman, though they aresubstantive realities and thus qualify Brahman as the bodyqualifies the soul. This is the meaning of Visistadvaita, orqualified oneness.In describing the individual soul, Ramanuja followedclosely the teachings given by Yamunacarya in the Siddhitraya.Although atomic in size, the soul spreads theconsciousness throughout the body, like the rays coming fromthe lamp. As the body of God, the individual living beingsare totally dependent on Him, but He allows them the freewill to act as they desire. In fact He creates thefacility that enables them to enact their various desires.Thus complete dependence on God does not interfere with thefree will of the individual. The only exception to thisgeneral rule are with regard to those who are particularlydevoted to God and those particularly inimical towards Him.7

For the devotees, Hi manifests His grace by generatingwithin them such desires that they adopt actions by whichthey may easily win Him. Within those who are particularlyopposed to Him, He generates desires that lead to actionsthat take the individual further away from Him. Thoughoriginally pure, the self becomes afflicted with worldlydesires through contact with matter. Ignorance of one'sreal nature, which gives rise to so many material desires,is a result of association with matter. When this ignoranceis removed, then the soul can be liberated from the bondageof material existence.Sankara had contended that all religious duties aredependent upon a perception of variety and, therefore,ultimately illusory. Ramanuja refuted this argument bystressing that devotion is the only true path to liberation.All religious duties should be seen as a means to increaseone's devotion to God; they are never to be given up. In thestate of liberation, the individuality of the self is notnegated as Sankara had contended. What is negated is thefalse sense of independence from God, which is the essenceof the individual's illusion. This can be achieved only bythe grace of God, which is realized by the practice ofbhakti, or devotion. Knowledge alone, without devotion, isinsufficient to free the soul from material bondage. Thestate of pure devotion is one in which the mind is fixedconstantly on the Lord in a mood of profound love. Surrenderto the will of God (prapatti) is essential for theachievement of His grace. In the context of devotion andsurrender to the will of God, considerations of caste andsocial status are irrelevant; devotion is enacted from theplatform of the soul.Ramanuja differed from Yamunacarya by stating thatthe existence of God cannot be demonstrated by inference inobserving the cosmic manifestation. Although the universemust certainly have a cause, it cannot be presumed that thecause is God. It could equally be accepted that the universewas created in different parts at different times bydifferent personalities. When we see a large number of pots,it is certain they have a creator; it cannot be presumedthey were generated simultaneously by a single personality.From observing the universe one can conclude it is a productof intelligence, but there is nothing to show whether it wasbrought about by one creator or many. As God is by naturetranscendent and beyond the range of the senses, it isimpossible to find proof of His existence through the methodof observation.Having thus disposed of the ascending processes ofacquiring knowledge of God, Ramanuja concludes that theexistence of God can be known by the testimony of thescriptures alone. All other proofs of the existence of Godmay be countered by opposing logical arguments. Because thescriptures are of divine origin, their version must beaccepted as absolute. On this basis Ramanuja states that8

Isvara is Lord Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, asis revealed in the Vedic scriptures. The descriptions of Godcontained therein are factual and authentic and must beaccepted as being beyond the range of mundane argument.Anyone who is familiar with the Gaudiya-Vaisnavatradition will surely recognize the vast amount of commonground that exists between visistadvaita and the acintyabhedabhedaphilosophy of simultaneous, inconceivable onenessand difference expounded by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In fact ithas been pointed out by some commentators that acintyabhedabhedais the natural conclusion that resolves thedifficulties inherent in some of the ideas of visistadvaita.The major problem with Ramanuja's philosophy ariseswhen he attempts to define the exact relationship betweenthe living beings, the universe, and God. The idea ofqualified oneness gives only a vague explanation how theunity of all beings with God is reconciled with the eternaldifferences between them. The concept of oneness also leadsone to question how God remains changeless and free from thecontamination that affects His integral elements in the formof the individual souls.To overcome this difficulty Ramanuja uses thesoul/body analogy to explain the relationship of qualifiedoneness. However, there are shortcomings in this analogy,for the body is completely inert and is controlledabsolutely by the soul. Therefore, just as the soul isresponsible for the actions of the body-if the analogy werefollowed to its logical conclusion - it would appear thatGod would be held responsible for the actions of all beings,who would be completely devoid of free will.Philosophically, the relationship between the livingentities and God is indescribable. This understanding issignified in the Gaudiya Vaisnava philosophy by the wordacintya, inconceivable. From certain of his statements itwould appear that Ramanuja accepts the idea of oneness anddifference, while at the same time stating that he feels itto be inadequate as an explanation of the relationshipbetween God and the individual souls. Because it isimpossible to define the idea of oneness and difference interms of pure logic, Ramanuja attempted to employ thesoul/body analogy to more accurately explain thisrelationship. However, because of the difficulties we havenoted in completely accepting this definition, a study ofthe philosophy of Ramanuja inevitably draws one to theconclusion of inconceivable oneness and difference -acintya-bhedabheda-tattva.CHAPTER ONE9

YAMUNACARYAIn the south of India many great devotees haveappeared to spread the glories of the Lord. Of all thesedevotees, perhaps the most famous is Sri Ramanujacarya,whose life is the subject of this book. However, just beforeRamanuja there lived another great Vaisnava whose life andteachings had a tremendous influence on Ramanuja, althoughin fact the two of them never met. This was Sri Yamunacarya,also known as Alabandara - "The Conqueror." It isappropriate in considering the life of Ramanujacarya that weshould first look briefly at this great soul, theillustrious writer of the famous Stotra-ratna.Yamunacarya was born around AD 918 in the city ofMadurai in south India, which was then the capital of themighty Pandya kings. His grandfather was a well-knownscholar and devotee known as Nathamuni, who was also famousfor his mystic abilities and expertise in the practice ofastanga yoga. It was Nathamuni who first compiled the songsof Nammalvara, a famous south Indian devotee, and had themset to music.Nathamuni's son was a handsome, intelligent young mannamed Isvaramuni, who married a beautiful young wife.Shortly after the wedding, Isvaramuni traveled with his wifeand parents to visit the holy places of pilgrimage innorthern India, including Vrndavana, the birthplace of LordKrsna. Just a few months after their return from thispilgrimage, Isvaramuni's wife gave birth to a baby boy, and,in memory of the sacred river which flows through Vrndavana,Nathamuni named him Yamuna.However, the joy of the young couple was but shortlived,for just a few years after the birth of the childIsvaramuni passed from this world, leaving his young wife awidow.Nathamuni was so distressed by the untimely death ofhis son that he decided to have no more to do with theaffairs of this world. He left his wife and relatives totake up the life of a renounced sannyasi, totally dedicatinghimself to the worship of Lord Visnu. Thus at a very youngage Yamunacarya was left to be brought up by his mother andaged grandmother, living a life of great poverty.THE CHALLENGEWhen he was five years old, Yamunacarya went to studyat the school of Bhasyacarya and quickly won his teacher'saffection, both for his sweet nature and his ability tolearn quickly. He studied hard, and by the time he wastwelve years old he was Bhasyacarya's best student.10

In those days in India, great scholars used tochallenge one another to see who was the more learned inVedic scriptures and more skilled in the science of logic.While Yamunacarya was studying at the school of Bhasyacarya,there was a great scholar who lived at the court of thePandya king. His name was Kolahala, and he was a greatfavorite of the king because he could defeat any otherscholar in a debate. In fact, the king had passed a lawdecreeing that every scholar who had been defeated byKolahala must pay a tax to him every year - if anyonerefused he would be put to death.Now Yamunacarya's teacher, Bhasyacarya, had also beendefeated by Kolahala, and so he too was obliged to pay thistax. However, because he was a very poor man, he had notbeen able to pay for the past two years. One day, whenBhasyacarya was away on business and all the other studentshad gone home, Yamunacarya was left alone in the school. Atthat time one of Kolahala's disciples came there to collectthe overdue tax from Bhasyacarya."Where is your teacher?" he demanded in imperioustones when he saw that Yamunacarya was alone in the school."Might I know, sir, who has sent you here?" repliedYamunacarya in a very gentle voice, anxious not to give anyoffense."What!" exclaimed the disciple, "do you not know thatI am a disciple of the greatest and most erudite scholar inall of India? Kolahala is the terror of all other scholars,and even the great Pandya king is his obedient servant. Allthose scholars defeated by the great Kolahala must pay ayearly tax or else forfeit their lives. Has your teacherbecome insane that he dares to withhold payment for twoyears? Or is it that he intends to challenge my masteragain, just as a moth rushes into a blazing fire."Yamunacarya was by nature very kindhearted, and hehardly ever quarreled with his fellow students. However, healso had great love and respect for his teacher. Therefore,when he heard Bhasyacarya being spoken of in thatcontemptuous manner, he felt such pain at heart that hecould not restrain himself and replied very strongly toKolahala's messenger. "How foolish you are and how foolishyour teacher is as well, for who but the greatest fool wouldtrain his disciple to possess such monumental pride, insteadof removing such qualities from his heart. Why should mynoble teacher waste his time debating with such a man? Goand tell your master that the lowest disciple of the greatBhasyacarya challenges him to a debate. If he dares to faceme, let him send his reply at once."PREPARATIONS FOR THE DEBATEKolahala's disciple was so astonished and indignantthat he could not think of anything to say, but left in a11

furious rage to inform his teacher of this insult. WhenKolahala heard what had happened, he could not help butlaugh on hearing the age of his rival. The Pandya kingdecided to send another messenger to the boy to see whetherhe was insane, and, if he was serious about the debate, tobring him immediately. When the royal messenger came andtold Yamunacarya of the king's command, the boy replied, "Iwill certainly obey the command of his majesty the king; butif I am to be accepted as a proper opponent of the greatKolahala, then surely a conveyance should be sent to bringme to the palace"After discussing Yamunacarya's reply, the king andhis courtiers agreed that the boy's statement was fittingand sent a costly palanquin and one-hundred soldiers toconduct him to the palace. In the meantime news of theseevents had spread all over the city of Madurai, andBhasyacarya heard the whole story as he was returning home.He was very unhappy to learn of the danger his favoritestudent was facing, for though the king was generous bynature, it was well known that he dealt very severely withanyone who insulted the court pandita.Yamunacarya, however, was not in the least concerned."There is no reason, revered sir, for you to be alarmed," heconsoled his teacher when he returned to the school, "foryou can be certain that, by your grace, I will smash thepride of Kolahala."While they were thus talking, the king's men arrivedat the school with the palanquin. Yamunacarya worshipped thefeet of his guru and calmly climbed into the palanquin,preparing himself for the great debate that was about totake place. A large crowd of people had gathered along theway, for it was unheard of that a twelve-year-old boy shouldchallenge the court pandita and everyone wanted to catch aglimpse of the wonderful child. The brahmanas, many of whomhad already been defeated by Kolahala, offered himblessings, saying, "May you defeat this insolent pandita,just as Visnu in the form of a dwarf brahmana displaced BaliMaharaja, the king of the asuras."Meanwhile, in the royal court a difference of opinionarose between the king and queen about Yamunacarya. The kingsaid, "Just as a cat plays with a mouse, so will Kolahaladefeat and destroy the boy". But the queen was morethoughtful, realizing that Yamunacarya was no ordinarychild. "Just as a small spark," she said, "can turn amountain of cloth to ashes, so will this boy destroy themountain-like pride of Kolahala.""How can you really believe that this is possible?"exclaimed the king in amazement. "If you truly have faith inthe child, then you must make a wager to back your words"."Very well," replied the queen, "I will make a wager. If theboy does not defeat and humble the proud Kolahala, I willbecome the servant of your maidservant."12

"This is certainly a mighty wager," said the king,"but I will match it. If the boy defeats Kolahala, as yousay, then I will give him half of my kingdom." While theking and queen were thus exchanging wagers, the palanquinarrived and Yamunacarya entered the palace. When Kolahalasaw him, he looked at the queen and smiled sarcastically."Ala-bandara," he said, meaning, "Is this the boy who willconquer me?""Yes," replied the queen quietly, "Ala-bandara. Thisis he who has come to conquer you."THE CONTESTWhen the contestants were seated, Kolahala began thedebate by putting simple questions on Sanskrit grammar toYamunacarya. When, however, he found the boy could answerthem with ease, he began to pose really difficultgrammatical problems; but still, Yamunacarya replied to themall without difficulty.He then spoke to the great pandita with a playfulsmile on his lips. "Because I am just a boy, you areinsulting me by asking these simple questions. Remember thatAstavakra was no older than myself when he defeated Bandi atthe court of King Janaka. If you judge a person's learningby his size, then surely it follows that the water buffalowill be a greater scholar than yourself."Although Kolahala winced at these words, hecontrolled his anger and replied smilingly, "Well answered.Now it is your turn to put questions to me"."Very well," Yamunacarya responded, "I will put threepropositions before you, and, if you can refute them, Ishall accept defeat." Kolahala agreed and prepared to refuteYamunacarya's statements. "My first proposition is this,"Yamunacarya spoke out clearly and boldly, "that your motheris not a barren woman. Refute this if you can."Hearing this, Kolahala remained silent. "Had mymother been barren, my birth would not have been possible,"he thought. "How can I refute his statement" Seeing Kolahalaas silent as a dumb man, all the courtiers were astonished.Although the great pandita tried to conceal his anxiety, hecould not prevent a flush from crossing his cheeks.Yamunacarya spoke again, "Sir, if in spite of yourall-conquering intelligence you are unable to refute myfirst proposition, then please hear my second. It is this,that the Pandya king is supremely righteous. Refute this ifyou can." On hearing this Kolahala, was deeply disturbed,sensing his imminent defeat. With the king seated there infront of him, how could he deny the boy's statement? Againhe remained silent, the color draining from his face as hewas scarcely able to control his anger.Yamunacarya spoke again, "Here is my thirdproposition-that the queen of the Pandya king is as chaste13

and faithful to her husband as was Savitri. Refute this ifyou can."Seeing how he had once again been trapped by theintelligent boy, Kolahala could no longer restrain hisanger. "You rascal," he screamed, "how can any loyal subjectsay that his king is unrighteous or his queen unfaithful toher husband? It is true I have not replied to yourstatements, but that does not mean I am defeated. First youmust refute your own propositions, and, if you cannot, youshould be put to death, for the implications of your wordsare treason against your king and queen."When Kolahala shouted out these words, all hisdisciples and supporters cheered; but all those who favoredYamunacarya cried, "No, Kolahala is defeated. He is simplyletting forth his anger, because he could not refute thestatements of Yamunacarya as he promised to do."Thus an argument broke out in the palace, but in themidst of the contention Yamunacarya quieted them all bysaying, "Please stop this argument, for it is unnecessary. Ishall refute all my propositions one by one. Please hear me"At this everyone fell silent and turned their attention toYamunacarya, wondering how he could possibly do this and yetnot offend the king and queen."My first statement," he continued, "was that ourgreat pandita's mother was not a barren woman. However, itis stated in the Manusamhita that a woman who has only onechild is to be considered barren. As your mother gave birthto only one son, even though he is a man of such merit asyourself, according to the sastra, she must be consideredbarren. Secondly, I stated that the king of the Pandyas isa most righteous man. However, the Manu' samhita states thata king enjoys the benefit of one sixth of the religious actsof his subjects, but also has to bear the burden of onesixth of their sinful deeds. Because in the present age ofKali men are more prone toward sinfulness than piety, itmust follow that our king, although flawless in his owncharacter, is bearing a heavy burden of unrighteousness. Andnow to my third proposition, which stated that our queen isas chaste and faithful as was Savitri. But again, if weconsult the laws of Manu, it is said that the king is therepresentative of Agni, Vayu, Surya, Candra, Yama, Kuvera,Varuna, and Indra. Therefore, the queen is married not justto one man, but to these eight demigods as well. So how canit be said that she is chaste?"On hearing these wonderful answers, all the peoplewere filled with amazement and the queen joyfully cried out,"Alabandara! Alabandara!- He has conquered! He hasconquered!"The king immediately came forward and embracedYamunacarya. "Just as on the rising of the sun," he said,"all the insignificant stars fade away, so you, 0 learnedAlabandara, have conquered the proud Kolahala by yourlearning and skill. This fellow just a short while ago was14

demanding your death, now you may deal with him as you seefit. I have also promised to give you half my kingdom as aprize for this victory, and that promise I will certainlyfulfill."Of course, Yamunacarya forgave Kolahala, and,although he was but a boy of twelve years, he began at onceto rule the kingdom he had won. Thus his days of povertywere over.YAMUNACARYA AS A KINGWhen Yamunacarya became the ruler of half the kingdomof the Pandyas, some of the neighboring kings saw this as afine opportunity to invade and plunder his lands. When helearned of this from his spies, the boy king marched againstthem with a strong army before they were prepared, and theywere all forced to surrender to him.In this way he enlarged his domain and began to rulethe kingdom. Unfortunately, although he was a shrewd andrighteous monarch, he became distracted from his spiritualunderstanding by political dealings and the sense pleasuresthat go along with a high position. He forgot that this lifeis but a temporary stage in our eternal existence andgradually gave up his acts of devotion to Lord Visnu.RAMA MISRA'S SCHEMEMeanwhile, Nathamuni, Yamunacarya's grand-father,passed from this world to return to the lotus feet of theLord. He had always loved Yamunacarya very dearly, and hewas filled with sorrow to hear how his grandson hadabandoned the path of devotion for the sake of enjoyingsensual pleasures. Therefore, when he was on his deathbed,he called for his chief disciple, Rama Misra, and made alast request of him: "My dear grandson, Yamunacarya, who isknown as Alabandara, has forgotten the greatness and gloryof Lord Visnu, being attracted by the temporary pleasures ofthis material world. Now I am preparing to give up my life,and I can do nothing more to deliver him. Therefore my lastrequest to you is that you save my grandson from thedarkness of nescience in which he is now sunk. I leave himto your care."Rama Misra, being a dutiful disciple, never forgotthis last instruction of his guru-maharaja. Therefore,several years later when Yamunacarya was thirty-five yearsold, he went to his palace seeking an interview. However,when he arrived there, he saw that the gateway to the palacewas crowded with the chariots and soldiers of differentkings. Even powerful noblemen had to wait for a long timebefore they were able to gain an audience with the mightyAlabandara. As a poor sannyasi beggar, Rama Misra realized15

that there was little chance of his ever getting to seeYamunacarya and that he would have to think of a plan bywhich to accomplish his mission.As well as being a great devotee and preacher, RamaMisra was also learned in the science of Ayur-veda. There isa certain type of spinach, known as tuduvalai, that grows inSouth India. This tuduvalai is famous for developing thequalities of goodness in a man, making his mind peaceful andserene. Rama Misra found some of these plants growing nearthe palace. Collecting the green leaves, he brought them tothe chief cook in the royal kitchen.When the cook came to see him, Rama Misra addressedhim as follows, "May Lord Narayana bless you. I beg you toplease serve these tuduvalai leaves to the king every day,for it is well known that he is a pious man. By eating thisherb he will be able to develop his qualities of goodnessand also increase the duration of his life. Every day I willbring some here to you." As it happened the cook was a piousman who knew the value of the tuduvalai plant and he happilyagreed to Rama Misra's proposal.Thus, every day for two months Rama Misra brought thegreen leaves of the tuduvalai plant to the royal kitchen,and every day they were served to Yamunacarya, who very muchappreciated them. When Rama Misra heard this, hedeliberately stayed away one day; when the king found thatthe tuduvalai preparation was absent from his plate, hecalled for the cook. "Why did you not cook that spinachpreparation for me today?" he asked."Your majesty," the cook replied, "the sadhu whousually brings the spinach did not come today.""Who is this sadhu and what price does he ask for hisservice?" asked Yamunacarya."My Lord," replied the cook, "I do not know the nameor dwelling place of that sadhu. He will accept no paymentat all for his service and renders it only out of love andregard for your majesty."On hearing this Alabandara told the cook, "If thisman comes again, show him due respect and bring him to me."The next day Rama Misra again brought tuduvalaileaves to the kitchen door, and the cook at once brought himto Yamunacarya. Seeing that pious brahmana before him, theking was delighted and said, "Holy sage, I am your servant.Please accept my obeisances at your feet. I have heard thatevery day you gather and bring tuduvalai for me and willaccept no payment for this service. Is there anything that Ican do for you?"Hearing this Rama Misra said, "I have something veryimportant to tell you, but it must be in private". When thecook had been dismissed, he went on. "Some years back yourgrandfather, the renowned Nathamuni, left this world andreturned to Vaikuntha. Before he departed, however, he leftin my care a great treasure to be given to you at the righttime. Now I am asking you to accept this treasure."16

Yamunacarya was very pleased to hear these words, forat that time he was preparing a campaign against arebellious king and was in great need of money. Knowing whata wonderful person his grandfather had been, he readilybelieved the sadhus words. In great delight he said to RamaMisra, "Sir, you are certainly a most saintly person, beingso renounced that you have not kept this treasure foryourself. Now please tell me where it is to be found."Rama Misra answered, "If you follow me I will takeyou there. It is kept within seven walls, between tworivers, guarded by a great serpent. Every twelve years ademon from the south goes to inspect the treasure, which isguarded by mantra. Through the power of mantra the treasurewill be revealed to you."In fact the treasure that Rama Misra was describingwas the beauty of Lord Ranganatha, the Deity who resideswithin a seven-walled temple on an island in the KaveriRiver. The serpent is the bed of Ananta-Sesa, on whom theLord is reclining. It is said that this Deity was firstinstalled by Vibhisana, the brother of Ravana, and thatevery twelve years he goes to Rangaksetra to worship theLord. The powerful mantra is the holy name of the Lord, forby chanting the holy name one is able to gain thetranscendental vision by which one can appreciate that theDeity is non-different from the Lord Himself.YAMUNACARYA’S CONVERSIONHowever, Alabandara could not understand the realmeaning of Rama Misra's words, and, being anxious to acquirethe treasure, he said, "I am ready to go there immediatelyalong with four divisions of my army. Please be our guide""It is better if we go alone," replied Rama Misra,"for it is not advisable for many people to assemble there."The king accepted this proposal, and, having madearrangements for the management of the kingdom in hisabsence, he prepared to set out with the sadhu. Leaving thecity of Madurai behind them, they traveled in a northerlydirection. At noon, while they were resting from the heat ofthe sun, Rama Misra began to chant the verses of theBhagavad-gita.It was many years since Yamunacarya had read andstudied this great scripture, and while he had ruled as aking the sublime teachings of the Gita had been far from hisheart. But now, as he listened to Rama Misra's sweet voicebringing forth the words of Sri Krsna, he began to realizethe illusory nature of his position as a king and to see howhe was neglecting the real goal of life. When Rama Misra hadfinished chanting all the eighteen chapters, Yamunacaryafell down at his feet and begged, "Please accept me as yourservant, so that I may be able to continually relish thesweet nectar of Sri Krsna's words. Now, as I hear from you,17

all the pleasures of my worldly life seem pale andinsignificant."At this Rama Misra smiled and said, "If you have thetime to spare, then why not stay here for a few days andstudy the Gita with me."Now that a taste of the real value of life had begunto reawaken in the heart of the king, his concern overmaterial affairs was diminished. "Whatever duties I may havein this world," he replied, "certainly the most importantduty for every man is to understand the true meaning of theBhagavad-gita. "Thus, the two of them remained in that solitary placefor almost a week, and every day Rama Misra spoke on thesublime teachings of the Gita, while Yamunacarya listenedwith rapt attention. With every word that the sadhu spoke,the king's attachment for his material opulence wasdiminished. This is natural, for once one becomes trulyaware of the glory and sweetness of the Supreme Lord, SriKrsna, the pleasures of this world seem worthless incomparison. When Rama Misra reached the eighth verse of thetwelfth chapter, he sang in a voice choked with tears,mayy eva mana adhatsvamayi buddhim nivesayanivasisyasi mayy evaata urdhvam na samsayah"Just fix your mind upon Me, the Personality of Godhead, andengage all of your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live inMe always without a doubt."When he heard this wonderful verse, Yamunacarya wasfilled with remorse and cried out, "Alas! Alas! All theseyears I have wasted my life, with my mind and intelligenceabsorbed only in thoughts of lust and wealth. When will thatday come when I will be able to remove such useless thingsfrom my heart and fix my mind completely on the lotus feetof Sri Krsna?"Hearing this pure sentiment, Rama Misra consoled theking, saying, "Your majesty, your pure mind rests always onthe lotus feet of the Lord. Just for a short time it hasbeen captivated by worldly desires, as a small cloudobscures the sun's rays for a short time. Now that cloud hasalmost gone, and the sun will shine again and dispel thedarkness from your heart."At this point Alabandara decided that he wanted nomore to do with material life, and so he told Rama Misra,"Now, all I desire is to become your disciple, and so I haveno need of the wealth left by my grandfather.""But I gave my word to Sri Nathamuni," replied RamaMisra, "and so I must deliver the treasure to you to keep myvow intact. Now let us continue our journey together."After walking for four days, they reached the banksof the Kaveri River and the next day crossed over to the18

island on which stands the sacred temple of Sri Ranganatha.Rama Misra led Yamunacarya through the six outer gates,until they stood before the doors of the temple room itself.Then Rama Misra said, "In front of us lying on the bed ofAnanta-Sesa is the treasure that was your grandfather's onlyproperty - Sri Ranganatha, the Lord of Laksmidevi, the mostbeautiful of all personalities."Hearing these words, Yamunacarya ran forward and fellunconscious at the feet of the Deity. From that day he hadno desire to resume his royal position. He took initiationfrom Rama Misra and spent the rest of his days totallyabsorbed in service to Sri Ranganatha. Part of his kingdomwas returned to the Pandya kings, and a part of it he gavefor the service of Lord Ranganatha. He received from hisguru the mantra of eight syllables - om namo narayanaya andby chanting this mantra he attained the topmost platform ofloving devotion to the Lord. On the order of Rama Misra helearned the art of mystic yoga and meditation from SriKurakanatha, who had been instructed in that science byNathamuni himself.After the disappearance of his guru, Alabandara wasaccepted as the head of the Vaisnava community. Whilst hewas the acarya at Sri Rangam, he wrote four books ofVaisnava philosophy, as well as many prayers inglorification of the Supreme Lord. In particular he wasdevoted to the writings of his ancestor Nammalvara, which herecited constantly and taught to all of his disciples.Eventually the king of the Cholas and his queen were alsoconverted, and they dedicated themselves to the worship ofLord Visnu. All the devotees in south India adoredYamunacarya for his renunciation, learning, humility, andsteadfast devotion.CHAPTER TWORAMANUJA'S STUDENT LIFEOne of Yamunacarya’s chief sannyasi disciples was SriSailapurna. He had two sisters, the elder named Kantimatiand the younger named Diptimati. Kantimati was married to avery pious brahmana known as Asuri Kesavacarya. Because ofhis expertise in the performance of all five kinds of firesacrifice, he was also known as Sarvakratu.Years passed by, and the couple lived happily in thevillage of Bhutapuri, but, because they still had nochildren, Kesavacarya became disturbed at heart. He decidedto perform a fire sacrifice to please the Lord and thus begHim for the gift of a son. For this purpose he journeyed19

with his wife to the temple of Sri Partha-sarathi on theshores of the ocean, in what is now the city of Madras.There they performed sacrifices together, begging the Lordto be merciful to them and grant them the benediction of ason.Certainly Lord Visnu was pleased by their prayers,for about one year later Kantimati gave birth to a baby boy,who bore all auspicious marks on his body. This was in theyear AD 1017, and it was this child who grew up to berenowned all over the world as Sri Ramanujacarya, the greatdevotee of Lord Narayana.At about the same time, Kantimati's younger sister,Diptimati, also gave birth to a son. On hearing the news ofthe births of his two nephews, Saila-purna, the intimatedisciple of Yamunacarya, came to visit them. He wasastonished to see all the auspicious marks on the body ofKantimati's son, and he gave him the name Ramanuja, a nameof Laksmana which means the younger brother of Rama. ToDiptimati's son he gave the name Govinda.MEETING WITH KANCIPURNAAs Ramanuja grew, the brilliance of his intellectsoon became apparent. When he began to attend school, hecould easily remember anything he was taught, even afterhearing it only once. All the teachers in the school lovedthe boy, not only because he was a brilliant scholar, butalso because of his gentle, courteous nature.At that time there was a famous devotee of the Lordnamed Kancipurna, who lived in the nearby city ofKancipuram. He was a disciple of Yamunacarya, and, althoughhe was born in a sudra family, his intense devotion to theLord was so apparent that even strict brahmanas would offerhim all respect. Every day he would travel from the city ofKanci to the village of Poonamalle to worship the Deitythere. As Bhutapuri was midway between the two places, hewould daily pass by Ramanuja's house.One evening as Ramanuja was returning home fromschool, he met Kancipurna face to face and was immediatelyattracted by the demeanor of this holy man. With greathumility Ramanuja invited Kancipurna to come to his housefor a meal, and the great devotee readily agreed, being verymuch attracted to this gentle brahmana boy.After his guest had finished his meal, Ramanuja beganto massage his feet. At this Kancipurna protested, "I amnothing but a low-born sudra and am thus your servant. It isnot proper for a brahmana like you to deal with me in sucha way."Ramanuja replied, "If my position as a brahmanaprevents me from worshipping a great soul such as yourself,then I consider my birth to be the most inauspicious. Is itjust the wearing of a cheap thread that makes one a20

ahmana? Only that person who is fully devoted to LordVisnu is a real brahmana, no one else."Kancipurna was filled with wonder and delight to hearthe boy's firm faith in devotional service. Long into thenight the two of them sat up discussing topics about theLord and the ways of devotion. That night Kancipurna stayedat Ramanuja's house and proceeded on his journey the nextmorning. From that day forth both of these great devoteeswere bound together by the love that each bore for theother.MOVING TO KANCIPURAMWhen Ramanuja was only sixteen years old, his father,Asuri Kesavacarya, wanted to get him married. Accordingly,he selected a beautiful young girl to be his son's bride andmade all the arrangements for the wedding celebration. Thefestivities lasted for an entire week and all the poorpeople of the neighborhood were satisfied by thedistribution of large amounts of prasadam. After the couplehad been married for only one month, however, tragedy struckthe family - Kesavacarya left this world. Kantimati wasafflicted with terrible grief, and for Ramanuja also it wasa time of great sorrow. Now that Kesavacarya had left them,Bhutapuri was no longer a happy place for the family, andthey decided to move to the city of Kanci. Ramanuja wentfirst to construct a residence for them, and when it wascompleted they all moved there.AT THE SCHOOL OF YADAVAPRAKASAAt that time a very learned scholar was living atKanci. His name was Yadavaprakasa, and the fame ofscholarship had attracted a large group of disciples to him.Being desirous of understanding the Vedic literatures,Ramanuja also became his student, and his pleasant natureand quick intelligence soon endeared him to the greatpandita. However, this relationship did not last for verylong, for despite his learning and knowledge of thescriptures, Yadavaprakasa was a firm adherent of themayavada philosophy of absolute oneness. He taught that theall-pervading Brahman was the Absolute Truth and that thepersonal God, Lord Visnu, was illusory. Ramanuja was a puredevotee of the Lord, and so he was pained to hear thestatements of Yadavaprakasa, that denied the supremacy ofhis beloved Lord. Out of humility and respect for his guru,Ramanuja would not point out the defects in theseimpersonalist teachings, but the situation gradually becameimpossible to tolerate.21

THE FIRSTCONFRONTATIONOne day when the other students had gone home to takelunch, Yadavaprakasa asked Ramanuja to massage his body withoil. At that time one of the other students returned to theschool to discuss with his teacher a passage from theChandogya Upanisad they had been studying that morning. Inparticular he inquired about the word kapyasam, whichoccurs in the first chapter, part six, verse seven. Thereinit is stated, kapyasam pundarikam evam aksini.Following Sankaracarya's interpretation,Yadavaprakasa began to explain that kapyasam referred to therear-end of a monkey and that the whole passage meant thatthe Supreme Lord had eyes like lotuses as red as a monkey'srear-end.On hearing this horrible explanation of theappearance of his beloved Lord, Ramanuja, who was stillmassaging his guru, was filled with such intense grief thathot tears immediately began to pour from his eyes. WhenYadavaprakasa felt the touch of these tears, he looked up insurprise. Seeing Ramanuja's distress, he asked what wascausing him such pain. To this inquiry Ramanuja replied, "0master, it causes me such suffering to hear this terribleexplanation from a great soul like yourself. How sinful itis to compare the beautiful lotus eyes of the Lord to theposterior of a monkey. I never expected to hear such a thingfrom my teacher."Yadavaprakasa was angered by this challenge from oneof his own students, and he replied sharply, "I also am veryaggrieved. Impudent words from an inferior are neverpraiseworthy. If you have become so proud that you thinkyourself a better teacher than me, then let us hear yourexplanation of the passage.""By your mercy everything is possible" repliedRamanuja.Yadavaprakasa smiled derisively. "Now we are going tosee this boy outdo the great Sankaracarya," he said.Ramanuja remained peaceful, and when he spoke it wasin a very humble way. "Instead of understanding theposterior of a monkey from the word kapyasam, " he said,"another meaning is possible. Ka-pi can be taken as kamjalam pibati, that which drinks up the water, or, in otherwords, the sun. The word asam also means to blossom, so thewhole word kapi-asam can be understood as that whichblossoms under the sun, or, in other words, the lotusflower. Thus we can understand the mantra of the Upanisad tomean that the Lord has eyes as beautiful as the lotusflower."Yadavaprakasa was very surprised to hear such aclever explanation from one of his own students and herealized that Ramanuja was a staunch adherent of thedevotional philosophy of dualism. The devotees understandthat the perfection of life is to worship Lord Visnu without22

any personal desire, and so they never aspire for oneness asthe mayavadis do. This philosophy was directly opposed tothe teachings of Yadavaprakasa and after this incident hisaffection for Ramanuja began to wane.MORE CONFLICTS AT SCHOOLA few days later when Yadavaprakasa was instructinghis students from the Taittiriya Upanisad, he made thestatement that the Supreme Brahman is Truth, Knowledge, andInfinity. On hearing this impersonal idea of God, Ramanujacould not contain himself. He immediately objected to histeacher’s explanation, saying, "No, this verse means thatthe Supreme possesses Truth, Knowledge, and Infinity, butstill He has His own existence beyond these attributes."Angered by this unexpected interruption,Yadavaprakasa replied, "You presumptuous child, if you won'taccept my explanations, then why do you come here? Why notgo home and start a school of your own?" When he hadcomposed himself somewhat, he went on more quietly, "Yourexplanation is not in accordance with Sankaracarya or any ofthe previous acaryas, so kindly keep your impertinence toyourself."By nature Ramanuja was humble and meek, and so hetried to avoid such confrontations with his teacher.However, he was also absolutely devoted to knowledge of thetruth: thus, when he heard the misleading monistinterpretations being put forward by Yadavaprakasa, he wassometimes unable to contain himself. In the presence of theother students Yadavaprakasa used to make light of thesechallenges, but in his heart there began to arise a growingfear and hatred for the boy. "As he grows older," hecontemplated, "this boy will strongly establish thedualistic philosophy of devotion. This must not be allowedto happen. I will do whatever is necessary to protect thedoctrine of monism, even if it means that I have to killhim."YADAVAPRAKASA'S PLOTActually, Yadavaprakasa was very envious of Ramanuja,seeing in him both a purer heart and a greater intellectthan his own. One day, therefore, he called all his otherstudents to a secret meeting. There he addressed them, "Mydear children, none of you has ever found fault with myteachings, but this impudent Ramanuja has repeatedlychallenged my explanations. He may be an intelligent boy,but all his ideas are based on the false doctrine ofdualism, seeing a difference between the self and God. He isa complete heretic who will cause havoc in society throughhis teachings. We must find some way to be rid of him."23

"Sir, surely you could just forbid him from coming tothe school," suggested one student."But then our master's worst fears would berealized," responded another, "for he would open his ownschool and go on propagating his falsehoods all the more.Already he has written a commentary on the mantra: satyamjnanam anantam brahma, which contradicts everything we havelearned from our teacher." This was true, for Ramanuja hadeffectively refuted Sankara's explanations: and his writinghad been widely read and appreciated by Vaisnavas in southIndia, including Yamunacarya at Rangaksetra.After discussing the matter for some time, they allagreed the only way to stop Ramanuja was to kill him. Theythen began to consider how this could be done secretlywithout anyone discovering their crime. EventuallyYadavaprakasa made a proposal, "Let us all go on pilgrimageto bathe in the Ganges. On the way there are many remoteareas, where we can put an end to this heretic withoutanyone knowing anything about it. By bathing in the sacredGanges we will free ourselves from the sin of killing abrahmana and when we return we will simply say he felt sickand died on the journey."All the disciples readily accepted their teacher'ssuggestion and set out to induce Ramanuja to accompany themon their journey. Ramanuja was delighted at the idea ofbathing in the Ganges and happily accepted their invitation.Govinda, Ramanuja's cousin, was living with his aunt inKancipuram at this time, and he also studied at the schoolof Yadavaprakasa. When Ramanuja announced that he was goingon pilgrimage to North India, Govinda immediately decided togo with his beloved friend and relative.DANGER IN THE FORESTKantimati was unhappy at the prospect of beingseparated from her son for so many months, but,understanding the meritorious nature of such a venture, shegave him her permission to go. So it was that, at anauspicious moment, the band of disciples, headed byYadavaprakasa, started out on the pilgrimage. After a fewdays traveling they came to a desolate region near theVindhya Hills. Yadavaprakasa considered that this would be asuitable place to put his evil plan into operation, and hetold his disciples to prepare themselves. However, whilethey were discussing the final preparations, Govinda was inthe forest nearby, and he heard everything they said. Assoon as he had the opportunity, he informed Ramanuja of thegreat danger he was in.When he understood the wicked intentions of histeacher and fellow students, Ramanuja left the party andfled into the forest. When his absence was noticed,Yadavaprakasa sent some of the boys into the forest to24

search for him, but when no one replied to their calls, theyconcluded that Ramanuja must have been killed by some wildbeast. Although secretly very pleased by this apparent turnof events, because of Govinda's presence, they all pretendedto be very much aggrieved. Yadavaprakasa spoke to Govinda,instructing him about the temporary nature of the body andbodily relationships, thus revealing his cunning andtreacherous nature.MEETING WITH THE HUNTERWhen Ramanuja heard from Govinda of the plot that wasthreatening his life, he was at first stunned and completelybewildered, it was just half an hour before nightfall: hewas a young man of only eighteen years, alone and friendlessin a land far from his home. Then suddenly he felt greatstrength and courage enter his body. "Why should I beafraid?" he considered, "Is Lord Narayana not the protectorof His devotees? Therefore what have I to fear from thedarkness of the forest?" Thinking like this, he turned hisface resolutely towards the south and began walking quicklythrough the forest. Sometimes he thought he could hear faintvoices calling him in the distance, but he never hesitatedand continued on his course.He travelled for most of the night, until eventually,exhausted by hunger and fatigue, he rested beneath a largetree. He awoke the following day, refreshed and vigorousonce more. Already it was afternoon, and so he prepared tocontinue on his journey. While he was considering whichdirection he should take, he saw a fowler couple approachinghim. The hunter's wife said to him, "Is it because you havelost your way that you are sitting here alone in the forest?You look like the son of a brahmana. Where is your home?""My home is far from here," replied Ramanuja, "way tothe south. Have you heard of a place called Kancipuram?""How is it that you are so bold as to journey alonethrough this dense forest, which is infested with robbersand wild animals?" asked the hunter. "I know Kancipuram verywell, and, as it happens, we are also going in thatdirection" Ramanuja was very surprised to hear this, and sohe asked, "Where are you from and for what reason are yougoing to Kanci?""We are forest dwellers," came the reply, "and livein a small village near the Vindhya Mountains. Because wehave made our livelihood by catching birds, we are now goingon pilgrimage to Ramesvaram and Kancipuram to free ourselvesfrom the reactions to so many sinful activities. It seemsthat the Supreme Lord, who gives shelter to everyone, hasbrought you to us for protection."At first Ramanuja was a little afraid of the tall,dark-skinned stranger, but there was something about theaffection in his face and the sweetness of his words that25

quickly dispelled all the misgivings from the youngbrahmanas mind. As it was by now almost evening time, thefowler said, "Let us go quickly through this forest region,and then we can camp for the night near an underground riverthat is not too far from here"They set off at once and about an hour later came tothe banks of the river. The fowler collected some pieces ofwood and lit a fire. Then he prepared a camp site, so thatthey could spend the night there. Just before he fellasleep, Ramanuja heard the fowler's wife say to her husband,"My dear, I am feeling very thirsty. Can you look for somewater for me?""Now the night has come," said the fowler, "and itwould be foolish to leave the shelter of the firelight.Tomorrow you will be able to quench your thirst with thecool waters of a well that is just near here."THE LORD PROTECTS HIS DEVOTEEEarly the next morning they rose and continued ontheir journey. Soon they came to the well the fowler hadspoken of, and Ramanuja went down the steps to collect waterfor the wife of the fowler. Three times he brought water toher, but still her thirst was not satisfied. When he cameback for the fourth time, there was no trace of the coupleto be seen. They had completely disappeared. It was onlythen he realized They were in fact Laksmi and Narayana, whohad taken the forms of a fowler and his wife just to protectTheir devotee and guide him through the dangerous forest.Seeing the towers of temples and a cluster of housesnearby, Ramanuja asked a passerby, "Sir, what is the name ofthis town?"The man looked at him in amazement. "Can't yourecognize the reputed city of Kancipuram?" he replied. "Whyare you speaking like a stranger? I know that you are one ofYadavaprakasa's students, and I have seen you many times inthe city."Saying this the man continued on his way withoutwaiting for a reply. At first Ramanuja was taken completelyby surprise at this unbelievable news, but gradually hebegan to realize how Laksmidevi and Lord Narayana hadbestowed their mercy upon him. Then his heart became filledwith the ecstasy of divine love, and with tears rolling downhis cheeks he began to offer prayers:namo brahmanya-devayago-brahmana hitaya cajagad-dhitdya krsnayagovindaya namo namah26

RAMANUJA'S RETURNFor over an hour Ramanuja remained at the well, raptin ecstasy, reciting Queen Kunti's prayers from the Srimad-Bhagavatam in glorification of the Supreme Personality ofGodhead. Eventually three women carrying water pitchersapproached the well, and, upon seeing them, Ramanujacontrolled his emotions and proceeded on towards Kancipuram.Ever since her son had set off on the pilgrimage tonorthern India, Ramanuja's mother, Kantimati, had been in astate of constant lamentation, shedding tears of separation.Thus, when he suddenly appeared at the doorway of the house,she could not at first believe it was actually him. Onlywhen he paid obeisances and spoke to her was she fullyconvinced. Then she was filled with happiness and began toinquire from him, "My dear child, how is it that you havereturned so soon? Where is Govinda? I thought that it wouldbe at least six months before you returned from yourpilgrimage to the holy Ganges"When the whole story had been related to her,Kantimati was horrified by the evil intentions ofYadavaprakasa, but also delighted to hear of the great mercythe Lord had shown her son. At that moment Ramanuja's aunt,Diptimati, the mother of Govinda, came to the house alongwith Ramanuja's young wife. They were also overjoyed to seehe had returned safely. They then began to cook offeringsfor Lord Narayana, and, just as they were serving prasadam,Kancipurna, who had heard of Ramanuja's arrival, came there.The two devotees warmly embraced one another, and Ramanujainvited Kancipurna to take prasadam as their honored guest.That night the feelings of joy in that small house werepractically unlimited.STUDIES RESUMEDRamanuja continued to study the scriptures at home,and he asked his mother and aunt to tell no one aboutYadavaprakasa’s treacherous dealings. Some months later theacarya returned to Kancipuram along with all his disciples,except for Govinda. When Diptimati asked Yadavaprakasa abouther son, he told her that after Ramanuja's disappearancethey had journeyed to Benares, where they took darsana ofLord Visvanatha and bathed in the Ganges. They had stayedthere for two weeks. One day whilst taking bath in theriver, Govinda had discovered a Siva linga in the water.Seeing this as the will of the Lord, Govinda had immediatelybegun to worship Lord Siva in this form.As he continued his worship, day by day his devotionto Lord Siva had become more and more fixed. Thus, when theyarrived at Kalahasti on the return journey, he told histeacher and the other students that he no longer wanted toreturn to Kancipuram. He had decided to stay in that holy27

shrine of the Saivites and dedicate his life to the worshipof Lord Sankara.Diptimati was not an ordinary woman, and, rather thanfeeling distress at hearing this news, she became completelyjoyful, considering herself blessed to have such a saintlyson. Soon after this she went to Kalahasti to visit Govinda,and, on seeing how he was completely absorbed in worship ofLord Siva and freed from material hankering, her happinessincreased many times over.At first Yadavaprakasa was fearful when he saw thatRamanuja was still living, but he thought the young man mustbe unaware of the plot he had made to kill him. In thepresence of Kantimati he pretended to be overwhelmed withjoy at finding her son safe and sound. "You cannot imagine,"he told her, "the suffering and anguish all of us underwentwhen we were unable to find him in the forest."In actuality the teacher was feeling very ashamed ofhis wickedness now that he saw Ramanuja's humble behavior.Turning to the young man, he spoke affectionately, "Mychild, from this day you should come once more to study withme. May the Lord continue to shower His blessings upon you."From that day on Ramanuja resumed his studies withYadavaprakasa.YAMUNACARYA'S PRAYERS FOR RAMANUJAA few days later the venerable Alabandara,accompanied by many disciples, came to Kancipuram to seeLord Varadaraja. While he was returning from the temple,Yamunacarya saw Yadavaprakasa walking with his disciples,his hand resting on Ramanuja's shoulder. Seeing thishandsome, effulgent young man, the Vaisnava saint becamecurious and inquired from his followers as to his identity.When he learned this was the same Ramanuja who had writtenthe wonderful commentary on the Upanisadic mantra, satyamjnanam anantam brahma, he was very pleased. But at the sametime he was disturbed to see him under the guidance of suchan ardent mayavadi as Yadavaprakasa. He then prayed to LordVaradaraja for Ramanuja's deliverance from such unfortunateassociation:"I take shelter of the Supreme Personality ofGodhead, by whose mercy the deaf may hear, the lame mayarise and walk, the dumb may speak, the blind may see, andbarren women may bring forth children."0 lotus-eyed one, husband of Laksmi, please bestowyour full mercy upon Ramanuja, so that he will be able toworship you fully, without any hindrance."Yamunacarya longed to approach Ramanuja and conversewith him, but he was unwilling to associate with anondevotee like Yadavaprakasa. At this time Alabandara wasover one hundred years old and was the leading acarya amongall the Vaisnavas in south India. He realized that, if Krsna28

desired it, he would one day have the chance to meet withRamanuja alone. Thinking like this, he returned to SriRangam.DELIVERANCE OF THE PRINCESSApart from his great learning in the science ofVedanta, Yadavaprakasa was also expert in magical arts,particularly in driving out ghosts and evil spirits. Once itso happened that the princess of Kancipuram came to bepossessed by a fearful brahma-raksasa ghost. AsYadavaprakasa's expertise in dealing with such situationswas widely known, he was at once summoned to the palace.However, despite all his mantras, the ghost that waspossessing the girl remained completely unmoved. Laughing ina hideous shrill voice, the ghost within the princess calledout, "Yadavaprakasa, of what use are all your mantras Youare wasting your time. Go back home" Determined not to bedefeated, Yadavaprakasa continued with his attempts toexorcise the evil spirit, but to no avail. Again the brahmaraksasaspoke. ‘Why do you waste your strength in vain? Yourpower is much inferior to mine. The only way that you willbe able to force me to leave the body of this beautifulprincess is by bringing here your youngest disciple, thedevoted Ramanuja. His purity is the only force that canovercome my potency".Yadavaprakasa then sent word for Ramanuja to come tothe palace without delay. When that great devotee of LordVisnu arrived there and understood the situation, he spoketo the evil spirit, asking it to leave the body of theprincess. The brahma-raksasa replied, speaking through thegirl, "I will leave this body if you kindly place your lotusfeet on my head." Such was the purity of Ramanuja's devotionthat even this evil fiend could understand the benefit oftaking shelter of such a great soul.With the permission of his teacher, Ramanuja placedboth of his feet on the girl's head, saying, "Now leave thisplace at once and give us some sign by which we may know intruth that you have departed."The ghost replied, "Look now, I am leaving thisbeautiful body, and as a sign I shall break the topmostbranch of the nearest banyan tree." At once the highestbranch of the banyan tree cracked and felt to the ground,while the princess began to look around her in amazement,like one who has just awakened from sleep. When she wasinformed by her maidservant of all that had taken place, shehung her head in shame and hurried away to the innerapartments of the palace.When the King of Kanci heard of his daughter'scomplete recovery, he hurried to worship the lotus feet ofRamanuja and express his gratitude. From that day onRamanuja's fame spread throughout the kingdom, and his name29

was on everyone's lips. Yadavaprakasa, however, was not atall pleased by the turn of events, seeing that his positionhad been minimized by one of his own students. Now everyonewas aware that Ramanuja was far greater in spiritual potencythan Yadavaprakasa, and this was not at all to the liking ofthe proud mayavadi.In addition, Ramanuja's intense devotion to LordVisnu was completely incompatible with the dry monisticdoctrines expounded by his teacher. Therefore, it seemedthat conflict between the two was inevitable.RAMANUJA'S EXPULSION FROM SCHOOLThe final confrontation was not long in coming. Onlya few weeks after Ramanuja's deliverance of the princess,all the students were assembled to hear Yadavaprakasalecture on the mantras, sarvam khalv idam brahma -'everything is brahman' and, neha nanasti kincana-'there isnothing else in this world'. He was presenting theimpersonalist philosophy in such an expert way that all hisstudents were captivated by his explanations of the onenessof the jiva soul and the Supreme Brahman. Only Ramanujashowed any signs of unhappiness at the acaryas statements.At the end of the class he spoke up, saying, "Thewords sarvam khalv idam brahma do not mean that the SupremeAbsolute Truth is nothing but the sum total of all creation.Rather, it is seen that the universe comes from the Supremeas His energy, is maintained by Him and, in the end itdissolves back into Him. He maintains His own separateidentity, although everything is indeed a part of Hisexpanded energy. The words neha nanasti kincana do not meanthat there is no variety at all in this world. Rather, weshould understand that all the varieties of creation areheld as one, just as separate pearls are held on one thread,although they are still individual entities. Thus, we cansee how everything is both one and separate at the sametime."On hearing his teachings nullified by Ramanuja inthis way, Yadavaprakasa became very angry and he spokeharshly, "If you do not like my explanations of thescriptures, then do not come to me any more"."As you wish, sir" Ramanuja replied. He thenworshipped the feet of his teacher and left the school,never to return again.KANCIPURNAThe next day as Ramanuja was sitting at home studyingthe scriptures by himself, Kancipurna came to visit him. Aswe have heard before, Kancipurna was a pure devotee of the30

Lord, who was respected by the most aristocratic brahmanas,though he himself took birth in a sudra family. From hisvery childhood he had absorbed himself in devotional serviceto the Deity of Sri Varadaraja. On hot summer days he wouldserve the Lord by providing cooling breezes with fans dippedin water, and he was always anxious to obtain the very bestfruits and flowers to offer to the Lord.All the people of Kanci loved him for his simpledevotion and gentle behavior. Wherever he went all badfeelings and misunderstandings seemed to vanish. Sometimeshe would stop in the middle of the road as if stunned,staring into the distance with an expression of greathappiness on his face. It was said that he conversed withLord Varadaraja Himself and that the Lord made Hisintentions known through the words of Kancipurna. Despitehis birth in a sudra family, most of the brahmanas inKancipuram recognized his exalted devotional qualities andoffered him all respects. Only a few, who were very proud oftheir high birth and knowledge of the scriptures, said hewas insane or an imposter. One of these, as you mightimagine, was Yadavaprakasa.INSTRUCTIONS FROM KANCIPURNAThus, it was with great happiness that Ramanujareceived this wonderful devotee as a guest in his house.Offering him a nice sitting place, he said, "Your cominghere is my great good fortune and can only be seen as partof the limitless mercy of Lord Varadaraja, who has sent youhere to guide me. You must have heard of my expulsion fromthe school of Yadavaprakasa. Now I can see that this is notto be regretted, for I will accept you as my guru andteacher.""Ramanuja, this cannot be," replied Kancipurnagently, "for I am a sudra and an ignorant man, with noknowledge of the scriptures. I simply pass my life renderinga little service to Lord Varadaraja. As a brahmana you aremy master, and I am your servant"."Sir, you are the wisest man I have ever known," saidRamanuja, "and if knowledge of the scriptures brings onlypride instead of devotion, then what is its value? By yourhumble service to the Lord, I can see that you knowperfectly the conclusions of all the scriptures."On saying this Ramanuja fell down to pay hisobeisances at the feet of the devoted Kancipurna. Thatsaintly person instantly raised Ramanuja to his feet andtold him, "I feel blessed to have seen your deep devotionfor the Lord. Every day you should bring a jar of water tothe temple for the service of Sri Varadaraja. In this wayyou will quickly receive His mercy, and all of your desireswill be fulfilled."31

Having given this advice to the young devotee,Kancipurna left to go and worship Lord Varadaraja. Ramanuja,accepting his instruction, engaged in the service of theLord by bringing water to the temple of Lord Varadaraja fromthe sacred well where he had seen the Lord in the form of afowler.YAMUNACARYA'S ILLNESSEver since the day he had seen Ramanuja inKancipuram, the aged Yamunacarya had been thinking of himand praying to Lord Visnu for his deliverance. He longed forthe day on which Ramanuja would give up the association ofYadavaprakasa and take full shelter of the Vaisnavas. It waswith this hope in mind that he composed his wonderful prayerknown as the Stotra-ratna, which is adored by devotees evento this day.A few days after the composition of the Stotra-ratna,Yamunacarya fell gravely ill and was unable to rise from hisbed. However, even in this precarious position, hoveringbetween life and death, he continued to preach the gloriesof the Lord. Fearing the imminent departure of their guru,various disciples put questions before him. Tiruvarangaasked, "If Lord Narayana is beyond mind and speech, how isit possible to serve Him?"Yamunacarya replied, "The best way to serve LordNarayana is to serve His pure devotees. In addition youshould serve the Deity form of the Lord, even as the blessedKancipurna serves Lord Varadaraja. All problems are resolvedby the statement of the Mahabharata, mahajano yena gatah sapanthah -'Just follow the example set by the greatdevotees'." Looking into the eyes of his dear disciple,Alabandara continued, "For myself, my only refuge now is thelotus feet of Tirumangai, that noble mahatma who served LordRanganatha so perfectly in ancient times."On hearing these words from his guru, Tiruvaranga'seyes filled with tears and he spoke again in a voice chokedwith grief, "Have you decided without doubt to leave thisworld now?"Alabandara smiled slightly and replied softly, "Howis it that such a wise man as yourself is to be seenlamenting for that which is inevitable? Do you not yetunderstand that everything happens only by the will of LordNarayana. Our position is to simply accept whatever mercy Hebestows upon us, giving up the dualities of happiness anddistress."At that moment two other disciples decided they wouldcommit suicide as soon as Yamunacarya left this world. Thesetwo were Mahapurna and Tirukkotiyurpurna.Another disciple came forward shedding tears andcrying out, "Where will any of us go for shelter after your32

disappearance? Whose sweet words will inspire us to acts ofgreater devotion?"Yamunacarya placed his hand on the disciple's head,saying, "My child, there is no need for anxiety, for LordRanganatha is there. He has given you shelter in the past,He is giving you shelter now and will continue to protectyou in the future. Always go and pray before Lord Ranganathaand sometimes go to see Venkatesa at Tirupati and Varadarajaat Kanci. In this way how will you be without shelter?"When Tiruvaranga asked whether the body should beburied or cremated, Alabandara gave no reply, for his mindwas fixed on the lotus feet of Lord Narayana.LORD RANGANATHA SAVES HIS DEVOTEESThe next day there was a special procession inRangaksetra, and the Deity of Lord Ranganatha was carriedfrom the temple on a palanquin. Huge crowds of people hadgathered from all the surrounding villages to see the Lordas He passed along the road. The disciples of Yamunacaryawere also in attendance. Suddenly one of the pujaris servingthe Lord seemed to go into a trance, as if possessed. Hespoke out, clearly addressing Mahapurna andTirukkotiyurpurna, "Give up your resolution to commitsuicide. It is not approved by Me."After this wonderful event, all the disciples quicklyreturned to the bedside of Yamunacarya to tell him what hadhappened. He then gave them further instructions. "To commitsuicide is a great sin, and to save you from such an actLord Ranganatha Himself has spoken to you. Such is Hisboundless mercy." Alabandara then fell silent, and his eyesclosed as he seemed to go deep into meditation. After awhile he spoke again. "This is my final instruction to allof you. Offer flowers at the lotus feet of the Lord andalways try to follow your gurus order. Destroy all false egoby serving the Vaisnavas". Then he gave all his disciplesover to the care of Tiruvaranga and fell silent once more.MAHAPURNA IS SENT TO KANCIHowever, Yamunacarya did not depart from the world atthis time, and a few days later, to everyone's surprise, heseemed to recover from his illness. He left his asrama andtook darsana of Lord Ranganatha, just as he had donepreviously. Everyone was inspired to hear him talk againabout the glories of Lord Visnu.One day two brahmanas from Kancipuram arrived to seeYamunacarya, having heard of his imminent departure from theworld. They were surprised to find the great acarya sittingup and discussing the scriptures, apparently fully recoveredfrom his sickness. When Yamunacarya learned the two33

ahmanas were from Kancipuram, he immediately inquired fromthem about the welfare of Ramanuja. They told him he had nowgiven up hearing from Yadavaprakasa and was studying thescriptures alone. Yamunacarya was very pleased to hear thatthe young devotee was now freed from the dangers of hearingmayavada philosophy, and there and then he composed eightverses glorifying the mercy of the Lord upon His devotees.He then instructed Mahapurna, one of his seniordisciples, "Please go to Kanci and bring Ramanuja here, forI long to see him in the midst of our company of Vaisnavas."Mahapurna offered obeisances at the feet of his guru, andthat same day he departed to carry out his order.DISAPPEARANCE OF YAMUNACARYAA few days after the departure of Mahapurna,Alabandara's body was afflicted with sickness once more.Despite the intence pain he had to undergo, he still tookhis bath and went to the temple to see Lord Ranganatha, theLord of his heart. He took a little maha-prasada and thenreturned to the asrama, where he called for all of hishouseholder disciples to come to him.First of all, in a mood of great humility, he beggedthem to forgive any offense that he might have made towardsthem. He then asked them to take care of the brahmacari andsannyasi disciples who were living at the asrama. Finally,Yamunacarya gave his last instruction to his householderdisciples. "Every day you should rise early and go to thetemple to worship Lord Ranganatha, smelling the flowers thathave been offered to His lotus feet. In this way your mindand intelligence will become purified, and you will becomefixed in your devotion to Lord Narayana. In addition youshould always be devoted to your spiritual master and beattentive in serving guests."When the householder disciples had left, Alabandarasat in a lotus position and concentrated his mind on thefeet of Lord Hari. The remaining disciples began to chantthe holy name of Lord Narayana in congregation, accompaniedby the sweet sounds of the flute and other instruments. AsYamunacarya became even more deeply immersed in thoughts ofthe Supreme Personality of Godhead, tears of ecstasy randown his cheeks and his body began to tremble. In thisecstatic state of devotional love the great acarya gave uphis body and returned to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord,his eternal, beloved master.Immediately the kirtana stopped, and many of thedisciples began to cry aloud in lamentation, while othersfainted and fell unconscious to the ground. After some timethe sannyasis and Yamunacarya’s son, Purna, collectedthemselves and began to make preparations for the funeralceremony. The body was washed and dressed in new clothesbefore being placed on a decorated palanquin. Then, in slow34

procession, they carried the palanquin down to the banks ofthe Kaveri River, followed by almost all the inhabitants ofSri Rangam. There, amidst great lamentation, the body of thepure devotee was buried, as is the custom for those who haveachieved the perfectional stage of devotional service.MEETING WITH MAHAPURNAMeanwhile, on the order of his guru, Mahapurnajourneyed to Kancipuram and arrived there after travellingsteadily for four days. He immediately went to the temple tosee Lord Varadaraja, and as he was leaving he happened tomeet Kancipurna, who invited him to spend the night at hisasrama. The two devotees passed the evening in discussingtopics about the Lord.Early the next morning they set out together for theholy well and, as they approached, saw Ramanuja coming witha water jug on his shoulder to perform his daily service forLord Varadaraja. Kancipurrna said, "I must leave you now toworship the Lord in the temple. Here is Ramanuja; go andtell him of your intentions."Mahapurna was very happy to see the effulgent youngdevotee coming towards him, appearing so pure and free fromthe vices of this world. Instinctively he began to chantprayers from Yamunacarya’s Stotra-ratna. Hearing thesebeautiful hymns in praise of Lord Narayana being sung insuch a sweet voice, Ramanuja stood silently, listeningintently to the verses. Then he approached Mahapurna andinquired, "Sir, who has composed these wonderful verses,that so sweetly praise the qualities of the Supreme Lord?Just by your singing this morning my heart has beenuplifted.""These hymns were composed by my spiritual master,the venerable Yamunacarya," Mahapurna replied.Ramanuja was very pleased to hear the name of thefamous devotee, but he inquired in a concerned voice, "I hadheard that the great Alabandara was afflicted by illness. Ishe now recovered? How long is it since you were in hispresence?""It is but five days since I left the side of myguru-maharaja," replied Mahapurna, "and at that time he hadjust recovered from his sickness."Ramanuja was relieved to hear this news, and, beinganxious to associate further with the saintly Mahapurna, heinvited him to stay at his house. Then Mahapurna explainedthe purpose of his coming to Kancipuram. "I have come tothis holy city at the request of the great soul Yamunacarya,simply to meet with you and invite you, on his behalf, tocome to Rangaksetra, so that we may have your association."Ramanuja could hardly believe such an exalted devoteewas even aware of his existence, let alone being desirous ofhis association. However, Mahapurna reassured him by saying,35

"My master wishes to see you, and it is for this purposealone that I have come here. His health has been muchimpaired by repeated illness, and, although he now seems alittle better, I think that we should start immediately ifyou wish to fulfill his desire."Ramanuja was so pleased by this unexpected news thathe could only ascribe his good fortune to the mercy of LordVaradaraja. Excitedly he said to Mahapurna, "Please waithere for a short while until I have delivered this water tothe temple and taken the Lord's permission to leave."Saying this he hurried off towards the temple. Just ashort time later he returned, all ready to start on thejourney. Mahapurna asked, "What about your family? Shouldyou not first inform them of your intentions?""Obedience to the order of the guru is more importantthan any considerations of household life," repliedRamanuja. "Let us depart at once, for I am eager to see SriYamunacarya."ARRIVAL IN SRI RANGAMThus, they set out on their journey southwardstowards the holy city of Sri Rangam. Each evening they wouldstop for the night at the home of some pious brahmanadevotee, and during the day they would travel with allpossible haste. In this way they arrived at the banks of theKaveri River in four days and immediately crossed over toSri Rangam. They had intended to go straight away to theasrama of Yamunacarya, which was close to the temple of LordRanganatha, but they found the road blocked by a large crowdof people. When Mahapurna asked the reason for this greatassembly, one man replied, "Sir, what can I say? The earthis now bereft of its most beautiful gem, for MahatmaAlabandara has returned to the abode of the Lord."When he heard these words, Ramanuja immediatelyfainted and fell to the ground unconscious, while Mahapurnacried aloud in anguish, beating his forehead with the palmsof his hands. After some time, Mahapurna composed himself,and, seeing Ramanuja still lying unconscious on the ground,he fetched some water and sprinkled it over the young man'sface. When Ramanuja slowly opened his eyes, he heard thesewords of consolation, "Do not be overwhelmed by grief, forwe can be sure that everything is taking place by the willof Lord Narayana. Now let us go and see that pure formbefore it is interred."RAMANUJA'S THREE VOWSRamanuja followed Mahapurna to the banks of theKaveri. When they saw the body of Yamunacarya, Mahapurnafell at his feet, bathing them with tears, while Ramanuja36

stood still, looking at the great Vaisnava. Although thelife air had passed from the body, Alabandara's face wasstill serene and untouched by the shadow of death. Ramanujastood there transfixed, just gazing, as if in a trance, atthe face of that great devotee. Suddenly the crowds fellsilent and turned to look at Ramanuja, for it seemed thatsomehow he was able to transcend the barrier of death and befully in the presence of Sri Yamunacarya.After a while Ramanuja said, "I see that threefingers of Alabandara's right hand are folded and clenchedtight. Were they like that during his lifetime?"The disciples who were close by replied, "No, hisfingers used to remain straight. We cannot guess why theyare like this now."Ramanuja then declared aloud, "Remaining fixed indevotion to Lord Visnu, I shall free the people fromillusion by spreading the glories of the Lord throughout theland" As these words were spoken, one of the fingers relaxedand became straight.Ramanuja spoke again, saying, "To establish thatthere is no truth beyond Lord Visnu, I shall write the Sribhasyacommentary on the Vedanta-sutra." At this the secondof Yamunacarya's fingers became straight.Ramanuja declared again, "In order to show respect tothe sage Parasara, who has so wonderfully described theglories of the Lord in the Visnu Purana, I shall name onelearned Vaisnava after him." With this final statement, thelast of Alabandara's fingers relaxed and became straight.When they saw this wonderful occurrence, everyonethere was filled with amazement. They could now understandthat Yamunacarya's three tightly held fingers representedhis three unfulfilled desires, namely, to preach the gloriesof the Lord all over India, to compile a complete Vaisnavacommentary on the Vedanta-sutra, which would nullify theatheistic doctrines of the impersonalists, and to honor thesage Parasara by naming a disciple after him. Now,Ramanuja's statements confirmed that he would complete thework Alabandara had begun.RETURN TO KANCIBefore the body was buried in the samadhi tomb on thebanks of the Kaveri, Ramanuja had left Sri Rangam to returnto Kancipuram. Yamunacarya’s disciples had asked him to takedarsan of Lord Ranganatha, but he had refused, saying, "I donot wish to see this cruel form of the Lord, who would notgrant my most cherished desire and who has taken away thelord of my heart." Then, he had departed without speakinganother word to anyone.From that day on Ramanuja's personality changed andhe became much more grave and serious. He was now even morereluctant to spend time in the company of nondevotees. For37

long periods he would remain alone, studying the scriptures,and he found true happiness only in the company ofKancipurna.CHAPTER THREESANNYASAAbout six months before the disappearance ofYamunacarya, Ramanuja's mother, Kantimati, had left thisworld. Now, Raksakambal, the wife of Ramanuja, was themistress of the house. She was as beautiful as an apsara,devoted to her husband and very strict in her cleanlinessand observance of ritual. Unfortunately, she had been unableto imbibe her husband's pure love of God and was moreattached to the external features of religious ritual. Shewas unhappy to see her husband becoming more and moreabsorbed in devotional sentiments after his return from SriRangam, though she tried to conceal her inner feelings.Ramanuja now passed a lot of his time in the companyof Kancipurna. Ramanuja was generally in a serious mood andstill unhappy at heart due to feelings of separation fromYamunacarya. Understanding his mind, Kancipurna told him oneday, "You should not be troubled at heart. Just remain fixedin your devotion to Lord Varadaraja and continue to servehim in every possible way. Alabandara has now returned tothe abode of Lord Narayana, and it is your duty to fulfillthe promises you made before Him"When he heard these words of instruction, Ramanujabowed before Kancipurna and said, "Please allow me to beyour disciple. Please allow me take shelter of your lotusfeet"Immediately, Kancipurna raised Ramanuja, saying, "Youare a brahmana and I am sudra. How can I initiate andreceive obeisances from one who is my master? Just havefaith in the Lord, and sooner or later He will surely sendsomeone who is fit to be your guru."Having said this, Kancipurna left to worship LordVaradaraja. Ramanuja thought to himself, "He is refusing toaccept me because he knows how my heart is devoid of alldevotional sentiments. How can birth or caste affect aperson who is the intimate associate of Lord Varadaraja?Merely by his merciful glance, Kancipurna can elevate a dogeaterto the level of a brahmana. Therefore, if I am able totaste the remnants of his food only once, then I will gainimmeasurable benefit."38

RAKSAKAMBAL'S FOLLYLater that day, Ramanuja went to persuade Kancipurnato take lunch at his house the next day. EventuallyKancipurna agreed, saying, "Tomorrow I shall break free fromthe modes of nature by receiving food at the house of a puredevotee."The next morning, Ramanuja instructed his wife,Raksakambal, that she should cook the very best preparationsto honor their exalted guest, Sri Kancipurna. At once shebegan to cook and before noon had prepared many differenttypes of food. Seeing this Ramanuja was very pleased, and heset out for Kancipurna's asrama to bring him to takeprasadam.Kancipurna could understand all Ramanuja'sintentions, and so he came by another way to his friend'shouse. When he arrived, he said to Raksakambal, "Mother,today I have to go to the temple very quickly. Please serveme with whatever is immediately available, for I cannot stayhere for more than a few minutes.""My husband has gone to your house to bring youhere," Raksakambal replied. "If you wait for a short time hewill soon return.""I am afraid I cannot wait here for a moment," saidKancipurna. "How can I neglect my service of Lord Varadarajajust for the sake of my stomach?"So Raksakambal arranged a sitting place forKancipurna and then with great attention served him all thedifferent preparations she had cooked. As soon as he hadfinished eating, Kancipurna stood up and cleaned the placewhere he had been eating with water mixed with cow dung. Heoffered his obeisances to Raksakambal and then quickly leftthe house, taking his leaf plate with him to discard at adistant place. Raksakambal gave away all the remainingprasadam to a sudra woman and then, after taking a bath,began to cook again for her husband.In the meantime Ramanuja returned home and was verysurprised to find his wife still cooking. "Did Kancipurnanot come here?" he asked. "Why are you cooking again? Whereis all the prasadam that you prepared this morning?""Mahatma Kancipurna came here" replied Raksakambal,"but he said that he could not wait for you, as he hadservice to perform in the temple. Therefore, I served himhis lunch and then gave whatever was left to a sudra woman.How could I serve you with the remnants of a sudras meal?"Ramanuja was very disturbed to hear his wife speak insuch a way. "You foolish woman! " he exclaimed. "How can youthink of Kancipurna as no more than a sudra. Because of youI am now unable to take the prasada of that pure-hearteddevotee, and this is my great misfortune" Having said this,he sat down unhappily with his head in his hands.39

KANCIPURNA'S VISIT TO TIRUPATIMeanwhile, Kancipurna was praying to Lord Varadarajawhile fanning Him, "My Lord, what are You trying to do tome? My only desire is to pass my life peacefully in Yourservice and the service of Your devotees, but now You aretrying to make me into a famous acarya. Even Your puredevotee, Ramanuja, now bows down before me. I do not want tobecome an object of worship, so please give me permission toleave Kanci and go to Tirupati, where I can worship You inthe form of Balaji."Lord Varadaraja gave His permission, and soKancipurna went to Tirupati. He stayed there for six months,fully absorbed in the service of Sri Balaji, the form ofLord Visnu who resides in the temple there. Then one nightLord Varadaraja appeared to him in a dream, saying, "I amsuffering from the severe heat here in Kancipuram. Why don'tyou come back and fan me again?"LORD VARADARAJA'SINSTRUCTIONS TO RAMANUJAThe next day Kancipurna arose and set off at once toreturn to Kanci. When Ramanuja heard of his return, he wentto visit his friend. The two devotees felt great pleasure inregaining one another's association after such a long periodof time. After they had been talking for several hours,Ramanuja fully revealed his mind to Kancipurna. "Since Ileft the school of Yadavaprakasa" he told him, "I havecontinued to study the scriptures alone. But there arecertain points I cannot understand, and this is causing agreat disturbance to my mind. Please beg the Lord toenlighten me, for I know Sri Varadaraja will never deny anyrequest that comes from your lips." Kancipurna agreed toRamanuja's request.The next day when the young brahmana came to visithim, he spoke very confidentially, "Last night LordVaradaraja spoke to me and told me I should reveal thefollowing six truths to you. These are the four verses theLord spoke to me:aham eva param brahma jagat-karana-karanamksetrajnesvaror bhedah siddha eva mahamatemoksopayo nyasa eva jananam muktim icchatammad-bhaktanam jananam ca nantim asmritir isyatedehavasane bhaktanam dadami paramam padampurnacaryam mahatmanam samasraya gunasrayamiti ramanujarya mayoktam vada satvaram40

"'Firstly, I am the Supreme Brahman, the cause ofmaterial nature, from which this universe has come intobeing. Second, the separate existence of the jiva souls andthe Supreme Lord is an eternal truth. Third, surrendering tothe lotus feet of the Supreme Lord is the only true path forthose who desire liberation. Fourth, devotees will certainlybe liberated even if by chance they fail to remember Me atthe time of death. Fifth, as soon as My devotees give uptheir present bodies, I bring them to My supreme abode.Sixth, you should immediately take shelter of MahatmaMahapurna, the reservoir of all good qualities. These are Myinstructions for Ramanuja."'When Ramanuja heard these words, he began to dance inecstasy. He had not revealed his six doubts even toKancipurna, but now the Lord had supplied the answers to allof them. Having offered obeisances to Sri Varadaraja and toKancipurna, he returned home and prepared to depart for SriRangam. There he hoped to find Mahapurna, one ofYamunacarya’s disciples, and take initiation from him.MAHAPURNA IS SENTTO KANCI AGAINAfter the disappearance of Sri Yamunacarya, none ofhis disciples was able to discourse on the scriptures in thesame wonderful way that he had done. Tiruvaranga was now incharge of the asrama, but he lacked the ability to expoundthe meaning of the scriptures as his master had done.Everyone admired his devotional qualities and noted the factthat he spent so much of his time worshipping the Lord, butstill the atmosphere in the asrama was not what it had beenbefore.At that time both the married and unmarried devoteesused to live together in the asrama, while the wives wouldlive in separate quarters outside in the city. Their timewas passed for the most part in worship of the Deity and thechanting of bhajans glorifying the Lord.In this way a year passed by uneventfully. On theanniversary of Alabandara’s disappearance all his disciplesgathered together, and Tiruvaranga addressed the assembly.‘It is now one year’, he began , ‘since our guru-maharaja ,Sri Yamunacarya, left us to return to the abode of LordNarayana. While he was with us it was our great fortune thatevery day we were able to hear his nectarean words. However,since his disappearance no one has been able to describe theglories of the Lord in such an exquisite manner or expoundall the subtle points of the scriptures as he was able todo. Although he instructed that I should take over hisposition at the asrama, I have to admit that I am incapableof properly executing this duty.41

‘All of you may recall how, just prior to hisdeparture, our master desired to see Sri Ramanuja ofKancipuram and sent Mahapurna there to fetch him. It is thatgreat soul alone, the intimate friend of Kancipurna, who,having been choosen by Sriman Alabandara himself, iscompetent to take on the responsibility as acarya for thisasrama. Therefore, let one of us go to Kancipuram and, afterinitiating him, bring him here ton Sri Rangam. He willspread the teachings of Yamunacarya all over the India, ashe promised to do whilst looking at the body of ourpreceptor.’’All the assembled devotees unanimously acceptedTiruvaranga’s proposal, and Mahapurna was chosen to go toKancipuram to initiate Ramanuja and bring him to Sri Rangam.He was told, ’’ If at present he is reluctant to abandon theassociation of Kancipurna, then do not press the matter. Youmay remain in Kanci for one year, instructing him in all thebhakti-sastras. He need not to be told that your purpose isto bring him to Sri Rangam.’’RAMANUJA’S INITIATIONBeing thus instructed, Mahapurna , along with hiswife, set off for Kancipuram. After four days they reachedthe town of Madurantakam, where there is a Visnu temple witha lake in front of it. While Mahapurna and his wife wereresting beside that lake, Ramanuja suddenly appeared thereoffering obeisances at his feet. Mahapurna was bothsurprised and delighted by this unexpected turn of events,and he immediately rose to embrace Ramanuja.‘This is certainly a surprise,’’ he said. ‘Anythingcan be accomplished by the grace of Lord Narayana. For whatreason have you come here?’’‘This must certainly be the plan of Lord Narayana,’’Ramanuja replied,’’ for it was only to find you that I leftKancipuram. Varadaraja Himself has instructed me to acceptyou as my guru. Please bestow your mercy upon me byinitiating me at once.’’Mahapurna agreed to this request, saying, ‘Let us goto Kancipuram so that the ceremony can be performed beforeLord Varadaraja.’’However , Ramanuja was insistent. ‘You know thatdeath makes no distinction between the timely and theuntimely," he said. "Do you not recall with what highexpectations I went with you to meet Sri Yamunacarya?Providence cheated me then, so why should I trust him now byallowing any delay? Please give me shelter at your lotusfeet right at this very moment"Mahapurna was pleased by Ramanuja's words, and thereon the banks of the lake in the shade of a flowering bakulatree he lit a sacrificial fire. In that fire he placed twometal discs, one bearing the sign of Lord Visnu’s cakra and42

the other that of His conch. When the two discs were hot,Mahapurna pressed them onto Ramanuja's right and left arms,thus marking them with the signs of Lord Visnu. Finally,meditating on the lotus feet of Yamunacarya, Mahapurnawhispered the Vaisnava mantra into Ramanuja's ear. When theinitiation was thus completed, Ramanuja returned toKancipuram, accompanied by his guru and his guru’s wife.When they arrived, they were welcomed by Kancipurna,who took great pleasure in associating with Mahapurna. AtRamanuja's request, Mahapurna then also initiatedRaksakambal. Half the house was given over to Mahapurna andhis wife, and every day Ramanuja would study the Vaisnavascriptures in his association.RAKSAKAMBAL'S PRIDESix months passed by quickly, while Ramanuja feltgreat satisfaction in hearing all the truths of Vaisnavaphilosophy from Mahapurna. One day, while both Ramanuja andMahapurna were away from home, Raksakambal went to the wellto get water. It so happened that Mahapurna's wife wasdrawing water at the same time, and while so doing a fewdrops from her pitcher felt into that of Raksakambal, whoimmediately flew into a rage. "Are you blind?" she shouted."Look what you have done! By your carelessness a wholepitcher of water is wasted. Do you think that you can sit onmy shoulders just because you are the gurus wife? Justremember that my father's family is of a superior lineage toyours, so how can I use water that has been touched by you?But why should I blame you, for having fallen into the handsof this husband of mine all my caste and position is lost."When she heard these harsh words, Mahapurna's wife,who was by nature calm and modest, begged forgiveness fromRaksakambal. However, being very disturbed by the woman'sanger, she set down her pitcher and began to weep quietly.When Mahapurna returned and found his wife in thatdistressed condition, he asked her what was the cause of herunhappiness. When he learned of everything that had takenplace at the well, Mahapurna became thoughtful. Eventuallyhe said, "It is no longer the will of Lord Narayana that weshould remain here, and for this reason he has caused you tohear these unkind words from the mouth of Raksakambal. Donot be sorry over this matter, for whatever the Lord ordainsis for our good. Because we have not worshipped the lotusfeet of Lord Ranganatha for a long time, He now desires thatwe go back to Him."DEPARTURE OF MAHAPURNAWithout waiting for Ramanuja to return, Mahapurna andhis wife then collected together their few possessions and43

departed for Sri Rangam. While Mahapurna was staying withhim in Kancipuram, Ramanuja had been very happy, lookingupon his guru as the representative of Lord Narayana. Duringthose six months they spent together, Ramanuja had studiedabout four thousand verses composed by the great Vaisnavasof south India. That morning he had gone out to purchasefruit, flowers, and new cloth with which to make an offeringto his guru, but, when he returned to his house, he foundMahapurna's quarters deserted.After searching all over the house, he inquired froma neighbor, who told him that Mahapurna and his wife hadleft Kanci to return to Sri Rangam. Anxious to discover whatcould have caused his guru’s abrupt departure, Ramanuja wentto speak to Raksakambal. She told him, "I had a quarrel withthe wife of your guru when we went to fetch water from thewell this morning. I hardly spoke any harsh words to her atall, but the great man was so enraged that he left herealmost immediately. I had heard that a sadhu is supposed tohave given up all feelings of anger, but it must be that heis a new sort of sadhu. I offer millions of obeisances atthe feet of your sadhu."Ramanuja could hardly believe his ears when he heardhis wife speak in such a contemptuous and sarcastic wayabout Mahapurna, and he could not restrain his feelings. "0sinful woman," he cried out, "it is a great sin even to lookat your face" Having said this, he left the house and wentto the temple to offer the fruits and flowers he hadpurchased to Lord Varadaraja.RAMANUJA'S PLANA short time later, a lean and hungry brahmana cameto Ramanuja's house to beg for something to eat. Raksakambalwas still shocked by her husband's words, and, when thebrahmana disturbed her, she immediately became angry andshouted at him in a shrill voice, "Get out of here. Gosomewhere else. Who do you think will give you rice here?"Hurt by these harsh words, the brahmana turned awayand began to walk slowly towards the temple of LordVaradaraja. On the way he met Ramanuja, who was returninghome, having made his offering to the Lord. Seeing thebrahmanas dejected features and undernourished body,Ramanuja felt compassion and said to him, "0 brahmana, itseems that you have not eaten today.""I went to your house to ask for a little prasadam,but your wife became angry and turned me away," replied thebrahmana.Ramanuja was shocked to hear that a guest had been sobadly mistreated at his house. He was thoughtful for a fewmoments, and then he said, "Please go back to my house. Iwill give you a letter, and I want you to tell my wifethat you have been sent by her father to deliver it to me.44

When she hears this, you can be certain she will feed youwith great attention."Ramanuja then wrote out a letter as follows:-My Dear Son,My second daughter is to be married soon. Thereforeplease send Raksakambal to my house with this man. If youhave no pressing business at present, I would be verypleased if you could come as well. However, it is veryimportant that Raksakambal comes here as soon as possible,as it will be very difficult for your mother-in-law to caterfor all the guests alone.Promising that he would be well rewarded for hisservices, Ramanuja sent the brahmana to his house with thisletter. When he arrived there, the brahmana toldRaksakambal, "Your father sent me here."She was delighted to hear this and received thebrahmana with great courtesy, feeding him and offering himwater for bathing. In the meantime, Ramanuja returned home."My father has sent this letter for you," Raksakambal saidmodestly and gave it to him.Ramanuja read the letter out loud and then said toher, "I have some urgent business to attend to at present,so you must go alone. If I get finished quickly, then I willtry to come later on. Please convey my greetings to yourfather and mother." Raksakambal accepted his words, and,after preparing herself for the journey, she offeredobeisances to her husband and set out for her father'shouse, escorted by the brahmana.TAKING SANNYASAWhen she had left, Ramanuja walked back to the templeof Lord Varadaraja, praying constantly to the Lord withinhis mind, "0 Lord Narayana, please allow this servant ofyours to take full shelter at Your lotus feet." When hereached the temple, he bowed down before the Deity andprayed, "My dear Lord, from this day I am Yours in everyway. Please accept me."Then he obtained saffron-colored cloth and a staffthat had been touched by the lotus feet of Sri Varadaraja.He went outside the temple and, after bathing, lit asacrificial fire on the banks of the lake there. At thattime Kancipurna, being inspired by Lord Varadaraja,approached him and gave him the name Yatiraja. Ramanuja thenaccepted the tridanda of Vaisnava sannyasa, whichsymbolizes, the surrender of thoughts, words, and deeds tothe service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When theceremony was completed, Yatiraja, in his saffron robes,appeared aseffulgent as the rising sun.45

RAMANUJA BEGINS HIS TEACHINGAll the people of Kancipuram were very surprised tohear that Ramanuja had taken sannyasa. He was still a youngman, and his wife was extremely beautiful. Some consideredhim insane, but many others began to compare him to greatdevotees of the past; from all around people came to seehim. The Vaisnavas who stayed at the asrama at Kanci madehim their acarya, for his good qualities and understandingof the scriptures were well known.Gradually, by ones and twos, disciples began togather around him. His first disciple was Dasarathi, hisnephew, who was famous for his knowledge of the Vedas. Thesecond was a young man named Kuresa, who had a wonderfulmemory.YADAVAPRAKASA BECOMES A VAISNAVAOne day, when the elderly mother of Yadavaprakasacame to the temple to see Lord Varadaraja, she noticedRamanuja instructing his disciples outside the asrama. Beingcaptivated by his gracefulness and scholarship, sheconsidered that if her son were to become the disciple ofsuch a wonderful personality, then his life would beperfect. Ever since his mistreatment of Ramanuja,Yadavaprakasa had been very disturbed at heart, and hismother knew this. She considered that the best thing for herson would be to take shelter at the feet of this effulgentyoung sannyasi.When she returned home, she begged her son to go andbecome a disciple of Ramanuja, but Yadavaprakasa would nothear of surrendering to one who had previously been his ownstudent. Still, however, his mind remained disturbed. Oncehe happened to meet with Kancipurna and he inquired fromhim, "Sir, I am very troubled at heart and can find nopeace. As you are well known as the one through whom LordVaradaraja gives instructions, please tell me what I mustdo.""Go home now," replied Kancipurna. "Tonight I wiltpray to Lord Varadaraja. If you come to me tomorrow, I willtell you His instructions."When they met the following day, Kancipurnaimmediately began to describe the greatness of Ramanuja andthe benefits one might derive from becoming his disciple. Onhearing this, Yadavaprakasa decided he would go to visitRamanuja at the asrama and discuss the scriptures with him.That night Yadavaprakasa found it hard to sleep. Helay awake for several hours, considering the differentpoints over and over again. Eventually he dozed into a lightsleep, and while he slept, he had a wonderful dream. It46

seemed that an effulgent person appeared before him andbegan to give him instructions. Again and again he toldYadavaprakasa that he should become the disciple ofYatiraja.When Yadavaprakasa awoke, the effects of the dreamwere still with him, and he was struck with wonder. However,he was never a man to act solely on the basis of hisemotions, and in his mind there still lingered doubts aboutRamanuja's philosophy.That afternoon he went to the asrama and, as soon ashe saw Yatiraja, he was struck by the young acaryas purityand effulgence. Ramanuja received his former teacher withcourtesy, offering him an elevated sitting place. After theyhad exchanged greetings, Yadavaprakasa began to express hisdoubts about the Vaisnava philosophy that Ramanuja was soexpertly presenting. "My child," he said gently, "I am verypleased by your scholarship and humble behavior. I can seefrom the markings of tilaka and the emblems of the lotus andcakra on your body that you are a devotee of Lord Visnu andconsider the path of bhakti alone to be proper. But whatevidence can be found in the scriptures to support such apoint of view?"To this inquiry Yatiraja replied, "Here is Kuresa,who is most learned in all of the revealed scriptures. Placeyour question before him."Thereupon, as Yadavaprakasa looked towards Kuresa,the young disciple of Ramanuja began to speak. He citednumerous verses from many different scriptures - the Vedas,Upanisads, Puranas, etc. - which confirmed that lovingdevotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead isthe perfection of spiritual life.On hearing this torrent of evidence from thescriptures, Yadavaprakasa was dumbfounded and fell silent.Different thoughts passed quickly through his mind - hisprevious outrageous behavior, the words of his mother, andthe advice that had been given to him by Kancipurna.Suddenly he threw himself down at the feet of his formerdisciple, crying out, "0 Ramanuja, blinded by pride, I couldnot see your true qualities. Please forgive all my offensesand become my guide to deliver me from the miseries of thismaterial world. I take shelter of you alone."Yatiraja then raised Yadavaprakasa to his feet andembraced him with warm affection. With his mother'sblessings, that same day Yadavaprakasa accepted sannyasafrom Ramanuja and considered himself greatly fortunate. Hewas given the name Govinda dasa, and from that day on he waslike a different person. He now fully embraced the Vaisnavaphilosophy and gave up all pride in his scholarship. Tearsof humility now decorated his eyes as he engaged in acts ofdevotion to the Supreme Lord. On hearing of thisextraordinary transformation, everyone praised the influenceof Ramanuja, and his fame spread far and wide.47

Seeing the devotional sentiments in his former guru,Yatiraja once addressed him, saying, "Now your mind hasbecome free from all contamination. To remove the sins ofthe past, you should write a book delineating the duties ofa true Vaisnava. By rendering this service you will attainfull perfection."Accordingly Yadavaprakasa wrote a wonderful bookcalled Yati-dharma-samuccaya, which he offered at the feetof his guru. At this time Yadavaprakasa, or Govinda dasa ashe was now known, was over eighty years old. A short timeafter the completion of the book, he passed from this world.CHAPTER FOURACARYA AT SRI RANGAMWhile all these events were taking place inKancipuram, the devotees in Sri Rangam were still feelingthe lack of an acarya to guide them. The ardent desire ofall of them was that Ramanujacarya come there and be theirpreceptor. Mahapurna had stayed for some time in Kanci withthe intention of bringing Ramanuja to Sri Rangam, but,because he had left so abruptly, he was unable to do so.When the news reached Sri Rangam that Ramanuja hadtaken sannyasa, Mahapurna was very pleased and went into thetemple of Lord Ranganatha. There, before the lotus-eyed Lordwho reclines on His bed of Ananta-Sesa, Mahapurna began tooffer fervent prayers, begging the Lord to bring Ramanuja toRangaksetra. Hearing this impassioned plea from His puredevotee, Lord Ranganatha became compassionate and instructedMahapurna, "My child, you must send Vararanga, the mostsweet singer, to Lord Varadaraja in Kancipuram. When LordVaradaraja is pleased by Vararanga's bhajans and offers hima benediction, then he should ask that Ramanuja be allowedto come here. Without Varadaraja's permission, Ramanuja willnever leave His shelter."DEPARTURE FOR SRI RANGAMVararanga was the son of Yamunacarya. He was arenowned singer and had set to music the beautiful versesknown as the Sahasra-giti. Having received theseinstructions, Mahapurna sent Vararanga to Kancipuram afterinstructing him as to how he should accomplish his mission.Every day in the temple of Varadaraja Vararanga would singbhajans before the Lord in such an exquisite way that anyonewho heard him would become struck with wonder and filled48

with ecstasy. Eventually Lord Varadaraja became so pleasedwith Vararanga that He offered him a benediction in returnfor his services. Of course, Vararanga requested the Lord'spermission for Ramanuja to come to Sri Rangam to be theacarya of the Vaisnavas there.Ramanuja was sorry to leave Kancipuram, particularlyas this meant losing the association of Kancipurna. But, atthe same time, he was pleased at the prospect of being withthe disciples of Alabandara. Thus it was with mixed feelingsthat he set off with Vararanga a few days later to make thejourney from Kancipuram to Sri Rangam.All the people of Rangaksetra were delighted whenYatiraja arrived in their city, and the assembly ofVaisnavas immediately installed him as the acarya. LordRanganatha was also very pleased to see this pure-hearteddevotee in His temple, and He bestowed upon him two mysticpowers - the ability to cure the sick and the strength toprotect the devotees from illusion. On hearing the news ofRamanujacarya's coming to Sri Rangam, many Vaisnavas fromthe surrounding area came to see him; all were thrilled tohear his wonderful explanations of Vaisnava philosophy.DELIVERANCE OF GOVINDAA short time after his coming to Sri Rangam, Ramanujabegan to consider the position of his dear cousin, Govinda,who years before had saved him from Yadavaprakasa'smurderous plot. He recalled Govinda's simplicity andaffection and how he had always been a dear friend to allliving entities. While thinking of these things, a desirearose in Ramanuja's heart to bring Govinda to the shelter ofLord Visnu’s lotus feet.As we have heard, ever since the fateful pilgrimageto Varanasi, Govinda had been a devout follower of LordSiva, residing at the holy place known as Kalahasti, whichis a place of pilgrimage for all Saivites. Ramanuja's uncle,Sailapurna, a disciple of Yamunacarya, was now living at SriSaila, just a short distance from Kalahasti. Therefore,Yatiraja decided to write him a letter, requesting him tosomehow or other make Govinda into a devotee of Lord Visnu.When he received this letter, Sailapurna went to Kalahastiwith his disciples and made his camp near a large lakethere.Every morning Govinda would come to that lake tobathe and gather flowers for his worship. When he came onemorning and found a venerable Vaisnava acarya seated nearbydiscussing the scriptures with his disciples, he wasintrigued. Being desirous of hearing all that was said,Govinda climbed up a nearby patali tree to pick someflowers. As he listened to Sailapurna's words of devotion,Govinda's mind became more and more attracted to thatsaintly Vaisnava.49

When the discourse was completed and Govinda waswalking away to take his bath, Sailapurna called out to him,"0 holy man, may I know for whose worship you have pickedthose flowers." On being told that they were an offering forLord Siva, he went on, "But how could flowers such as thesebe desirable for one who has earned the name Vibhuti-Bhusanaby smearing himself with the ashes of material desires,which he has burned up knowing them to be the causes ofmaterial miseries. Lord Siva dances in the crematorium,being mad for the mercy of Lord Narayana. These flowersshould properly be offered to the Supreme Lord Visnu, who isthe reservoir of all auspicious qualities and from whom allthis universe has come into being. I am surprised to find anintelligent person such as yourself gathering flowers forthe worship of Lord Siva.""Revered sir," replied Govinda, "in one sense I cansee that your words are true, for no offering to the Lordever benefits that Supreme Person, who is already thepossessor of all things. What can I do for the great LordSankara, who is so powerful that he saved the entireuniverse by drinking an ocean of poison? Yet still there issome purpose in making such offerings, for by so doing weare able to express our devotion to the Lord. It is thedevotion that the Lord appreciates, beyond the meageroffering itself.""0 Mahatma," said Sailapurna, "I am pleased by yourdevotion and humility. What you have said is true. What canwe offer except self-surrender to that Personality, who inthe form of a dwarf-brahmana took away all the possessionsof the mighty demon king? This complete surrender is thehighest form of worship, and by the strength of suchsurrender Bali Maharaja was able to captivate LordVamanadeva. Just try to understand something of thesweetness of the Lord's loving dealings with His devotees,of which you are depriving yourself by abandoning Hisworship for the sake of Lord Siva.""But why are you making a distinction between Visnuand Siva?" said Govinda. "Are they not both aspects of theone Godhead?" When Sailapurna heard this statement ofGovinda's, he realized that the young man was not onlyengaging in demigod worship, but was also influenced by thephilosophy of the impersonalists.Every morning Govinda and Sailapurna would meet bythe lake and exchange words in a similar vein. Gradually, byhearing the pure theistic philosophy from such a great saintas Sailapurna, Govinda's heart began to change and thedesire arose within him to take shelter of the lotus feet ofLord Narayana. One morning he fell down like a rod in frontof Sailapurna and begged him for initiation. So it was thatGovinda gave up his worship of Lord Siva and took to thepath of undeviating devotion to the Supreme Lord, Sri Visnu.After the initiation was performed, Sailapurnainstructed Govinda to go to Sri Rangam to reside with his50

enowned cousin, Ramanujacarya. However, Govinda's devotionto his guru was so great that he was unable to tolerate thefeelings of separation that he was undergoing. Therefore,he soon returned to the city of Sri Saila to render personalservice to his spiritual master.INITIATION FROM GOSTHIPURNAAfter coming to Sri Rangam, Ramanuja was very pleasedto resume his role as the disciple of Mahapurna: throughthis relationship he felt relief from the sadness that hadafflicted him since the disappearance of Yamunacarya. By hisbehavior toward Mahapurna, he set the example for alldisciples to follow in rendering service to their spiritualmaster. Under the expert guidance of Mahapurna, he resumedhis study of the revealed scriptures. Mahapurna was soimpressed by the incomparable genius and Vaisnava qualitiesof his disciple that he gave his son, Pundarikaksa, to bethe disciple of Ramanuja.One evening, when they had completed their studiesfor the day, Mahapurna said to Ramanuja, "Not far from hereis a prosperous town known as Tirukkotiyur. Living there isa great scholar and devotee, Gosthipurna by name, who wasborn in the Pandya country. It is no exaggeration to saythat there is no other Vaisnava like him in this part of thecountry. If you desire to fully learn the meaning andsignificance of the Vedic mantras, then there is none but hewho is qualified to teach you. I advise you to go toTirukkotiyur without delay and receive the mantra fromGosthipurna."Having received this instruction from his guru,Ramanuja went to Tirukkotiyur a few days later to seeGosthipurna. In the presence of that famous devotee, heoffered his prostrated obeisances and begged for theVaisnava mantra to be bestowed upon him. Gosthipurna,however, was very reluctant to impart the secret of themantra and replied, "You may come here some other day, and Iwill consider your request." Ramanuja felt very dejected atthis reply, and with a heavy heart he returned to SriRangam.A few days later a big festival was held in honor ofLord Ranganatha, and Gosthipurna came there to take part inthe worship. At that time one of the priests in the templewas inspired by Lord Ranganatha, and he spoke as follows toGosthipurna, "You should bestow the mantra on My devotee,Ramanuja, who is most worthy to receive it."Realizing that the Lord was speaking to him throughHis servant, Gosthipurna replied, "But my Lord, is it nottrue that the mantra may only be given to one who hascompletely purified his mind by long austerities? How canthe mantra, which is nondifferent from Yourself, reside inthe mind of one who is not pure?"51

To this the priest replied, "You do not understandthe purity of this devotee. He is able to deliver all ofhumanity."After this incident, Gosthipurna began to considerthe matter deeply, but still he was unwilling to give themantra to any other person. Time and again Ramanujaapproached him, but repeatedly Gosthipurna refused hisrequest. When his appeals had been denied on eighteenseparate occasions, Ramanuja began to feel that there mustbe some great impurity in his heart and that it was for thisreason that Gosthipurna would not bestow his mercy upon him.In this state of dejection, Ramanuja began to shed tears ofdespair.When some people informed Gosthipurna of Ramanuja'scondition, he was moved by pity for the young devotee.Therefore, when Ramanuja came before him again, he spoke tohim in a kind way. "Only Lord Visnu Himself is aware of theglories of this mantra. Now I know that you are worthy toreceive it, for you are pure and firmly fixed in devotion tothe lotus feet of the Lord. At the present time I can findno one but yourself who is fit to receive the mantra, forwhoever chants it is certain to go to Vaikuntha at the timeof death. Because this mantra is so pure and sacred, itmust not be touched by the lips of anyone who has materialdesires. Therefore, you must not disclose the mantra to anyother person"Having thus instructed Ramanuja, Gosthipurnainitiated him into the chanting of the mantra of eightsyllables. Ramanuja was filled with ecstasy to chant thiswonderful vibration, and his face began to glow withspiritual effulgence. He considered himself the most blessedof all beings and bowed again and again at the feet of hisguru.REVEALING THE SECRET MANTRAHaving taken leave of Sri Gosthipurna, Ramanuja, in ajoyful mood, began to return to Sri Rangam. But as he waswalking, he began to think about the potency of the mantrathat had been given to him. While thinking in this way, hebecame filled with feelings of compassion for the sufferingsof all living beings in this material world. Then, as he waswalking near the walls of the Visnu temple in Tirukkotiyur,he began to call out to all the people who were passing by,"Please, all of you, come near to Lord Visnu's temple, and Iwill give you a priceless jewel!"Attracted by his pure expression and unusual words, alarge crowd of men, women, and children began to follow him.A rumor began to spread all over the town that a prophet hadappeared who could fulfill all of one's desires. Within ashort time a huge crowd had assembled outside of the temple.On seeing this mass of humanity, Yatiraja's heart swelled52

with joy. He embraced the two disciples who had accompaniedhim, Dasarathi and Kuresa, and then climbed up the tower ofthe temple.In a loud voice he began to address the gathering:"All of you are more dear to me than my own life. ThereforeI have a strong desire to deliver you from the torments andsufferings all of us must undergo in this temporary world.Please recite this mantra which I have obtained for you. Dothis, and the Lord's mercy will be upon you."When they heard Ramanuja's words, all the people inthe crowd called out, "Please tell us the mantra. Shower theLord's blessings upon us!"Then Yatiraja called out in a deep resounding voicethe mantra he had just received from Gosthipurna; om namonarayanaya. Immediately the crowd responded, everyonecalling out the sacred words together, producing a soundlike thunder. Twice more Ramanuja called out the mantra, andtwice more the thunderous response resounded from the crowd.Every person became silent and looked at one anotherwith feelings of deep ecstasy in their hearts. At that timeit seemed that the earth had become Vaikuntha. The faces ofthe men, women and children were flushed with joy and itseemed that all miseries were gone from the earth. Those whohad come running to the temple hoping to receive gold orjewels, immediately forgot their worldly desires, feeling asif they had been given a diamond in place of a piece ofbroken glass.As the joyful crowd melted away, men and women cameand prostrated themselves before Yatiraja, consideringthemselves most blessed to have received such a benedictionfrom that great soul. Ramanuja then climbed down from thetower and began walking towards Gosthipurna's residence toworship the feet of his guru.GOSTHIPURNA'S ANGERBy this time Gosthipurna had come to hear in detailof everything that had taken place outside the temple andwas extremely angry, feeling Ramanuja had betrayed histrust. When Ramanuja approached him with his two disciples,the aged acarya addressed him in a voice that trembled withrage. ‘Get out of my sight, O lowest of men! I havecommitted a great sin by entrusting the most precious gem tosuch an untrustworthily person as yourself. Why have youcome here again, forcing me to commit the sin of looking atyour face? Surely you are destined to live in hell forcountless lifetimes.’’Without any sign of remorse, Ramanuja replied to hisguru in a most humble manner, saying, ‘ It was only becauseI am prepared to suffer in hell that I dared to go againstyour order. You told me that whoever chanted the mantra ofeight syllables was certain to be liberated. Thus, according53

to your words, so many people are now destined to findshelter at Lord Narayana’s lotus feet. If an insignificantperson like me has go to hell, it is off no great importanceif so many others thereby attain the mercy of LordNarayana.’’On hearing these words, which fully revealed thedepth of the devotee’s compassion , Gosthipurna wascompletely stunned and filled with great wonder. All hisfierce anger disappeared in an instant, like the passing ofviolent storm, and he embraced Ramanuja with profoundaffection. Everyone who was able to witness thistransformation was filled with joy and astonishment.Gosthipurna then addressed Ramanuja with foldedpalms, ‘My child, I have never known anyone so magnanimousas yourself. From this day you are my guru, and I am yourdisciple. There is no doubt that you are a most intimateassociate of the Lord, whereas I am nothing but a commonman. How can I comperhend your greatness? Please forgive allof my offenses.’’Ramanuja fell to his knees and clasped the feet ofhis guru. With his head bowed in humility, he said, ‘You aremy eternal guru. The perfect mantra has become even morepotent because it has emanated from your lips. Thus today ithas burnt to ashes the miseries of so many thousands ofpeople. Although I committed the offense of transgressingthe order of my guru, I have become eternally fortunate byreceiving your embrace, which is desired even by the gods.My prayer is that, regarding me as your son and servant, youwill eternally bestow your mercy upon me.’’Being highly pleased by Ramanuja’s humility andgentle behaviour, Gosthipurna asked him to accept his son,Saumya-narayana, as his disciple. Then, with permission ofhis spiritual master, Ramanuja returned to Sri Rangam. Afterthis incident Yatiraja’s fame expanded even further, and forseveral weeks it seemed the local people could speak ofnothing but this great devotee who had come into theirmidst.INSTRUCTIONS TO KURESAResiding once more in Sri Rangam, Yatiraja began toinstruct the growing number of disciples who had takenshelter of him. One day his disciple Kuresa approached himand asked him to reveal the full meaning of the supremeverse of Bhagavad-gita :-sarva-dharman parityajamam ekam saranam vrajaaham tvam sarva-papebhyomoksayisyami ma sucah54

"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender untoMe. I wilt deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do notfear."Ramanuja replied, "A person who gives up allindependent desires and serves his guru absolutely for anentire year can fully understand the meaning of this verse,and no one else.""But life is so uncertain," said Kuresa, "how can Iknow whether or not I will live for another year? Pleasebestow your mercy upon me by making the meaning of the versemanifest in my heart even now"Yatiraja considered this request for a while and thenreplied, "If you live for one month by begging alms fromdoor to door, without knowing where your next meal will comefrom, then you will begin to realize the meaning of fullsurrender. At that time I will instruct you on all themeanings of this glorious verse."For one month Kuresa lived as his guru hadinstructed. When the month had passed, he learned fromYatiraja all about the nature of surrender to Lord Krsna.DASARATHI’S REQUESTA tittle while later, Dasarathi, Ramanuja's seconddisciple, approached him with the same request as Kuresa. Tohim Yatiraja replied, "You are my relative, and therefore itis my desire that you understand the verse by hearing fromGosthipurna. Even though there may be some fault in you, Iwill tend to overlook it because you are my family member.The duty of the guru is to remove all taints from the heartof the disciple. Therefore it is better that you takeinstruction from Sri Gosthipurna." Dasarathi was famous as agreat scholar and still a little proud of his learning. Itwas for this reason that Ramanuja directed him to approachGosthipurna.As instructed by his guru, Dasarathi went to residein Tirukkotiyur and for six months he sat at the feet ofMahatma Gosthipurna. However, even at the end of this time,the acarya had still not explained to him the meaning ofthat sublime verse spoken by Lord Krsna.Eventually, taking pity on the young man, Gosthipurnatold Dasarathi, "You are certainly a most brilliant scholar;I know that well. However, you must understand thateducation, wealth, and birth in an aristocratic family cancause pride to arise in the heart of a small-minded man. Inthose who are virtuous, great learning brings self-controland thus gives rise to good qualities, not blemishes.Understanding these instructions, now return to your ownguru; he will reveal the meaning of the verse as youdesire."55

DASARATHI'S HUMILITYDasarathi then returned to Sri Rangam and reported toRamanuja all that had taken place in Tirukkotiyur. At thatsame time, Attulai, the daughter of Mahapurna, came there,obviously in some distress. When Yatiraja inquired from heras to the cause of her unhappiness, she replied, "Dearbrother, my father has sent me to you. I live at the houseof my father-in-law and every day, both morning and evening,I have to bring water from a lake which is over two milesfrom the house. The road there is lonely and difficult totraverse and as a result I have become overwhelmed by fearand physical exertion. When I told my mother-in-law of thesedifficulties, rather than sympathizing with my plight, sheflew into a rage, saying, 'Why did you not bring a cook fromyour father's house? Can I afford to employ a servant whileyou sit idly at home?' Being very unhappy at this treatment,I returned to my father's house and he has instructed me tocome to you for help with this problem."To this request Ramanuja immediately responded, "Dearsister, do not worry. Here I have one brahmana whom I willsend with you. He will do the work of fetching water fromthe lake and the cooking as well."So saying he glanced at Dasarathi, the great scholar.Although working as a servant in the kitchen was anoccupation he might have considered unbefitting for arenowned pandit such as himself, Dasarathi understood thedesire of his guru and gladly followed Attulai to herfather-in law's house. There he began to do all the work inthe kitchen with great care and devotion. In this way sixmonths passed.One day a Vaisnava came to the village and wasexplaining a verse before an assembly of people. Dasarathiwas among the crowd and when he heard the speaker'spresentation tinged with impersonalist misconceptions, hecould not restrain himself from pointing out these errors.At this the man was very irritated and shouted out, "Stop,you fool! Where is a jackal and where is heaven! Whoeverheard of a cook explaining the scriptures? Go back to thekitchen and display your talents there."Without showing the least sign of annoyance at theseharsh words, Dasarathi calmly went on with his explanationof the verse. His presentation, based on many differentscriptures, was made so perfectly that everyone who heardhis speech was captivated. Even the original speaker beggedpardon from him by touching his feet and asking, "How is itthat such a sincere devotee and learned scholar as yourselfis engaged in doing menial work in the kitchen?"To this Dasarathi replied that he was simply actingin accordance with the order of his guru, which was his lifeand soul. When all the people learned he was Dasarathi, thefamous devotee-scholar, they went in a group to Sri Rangam.Before Ramanuja all of them presented their petition,56

saying, "0 Mahatma, it is not proper that your worthydisciple should be engaged as a cook any longer. He has nota trace of pride in his heart and is certainly an exaltedparamahamsa. Please give orders so that in great honor wemay bring him to your feet once more."Yatiraja was so pleased to hear the people describinghis disciple in such a way that he himself returned withthem. When they met, Ramanuja embraced Dasarathi and blessedhim. After returning to Sri Rangam he explained to him thefull significance of Lord Krsna's final instruction toArjuna in the Bhagavad-gita, which reveals the essence of adevotee's surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.Because Dasarathi had fulfilled his desire by renderingservice to the devotees, from that day he was known asVaisnava dasa.LEARNING FROM MALADHARAAfter this, at Mahapurna's request, Ramanuja againstudied the writings of the south Indian devotees, this timeunder the direction of Vararanga. When this study wascomplete, Gosthipurna approached him with another devotee,saying, "This great soul, Sri Maladhara, comes from the cityof Srimadhura in the land of the Pandyas where I was born.He is a learned scholar and one of the foremost disciples ofYamunacarya. He has fully understood the Sathari-sukta, thethousand songs composed by the great devotee Sathari. Learnall of this from him, and you will surely be blessed by LordNarayana."Following the order of his guru, Ramanuja began tostudy at the feet of Maladhara. One day, however, theteacher gave an explanation of one of the verses whichseemed improper to Ramanuja, who put forward a differentunderstanding. Being offended at what he saw as hisstudent's great audacity, Maladhara immediately left SriRangam and returned to his home.When Gosthipurna heard what had happened, he went tovisit his godbrother and asked, "Could Ramanuja absorb thefull meaning of the Thousand Songs?" To this inquiryMaladhara replied by explaining everything that had takenplace in Sri Rangam."My dear brother," said Gosthipurna, "do not judgehim as you would an ordinary man. None of us can understandYamunacarya's intimate thoughts and desires to the extentthat he can. Therefore, when he gives some explanation ofthe verses, you should hear him as if our beloved guru,Alabandara himself, were speaking."Acting on this advice from Gosthipurna, Maladharareturned to Sri Rangam and resumed his teaching to Ramanuja.A few days later Ramanuja again spoke out to give somedifferent explanation of a particular verse, but this time,instead of being annoyed, Maladhara listened to him with57

great attention. When he heard Ramanuja's explanation of theverse, Maladhara was amazed to see the young sannyasi'sprofound and inspired understanding of Vaisnava philosophy.In a mood of great reverence, he circumambulated Ramanujaand then brought forward his son to be his disciple.LEARNING THE SCIENCE OF DHARMAAfter completing his study of the Sathari-sukta,Ramanuja next wanted to learn about dharma from SriVararanga, the son of Yamunacarya. Every day Vararanga wouldgo before Lord Ranganatha and sing bhajans in a mostbeautiful voice. Sometimes he would dance in ecstasy, and,when he became fatigued, Ramanuja would bring him relief bymassaging his legs and rubbing turmeric powder on his body.Every evening he would prepare condensed milk for Vararangaand bring it to him like a menial servant.For six months this continued, and then Vararangasaid to Ramanuja, "I know of your desire to learn from meabout dharma and because I am very pleased by the servicethat you have rendered to me, I will fully instruct you asfar as my intelligence allows. Everything about dharma isfully understood by one who has realized the meaning of thisverse:-gurur eva param brahmagurur eva param-dhanamgurur eva parah kamogurur eva parayanam"That person who sees his spiritual master as thepersonification of the Lord Himself and who serves his guruperfectly with no other desire, just as you have served me,he is the greatest knower of dharma. This is the limit of myunderstanding."Ramanuja was very pleased to receive this instructionfrom his teacher and offered prostrated obeisances at hisfeet. Sri Vararanga had no children, but he had a youngerbrother named Chotanambi who was very dear to him. Now hebrought this young man forward to become the disciple ofRamanuja.In this way Ramanuja was instructed by Yamunacarya'sfive most intimate disciples: Kancipurna, Mahapurna,Gosthipuma, Maladhara, and Vararanga - each of whom embodieda different aspect of the great acarya. Now it appeared thatAlabandara was present again on earth in the form of thepure devotee, Sri Ramanujacarya. When Yatiraja spoke,explaining the Vaisnava philosophy, everyone became struckwith wonder to hear such beautiful descriptions. When hespoke about the glories of the Lord, the unhappiness andmaterial desires of all those who heard him immediately wentto a distant place.58

THE GREAT DEVOTEE TIRUMANGAIOf all the temples in India, that of Lord Ranganatha,situated on an island in the Kaveri River, is certainly thelargest. The story of how this temple came to be built isvery interesting.About three hundred years before the birth ofRamanujacarya, which was in AD 1017, there lived in southIndia a devotee named Tirumangai. His heart was alwaysfilled with devotion for Lord Visnu, and in this mood ofpure love he would compose beautiful poetic prayers.From the time of his youth he was in the habit oftravelling throughout the country to visit the various holyplaces of pilgrimage. In the course of his travels fourgreat mystics had become attracted by his exalted nature andhad become his disciples. Each of these disciples had aparticular ability that set him apart from ordinary men.The first disciple was named Tola Vazhakkan, and hewas famous for his ability to vanquish any opponent in adebate. The second disciple was named Taluduvan, and he hadthe ability to open any lock without the need of a key. Thethird and fourth disciples both possessed most unusualtalents. The third, Nizhalai Mithippan, could force any manto remain still simply by stepping on his shadow, while thefourth, Nirmal Nadappan, had developed the laghima siddhi,which enabled him to walk on water.TIRUMANGAI'S VISIT TO SRI RANGAMAfter touring many holy places of pilgrimage,Tirumangai at last came to the temple of Lord Ranganatha.The Deity of Ranganatha had originally been installed byVibhisana, the brother of Ravana, but at the time ofTirumangai the temple was completely dilapidated and filledwith bats. Once a day a priest would come there to offer afew flowers and a little water to the Deity before hurryingaway out of fear of the wild animals that dwelt in thesurrounding forest.When he saw this unhappy state of affairs, a strongdesire arose in the mind of Tirumangai to build a beautiful,opulent temple for Lord Ranganatha. However, he did not havea penny to his name and no more did any of his disciples.After consulting together they decided to approach everyrich man they could find and beg him to give money for thebuilding of a temple. Unfortunately, the effects of Kaliyugahaving set in, not one of these rich men would giveeven a small coin and they frequently blasphemed thedevotees by calling them rogues or thieves.59

ADOPTING THE WAYS OF ROBBERSBeing a humble devotee, Tirumangai was not disturbedby this treatment, but the thought of the Supreme Lordstanding uncared for in a wild forest full of jackals andhyenas caused him great pain. At last he could tolerate thesituation no longer and exclaimed in front of his fourdisciples, "We have wasted enough time trying to persuadethese rascals to serve the Lord. They will always remainatheists and unbelievers. Which is better - to beg fromthese villains while Lord Ranganatha remains in this sorrycondition, or to humble them by building a temple for theLord so magnificent that it will force them to bow down athis feet?"The disciples answered, "The service of the Lord isour duty, not acting as the servants of these rogues.""Then prepare yourselves," continued Tirumangai, "forfrom this day we will see to it that the wealth of thesegreedy men is spent for building a temple. These wealthylandowners, who are cruel by nature, have passed their livestaking from the poor, hard-working people and leaving themwithout enough to eat. Now then, let us rob these rascalsand use their money for building a temple and feeding thepoor."The four disciples readily agreed to this proposal,and each of them spoke in turn. Tola Vazhakkan said, "No onecan defeat me in argument. So, while I engage some rich manand his attendants in a debate, they will forget everythingelse and you will easily be able to carry off their wealth."Taludhuvan said, "I have the ability to open any lockwithout a key. Therefore, no treasury door will ever beclosed to us."Nizhalai Mithippan said, "Anyone whose shadow istouched by my feet loses all power of movement. Therefore,it will be easy for us to stop rich travellers along theroads."Nirmal Nadappan said, "The big houses of richlandowners, which are surrounded by moats of water, arealways open to me, for I can easily walk over water.Therefore from today, all the treasure of kings is yours"CONSTRUCTION OF THERANGANATHA TEMPLEWith the assistance of his four disciples, Tirumangaisoon became the leader of a large gang of robbers. Togetherthey accumulated a great hoard of riches that was keptconcealed in a secret place on Lord Ranganatha's island.Spending large sums of money, Tirumangai brought the bestarchitects in the land to design a huge temple for the Lordand at an auspicious moment he laid the foundation stone.60

The inner temple room, encircled by the first ring ofwalls and crowned with a high tower, was completed in twoyears. Thousands of builders were engaged to take part inthe construction, but even so it took four years to completethe next ring of walls and apartments, six years for thesecond, eight years for the third, ten years for the fourth,twelve years for the fifth, and eighteen years for thesixth. In all it took sixty years to complete theconstruction of the temple, and by this time Tirumangai wasover eighty years old.After the construction of the inner temple, kingsbegan to send money to Tirumangai of their own accord,convinced now that he was a genuine devotee. Moreover, hewas now the leader of a gang of over one thousand robbersand other wealthy landowners gave money liberally to assistwith the work, fearing that all of their property wouldotherwise be plundered. Despite all this, Tirumangai stilllived the simple life of a devotee, eating only once a dayprasadam cooked by his own hand and prepared from food heobtained by begging. He would also ensure that all thepeople in that area never suffered for want of food -onlythe rich lived in fear of the sage Tirumangai.THE ROBBERS' ANGERNow that all seven walls of the temple werecompleted, Tirumangai generously rewarded all thearchitects. After making this payment there was not a pennyleft in the treasury. At that time the host of robbers, whohad been his accomplices, came to him to demand their shareof the wealth they had plundered. Tirumangai thought forsome time about the robbers' demands, and, finding no way hecould pay them, he consulted with his disciple NirmalNadappan in a secluded place.In the meantime all the robbers, believing thatTirumangai had cheated them by spending all the money forconstruction of the temple, made a conspiracy to kill theirleader. Just as they were about to put their plans intoeffect, however, Nirmal Nadappan stepped amongst them,saying, "My dear brothers, somewhere hidden along thenorthern bank of the Kaveri there is a large amount oftreasure belonging to our master. Look, here is a boat; Iwill take you to that place where the treasure is hidden,and then we can divide it among ourselves."The robbers happily agreed to this proposal, and allgot aboard a large boat that had been used to carry blocksof stone for the temple. It was the rainy season, and themonsoon had swollen the Kaveri into a mighty flow over amite wide. The day was drawing to a close, and dark cloudsbegan to blot out the light of the setting sun. AsTirumangai and his three other disciples stood on the islandof Sri Rangam, they could only faintly discern the outline61

of the huge boat as it moved slowly towards the distantshore.Suddenly, above the roar of the water and the soundof the wind, they heard a horrible cry of distress thatseemed to come from within the Kaveri itself. Then there wassilence, and the boat could be seen no more. In the roaringwaves of the Kaveri nothing else was noticed.After a short while one man walking with steadystrides over the water came near Tirumangai and bowed downat his feet. This man was none other than Nirmal Nadappan,the fourth disciple. Tirumangai raised him up and said, "Donot feel concerned for these men. After all the service theyhave rendered, surely Lord Ranganatha will protect them. Isit not better for them to leave the world at this time thanto continue living as robbers? Now let us all pass theremaining days of our lives in the service of LordRanganatha, for our purpose in adopting the robbers'lifestyle has been fulfilled."So Tirumangai and his four disciples then absorbedthemselves in rendering service to the Deity of Ranganatha.A few years later they passed from this world and returnedto the shelter of Lord Visnu's lotus feet.THE HIGH PRIEST OF THE TEMPLEIn this way the temple of Lord Ranganatha came to bebuilt and was famous as the largest temple in all of India.At the time of Ramanuja, however, the high priest of thetemple was not at all a devoted or pious man. He had usedhis position to amass a fortune for himself, and he waswilling to remove any person who became an obstacle to hisambition. Ramanujacarya now proved himself to be just suchan obstacle.The high priest-observed how people would offerrespect and veneration to Yatiraja and that his own positionwas now being overlooked. That envious person could nottolerate this threat to his prestige and status, and so heimmediately began to consider ways by which he might be ridof this dangerous rival. After formulating a plan, he wentto Ramanuja one day and invited him to take alms at hishouse. Then he quickly returned home and instructed hiswife, "Today I have invited Ramanuja to take alms here. Thisis our opportunity to be rid of the scoundrel once and forall. You know where the poison is to be found. Need I saymore?"The priest's wife was a woman of similar dispositionto her husband, and she gladly agreed to his proposal. Thehigh priest then went back to the temple, and at noonYatiraja arrived at the house to take alms as he had beeninvited. The wife of the priest received him with greatcourtesy, washing his feet and offering him a nice sittingplace. Although this woman was known to be hard-hearted by62

nature, when she beheld the transcendental appearance of thegreat devotee with his pure, guileless expression, feelingsof compassion began to arise within her.When she brought the poisoned dish forward, she wasunable to restrain herself and, shedding tears, addressedRamanuja, "My child, if you want to save yourself, then goelsewhere to take your meal. If you take this food you willdie"Yatiraja was shocked to hear these words, and he satsilently for some time wondering what he might have done tobring out such hatred in the priest. Eventually he rose and,leaving the house, walked slowly towards the Kaveri. SeeingGosthipurna there by the banks of the river, he ran towardshim and fell down at his feet. Gosthipurna raised him up andinquired as to the cause of his distress.Ramanuja narrated to him the whole story and thenasked his spiritual master, "I am so unhappy at the thoughtof his mental condition. How can he be freed from such agreat sin?""My child," Gosthipurna replied, "when you desire theLord's mercy for this sinful soul, there is no need to fearfor him. Very soon he will give up his evil ways and becomea righteous man."When he had left his guru, Ramanuja returned to theasrama, where he found a brahmana waiting with various typesof prasadam. He took a little and distributed the rest tohis disciples without telling anyone what had befallen himat the house of the high priest. Sitting alone, he continuedto contemplate how the priest's sinful nature might bereformed.In the meantime the high priest had returned to hisresidence and discovered that his plot had beenunsuccessful. He was extremely angry, but, considering thata woman's heart is naturally soft, he excused his wife andimmediately began to devise another scheme to do away withhis imagined rival.Every evening Yatiraja would visit the temple to seeLord Ranganatha. That evening, when he was standing beforethe Lord, the high priest came towards him, offering himcaranamrta. Ramanuja gratefully accepted and drank thecaranamrta, even though he knew that it was mixed withpoison. Then he offered prayers to Lord Ranganatha, "0 oceanof mercy, how great is your affection for your devotee. I amnot worthy to accept such nectar from Your lotus feet. Yourmercy is causeless and unlimited."When he had finished offering prayers, Ramanuja leftthe temple, his body trembling in ecstasy. Seeing theseemotions, the high priest mistook them for signs that thepoison was taking effect and was very pleased, thinking thathis mission was accomplished. He was convinced that the nextmorning he would see the smoke of Yatiraja's funeral pyre,for he had put in the caranamrta enough poison to kill tenmen.63

THE PRIEST'S REPENTENCEHowever, in this he was to be disappointed. The nextmorning, as he was going to the temple as usual, he heardthe sound of many voices singing joyful songs in praise ofRamanuja. The priest hurried to the place the sound wascoming from and saw there that all the people of Sri Rangamwere singing and dancing around Yatiraja, offering flowersat his feet. The acarya himself was sitting on a low seat ina trance of ecstasy, his mind fixed on the SupremePersonality of Godhead. His pure features were more radiantthan ever, with tears of jubilation flowing from his eyes.As he beheld that wonderful sight, even the stone-like heartof that evil priest began to soften.In an instant the high priest realized the folly ofhis envy towards this great mahatma and rushed through thecrowd towards him. Weeping bitterly, he fell down atRamanuja's feet praying, "You have descended to enact thedesires of Lord Visnu by destroying sinful men like me.Delay no longer, my lord. Send me at once to the abode ofYamaraja. I am not fit even to touch your feet, so pleasepunish me immediately for all my sins. Only then may Iachieve relief from their reactions. Delay no longer! Throwme at once under the feet of an elephant or into a blazingfire. I do not desire to live for a moment more."Having said this, the priest began to strike his headon the ground so hard that the place became soaked withblood. The people all around tried to restrain him, but hewas so agitated that he began to strike his chest until hiswhole body became covered with blood. Then Yatiraja returnedto external consciousness and pacified the priest by placinghis hand upon his head and saying, "Do not act in such aterrible way. Lord Ranganatha has certainly forgiven all ofyour sins.""How can you look with such kindness on a man asabominable as myself!" exclaimed the priest."0 savior of the fallen, this glory of yours will beproclaimed by men for all time to come."Ramanuja then blessed the high priest and bestowedhis full mercy upon him. From that day on, the priest waslike a different person. He cast far away all theenviousness which had polluted his heart and became a humbleservant of the Lord, completely devoted to his savior andguru, Ramanujacarya.THE DEBATE WITH YAJNAMURTIAt that time there lived a great scholar and panditanamed Yajnamurti, who by dint of his learning and keenintelligence had become unconquerable in debate. Although64

orn in south India, he had travelled throughout thenorthern regions of the country without finding anyone whocould rival his abilities in argument. On returning to southIndia he heard of the fame of Ramanujacarya, the renownedVaisnava who was so expert at refuting impersonalistphilosophy. Therefore he hastened to Sri Rangam, followed bya cart filled with the books he always took with him.Appearing before Ramanuja, Yajnamurti immediatelychallenged him to a debate. At this Yatiraja merely smiled,saying, "0 Mahatma, what is the value of this mentalwrangling? I will accept defeat at your hands, for you are ascholar without second. Victory follows you everywhere.""If you acknowledge your defeat," rejoinedYajnamurti, "then you must accept the flawless doctrine ofmonism and give up forever the false ideas of theVaisnavas".Of course this was something that Ramanuja couldnever accept, and so he protested, "It is mayavadis such asyourself who are filled with illusion. According to suchspeculators all arguments and reasonings of the mind aresimply aspects of maya, so how is your own doctrine freefrom illusion?""Whatever exists in time and space is illusion," saidYajnamurti, "and both of these must be transcended beforeone can reach the real truth. You accept a form of God astruth, but actually all forms are nothing but illusion."In this way the great debate began and for seventeendays it continued, as neither of the two scholars seemedable to finally defeat the other. At the end of theseventeenth day, when Yatiraja still found it impossible tonullify all of his opponent's clever arguments and establishthe supremacy of Lord Visnu, he felt very disappointed atheart.Returning to the asrama that evening, he went beforethe Deity and began to pray with folded hands, "0 Lord, thetruth that is revealed in all the scriptures has becomecovered by the cloud of mayavada arguments. By cleverlyjuggling words these impersonalist present arguments whichare bewildering even to great mahatmas. 0 Supreme One, forhow long will You allow Your children to be thus kept fromthe shade of Your lotus feet?"When he had finished his prayer, Ramanuja began toshed tears. That night the Lord appeared to him in a dreamand told him, "Do not be anxious. Before long the full gloryof devotional service will be revealed to the world throughyou."YAJNAMURTI'S CONVERSIONThe next morning when he arose and recalled theinstructions the Lord had given him in the dream, Yatirajafelt great joy. When he had finished all his morning duties,65

he walked over to the monastery where Yajnamurti wasstaying. On seeing the blissful effulgence in Ramanuja'sface the impersonalist was completely amazed, thinking tohimself, "Yesterday, Ramanuja returned to his asrama greatlydisappointed and on the verge of defeat. But today hereturns looking like one of the gods. I can see that he isdivinely inspired, and thus it is futile to argue with himany longer. This man has indeed attained full perfection.Anger and pride never approach him, and his face glows witha transcendent beauty. I shall atone for my sinfulness bybecoming his disciple and thus destroy the root of my falsepride."Having made this decision, Yajnamurti fell down tooffer obeisances to Ramanuja, who then addressed him, "0Yajnamurti, such behavior is not proper for a great man likeyourself. Why this delay in resuming the debate?""0 great soul," replied the scholar, "I am no longerthe same wrangler who has tried to overcome you with cleverarguments for so many days. I will argue no longer with apure devotee such as yourself. I stand before you not as arival, but as your eternal servant. Please fill up mydarkened heart with the light of your purity."Yatiraja was not surprised by the transformation thathad taken place in Yajnamurti, for he clearly recalled thewords spoken to him by Sri Devaraja, the Deity installed inthe asrama. He realized that it was only through the mercyof the Lord that the proud pandita had gained the jewel ofhumility. Then, speaking in a gentle voice, Ramanuja said tothe scholar, "May the name of Sri Devaraja be everglorified, for his grace can melt even the stones. To giveup pride in one's learning is all but impossible for anyman, but by His mercy it has been made possible. You aresupremely fortunate.""When I have been given the chance to meet a puredevotee such as yourself, then I am indeed fortunate," saidYajnamurti. "Now please instruct me. Show me how to become adevotee of the Lord."On receiving this surrender from the famous pandita,Yatiraja at once prepared to initiate him into the Vaisnavasampradaya. Yajnamurti anointed his body with tilaka andthen accepted the symbols of Lord Visnu: the conchshell,disc, club and lotus. Because he had been delivered by themercy of Sri Devaraja, Ramanujacarya gave Yajnamurti thename Devaraja-muni and instructed him, "Now that yourlearning has been freed from the contamination of pride, itcan shine forth upon the world. You should engage yourselfin writing books which perfectly explain the behavior andphilosophy of the Vaisnavas." It was in accordance with thisorder from his guru that Devaraja-muni later wrote twowonderful devotional literatures, Jnana-sara and Prameyasara.66

THE HUMILITY OF DEVARAJA-MUNIA few days later, four intelligent, devoted young menapproached Ramanuja and begged for initiation from him. Whenhe had heard their request, Yatiraja considered the matterfor a little while and then told them, "Go to Devaraja-muniand become his disciples. He is not only a great pandita,but also a most advanced devotee of Lord Narayana."Accepting this order with great respect, the fouryoung men duly became disciples of Devaraja-muni. Thatpreviously arrogant scholar, however, was not at all pleasedto find himself in a position where he had to accept worshipand veneration from disciples. "What a disturbance this isto me," he thought, "I have been endeavoring with all mystrength to rid myself of vanity, but now I am forced tobecome a guru and listen to my praises being sung."In bewilderment he approached Ramanuja and humblysubmitted, "0 master, I am your surrendered servant. Why doyou behave so cruelly towards me? By your grace I haveendeavored to shake off the demon of false pride, so why doyou hurl me once more into the arms of vanity by ordering meto become a guru? I am not detached enough to accept such aposition, so please allow me to remain here as your menialservant. For me, to be in such a position would be thesupreme perfection."Highly pleased by his disciple's words, Yatirajaembraced Devaraja-muni and said warmly, "I did all thissimply to test whether you had truly overcome your pride.Now that you have passed the test, you should remain herewith me and Lord Devaraja." Devaraja-muni was very satisfiedto receive this order from his guru. He passed the remainingyears of his life absorbed in rendering service to the lotusfeet of his spiritual master and Lord Devaraja.INSTRUCTIONS TO DISCIPLESNow that Ramanujacarya had accepted a number ofdisciples, he began to give them formal instructions on theVaisnava scriptures. First he studied with them the Sahasragiti,the thousand hymns praising Lord Visnu which had beencomposed by Nammalvar, a famous devotee from south India.All the disciples were entranced to hear the wonderful waythat Yatiraja explained these verses, revealing to them theglories of Lord Visnu.One day they came to a verse which described the holydhama of Sri Saila, which is also known as Tirupati: "ThisSri Saila is like Vaikuntha on earth. One who spends hislife in that holy place does in truth live in Vaikuntha andat the end of his life will attain the lotus feet of LordNarayana."When they had read that verse, Ramanuja asked hisdisciples, "Who among you is willing to go to Sri Saila,67

make a flower garden and serve Lord Srinivasa there untilthe end of his life?"It was Anantacarya, a very quiet disciple, whoreplied, "0 master, if you will permit me, I shall go tothat sacred hill and there achieve the mercy of the Lord.""You are indeed blessed," said Yatiraja, "and by yourdevotion you have delivered fourteen generations of yourancestors. I consider myself most fortunate to have adisciple such as yourself." Then, after worshiping the feetof his guru, Anantacarya departed for Tirupati.CHAPTER FIVETRAVELLING AND PREACHINGThree times over Ramanuja studied the Sahasra-giti withhis disciples. At the conclusion of the third reading adesire arose within his heart to see for himself the holyshrine of Sri Saila. Thus a few days later he set off on thejourney from Sri Rangam accompanied by his disciples, allchanting the holy name of Lord Hari together.At the end of the first day of the journey, theystopped for the night in the town of Dehali. On the next daythey walked as far as the village of Astasa-hasra. Herethere lived two of Ramanuja's disciples, Yajnesa andVaradacarya. Intending to pass the night at the house ofYajnesa, who was a wealthy merchant, Yatiraja sent two ofhis followers ahead to convey the news of his imminentarrival.When he learned of this from them, Yajnesa wasdelighted and immediately began to see to all thearrangements necessary for receiving the party of pilgrims.However, so absorbed was he in all these activities thatYajnesa completely neglected to see to the comfort of thetwo tired messengers, who were left alone without beingoffered so much as a glass of water. Becoming unhappy atthis mistreatment, they returned to Ramanujacarya andreported to him everything that had taken place.Being most displeased to hear how his disciple hadfailed to show proper respect to Vaisnava guests, Yatirajadecided he would go instead to the house of Varadacarya.This second disciple was an extremely poor man but was notedfor his pure heart and great devotion to Lord Visnu. Everymorning he would set out to beg alms, returning at noon topresent whatever he had received as an offering to the Lord.Thus he passed his life in great contentment along withLaksmi, his chaste and extremely beautiful wife.68

LAKSMI'SDILEMMAWhen Ramanuja and his party arrived at the house,Varadacarya was still out begging and they were all receivedwith great respect by Laksmi. Paying obeisances at the feetof her guru, she said, "My husband is still out beggingalms. All of you please sit here and be merciful to me byaccepting this water to wash your feet. Just nearby there isa lake where you may bathe, and in the meantime I willprepare the offering for Lord Narayana."Having said this she entered the kitchen. However,there was not a single grain of rice in the store. So poorwere this couple that they had nothing at all in the house.In great anxiety Laksmi began to consider how she couldproperly serve her guru.In that same village there lived a rich businessmanwho had become attracted by Laksmi's beauty. He had triedmany times to tempt her through female messengers, offeringher money and jewels, but she would never even speak to therascal. Now, however, she began to consider that this mightbe the only way that she and her husband would be able torender proper service to their spiritual master. Eventuallyshe concluded that, as service to one's guru transcends allother principles, she would surrender herself to that man inreturn for whatever was required to serve her guests.Accordingly, she slipped out the back door of herhouse and ran quickly to the house of the businessman, whichwas not far from there. When she came into his presence, shesaid, "This evening I shall fulfill your desires. My guruand many of his disciples have come to my house as guests.Send to our house without delay all things necessary toreceive them properly."The merchant was surprised to hear this, for he hadby now resigned himself to the fact that this chaste ladywould never be allured by the things he offered. Greatlypleased by this unexpected turn of events, he quicklyarranged for the most opulent foods to be sent to hisneighbor's house.Quickly then Laksmidevi busied herself in preparingofferings for Lord Visnu from the different things that werebrought to her. When everything was completed and theoffering made, she invited Ramanujacarya and his disciplesto sit down and take prasadam. They were all most surprisedto find such opulent foodstuffs available in a poor man'shouse and ate with great relish, praising the good lady forher excellent hospitality.THE POTENCY OF MAHA-PRASADAWhen he returned home, Varadacarya was filled withhappiness to see his guru actually in his own house.69

However, when he heard about the wonderful prasadam they hadall been offered, he was astonished, knowing only too wellthe poverty-stricken condition in which they were living.When he inquired from his wife as to how she had been ableto serve their guests in a manner so befitting, Laksmidevibowed her head in shame and narrated to him all thearrangements she had made with the merchant.Far from being angry, however, Varadacarya began todance with joy when he heard what had happened and he criedout, "0, I am blessed! I am blessed!" Addressing his wife,he said, "Today you have shown the highest degree ofchastity. Narayana, who is represented by Sri Guru, is theonly purusa and thus he is the enjoyer of prakrti. Only agreat soul can fully realize this knowledge of devotionalservice. How fortunate I am to be married to such a lady whois the embodiment of religious principles."Taking his wife with him, Varadacarya then went intothe presence of Yatiraja and explained to his gurueverything that had taken place. By Ramanuja's order theysat down and took prasadam in his presence. When they hadfinished eating, he told them to go to the businessman'shouse together and take all the remaining prasadam to offerto him.When they arrived at the large mansion, Varadacaryawaited outside while Laksmidevi was admitted to themerchant's rooms. She immediately offered him the prasadamthey had brought, and he accepted it with pleasure. Prasadamis not ordinary food, and particularly the remnants left bypure devotees possess great spiritual potency. This prasadambegan to affect the merchant at once and by the time he hadfinished eating he was a changed man.All the sensual desires having been purged from hisheart, he looked upon Laksmi as he would his mother andspoke to her with tears in his eyes, "How sinful I am! Myfate would have been the same as that of the hunter who wasburned to ashes when he attempted to touch the chasteDamayanti. Only by your great compassion have I been saved.0 mother, please forgive all of my offenses and have mercyupon me by showing me the feet of your guru. "In great happiness Laksmidevi and Varadacaryareturned to their house along with the merchant. In thepresence of Ramanujacarya all three of them bowed down tothe ground to offer their prostrated obeisances. WhenYatiraja touched the merchant with his hand, all of theman's miseries were removed and he begged for initiationfrom that great soul.Desiring to make life easier for the devoted brahmanacouple, Ramanuja requested them to accept the large sum ofmoney the merchant had offered. At this Varadacarya spoke tohis spiritual master with folded palms, "0 master, by yourmercy everything that we require is provided for us. Moneyis the root of all evil, for it distracts the senses and70

thus drags the mind away from service to the Supreme Lord.Please do not order me to become a wealthy man."Ramanuja was satisfied by these words, and heembraced the pure-hearted devotee, saying, "Today I havebecome purified by the association of such a great mahatmaas yourself, devoid of all material desires."YAJNESA'SREPENTANCEAt that moment Yajnesa, Yatiraja's wealthy disciple,entered the house and fell down at the feet of his guru.Having waited expectantly for Ramanuja's arrival, he hadeventually learned that the party of pilgrims had goneinstead to the house of the poor brahmana,Varadacarya.Thinking that he must have committed some graveoffense and displeased his guru, he had gone there feelingdepressed at heart.Gently and with affection, Yatiraja raised Yajnesa tohis feet and said, "Is this unhappiness due to my not comingto your house? The reason for this was the offense that youmade to two exalted Vaisnavas by neglecting them. There isno higher dharma than rendering service to the Vaisnavas,and in this you have failed."Being humbled by this chastisement from his spiritualmaster, Yajnesa replied in a voice choked with tears, "Thisthoughtless behavior of mine was not due to the vanity ofwealth. Rather it was my exultation and eagerness to serveyou that made me so neglectful" .Ramanuja then consoled thisrepentant and simple-hearted devotee by promising to be hisguest when he returned from Sri Saila.ARRIVAL IN SRISAILAEarly the next morning Ramanujacarya and his partyleft Astasahasra and set off for the city of Kancipuram. Atnoon they arrived there and went immediately to pay theirobeisances to Lord Varadaraja. They met with the renownedVaisnava saint, Sri Kancipurna, and joyfully passed threedays in his association. They then travelled to the holyplace known as Kapila Tirtha and on the same day arrived atthe foot of the sacred hill known as Sri Saila.Yatiraja became filled with ecstasy there, thinking,"This is the holy place where Sri Hari Himself is residingalong with His consort Laksmi. It would be a great offensefor me to touch the Lord's holy abode with my feet,therefore I will remain here at the foot of the hill." Thushe remained with his followers at the foot of Sri Saila,offering constant prayers to Lord Narayana.In the meantime all the sadhus and devotees who livedat Sri Saila came to see Ramanuja. When they heard of hisresolution not to climb the hill for fear of committing an71

offense, they all submitted a petition. "0 pure one, ifgreat souls such as yourself are unwilling to walk upon thesacred hill of Sri Saila, then all the common people willact in the same way and even the priests will be afraid togo up to the temple. Therefore please change your decisionand agree to climb the hill. The hearts of pure devotees arethe real temples of Sri Hari, for He is always present wherepure devotion is manifest. The places of pilgrimage becomeeven more sanctified because they are visited by the greatdevotees."MEETING WITH SAILAPURNAAccepting the appeals of these holy men, Yatirajachanged his decision and set off with all his disciples toclimb the hill. The ascent is long and steep, and after sometime Ramanuja became fatigued due to hunger and thirst.While they were resting by the side of the path, Ramanuja'suncle, the Vaisnava acarya Sri Sailapurna, appeared there,having come to bring mama-prasada and caranamrita from thetemple at the top of the hill. Seeing this saintly devoteeperforming such menial service on his behalf, Ramanuja was alittle disturbed and hesaid, "Why are you behaving in thisway? Why should such a learned acarya as yourself take suchtrouble for a lowly person like me? Surely a boy could havebeen engaged to perform this service.""I was thinking in this way, too," repliedSailapurna, "but after searching for someone suitable Icouldfind no one less respectable than myself. For this reason Ihave come to you personally." Ramanuja was very satisfied tohear this reply from his uncle, for he could understand thathumility is one of the Vaisnava's most essential qualities.He then offered obeisances at the feet of Sri Sailapurna andhappily honored the prasada along with his disciples. Beingrelieved from their fatigue, the party then continued up thehill until they reached the famous temple of Venkatesvara.Having circumambulated the temple, Ramanuja wentbefore the Deity to offer prayers and obeisances. On seeingthe beauty of the Lord his heart became filled withdevotional ecstasy, and tears began to flow down his cheeks.Quickly the symptoms of love of God overwhelmed him, and hepassed from external consciousness, falling to the ground ina faint. When he eventually regained his senses, the priestsof the temple brought large quantities of maha-prasada bothfor Yatiraja and all of his disciples. All the devotees feltgreat happiness in seeing that holy shrine and remained atthe temple for three days.During this time Govinda, Ramanuja's cousin, who wasa disciple of Sailapurna, came there to join the party. Thetwo devotees were delighted to see one another again andembraced each other in great happiness. At the request ofSailapurna, Ramanujacarya remained at Sri Saila for the next72

year, and every day the aged acarya would recite theRamayana to him, adding his own inspired explanations to theverses. At the end of one year their study of the Ramayanawas complete and Ramanuja considered himself highlyfortunate to have been able to hear this scripture from sucha learned devotee.GOVINDA'S UNUSUAL BEHAVIORWhile he was staying at Sailapurna's asrama, Yatirajawas astonished by the behavior of his cousin on a number ofoccasions. One day he saw Govinda preparing his gurus bed,but he was shocked to see his cousin lie down himself uponthe same bed. Ramanuja was disturbed to see such apparentlydisrespectful behavior and went at once to informSailapurna, who immediately summoned his disciple to hispresence."Do you know what happens," he asked Govinda, "to onewho sees fit to lie down on his guru’s bed?""One who lies down on the bed of his guru iscertainly destined for hell," replied Govinda calmly."If you are aware of the consequences, then why doyou act in such a way?" Sailapurna then inquired.To this Govinda replied, "Every day I lie down onyour bed just to make sure that it is comfortable and thatyour rest will be undisturbed. If it ensures your comfort,then I am certainly willing to remain eternally in hell."When Yatiraja heard his cousin's humble submission, he feltashamed of his ignorance in misjudging Govinda and beggedhis forgiveness.On another occasion Ramanuja saw his cousin behavingin a manner that was totally bewildering. He saw Govindaholding a snake in his left hand and repeatedly thrustingthe finger of his right hand into the creature's mouth,causing it almost to die from pain. After taking his bath,Govinda came to Ramanuja, who inquired from him, "Why wereyou acting in such a strange way with that snake? It wassheer madness, and only due to good fortune were you notbitten. By acting like a cruel child you not only placedyourself in great danger, but also caused needless sufferingto the poor creature, which is now lying there almost dead.""But my dear brother," replied Govinda, "while eatingsomething that snake had got a thorn stuck in its throat andwas writhing in pain when I found it. I was putting myfinger into its mouth only to remove that thorn. Now itappears lifeless only because of exhaustion and will soon befully recovered." Yatiraja was both surprised and gratifiedto see Govinda's compassion on his fellow living beings, andafter this incident his love for his cousin became even moreprofound.73

RETURNING TO KANCIAfter thus passing one year at Sri Saila, hearing theRamayana from Acarya Sailapurna, Ramanuja decided to returnto Sri Rangam. When he came, before Sailapurna to offer hisrespects before departing, that elderly disciple ofYamunacarya said to him, "My son, having you with me herefor this last year has given me great pleasure. Now if thereis anything that you desire from me, just ask, and, if it iswithin my power, I will give it to you."To this Ramanuja replied, "0 Mahatma, please give meyour disciple Govinda. That is my only request."Sailapurna assented at once, and so it was with greathappiness that Yatiraja set off for Sri Rangam in theassociation of his beloved cousin. After travelling forseveral days they came to the city of Kancipuram, whereRamanuja and Govinda had grown up together.SAILAPURNA'S DEALINGS WITH GOVINDAThey first went to see Lord Varadaraja and then on tovisit Kancipurna, the great devotee and old friend ofRamanuja. After describing to him Govinda's wonderfuldevotion to his guru, Ramanuja finally begged Kancipurna,"Please bless my cousin and make him even more devoted tohis guru and even more merciful toward all living entities."On hearing this Kancipurna smiled and said, "The Lordalways fulfills your desires. No harm can ever befall onewho has your blessings." But having observed a disconsolatetook on Govinda's face, he added, "Your cousin is sufferinggreatly due to feelings of separation from his beloved guru.Why don't you send him back to Sri Saila, so that he canresume his service to Sailapurna, which is the delight ofhis life?"Ramanuja considered Kancipurna's words for some time.Then he went over to Govinda and instructed him to leaveimmediately and return to the shelter of his spiritualmaster. Govinda was very pleased to receive this instructionand travelled quickly back to Sri Saila by the shortestpossible route.However, when Sailapurna heard of Govinda's return,he did not so much as glance at him or call him to takeprasada. Eventually the acaryas wife, a kind-hearted lady,said to her husband, "You may or may not speak to Govinda,but you must at least feed him""It is not my duty to feed a horse that has beensold," replied Sailapurna. "He should take shelter of hisnew master alone."When he heard these words, Govinda, who was standingat the door, understood his gurus mind and left at once torejoin his cousin. On arriving at Kancipuram, he went beforeRamanuja and bowed down at his feet, saying, "From this day74

on you should never again address me as 'brother', for Ihave heard from the lips of Sailapurna that you are now mymaster."RETURN TO SRI RANGAMSeeing Govinda's fatigue from his travels, Yatirajahad him bathe and then take prasada. From that time on,Govinda rendered service to his cousin in the samemeticulous way he had done for Sailapurna. The party ofVaisnavas remained for three more nights in Kancipuram andthen travelled on to Astasahasra. There they stayed for thenight with Yajnesa, Yatiraja's wealthy disciple who hadpreviously been so disappointed. The next day they continuedon to Sri Rangam and were warmly welcomed by all theinhabitants of that city.GOVINDA'S SERVICENow realizing that his gurus intention had been toentrust him completely to the care of Ramanuja, Govindaserved his cousin with a contented heart. Within a few dayshe had discovered all of his new master's requirements andrendered service to him so perfectly that all the otherdisciples were struck with wonder. One day, while they weretalking with Govinda, some of them elaborately praised thequality of his service. On hearing this, Govinda surprisedthem by saying, "Yes, my good qualities are certainly worthyof praise."Shocked at hearing such proud words from a Vaisnava,they reported the incident to Yatiraja, who called Govindato him, saying, "Although it is true that all the goodqualities of a devotee are seen in your person, you shouldnever allow this to make you feel arrogant or conceited."To this Govinda replied, "After many thousands ofbirths, I obtained this human form of life, but even then Iwas going astray and falling from the path of trueperfection. It was your mercy alone that saved me from thedarkness of delusion and therefore whatever good qualitiesothers may see in me are due to you alone, for I am bynature fallen and low-minded. Thus whenever anyone offers mewords of praise, it is in actuality praise of yourself. Forthis reason I fully approve of such statements."On another occasion, when several of Yatiraja'sdisciples were walking to the asrama, they were shocked tosee Govinda, who had not even finished his morning duties,sitting down outside the house of a prostitute. AgainYatiraja summoned his cousin to ask him about his unusualbehavior. "Why were you sitting at the door of aprostitute's house instead of attending to your morningduties," he inquired.75

"That woman was singing the tales of the Ramayana insuch a sweet voice," came the reply, "and I was socaptivated by hearing the pastimes of Sri Ramacandra that Icould not bring myself to leave. For this reason my morningduties have been neglected" On hearing this, everyone wasfilled with wonder to understand Govinda's simplicity andnatural devotion.GOVINDA'S SANNYASAA few days later Govinda's mother, Diptimati, came toRamanujacarya. "My child," she said, "Govinda's wife is nowgrown up and of a suitable age to bear children. Please askhim to perform his duty by perpetuating our family, for hewill not listen to me. When I raised the matter with himpreviously, he told me, 'You may bring my wife to me when Ihave completed my service to Yatiraja and have some freetime.' But up until this day he has never had any free time,being always absorbed in his service."Ramanuja then called for Govinda and instructed himthat, as a householder, it was his duty to have children whocould be trained as pure devotees. "Purify your mind of thelower modes of nature," he told him, "and then live withyour wife and raise a family." Govinda, as always, acceptedhis cousin's order and went away to carry out hisinstructions.However, a few days later Ramanuja's aunt came to himagain, complaining that Govinda still had not adopted thelife of a grhastha. When he was called to come beforeYatiraja, Govinda explained the situation. "0 Master, youinstructed me to purify my mind of the lower modes of natureand then to live with my wife and beget children. However, Ifind that when my devotion to the Lord is completely pure, Icannot even think of family life or begetting children.Therefore it has now become very difficult for me to followyour instructions."When he had listened to Govinda's submission,Ramanujacarya was silent for some time. Then he said,"Govinda, now that I understand the state of your mind, Iconsider that it is your duty to take sannyasa immediately,for a person must accept the regulations of the status oflife that is most suitable or him. This is the injunction ofthe scriptures. As you have attained complete mastery overthe senses, you are quite fit to be a sannyasi. " Govindawas very pleased to hear his cousin's words and bowed downat his feet.With the permission of Diptimati, Yatiraja began toarrange for the ceremony without delay. In the presence ofthe sacred fire, Govinda was offered the danda and kamandaluand thus became a Vaisnava sannyasi. With effulgent featuresand tears of ecstasy in his eyes, his pure appearanceattracted the minds of all those present at the ceremony.76

Out of great affection, Yatiraja gave his cousin thename Mananatha, meaning the controller of the mind, a nameused by his own disciples to address him. Thinking himselfunworthy to bear the same name as his preceptor, Govindarefused to accept this name. So Ramanuja translated it intothe Tamil equivalent, 'Emperumanan', or Embar for short.Later on when Ramanuja founded an asrama in Jagannatha Puri,he called it the Embar Math in honor of his cousin.JOURNEY TO KASHMIRWhile Ramanujacarya was teaching his disciples at SriRangam, he frequently recalled the promise he had madebefore the body of Yamunacarya to present an authenticVaisnava commentary on the Vedanta-sutras, which wouldnullify the misleading mayavadi interpretations.One day, recalling his vow, he said to the assemblyof disciples, "I have made a promise to Yamunacarya that Iwould write the Sri-bhasya commentary, but until now I havedone nothing to keep my vow. Before attempting such a task,it is essential that I study the Bodhayana-vrrti, written bythe sage Bodhayana, but this is such a rare book that I havebeen unable to locate a single copy of it anywhere in thispart of the country. However, I have heard that one copy ofthis work is preserved with great care at Sarada-pitha inKashmir. Therefore I am proposing to go there, taking withme only Kuresa, so that I can make a study of Bodhayana'steachings and then present a true explanation of theVedanta-sutras.Thus it was that a few days later Ramanuja and Kuresaset off for the far north of India. After travelling forthree months, they arrived at Sarada-pitha in Kashmir. ThereYatiraja held long philosophical discussions with the localpanditas, who were amazed by his knowledge of the scripturesand the depth of his wisdom. Thus they treated him as anhonored guest.However, when he inquired from them about theBodhayana-vrtti, they were reluctant to let him see thisbook. Being themselves impersonalists, they realized that ifYatiraja were able to absorb Bodhayana's philosophicalconclusions, he would be in a position to completely destroytheir false mayavada doctrines with his forceful Vaisnavapresentation. Thinking in this way, they said to him, "It istrue that the book you mentioned was here until recently,but unfortunately it has been eaten by worms and is nowcompletely destroyed."KURESA'S WONDERFUL ABILITYRamanujacarya was dismayed to hear this, thinking allhis labor in travelling so far had been for nothing.77

However, that night as he was lying down the goddess Sarada(Durga) appeared before him with the book, saying, "Mychild, take this book and return immediately to your owncountry." Straight away, having hidden the book amongsttheir belongings, Ramanuja and Kuresa took leave of thepanditas of Sarada-pitha and departed from that place.A few days later the scholars were rearranging thebooks in their library and checking to see if any were inneed of repair. When they discovered that the Bodhayanavrttiwas missing, they at once concluded that the twoVaisnavas from south India must be responsible for itsdisappearance and sent a party of men in pursuit of them torecover the book. After travelling day and night for almosta month, they at last caught up with Ramanuja and Kuresa andlearned on inquiring from them that they were indeed inpossession of the Bodhayana-vrttii. Without another wordthey took the book from them and returned with it to theirhome in Kashmir.Yatiraja was distressed at the loss, wondering how itwould now be possible for him to write the Sri-bhasya.Kuresa, on the other hand, did not seem in the leastdisturbed and said cheerfully, "0 Master, there is no needfor you to feel unhappy about what has happened. Every nightof our journey, while you were sleeping, I was studying thatvrtti, and now I know the whole book by heart. If we stayhere for a few days, I will be able to write it all downfrom memory."Ramanuja was surprised to learn of his disciple'sprodigious powers of memory and also delighted to hear thathe would be able to retain a copy of the book he had soeagerly sought. Embracing Kuresa, he said, "From this day Iam eternally indebted to you."WRITING THE SRI BHASYAWhen Kuresa had finished transcribing the book, theycontinued on their way and reached Sri Rangam withoutfurther incident. Back at the asrama, Ramanuja called allhis disciples together and recounted to them what hadbefallen himself and Kuresa on their journey.Finally he said, "0 devotees, by the strength of yourdevotion and the wonderful power of Kuresa's memory, theBodhayana-vrtti has been procured. Now I will be able torefute the foolish ideas of persons who consider that a mereintellectual understanding of the Vedic statements, tat tvamasi and aham brahmasmi can bring one to a state of fullperfection. By falsely staling that the individual souls arethemselves God, these scholars have misled the mass ofpeople away from the true goal of life, devotion to LordVisnu."Therefore I shall now commence writing the Sribhasya,which will reveal the true verdict of the Vedas,78

that only through loving devotion to Lord Narayana can oneachieve the perfection of life. Now all of you please prayto the Lord that this may be completed without anyimpediment. Kuresa, you must act as my secretary, but if youhear some argument which does not seem proper to you, thenyou must stop writing and sit quietly. Then I shallreconsider my statements and change them if I find anyfault."The next day Yatiraja began to dictate the Sribhasya,with Kuresa writing down everything he said. Onlyonce did Kuresa stop writing and refuse to inscribe one ofhis gurus statements. This occurred when Ramanuja describedthat the essential nature of the soul was nitya and jnata,that is, eternal and full of knowledge. When he saw hisdisciple's behavior, Yatiraja was at first annoyed, sayingto him, "Why do you not write the commentary yourself".But, when he thought deeply about what he had said,he realized that the statement that the soul is eternal andfull of knowledge might indicate that the soul isindependent. He considered that the statement of theBhagavad-gita: mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanahclearly reveals that the jiva is always dependent on theSupreme Lord for his existence. Therefore the Lord iseternally the master of all jivas.Having reached this conclusion, Yatiraja changed hisprevious statement to say that the essential nature of thesoul is visnu-sesatva and jnatrtva, that is, alwayscompletely dependent on Lord Visnu and existing just toengage in His service. On hearing this, Kuresa continuedwriting, and in a few months the Sri-bhasya commentary wascomplete. This wonderful book so nicely explains thesupremacy of Lord Visnu and so expertly refutes the falsenotions of the mayavadis, that it is still venerated by allVaisnavas. Ramanuja wrote several other excellent books ofVaisnava philosophy and in this way presented the doctrineof Visistadvaita-vada.TRAVELS THROUGHOUT INDIAHaving finished the Sri-bhasya, Ramanujacarya wassatisfied in having fulfilled one of the three vows he hadtaken to complete the work of Yamunacarya. Now he decided hewas ready to fulfill the second of his promises by preachingthe Vaisnava philosophy he had presented in the Sri-bhasyaall over India. Therefore, with seventy-four of his chiefdisciples and many other followers, he set off to spread theglories of Lord Narayana and refute the false doctrines ofthe impersonalists.First of all they went to Kancipuram, the capital ofthe Cholas. Having offered prayers to Lord Varadaraja,Yatiraja then continued on his journey to the city ofKumbakonam. When he spoke in the temple there, he was79

challenged by some of the local scholars, who were followersof Sankaracarya. However, by citing many verses fromdifferent scriptures, he completely nullified theirarguments. All the panditas of Kumbakonam then surrenderedto Ramanujacarya and became devotees of Lord Narayana.Next, Yatiraja and his followers travelled toMadurai, which in those days was the capital of the Pandyakingdom as well as a center for all types of scholars.Before a great assembly of learned panditas, Ramanuja spokeabout the philosophy of devotion. His presentation was soconvincing that at once everyone accepted his teachings andagreed to become devotees of Lord Visnu.After remaining for a few days in Madurai, the partyof Vaisnavas travelled on to the city of Kuranga and fromthere to Kurakapuri. In both these places Deities of LordVisnu were being worshipped, and all the devotees tookpleasure in singing devotional songs in the temples.From there they journeyed across to the west coast ofIndia to the city of Trivandrum in Kerala, where they wereable to behold the beautiful features of Lord Padmanabhalying on His bed of Ananta-Sesa. Then they travelled all theway up the west coast to Dvaraka, from there across toMathura and Vrndavana, to Salagrama, Saketa, Naimisaranya,Puskara, and Badarikasrama.In these holy tirthas Ramanuja preached thephilosophy of loving devotion to the Supreme Lord, and allthose who heard him were convinced to become devotees. Manytimes logicians, Buddhists, and the impersonalist followersof Sankara came before him to present their own arguments,but in every instance he was able to point out thedeficiencies in these different doctrines and establish thesupremacy of the Vaisnava philosophy. Eventually they cameagain to Sarada-pitha in the province of Kashmir, whereYatiraja and Kuresa had previously endeavored to obtain acopy of the Bodhayana-vrtti.The scholars of that place came to try to defeatRamanujacarya, but none of them could match his solidarguments. Being overcome in debate, they then resorted tothe art of black magic in which they were also adept. Theychanted various mantras with the intention of bringing aboutthe death of their opponent. However, because of Yatiraja'sspiritual potency, the spells were unable to affect him andreturned to afflict those who had cast them. Thus all thepanditas of Sarada-pitha fell sick and were on the point ofdeath.At this time the King of Kashmir heard of what washappening. He hurried to Sarada-pitha and fell at Ramanuja'sfeet, begging him to forgive those sinful brahmanas.Yatiraja accepted this appeal and cured all of them, afterwhich they became his disciples along with the king.JAGANNATHA PURI80

Having left Sarada-pitha, Ramanujacarya travelledsouthwards to Benares, where he remained for several monthspreaching and inspiring many of those who heard him tobecome devotees. From Benares he travelled to JagannathaPuri, where he founded a monastery named the Embar Math. Bythis time his reputation as a scholar and devotee was widelyknown throughout the whole of India, and as a result none ofthe pandits of Jagannatha Puri dared to come and challengehim.Desiring that the priests of the Jagannatha templeadopt the pancaratrki system of worship, as explained byNarada Muni, Ramanuja appealed to the King of Orissa toarrange a debate between them. Being fearful of the outcomeof such a confrontation, all the priests prayed to LordJagannatha to save them from inevitable defeat. That verynight as Yatiraja was sleeping, he was flung three hundredmiles by Lord Jagannatha to the holy dhama of Kurma-ksetra.When he awoke, Ramanuja was bewildered to findhimself in a completely different place and without any ofthe disciples who had been accompanying him. At first hethought that the temple nearby was dedicated to Lord Siva,and so he decided to fast for the day as a penance for hisinability to worship Lord Narayana. However, when heinquired from some of the local people, he was informed thatthe Deity was in fact that of Lord Kurmadeva, one of theincarnations of Lord Visnu. He then went to the temple andhappily engaged in the worship of the Lord.RETURN TO SRI RANGAMAfter residing at Kurma-ksetra for several days,Ramanuja was reunited with his disciples, who werecontinuing their journey southwards. He went with them toSimhacala and then on to Ahovata, where he establishedanother matha. At Isalinganga they were able to see theDeity of Lord Nrsimhadeva and offer prayers at His lotusfeet.In this way, travelling southwards down the easternside of India, they came at last to Tirupati, Sri Saila,where Yatiraja had previously stayed for one year with hisuncle, Sailapurna. At that time a great controversy wasraging there, for the followers of Lord Siva werechallenging the devotees by claiming that Lord Venkatesvarawas actually a Deity of Siva. Ramanuja then explained thehistory of Venkata Hill, with reference to variousscriptures, and established that Sri Venkatesvara was aDeity of Lord Visnu.Having remained at Tirupati for two weeks, Ramanujaand his followers continued their journey on to Kancipuram,where they were able to worship Lord Varadaraja. From Kancithey passed on through Madurantaka to Vira-narayana-pura,81

the birthplace of Nathamuni, Yamunacarya's grandfather andreceptor. From there they went on to Sri Rangam and onceagain took shelter of Lord Ranganatha.CHAPTER SIXINSTRUCTIONS TO DISCIPLESKuresa was one of Ramanuja's most intimate disciples,always absorbed in thought of how he could assist his guruin his preaching work. He came from a wealthy brahmanafamily of Kuragrahara, a small village near Kancipuram. Ashe was in fact the landowner of the whole area around thevillage of Kura, he came to be known as Kuresa, the masterof Kura. He married a very qualified girl named Andal, andtogether they used the immense wealth he had inherited inacts of charity, providing for all the poor people in thearea.He had known Ramanuja since his boyhood and hadalways regarded him as a most elevated personality. WhenYatiraja adopted the sannyasa order of life, Kuresa andAndal were among the first to become his disciples. Kuresawas widely renowned as a great scholar, for whatever heheard, even once, he would remember for all time. It waswith his assistance, as we have heard previously, thatYadavaprakasa was defeated and made into a devotee.From early in the morning until midnight, the gatesof Kuresa's house would be open and any poor man who wentthere would receive gifts in charity. Once Laksmidevi, theconsort of Lord Varadaraja, on hearing the gates of Kuresa'shouse closing, inquired from her servant Kancipurna as towhere the sound was coming from. At that time Kancipurnaexplained to Mother Laksmi all about Kuresa's activities."From early in the morning until midnight, service isrendered to the poor, the lame and the blind," he told Her."Then the gates of the house are closed until the nextmorning so that Kuresa and his wife Andal may take a littlerest. It was the sound of the gates closing that you havejust heard." After hearing this description from Kancipurna,Laksmidevi became very anxious to see Kuresa and asked himto bring that devotee to her the next morning.When Kancipurna saw Kuresa early the next day, heinformed him of the Goddess of Fortune's wishes. At thisKuresa appeared astonished and replied, "Who am I? Nothingbut an ungrateful, evil-minded man, while Laksmidevi is themother of the universe, who is worshipped with greatreverence even by Brahma and Siva. It is said that a candalamay not enter the temple and I, having been polluted by my82

wealth, am lower than any candala. Therefore how can Ipresent myself before Mother Laksmi?"KURESA'S RENUNCIATIONHaving spoken in this way, Kuresa returned home andafter removing his costly garments and ornaments, he dressedhimself in the garb of a mendicant. Then he approachedKancipurna once more. "O Mahatma," he said, "I cannotdisobey the order of the consort of Lord Narayana, but it isnot possible for me to go before Her at present, polluted asI am by the contaminations of opulence and wealth. ThereforeI will take shelter of Yatiraja, my guru, and purify myselfby bathing in the water that has washed his feet. Who knows,if I receive the mercy of great souls such as yourself, thenI may be able to see the lotus feet of Mother Laksmi even inthis life."So Kuresa set off that same day, walking towards SriRangam, with Andal following behind. She too had abandonedall trace of opulent life, retaining only one gold cup fromwhich to supply water to her husband when he became thirsty.After travelling for some time, they entered a dark forestand Andal began to be afraid. "My lord," she said to herhusband, "is there anything for us to fear in this desolateplace?""It is only the rich who have cause to be afraid,"replied Kuresa. "If you have no money or wealth with youthen there is nothing to fear" On hearing this, Andalimmediately threw away the golden cup.The next day they arrived in Sri Rangam. WhenRamanuja heard news of this, he sent at once to have thembrought to the asrama. Then, when they had rested and takenprasada, he arranged accomodation for them in a nearbyhouse.From that time on Kuresa lived in Sri Rangam andmaintained himself and his wife by begging from door todoor. Although he had been accustomed to living in the mostopulent circumstances and was now in a poverty-strickencondition, he considered himself most fortunate, for now hecould pass his days in chanting the holy name, discussingthe scriptures and serving the feet of his guru. Andal wasalso completely satisfied by the position in which shefound herself, never once lamenting the wealth they hadabandoned. Whilst staying in Sri Rangam, Kuresa wrote twobooks, a commentary on the Sahasra-giti and another workentitled Kuresa-vijaya.THE PURITY OF KURESA'S DEVOTIONOnce during the rainy season there was such atorrential storm that Kuresa was unable to go out and beg,83

and so he and his wife were fasting for the day. Kuresa wascompletely undisturbed by hunger, but Andal, who was alwaysabsorbed in serving her husband, was very unhappy to see himwithout food. Within her mind she began to pray to LordRanganatha that He might provide something for His devoteeKuresa. A short while later there was a knock at the door,and one of the priests from the temple was admitted carryinga plate of maha-prasada that he had brought as a gift forthem.When the priest had left, Kuresa inquired from hiswife, "Did you ask Lord Ranganatha to provide for us? Whyelse would he send such opulent foodstuffs, the taste ofwhich may reawaken our material desires?"After Andal had sorrowfully confessed what she haddone, Kuresa instructed her, "It is not our business to makethe Lord our servant. What has already been done cannot behelped, but please never do such a thing again." Having saidthis, he ate a small portion of the maha-prasada and askedhis wife to honor the rest.BIRTH OF KURESA'S SONSAbout a year later Andal gave birth to twin sons.Yatiraja was delighted to hear of this and sent Govinda toperform the jata-karma, or birth ceremony. After theceremony was completed, Govinda whispered two mantras intothe ears of both babies - sriman-narayana-caranau saranamprapadye, ' I take shelter at the feet of Lord Narayana' andsrimate narayanaya namah, ‘I offer my obeisances to LordNarayana'.As gifts for the children, Ramanuja had made out ofgold the five weapons of Lord Visnu - the conch, disc, club,sword and bow - so that by wearing them the babies might beprotected from ghosts and evil spirits. After six monthsYatiraja performed a name-giving ceremony both for Kuresa'stwin sons, whom he named Parasara and Vyasa, and for the sonof Govinda's younger brother, whom he named Parankusa-purna.When Ramanuja had stood before the body ofYamunacarya, he had made three vows: to write a Vaisnavacommentary on the Vedanta-sutras, to preach the philosophyof devotional service all over India, and to name onedisciple Parasara, in honor of the speaker of the VisnuPurana. Now all three of these vows were fulfilled.PARASARA AND THE PANDITAFrom an early age the child Parasara gave evidence ofhis genius and extraordinary character. When he was onlyfive years old, a renowned pandita known as Sarvajna Bhattapassed along the road by Kuresa's house, accompanied by many84

disciples who were beating on drums and proclaiming theglories of the great scholar.One of the disciples announced, "Here is theunrivalled pandita, Sarvajna Bhatta. All those who wish tobecome his disciples may come to his feet without delay." Onhearing this the child Parasara approached the pandita,scooping up a handful of dust as he went. Standing beforethe great scholar, the child addressed him boldly, "Let mesee if you can tell how many grains of dust are in my hand.If you are truly Sarvajna then you should know everything."The pandita was very surprised to hear Parasara'squestion, but, as he considered the child's words, he beganto see clearly the emptiness of his pride and vanity. Takingthe young boy on his lap, Sarvajna kissed him on theforehead and said, "My child, you are truly my guru. Yourquestion has revealed how foolish I was to be so proud ofthe little knowledge I have acquired."Both Parasara and Vyasa grew up to be great devoteesof Lord Narayana, dedicating themselves to the service ofYatiraja. Following Ramanuja's instructions, Parasara latermarried two daughters from Mahapurna's family.LORD RANGANATHA'S PROCESSIONOn the day of the Festival of Garuda, thousands ofpeople gathered in Sri Rangam to see the Deity. At thetemple gate a huge crowd had assembled, for on this day LordRanganatha comes out of the temple and rides around the cityon a palanquin in the form of His carrier, Garuda. Drumswere resounding and flags were flying, as rows of brahmanaschanted hymns from the Vedas to make the occasion doublyauspicious.Suddenly the looks on the faces of the waiting crowdbecame even more expectant, as the chanters of the Vedasbegan to move forward and a procession emerged from theinner courtyard. First came a brilliant red banner, heldaloft on two long bamboo poles and emblazoned with the marksof the conch, disc, and Vaisnava tilaka. Behind thebrahmanas came several decorated elephants, all wearingtilaka on their foreheads, moving forward with a majesticgait, and waving their trunks from side to side. Behind theelephants came a procession of bullocks and horses, allgaily decorated and carrying large drums across their backs.Then all the people felt a thrill of delight as a party ofdevotees emerged, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari andaccompanying the chanting with various drums and cymbals.Immediately behind the kirtana party came LordRanganatha Himself, riding on the back of Garuda with Hiseternal consort, Laksmidevi. The palanquin was born aloft byhundreds of devotees, while priests fanned the Lord withmany camara whisks and expert singers sang bhajans praisingHis glorious pastimes. On seeing the emergence of the Lord85

from His temple, the throng of people gathered around thegateway let forth a great shout of joy.In front of the gate a pavilion had been constructed,and the Lord rested there a while before continuing on Hisjourney. At this time hundreds of devotees took theopportunity to present their offerings to Him - coconuts,bananas, plantains, and sweet-smelling camphor lamps. Aftersome time the procession moved on once more, and the soundof the brahmanas chanting the Vedic hymns could be heard inall directions.As the Lord moved through the streets, housewivesappeared at the doors and windows along the way to givefruits, flowers, and betel nuts to the priests for offeringto His lotus feet. When the offerings had been made theprasada was returned to the women, and they were blessed byhaving their heads touched by one of the Lord's helmets. Asthe procession moved on and on, everyone's eyes were fixedon Lord Narayana and Laksmidevi, their hearts filled withdevotion.DHANURDASA'S MEETING WITH RAMANUJAHowever, walking amongst the crowd was one man whowas behaving in a completely different manner. He was talland handsome with broad shoulders and seemed to be walkingwithout any particular purpose, just being swept along bythe crowd. With his left hand he held aloft a decoratedumbrella with which he was shielding a most beautiful youngwoman from the sun's rays. In his right hand he carried afan, which he continually flicked back and forth to removeany discomfort she might be feeling from the sun's heat.It seemed that the young man's attention was socompletely absorbed in the beauty of his lady friend that hewas oblivious to everything else that was going on aroundhim. Though many people whispered and some made jokingcomments on seeing such a public display of affection, theyoung man did not notice this at all, so great was hisattraction to the lady's good looks.After bathing in the Kaveri and worshipping LordRanganatha, Yatiraja was returning to his asrama with hisdisciples when he noticed the young man walking with hiscompanion on the other side of the road. "Dasarathi," hesaid to his disciple, "go and ask that man, who is devoid ofboth shame and hatred, to come to me."Quickly Dasarathi crossed the street and spoke to theman, who was so engrossed in the beauty of the lady that hehad to be addressed several times before he became aware ofthe other's presence. Slightly disturbed, like a man who hasjust been roused from deep slumber, he then gave hisattention to the brahmana who had accosted him, joining hispalms as a mark of respect and saying, "Sir, how may I serveyou?"86

"Over there," replied Dasarathi, "is Yatiraja, thegreat devotee of Lord Narayana, and he wishes to speak withyou. Please come with me for a few moments."On hearing the name of the famous acarya, the youngman took his leave of the lady and went with Dasarathiacross the street to where the devotees were standing.Having bowed down at Yatiraja's feet, he stood in silencebefore him, wondering why it was that this famous sadhushould want to talk with him. At last Ramanuja said, "Whatnectar have you found in that young lady that - giving upall hatred, shame, and fear - you think nothing of makingyourself a laughingstock throughout the whole city of SriRangam by acting in such a way?""0 Mahatma," the young man replied, "I have seen manybeautiful sights on this earth, but nothing which came evenclose to matching the entrancing beauty of the bright eyesof that young lady. When I see them, I become so captivatedthat I cannot look away.""Is she your wife?" Yatiraja inquired."No, she is not married to me," the man replied, "butI am certain that, even though she is not my wife, I willnever love any other woman.""What is your name," asked Yatiraja."I am known as Dhanurdasa," came the response, "and Icome from the town of Nichulanagara, where I am famous formy ability in wrestling. The lady's name is Hemamba.""Dhanurdasa," said Yatiraja, "if I can show you apair of eyes even more beautiful than those of your beloved,will you give up this lady and love the other?"The wrestler replied, "0 great soul, if it werepossible to discover a pair of eyes filled with a morehaunting beauty than those of my Hemamba, then surely Iwould leave her and worship instead that lady who possessedthem.""Then come to me this evening at my asrama,"concluded Yatiraja, "and perhaps we can resolve thismatter.""At your command," was Dhanurdasa's respectfulresponse. He then returned to where the lady was waiting forhim and continued walking with her, still holding theumbrella over her head.DELIVERANCE OF DHANURDASAThat evening Ramanuja left the asrama accompaniedonly by Dhanurdasa and walked with him the short distance tothe outer gate of Lord Ranganatha's temple. Having passedthrough all of the outer gates, the two of them stood atlast before the Deity of the Lord. At that time the aratihad just begun, and the priest was offering a fragrantcamphor lamp to the Lord and His consort Laksmidevi.Although the inner room of the temple was dark, being87

enclosed by walls on all sides, as the lamp was presentedbefore Sri Ranganatha, its flaming effulgence lit up histranscendental features and shimmered on His beautiful,golden, lotus-like eyes.When he saw this revelation of the divine form of theLord, Dhanurdasa stood as though transfixed, looking withoutblinking at the eyes of Sri Visnu, who is known asAravindaksa. All at once tears of love began to roll downhis cheeks as he experienced a taste of the real enjoymentthat is found only in the spiritual world. In an instant allhis attraction to the pale pleasures of this mundaneexistence began to fade, like the stars at sunrise.After some time Dhanurdasa regained his composure andturned towards Ramanuja, falling at his feet saying, "Byyour causeless mercy, you have given to this most lusty ofmen pleasures that are sought after even by the demigods inheaven. I am your servant forever. Like an owl of the night,I had turned away from the sun and had become infatuatedwith a glowworm. Now you have opened my eyes, and thus youalone are my master"Ramanujacarya then raised Dhanurdasa from the groundand firmly embraced him. From that moment, the youngwrestler from Nichulanagara gave up his entanglement inmaterial affairs and became a pure-hearted devotee of LordNarayana. Hemamba, although a courtesan by profession, hadlong regarded Dhanurdasa as her husband. Despite her sinfulengagement, she was at heart a devotee of the Lord.Therefore, upon hearing of the great transformation thatDhanurdasa had undergone, she was filled with happiness andcame also to surrender her life at the feet of the mercifulacarya.Yatiraja arranged for them to be properly married asman and wife, and by his pure instructions he removed thecontamination of lust from their hearts. They leftNichulanagara and moved to Rangaksetra, where they rented ahouse close by Ramanuja's asrama. In this way they were ableto associate with their spiritual master and hear thenectarean Vaisnava teachings from his lips.THE ENVY OF THE BRAHMANADISCIPLESBecause of his devotion to his guru, his humility,honesty, and gentle speech, all people came to respectDhanurdasa. In order to show that it is a person's behaviorthat should be considered and not his birth, Ramanuja wouldhold Dhanurdasa's arm while returning from the Kaveri,although he would hold the arm of Dasarathi, a brahmana bybirth, while walking to the river. When Yatiraja's youngbrahmana disciples observed their gurus intimate dealingswith a person of lower birth, some of them were disturbedand even dared to say that his behavior was not befitting.88

"Some brahmanas came here while you were gone,"Hemamba replied. "Due, no doubt, to their extreme poverty,they have been forced to take up the ways of thieves. Atthat time I was lying awake, repeating the names of the Lordin my mind, but they must have thought that I was sleeping,for they entered the room and took all the ornaments fromone side. When they had done this, I turned over so thatthey could take the rest of my jewels, but unfortunatelythey were frightened by my movement and fled from thehouse.""This was your mistake," exclaimed Dhanurdasa. "Youare still not completely free from illusion, for you werethinking, 'These are my ornaments. I will give them away.'When will you give up this idea and realize that everythingis the property of Lord Narayana. If you had remained stillthen you would have been able to give everything to thebrahmanas,"Hemamba recognized her fault and begged her husband,"Please bless me, so that one day I may become free fromthis illusion."Having witnessed everything, the young brahmanasreturned to the asrama and told Ramanuja all about thebehavior of that devoted couple. As it was by that time lateat night, he told them to go and rest, but the next day hediscussed the matter fully when they assembled before him tostudy the scriptures. "You are all learned scholars," hesaid, "and very proud of your position -as brahmanas. Sotell me, whose behavior was more befitting a brahmana -yours, yesterday morning when you found your cloth a littleshorter, or that of Dhanurdasa and his wife when the jewelswere stolen?"The disciples could do nothing but hang their headsin shame and say, "Master, it was Dhanurdasa whose behaviorwas worthy of a brahmana; ours was abominable.""Therefore," Yatiraja continued, "you must understandthat birth and caste are unimportant. It is a man'squalities and actions that show who is fallen, regardless ofsocial position. Now, giving up all pride in your birth asbrahmanas, endeavor to serve Lord Narayana with a pureheart. That alone is the way of perfection."CRITICISM OF MAHAPURNAA short time after the incident involving Dhanurdasaand the brahmana disciples, word came to Ramanuja that hisown guru, Mahapurna, had performed the cremation ceremonyfor a sudra and that as a result of this many people werecriticizing him for transgressing the rules which govern abrahmanas conduct. On hearing this news, Ramanuja went atonce to Mahapurna's house to hear from him the truth behindthese allegations. When he arrived at his gurus house, helearned that all of Mahapurna's relatives had abandoned him,90

considering him fallen, and that he was served now only byhis daughter, Attulai, who had come from her father-in-law'shouse.When Yatiraja inquired from him about his actions,Mahapurna replied, "Yes, it is true that my behavior wasimproper according to the Dharma Sastras. But what is realdharma? The Mahabharata states, mahajano yena gatah sapanthah - true dharma is to follow the example set for us bygreat personalities. Now consider the example of SriRamacandra, for he performed the funeral ceremony of Jatayu,who was just a bird. Then again we have King Yudhisthira,who worshipped Vidura, who was considered a sudra by birth.Why would they act in such a way? The answer is that adevotee of the Lord, being liberated while still in thisworld, is transcendental to all consideration of family orcaste. For Sri Rama or King Yudhisthira no irreligious actis possible. That devotee, whose body I cremated was a pureheartedservant of the Lord and I consider myself fortunateto have been able to render that service to him." Verypleased at Mahapurna's words, Yatiraja bowed down at hisfeet and begged forgiveness for his impudence in questioninghis gurus activities.MAHAPURNA AND RAMANUJAOnce Mahapurna came before Yatiraja and bowed at hisfeet. Seeing Ramanuja still sitting without embarrassment athis guru's behavior, some of the other devotees questionedhim in surprise, "Yatiraja, how could you allow your guru tobow down before you without making any protest?""My spiritual master acted in that way," repliedRamanuja, "to show how a true disciple should behave beforehis guru. If Mahapurna has a purpose to fulfill throughthese activities, it is not my position to interfere withhis desires."Later the devotees inquired from Mahapurna about hisoffering obeisances to a disciple and he explained to them,"In Yatiraja I see constantly the embodiment of my own guru,Sri Yamunacarya, and therefore it is impossible for me notto bow down before him" On hearing this all of them realizedeven more profoundly the greatness of Ramanujacarya.GOSTHIPURNA'S INSTRUCTIONOn another occasion Ramanuja observed Sri Gosthipurnameditating for many hours in a room with closed doors. Atthe end of the day he inquired, "0 master, on which form ofthe Lord have you been fixing your mind and what is themantra by which you worship Him?""I worship only the lotus feet of Sri Yamunacarya, myguru-maharaja," replied Gosthipurna, "and his holy name is91

the only mantra I chant, for it brings relief from allsuffering" From this statement Ramanuja could understand theimportance of worshipping the devotees of the Lord.CHAPTER SEVENEXILE FROM SRI RANGAMAt that time Sri Rangam was a part of the dominionsof the Chola king, Koluttunga I, who had made his capital atKancipuram. Although the Cholas had become devoted to LordNarayana in the time of Yamunacarya, Koluttunga was a greatdevotee of Lord Siva and an avowed enemy of all Vaisnavas.It was his desire that all the devotees of the Lord give uptheir faith and surrender to Lord Siva alone. Lord Siva isthe most powerful of the demigods, but still he is not onthe level of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus allthe Vaisnavas refused to abandon their worship of LordVisnu, which satisfies the conclusion of all Vedicliterature.Koluttunga was well aware that Yatiraja was thegreatest Vaisnava acarya in India, and he reasoned that ifhe could induce him to worship Siva, then the other devoteeswould also abandon their faith. Even if Ramanuja would notagree to give up his worship of Lord Narayana, the king feltthat he would still be able to establish the supremacy ofthe worshippers of Lord Siva by putting him to death.Accordingly, he sent messengers to Sri Rangam to inviteRamanuja, along with his guru, Mahapurna, to come toKancipuram for an audience with the king. Little suspectingKoluttunga's evil intentions, Yatiraja agreed to go withthem, and entered the asrama to make his preparations forthe journey.Kuresa, however, was considering the matter deeply,and after a while he said to Ramanuja, "I feel certain theking wants you to come to Kancipuram simply to put an end toyour life. Please do not go there. While you are living andpreaching the true religion of devotion to the Lord, theentire earth is benefiting. For fallen souls like myself,who are scorched by the miseries of material existence, youare the only refuge. Let me go in your place. You take thesewhite clothes of the grhastha asrama, while I put on thedress of a sannyasi and go with the king's men. In this wayyou may still be able to escape from their clutches."Yatiraja considered Kuresa's words for a few momentsand then agreed to the proposal. Dressing himself in hisdisciple's clothes, he left the asrama unseen and made hisway quickly to the forest to the west of the city. Govinda92

and the other devotees also left the city one by one andjoined Ramanuja in the forest.KURESA AT THE COURT OF KINGKOLUTTUNGAIn the meantime, Kuresa, adopting the dress and dandaof a sannyasi, presented himself along with Mahapurna beforethe king's men, who then escorted the two Vaisnavas toKancipuram, completely taken in by the trick. Mahapurna wasalso fully aware of the danger they faced, but he was now soold that he could not leave Sri Rangam with the otherdevotees and was perfectly happy to leave this world if thatwas the will of the Lord.When they arrived at the palace, Kuresa and Mahapurnawent before the king, who welcomed them with respect and sawto it that they were properly accommodated. Koluttunga hadgood reason to respect Ramanuja, for the acarya haddelivered his sister from an evil ghost when the king wasjust a boy of eight years. However, this memory did nothingto alter his intention of either forcing Yatiraja torenounce the Lord or else taking away his life.After a few days, the king assembled all of hisSaivite panditas and called for the two devotees, stillbelieving Kuresa to be Yatiraja. When Kuresa and Mahapurnaentered the assembly, Koluttunga addressed them in arespectful way, "0 holy men, please be seated. We haveinvited you to our city just to hear auspicious talks onspiritual topics. All the scholars of my court are assembledhere, eager to converse with you, for your reputation hasspread far and wide. Now please tell us, what is the dutyfor men like us?""0 King and panditas," replied Kuresa unflinchingly,"Lord Visnu, the savior of all the worlds, is the SupremeLord of all others. Therefore the duty of every man,whatever his position in life, is simply to worship Him withlove and devotion. There is nothing more than this."On hearing these defiant words, King Kotuttunga flewinto a rage and spoke angrily to Kuresa, "I had heard thatyou were a great scholar and holy man. But now I see thatyou are an imposter, for you worship Visnu instead of Siva,who is the Lord and destroyer of all the worlds. Now youmust give up this foolishness. Hear from these greatscholars the real conclusion of all the scriptures and thenbecome a devotee of Lord Siva. If you are obstinate andignore their pure teachings, then surely neither of you willlive to see another dawn."Immediately the court panditas began to present theirfalse conclusions, using fallacious arguments to try toprove that Siva was the Supreme Lord. However, by dint oftheir vast knowledge of the scriptures, Kuresa and Mahapurnawere easily able to refute all their arguments. Eventually93

the king became completely exasperated and cried out,"Enough of this wrangling! If you want to save your lives,then acknowledge that there is none greater than Siva"To this Kuresa mockingly replied, "Why even Drona isgreater than Siva" This was a play on words, for Siva andDrona were also the names of units of weight - and, of thetwo, the drona was the heavier.In speaking these words Kuresa knew perfectly wellthat he was bringing his death inevitably closer, but heconsidered it his great fortune to be able to sacrifice hislife in order to save that of his guru. The devotee of theLord is known as abhaya, fearless, because he fully takesshelter of Lord Hari.Thus Kuresa was not in the least disturbed byKoluttunga's dreadful threats, but within his mind he beganto pray, "0 Lord Hari, seeing the mercy that you are nowbestowing on me by allowing me to serve Yatiraja in thisway, I can partially realize the meaning of SriYamunacarya's statement: namo namo ’nanta-dayaika-sindhave -I offer obeisances unto You, the unlimited ocean of mercy.Even this mighty king and his proud scholars know nothing ofYour unlimited glories, but You have revealed them to suchan insignificant person as myself just to increase myhumility and surrender. What greater good fortune could Iever hope to achieve!"KING KOLUTTUNGA'S CRUELTYSeeing that Kuresa's reply was intended to ridiculethem, Koluttunga and all his panditas were filled with rage.The king ordered that the two Vaisnavas be arrested andbound. When this had been done, he told his courtiers, "Takethese two blasphemers from our presence and put out theireyes. They deserve to die for the words they have spoken inour presence, but because Ramanuja once saved my sister froma ghost, I will spare their lives."Following this cruel order, the king's men tookKuresa and Mahapurna to a secluded place, and, aftersubjecting them to various tortures, they plucked out theireyes. Despite the intense pain he was forced to undergo,Kuresa was undisturbed at heart, and he prayed to LordNarayana for the forgiveness of his tormentors. He rejoicedthat he was able accept these great sufferings on behalf ofhis spiritual master. When the king's men had finished withKuresa, he stood before them with folded hands and said,"May Lord Narayana bless you for allowing me to serve myguru in this way."On hearing these words and seeing the calm demeanorKuresa was exhibiting, even those cruel-hearted men werefilled with awe. They called to a beggar who was sittingnearby, and, giving him money for expenses, ordered him tolead the two devotees safely to Sri Rangam.94

However, the atrocities that Kulottunga's men hadcommitted were too much for the frail body of Mahapurna tobear. Lying down on the road, he rested his head on the lapof Kuresa and said to him, "You must go alone to Sri Rangam,for I can tell that the time has now come for me to leavethis world. There is nothing to lament over in this, for mymind is fixed on Sri Yamunacarya and I am longing to bereunited with that great soul. When you meet again with mybeloved disciple, Ramanuja, offer millions of obeisances athis feet on my behalf." Having said this, Mahapurna gave uphis life, meditating on the feet of his guru.Not long after he began these cruel persecutions,King Koluttunga became afflicted with an incurable diseaseand died a short time later. For one who causes distress tothe Lord's devotees everything is inauspicious. The son ofKoluttunga, who was named Vikrama, then began to rule overthe kingdom of the Cholas. Although his father had been suchan ardent Saivite, Vikrama Chola later on became aninitiated disciple of Ramanuja and learned from him the pathof devotion to Lord Visnu.YATIRAJA IN THE FORESTWhilst his disciple was suffering at the hands ofKoluttunga, Yatiraja had been able to escape from Sri Rangamundetected. In the forest to the west of the city he met upwith Govinda, Dasarathi, Dhanurdasa, and his otherfollowers. Fearing pursuit by the king's officers, theyproceeded quickly through the forest in a westerlydirection, walking constantly for two days and two nightswithout food of any kind. Eventually they lay down exhaustedat the foot of a hill, their feet blistered and their bodiescut by the forest thorns. In a short time the whole partywas asleep.Near to where Ramanuja and his disciples lay was avillage inhabited by candalas, men of very lowly birth. Whensome of the villagers saw a group of brahmanas sleeping nearto their homes, they were very anxious to render whateverservice they could to these holy men. Therefore, withoutdisturbing the sleepers, they collected large quantities ofdifferent types of fruits from the forest and stacked themall around where the brahmanas lay. Then they lit a firenearby and stood waiting for the brahmanas to awaken so thatthey could learn what had brought them to that remoteregion.Eventually, Yatiraja and the others awoke refreshedfrom their sleep. When they saw the fruits, the fire, andthe forest dwellers standing there ready to serve them, theycould understand that Lord Narayana was protecting them fromthe dangers of the forest. They quickly bathed in a nearbyriver and then, after offering the fruits to Lord Hari, theysatisfied their hunger by feasting on the prasadam. From95

the words of the villagers Yatiraja came to understand thatthey had crossed the border of the Chola kingdom and werenow safe from the pursuit of Koluttunga's men.MEETINGS WITH VAISNAVASWhen they were fully rested, Ramanuja blessed thecandalas and continued with his party on their westwardjourney. That afternoon they came to another village andwere guided to the house of a brahmana named Sri Ranga dasa.When they arrived the husband was still out begging alms,but his pious wife, Celancalamba, considered herselffortunate to get this opportunity to render service toVaisnavas. She invited them into the house, seated themnicely and then immediately entered the kitchen to begincooking. A short time later Sri Ranga dasa returned home andwas also delighted to see so many Vaisnava guests in hishouse, including the famous Ramanujacarya.When the cooking was completed, the food was offeredto Lord Visnu, and then the prasadam was distributed to thedevotees, who all ate very heartily. For two days theyremained in the house of Sri Ranga dasa, and just beforeleaving, Yatiraja gave initiation to both husband and wife.When the Vaisnavas continued their journey, Sri Rangadasa went with them as a guide. By evening they had reacheda place known as Vahnipuskarini, where they remained for twodays. Then, taking leave of Sri Ranga dasa, they continuedon to the village of Salagrama, where they stayed with abrahmana named Andhrapurna, who was a very renounceddevotee. Having seen his good qualities, Ramanuja initiatedAndhrapurna, who then became his personal servant. From thattime on he always remained with his guru, desiring only toserve his lotus feet.Andhrapurna told Yatiraja of a great devotee namedPurna who lived in the village of Bhaktagrama, not far fromSalagrama. Passing through Nrsimha-ksetra, they thentravelled to Bhaktagrama and remained for some time in theassociation of Sri Purna.CONVERSION OF KING VITTHALADEVAThe king of that region was known as Vitthaladeva,and he was a follower of the Jain religion. For severalyears his daughter had been possessed by a ghost, despiteall the efforts of the Jain priests to cast out the evilspirit. When the king heard that a group of Vaisnavas hadcome from the east and were residing in Bhaktagrama at thehouse of Purna, he invited them to his palace - hoping thatthey might be able to do something to help the princess.Ramanujacarya, as a pure devotee, was always filledwith divine potency and thus able to drive out the ghost96

just by looking at the girl's face. King Vitthaladeva wasdelighted and amazed to see how easily this devotee of LordVisnu had cured his daughter, and at once he became greatlydevoted to Yatiraja. Desiring to understand the teachings ofthe Vaisnavas, he bowed down at the feet of the acarya andbegged him to reveal the true conclusion of the Vedas.As Ramanuja spoke about the glories of devotionalservice and pure love of God, the heart of the king wasmoved. He began to regret his adherence to the Jainphilosophy, which is completely devoid of the spirit of loveof God. He called for all the Jain priests and panditas tocome into the assembly so that they might hear from thisgreat devotee and philosopher. When Yatiraja beganaddressing the Jains, clearly explaining the position of thePersonality of Godhead as the Absolute Truth, some of theaudience began to jeer and make a disturbance, until theywere ejected from the assembly on the order of the king.When Ramanuja had finished speaking, the leader ofthe Jains arose to attempt to refute the statements that hadbeen presented there. However, being unable to find any wayto contradict the flawless logic of the Vaisnava philosophy,the Jain immediately launched into a blasphemous attack onthe followers of sanatana-dharma, ignoring all the pointsthat Ramanuja had put to him.King Vitthaladeva, a man of keen intelligence, was inno way taken in by the Jain's diversionary ploy and he spokeout, "There is nothing so simple as speaking ill of others.You are a great scholar. Refute if you can, with precisearguments, the doctrine expounded by your opponent.Otherwise you must give up your false teachings and beinitiated intoVaisnavism"The Jain could find no words to counteract Ramanuja'spresentation and was forced to shamefacedly resume his seatin the assembly. Several other Jain philosophers thenattempted to establish their own opinions, but all to noavail.Then the king stood up and addressed the assemblyonce more. "Today you have all seen the most learned of ourJain scholars utterly defeated by this Vaisnava acarya. Whatthen is our present duty? To stubbornly adhere to doctrineswhich have been proven to be faulty or to accept and embracethe sublime teachings of loving devotion that we have heardso wonderfully presented? Any sane man will admit that blissis preferable to affliction and knowledge to ignorance.Therefore let all of us this day be initiated into the truefaith by this great devotee and thus become blessed."All but a few of the Jains accepted this proposal andwere initiated as Vaisnavas. The king also accepted Yatirajaas his spiritual master and was given the name Visnuvardhana.From that time on this was the name by which hewas always known.97

DISCOVERY OF SRI YADAVADRI-PATIAfter the conversion of Visnu-vardhana and hispriests to Vaisnavism, Yatiraja remained in that city forseveral months in order to properly instruct his newdisciples. Then, accompanied only by the followers who hadcome with him from Sri Rangam, he travelled on to the townof Yadavadri.One morning, a few days after their arrival, Ramanujawas walking through a tulasi grove when he saw somethingunusual sticking out a tittle way from underneath ananthill. Calling for his followers, he had them dig in thatplace, and it quickly became apparent that what Yatiraja haddiscovered was a beautiful Deity of Lord Narayana. The Deitywas cleansed and then installed upon an altar.The older inhabitants of the town recalled theirfathers speaking of a Deity known as Yadavadri-pati, who hadpreviously been worshipped there. "When a party of fierceMuslims attacked this country," they continued, "all theinhabitants of the town fled in terror. The brahmanas hidthe Deity somewhere to prevent the invaders from seizingHim. Since that time nobody has seen Lord Yadavadri-pati.Because of the greatness of your devotion, it seems the Lordhas decided to make Himself visible once more"Ramanuja then confirmed the words of the elders bysaying, "This is certainly Lord Yadavadri-pati, for lastnight He appeared to me in a dream and requested that Hisservice be reestablished in this place. Now all of you mustwork together to construct a beautiful temple for theworship of the Lord.Following the order of the acarya, Yatiraja'sdisciples and all of the townspeople set to work. That sameday they constructed a spacious straw cottage in which LordYadavadri-pati might be worshipped.In less than one year, by dedicated performance ofdevotional service, a beautifully decorated stone temple wasbuilt in the town of Yadavadri, and with great pomp, theLord was moved to His new residence. A nice lake was dugoutside the entrance to the temple, and the water was usedfor the daily bathing of the Lord. Around the shores of thelake the white clay used by Vaisnavas for marking theirbodies with tilaka was discovered. Previously they had tobring all of their tilaka clay from the village ofBhaktagrama, and so this discovery saved them considerableinconvenience.RECOVERY OF SRI RAMA-PRIYAIt is the custom in south India for two Deities to beworshipped in each temple. One Deity is worshipped daily bythe temple priests, while the other, generally smaller insize, is carried out of the temple for processions on98

festival days. This form of the Lord is known as the Utsavavigrahaor the Vijaya-vigraha.One night, a short time after the completion of the newtemple, Sri Yadavadri-pati appeared to Ramanuja in a dream,saying, "Ramanuja, I am very pleased with your service, butas My Vijaya-vigraha is not present here I am unable toleave the temple to bestow my blessings upon all of Mydevotees. Therefore, please endeavor to install this Deity,known as Rama-priya, who is at present kept by the Emperorof Delhi, having been carried to the north by the Muslimraiders."Accepting the order of the Lord as his life and soul,Yatiraja departed for Delhi the very next day, accompaniedonly by a few of his disciples. After travelling northwardsfor two months, they finally arrived in that famous city.As Ramanuja's reputation had by this time spread allover India, he was admitted into the presence of theEmperor, who was very pleased by his purity and scholarshipand asked him the purpose of his arduous journey. WhenRamanuja informed him of his desire to return Sri Rama-priyato south India, the Emperor agreed to his request. TheVaisnavas were then conducted into a large halt where manydifferent Deities were kept, all of them having been seizedby the Muslims on their various raids across India. However,even after a thorough search, Ramanuja saw that Rama-priyawas not to be found in that place and returned to theEmperor disappointed.The Emperor then told them that there was one moreDeity in his possession, the most beautiful of all. Thisform of the Lord was so attractive that the Emperor'sdaughter was keeping Him in her own apartment. When Yatirajawas shown the Deity he recognized Him at once as Sri Ramapriyaand fell down to offer his prostrate obeisances. Withthe permission of the Emperor, the devotees took possessionof the Lord and set off at once for south India. They walkedday and night, for Ramanuja was well aware that, if theprincess wanted the Deity restored to her, the affectionatefather might easily change his mind.THE PRINCESS'S DISTRESSIn fact, when the princess, whose name was BibiLachimar, came to learn that some brahmanas had taken theDeity away, she was overwhelmed with grief, and all herfather's efforts to console her were in vain. She refused toeat and grew weaker day by day, until it seemed she wouldcertainly die if something were not done at once to remedythe situation. In great anxiety, the Emperor prepared todispatch a company of soldiers to pursue the brahmanas andtake the Deity from them - by force if necessary. When BibiLachimar heard of this, she begged that she be allowed to99

accompany them, and the doting father readily acceded to herrequest.Therefore, in command of the troop of soldiers andsurrounded by many servants, the princess mounted adecorated palanquin the next day and departed from the cityof Delhi to find the form of the Supreme Lord who had socaptivated her. A young man named Kuvera very much desiredto marry Bibi Lachimar, and, in hopes of winning theprincess's favor, he also went along with the party.In the meantime Ramanuja and his followers had beentravelling as swiftly as they were able, and by this timethey were far ahead of their pursuers. On this journey theywere greatly assisted by the candalas, who carried the Deityand showed them the easiest routes to the south. Aided inthis way, the Vaisnavas arrived at Yadavadri still a longway ahead of the pursuing Muslims.Thinking that there still might be danger, Yatirajahad Sri Rama-priya installed in a concealed room in thetemple, where He was worshipped in secret with only a fewdevotees aware of His presence.Meanwhile the princess continued southwards with herretinue, determined to recover the Deity who was the Lord ofher heart. However, when they reached the borders of herfather's domain, she became filled with despair, believingthat she would never again set eyes on her worshipful Lord.Overwhelmed by lamentation, she shed many bitter tears, andnone of Kuvera's words of consolation could alleviate hersuffering.BIBI LACHIMAR FINDS HER LORDOne night, unknown to anyone, Princess Bibi Lachimarslipped away from her attendants into the darkness of theforest. Only Kuvera noticed her absence, and he also leftthe party and went with her as she continued on farthertowards the south. Thinking only of her beloved Lord, theprincess journeyed on, while Kuvera acted as a servant,bringing fruits from the forest to keep her alive.After travelling for several weeks, the couplearrived at the town of Yadavadri. As if by divineinspiration, Bibi Lachimar was certain that their long questwould end at this place. Being guided by the townspeople,she came to "the temple of Sri Yadavadri-pati. There shefell at the feet of the Vaisnavas and begged them to allowher to see her beloved Rama-priya once more. When Yatirajacame there, he saw at once that the girl's heart was filledwith pure devotion. Thus, although she was a Muslim bybirth, he ordered that she be admitted to the temple tobehold the beautiful form of Sri Rama-priya.From that time on Bibi Lachimar remained atYadavadri, engaging in the service of the Lord andconstantly singing His glories. After a short time she gave100

up her body. Being immersed in continual thoughts of SriRama-priya, she returned to His eternal abode.THE DEVOTION OF KUVERAFor all this time Kuvera also remained at Yadavadri,rendering service to the princess like a menial servant.When she gave up her life, he was so overcome with sorrowthat he could no longer stay there. Abandoning his Muslimways, he went to Sri Rangam and took shelter of the lotusfeet of Lord Ranganatha. Although he was not allowed toenter the temple, Kuvera remained outside singing thepraises of Lord Narayana. He lived on whatever alms thevisitors to the temple would give him, seeing everything asthe mercy of the Lord.Once, while absorbed in meditation on the Lord, heheard a voice speaking to him, saying, "Because you areunable to enter the temple, I cannot bestow My full mercyupon you. Therefore you should go to Nilacala, for LordJagannatha is the deliverer of all beings."Having received this order, Kuvera journeyed toJagannatha Puri. There he was able to see the transcendentalform of Sri Jagannatha as He rode to Gundica in the Rathayatraparade. Constantly glorifying the Supreme Lord, Kuverapassed the remainder of his days at Jagannatha Puri. By hisunalloyed devotional service he became completely pure atheart and liberated from all material attachments.Although Bibi Lachimar and Kuvera were born in Muslimfamilies, they attained the highest perfection of life bythe purity of their loving devotion. Devotion to God isalways completely spiritual, transcending all barriers ofrace, caste, and creed. To this day the Deity of BibiLachimar, the pure devotee of Rama-priya, is worshipped inseveral Vaisnava temples in south India.KURESA'S MERCYAfter residing for some time at Sri Rangam, Kuresa,who had been blinded by Koluttunga's men, went with his wifeand children to Krsnacala. There he worshipped the Deityknown as Sri Sundara-bhuja and composed many beautifulprayers in glorification of Lord Visnu and Laksmidevi.When he learned that Yatiraja was now staying atYadavadri, he went there, desiring to take shelter at thelotus feet of his beloved guru once more. Coming beforeRamanuja, Kuresa fell at his feet to offer obeisances.Raising him from the ground and embracing him warmly,Yatiraja said, "Today I have been purified by the touch ofthis great soul. This is an auspicious day for me." Kuresashed tears of joy and was so overcome by emotion that hecould say nothing in reply.101

A few days later, while Ramanuja was talking withKuresa, he instructed him to go back to Kancipuram. "Go andtake shelter of Lord Varadaraja" he told him, "for He willsurely remove your blindness. King Koluttunga is now dead,and so there is nothing to fear"Assisted by his wife and two sons, Kuresa wentstraight to Kancipuram where he engaged in the worship ofSri Varadaraja. All day he would remain in the temple,constantly reciting bhajans in praise of the Supreme Lord.Eventually the Lord spoke to him, saying, "Kuresa, what isyour desire? Whatever you want I shall give to you."Kuresa then replied, "0 Lord, my only prayer is thatYou bestow Your mercy on Caturgrama and deliver him frommaterial existence"This prayer wonderfully reveals the true nature of apure devotee, for it was this Caturgrama who had caused allof Kuresa's suffering. Originally one of Kuresa's disciples,he had turned away from his spiritual master and become aminister in the court of King Koluttunga. When the king wasendeavoring to get signatures from various Vaisnavasadmitting the supremacy of Lord Siva, it was Caturgrama whoadvised him that the submission of Yatiraja alone would beenough to bring about the conversion of the kingdom. Thus,although this sinful man had been the cause of so manydifficulties for the devotees, still Kuresa prayed that LordVaradaraja would have mercy upon him.The Lord accepted this request and Kuresa continuedsinging His glories. Again the Lord spoke to His devotee,offering him a benediction. This time Kuresa said to theLord, "May King Koluttunga be the object of Your greatestmercy." When Lord Varadaraja agreed to this, Kuresa wasfilled with ecstasy and without regard for his own wellbeing,he left the temple and returned to his asrama.KURESA AND LORD VARADARAJAWhen Ramanujacarya, who was still residing inYadavadri, came to hear about these wonderful benedictionsthat Kuresa had begged from Lord Varadaraja, he sent amessage to his disciple in Kancipuram. In this he said, "Mydear Kuresa, I am very glad to hear of the ecstasy you arefeeling from delivering those who have wronged you. However,in this you have shown great selfishness by keeping thehappiness to yourself. Now you must make me happy as well bybegging the Lord for the return of your sight. Do you notknow that your body and mind are my property? Thus it isyour duty to maintain them on my behalf."When Kuresa received this message, he felt jubilantat heart, thinking that now Ramanuja had accepted him as afully surrendered servant. Immediately he hastened to thetemple and stood before Lord Varadaraja with folded hands.After singing the praises of the Lord for some time, Kuresa102

heard Lord Varadaraja speak to him once more, saying, "Mydear devotee, what is your desire? Tell Me and I shallfulfill your prayer.""0 most merciful Lord," Kuresa answered, "some timeago I lost two valuable possessions belonging to my master.By your grace I would like to recover them this day""Certainly two new eyes will now adorn your body,"the Lord said, "and may they bring unlimited pleasure toyour master. Just as My devotees desire only to serve Me, soI take great pleasure in supplying everything to Mydevotees. In this way our exchanges of love become sweeterand sweeter."On hearing these words, Kuresa was overwhelmed byecstasy and fell to the ground unconscious. On awakening herealized that his vision was restored and that he was ableto see as before. Bowing down before the Deity, he prayed,"0 Lord, it was You who gave me sight in the beginning of mylife, it was You who took it away and now it is You alonewho have restored it to me. Who can understand Yourinconceivable pastimes? Your nature is pure transcendentalbliss, and anybody who comes in contact with You willexperience this bliss. I used to think of this world as aplace of misery, but, now that You have revealed Yourself, Isee only happiness in all directions. How great is my goodfortune. How great is Your mercy."When people came to learn of this miraculous cure bywhich Kuresa had regained his sight, they were allastonished. Wherever the news spread, it led to an increasein the reverence that was shown for Lord Visnu and theVaisnava devotees. All the people of south India thus cameto have great faith in the teachings of Ramanujacarya andhis followers.CHAPTER EIGHTFINAL DAYS IN SRI RANGAMNot long after Kuresa regained his sight, Ramanujadecided to leave Yadavadri and return to his previousresidence at Sri Rangam. On the way, he stopped for sometime at Vrsabhacala, near Madurai, to worship Lord Sundarabahuin the temple there. In previous times the great femaledevotee, Andal, had composed a prayer which said, "0 LordHari, if you will accept me, I wilt offer you a hundred potsof sweet rice and a hundred pots of butter."Shortly after composing this prayer, Andal left thisworld and returned to the abode of the Lord. Now, Ramanujafulfilled her prayer by offering Lord Sundara-bahu the103

hundred pots of sweet rice and the hundred pots of buttershe had promised Him. For this act Yatiraja became known asthe elder brother of Andal.From Vrsabhacala Ramanuja and his disciples went onto Sri Villiputur, the birthplace of Andal.There he saw the Deity of Sesasayi Narayana andoffered prayers to Andal in the temple dedicated to her.Continuing on their journey, the Vaisnavas passed throughAlvar Tirunagiri, Sri Vaikuntha, and other holy places,before finally arriving back at Sri Rangam. Immediately, allthe devotees ran to see Lord Ranganatha, their Lord andmaster. When the people of the town heard that Yatiraja andhis followers had returned, they felt as if they hadregained their lives. At that time Kuresa was also reunitedwith his spiritual master, falling at Yatiraja's feet withtears of ecstasy in his eyes.DISAPPEARANCE OF KURESAFor the next two years all the Vaisnavas passed theirdays in Sri Rangam just as they had done previously, singingbhajans in praise of Lord Hari and hearing Ramanuja'swonderful discourses on the revealed scriptures. By thistime Kuresa was a very old man and was unable to rise fromhis bed. Therefore Yatiraja and the other devotees wouldcome to him every day to chant the holy name and discuss thepastimes of the Lord. One day, while all the Vaisnavas wereholding joyful kirtana, Kuresa began to shed tears ofecstasy. Taking hold of his gurus lotus feet, he pressedthem to his heart. In this position he gave up his life.On witnessing the departure of this exalted Vaisnavafrom their midst, all the devotees were grief-stricken, andRamanuja himself was seen to shed tears. After a short whilethe acarya controlled his intense feelings of separation andspoke to the others, comforting them and reminding them thatKuresa was now undoubtedly in the direct association of theLord. Then he said, "Parasara, Kuresa's son, is just likethe son of Lord Ranganatha Himself. From today you shouldaccept him as your leader. His devotion is like that of hisfather, and his wisdom is incomparable. Therefore, he isfully qualified to take the position of acarya."Then he seated Parasara on the vyasasana and put aflower garland around his neck. He embraced the son ofKuresa and bestowed all his blessings on him, empowering himto spread the glories of the Supreme Lord.Kuresa's body was burned on the banks of the Kaveri,and the devotees passed the rest of the day performing thecongregational chanting of the holy names of Lord Hari. Inthis way all grief was removed from the hearts of thedevotees. Every day for the next month a great festival washeld in Sri Rangam to celebrate Kuresa's return to the abodeof the Lord, and Vaisnavas from all over south India came to104

take part in the festivities. Many poor people and those whowere lame or blind also came there, and all of them were fedsumptuously with prasada from Lord Ranganatha.ANDHRAPURNA'S DEVOTION TO HIS GURURamanujacarya was now one hundred years old, and,though he lived for twenty years more, he never again leftSri Rangam. For the remainder of his life Andhrapurna wasengaged constantly in his personal service, supplyingeverything that his guru required.Once when Lord Ranganatha came out of the temple onprocession, all the devotees left the asrama to join in theworship. The Lord was gorgeously decorated with jewels andflower garlands as he rode through the streets on abeautiful palanquin. Ramanuja, thus beholding the glory ofLord Narayana, felt himself blessed with divine mercy.Only one of Yatiraja's disciples was absent from thisfestival - Andhrapurna, who had remained at the asramaboiling milk for his guru. When Ramanuja asked him why hehad neglected this opportunity to worship the Lord,Andhrapurna replied, "If I had gone outside the asrama toworship Lord Ranganatha, then my worship inside would havesuffered. How is it possible for me to neglect my devotionalduties?"ANANTACARYA IN SRI SAILAAnother of Yatiraja's disciples was Anantacarya. Hehad been sent by his guru to Sri Saila, Tirupati, where helived with his wife, constantly worshipping the Lord. Whileliving in Sri Saila, he saw that the local people underwentgreat hardships because of a scarcity of water in the area.Therefore he resolved to dig a lake and with only his wifeto help him, began the work immediately. By undertakinggreat labors every day, the couple completed the task, andthat lake, which bears the name Ananta-sarovara, is still tobe seen in the tirtha of Sri Saila. It is said that once,when Anantacarya's wife was pregnant and too weary to helpwith the work, the Lord Himself assumed her form to assistHis devotee's endeavor.THE PIOUS BRAHMANAOnce a brahmana came to Ramanuja and said, "I wish topurify myself by serving you, for you are the best ofdevotees. By such service I shall be freed from theinfluence of material nature"Yatiraja accepted the request, saying, "What you havesaid is correct, for one can be liberated only by service.105

If you wish to serve me, then you must stay here and dowhatever I ask of you."The brahmana was very pleased by this reply and saideagerly, "0 master, tell me what is your desire. I will doanything you ask of me"Seeing the man's sincerity, Ramanuja then told him,"0 brahmana, I have resolved to purify myself by takingdaily the water which has washed the feet of a pure-heartedbrahmana. Now, by the grace of the Lord, you have come here.My order is that you stay here, and every day give me thewater that has washed your feet. Only if you do this willyou be able to render real service to me."Although a very humble person by nature, the brahmanacould not refuse this direct order. From that time on, everyday when Yatiraja returned from taking his noon bath in theKaveri, he would take upon his head some of the water thathad washed the brahmanas feet.One day Ramanuja was invited to take prasadam at thehome of one of his householder disciples and went theredirectly after bathing in the river. After they had eaten,all the devotees began to discuss the glories of LordNarayana, putting various questions to Ramanujacarya andlistening intently to the explanations he gave. So sweetwere these discussions that the devotees became unaware ofthe passage of time. Thus, by the time Yatiraja rose toleave the house, it was very late at night.When they arrived back at the asrama, they found thatthe only person still awake was the pious brahmana. "Whyhave you waited up so long for me?" asked Yatiraja. "Haveyou eaten yet?""How could I think of eating," replied the brahmana,smiling, "when I have not yet rendered my service to you"At this Yatiraja smiled broadly and embraced the man,saying, "You are a wonderful devotee, the perfect servant ofthe Lord. By being absorbed only in thoughts of service, youhave attained perfection" Then he drank the water that hadwashed the brahmanas feet and offered it to all his otherdisciples.INSTALLING DEITIESWhen they learned that Ramanujacarya was going toleave them and return to Sri Rangam, all the devotees inYadavadri were very unhappy at the prospect of theirimminent separation. When they presented their distressbefore him, Yatiraja gave permission for a stone murti ofhimself to be made.When it was completed, he said to them, "When you arefeeling sorrow because of separation from me, all of youcome before this murti. By contemplating this form here,your unhappiness will be removed."106

At about the same time the devotees of Bhuta-puri,Ramanuja's birthplace, also made an image of their guru andinstalled it in the temple according to the proper Vedicrituals. When he heard about this, Yatiraja shed tears andsaid, "The people of Bhutapuri have made me their captive bythe love and devotion that they unceasingly offer to me."PREACHING IN SRI RANGAMHowever, the most fortunate of all were the devoteesof Sri Rangam, for they were able to see Yatiraja constantlyand listen every day to his discourses on the glories ofLord Narayana. From miles around people came to see thegreat acarya and on his order took up the path of devotionalservice.For many more years Ramanuja continued to reside inthe holy city of Sri Rangam - until he was one hundred andtwenty years old. During his life he had establishedseventy-four centers for the Sri Vaisnavas and had manythousands of followers, including several kings and manywealthy landowners. Apart from the householders, he numberedamongst his followers 700 sannyasis, 12,000 brahmacaris, and300 ketti ammais, (ladies who had taken vows ofrenunciation). Eventually, seeing that his mission on earthwas now completed, he decided to give up his frail body andreturn to the abode of the Lord. Seeing their spiritualmaster becoming fixed in a mood of intense devotion, many ofYatiraja's disciples were overcome and began to lamentloudly.FINAL INSTRUCTIONSOn hearing their cries, Ramanujacarya came out of histrance and said to his disciples, "My dear children, why doyou cry out in lamentation like uneducated men? Do you thinkthis body can endure forever? Am I not fixed in your heartsfor all time? Therefore, give up this useless wailing andunderstand the will of the Lord."To this the disciples all replied, "0 master, asalways your instructions are perfect. Nonetheless, it isimpossible for us to bear the pain of separation which mustsurely overwhelm us if you leave us now. Out of pity foryour children, we beg you to remain with us for some timemore."In response to this request, Ramanuja agreed to staywith them for three more days. He ordered that all of hisdisciples should come there, and, when they were assembled,he delivered his final instructions. "Worship all Vaisnavasas you worship your guru," he told them. "Have faith in theprevious acaryas and never be controlled by the senses.Never be satisfied simply by worldly knowledge. Study the107

scriptures that describe the glories of the Supreme Lord.Transcendental knowledge can overcome the pushings of themind and senses. Be indifferent to the promptings of themind. Always relish the chanting of the holy name andqualities of the Lord. The best way to serve the Lord isrendering service to his devotees. Never follow the ways ofa Vaisnava for material gain. Always endeavor for purity."Every day spend some time in contemplating thegreatness of the spiritual master, and every day study theteachings of the Vaisnava acaryas. Always associate withthose who are surrendered to the Lord. Avoid those who teachpaths other than devotional service and those interested insensual pleasures. One who sees the Deity as stone, the guruas an ordinary man, the devotees in terms of caste or bodilydesignation, caranamrita as ordinary water, the holy name ofthe Lord as a mundane sound vibration, or the Supreme Lordas one of the demigods, is certainly destined for hellishlife"When Yatiraja had finished speaking, the disciplesquestioned him further, asking how they should conductthemselves while in this world. Again Ramanujacaryainstructed them, "One who has surrendered to Lord Narayanashould not be concerned about his future, depending alwayson the Lord's mercy. All duties should be performed as actsof devotion to the Lord and never for material gain."Study the Sri-bhasya and teach it to others - thisservice is the most pleasing to the Lord. If this is notpossible, then study the teachings of other devotees andthen instruct some disciples. If you are unable to do this,then go to a holy place and reside there or go to Yadavadriand serve the Lord there. If you cannot do this, then remainwhere you are and surrender to your guru and meditate on theVaisnava mantras. If all of these are impossible, thensimply seek out a pure-hearted Vaisnava and associate withhim constantly."Discriminate carefully between friends, enemies, andthose who are indifferent. Those who are Vaisnavas will beyour friends, the atheists and blasphemers wilt despise andhate you, and the worldly men will be indifferent. Associatejoyfully with the devotees, rigorously avoid theblasphemers, and never be disturbed by the materialisticplans of worldly men. Never flatter princes and worldly men,seeking to earn your livelihood thereby. Remember that theSupreme Lord always takes care of those who are surrenderedto Him. Take shelter of Him and have faith in Him alone. Ifyou follow these instructions, then you will never beseparated from me. Why should one grieve over thedisappearance of the temporary body?"DISAPPEARANCE OF RAMANUJACARYA108

When Ramanuja had finished speaking, Dasarathi,Govinda, Andhrapurna, and some of the other leadingdisciples came forward and made this presentation to him."Your body, which is ever engaged in the service of theLord, can never be material. Our bodies are certainlytemporary, but you exist only on the platform of spirituallife. Therefore, our request is that we never be deprived ofthe sight of your transcendental form."Taking pity upon them, Ramanuja accepted hisdisciples' request and ordered that expert sculptors bebrought there to carve a stone deity in his likeness. Afterthree days the work was complete. Then the deity was bathedwith water from the Kaveri and installed upon a newlyconstructed altar. Yatiraja then came slowly up to the deityand filled it with his potency by breathing into the crownof the head.Turning to the disciples, he said, "This is my secondself. When I have cast off this body, you may worship thisform instead of me."Then he lay down with his head on Govinda's lap andhis feet on the lap of Andhrapurna. In this position, withhis eyes fixed on the wooden shoes of his own spiritualmaster, Ramanujacarya gave up his body and returned to theabode of Lord Visnu. It was noontime on the tenth day of thebright moon fortnight in the month of Magha in the year 1059of the Saka era (1137 A.D.). A few days later, Govinda,Ramanuja's cousin and life long companion, also departedfrom this world.The other devotees remained under the leadership ofSri Parasara Bhatta, the son of Kuresa, always endeavoringto follow in their master's footsteps by constantly servingLord Narayana. By serious practice of devotional service,they were able to feel Ramanuja's presence within theirhearts; thus their intense feelings of separation weremitigated. Parasara continued the mission of Ramanujacaryaby strongly preaching the doctrines of Vaisnavism. In agreat debate he overcame Vedantin Madhava dasa, the leaderof the impersonalist scholars, and made him into a devotee.Years later, after the disappearance of Parasara, this sameMadhava dasa became the acarya of the Sri Vaisnavas.109