{"id":654,"date":"2013-02-24T00:24:32","date_gmt":"2013-02-24T00:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/guruparamparai.wordpress.com\/?p=654"},"modified":"2013-02-24T00:24:32","modified_gmt":"2013-02-24T00:24:32","slug":"thirumalai-andan-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acharyas.koyil.org\/index.php\/2013\/02\/24\/thirumalai-andan-english\/","title":{"rendered":"thirumAlai ANdAn"},"content":{"rendered":"

srI:
\nsrImathE rAmAnujAya nama:
\nsrImadh varavaramunayE nama:
\nsrI vAnAchala mahAmunayE nama:<\/p>\n

\"thirumalai-andan\"<\/a>Thirunakshathram: <\/strong>mAsi, magam<\/p>\n

avathAra sthalam: <\/strong>thirumAlirunchOlai
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

AchAryan<\/strong>: ALavandhAr<\/a><\/p>\n

Sishyas<\/strong>: emperumAnAr<\/a> (grantha kAlakshEpa sishya)<\/p>\n

thirumAlai ANdAn is one of the prime sishyas of ALavandhAr<\/a>. He is also known as mAlAdhArar and srI gyAna pUrNar.<\/p>\n

ALavandhAr<\/a> instructs his 5 prime disciples to teach various aspects of our sampradhAyam to emperumAnAr<\/a>. Of those, thirumAlai ANdAn is given the responsibility of teaching the meanings of thiruvAimozhi. After ALavandhAr ascending to paramapadham and emperumAnAr arriving at srIrangam, thirukkOshtiyUr nambi guides emperumAnAr to thirumAlai ANdAn to listen the estoeric meanings of nammAzhwAr<\/a>‘s thiruvAimozhi.<\/p>\n

\"pancha-acharyas\"<\/a><\/p>\n

ALavandhAr with his sishyas<\/p>\n

While giving lectures, thirumAlai ANdAn explains the meanings of thiruvAimozhi as he heard from ALavandhAr<\/a>. But at times, emperumAnAr<\/a> presents his view point in some of the pAsurams (that are different from ANdAn’s) and thirumAlai ANdAn thinks that emperumAnAr is creating meanings on his own and tells emperumAnAr that he has never heard ALavndhAr explaining those meanings.<\/p>\n

One such time, while explaining thiruvAimozhi 2.3.3 “aRiyAk kAlaththuLLE<\/em>” pAsuram, ANdAn explains that AzhwAr<\/a> is speaking with sorrow that emperumAn<\/a> blessed him with blemishless knowledge but still has kept him in this samsAram with this body. But emperumAnAr<\/a> looks at it differently (by placing the 2nd line first) and says that since this padhigam (10 pAsurams) are revelation of AzhwAr’s bliss, the pAsuram really means that AzhwAr<\/a> is saying with great joy that “I was suffering in this samsAram since time immemorial and you have blessed me suddenly”. Hearing this ANdAn becomes upset and says he has never heard this from ALavandhAr <\/a>and emperumAnAr is creating new meanings like vishwAmithra created new lOkam for thrisangu mahArAja. And he stops his lectures as well. Hearing this, thirukkOshtiyUr nambi comes running from thirukkOshtiyUr to srIrangam and goes to ANdAn and enquires him about the incident. ANdAn says that emperumAnAr keeps on giving new meanings which are not heard from ALavandhAr. When ANdAn explains the particular incident fully, nambi says that he has heard this meaning from ALavandhAr and is a valid explanation of the pAsuram. He further says that “just like emperumAn<\/a> learnt from sAndhIpani, rAmAnujar is learning thiruvAimozhi from you. He will not say anything other than what is in ALavandhAr<\/a>‘s heart. Do not presume that you are teaching some thing rAmAnujar does not know already”. He then brings ANdAn and periya nambi<\/a> to emperumAnAr’s mutt and requests emperumAnAr to continue hearing from ANdAn. Subsequently, emperumAnAr<\/a> explains another pAsuram differently than ANdAn and ANdAn asks him how he knows this particular meaning even without meeting ALavandhAr and emperumAnAr replies that it is because he is like Ekalvayan for ALavndhAr (Ekalavyan is the one who learnt everything from dhrONAchArya without directly learning from him). ANdAn understanding the greatness offers his respects to emperumAnAr and feels great joy that he is able to hear what he missed hearing from ALavandhAr.<\/p>\n

There are many pAsurams that are identified in the vyAkyAnams where ANdAn and emperumAnAr had interesting\/different view points. Let us see a couple.<\/p>\n