Kulasekara Alwar Thirunakshatram

Today is the Thirunakshatram of Kulasekara Alwar. Alwar’s vaibhavam can be read in this blog post & also from our own blog post last year.

Kulasekara Alwar is famous for his Mukundamala, the only Sanskrit composition by any Alwar. All the lines show Alwar’s immense devotion to the Lord. There’s an interesting commentry / translation of Alwar’s Mukundamala by Srila Prabhupada. You can find it at the end of the post. The translation is very simple and makes an engaging read.

Today is also the Thirunakshatram of Kandhadai Aandaan, son of Swami Mudhali Aandaan {an important sishya of Swamy Ramanujar}. Kandhadai Aandaan has said that a Sri Vaishnava should live without any fear and have faith in Sriman Narayana. A person who has fear cannot be a Sri Vaishnava.

Srila Prabhupada’s Commentry on Mukundamala.

View this document on Scribd

MudhaliAndan Thirunakshatram

Today is the Thirunakshatram of Sri MudhaliAndaan, a sishya of Sri Ramanujar. Here is a brief history of Sri MudhaliAndaan

Swami Mudaliandan was born in 1027 A.D at Pachhai Vaarana Perumal Sannidhi (referred to as “NazarethPettai” today) in Thondai mandalam, to Anandanarayana Dheekshidar and Nachiyaramman. Anandanarayana Dheekshidar did not have any children for a long time. He undertook a yatra to Thiruvengadam to worship Lord Thiruvengadamudayan and pray for a child. On his way at Thiruninravor, where he stayed overnight at Yeri Katha Ramar’s sannadhi, Sriramar (Anandanarayana Dheekshidar’s thiruvaradana perumal) appeared in his dream and instructed that he need not undertake yatra to Thiruvengadam for begetting a son as Thiruanandazvan(Adi Shesha, Five headed Serpent, on whom The Lord reclines ) has taken birth as Ramanujar in Sriperumbudur and that he (Lord) will be born as his son to serve Sri Ramanuja.

Ramanuja had a very intimate attachment towards Swami Mudaliandan which was expressed by Ramanuja himself many times. Even at the time when he embraced Sanyasa, Ramanuja renounced everything except Swami Mudaliandan, his priya Bagineyar. While going to kaveri for his daily bath, he used to lean on Dasarathi for support. One day, while on his way to the river, he was asked why, when he donned the robes of a Sannyaasin (a Pontiff) he did not give up Dasarathi, as that order demanded that all kith and kin should be renounced. To this Ramanuja replied that Dasarathi was an exception as he was his triplestaff (triTAndam) (the same reason he gave to Tirukkottiyur Nambi) and added “Just as a Pontiff cannot do without his triplestaff, I cannot do without Andaan”. Thus Andaan is referred to as a Triplestaf(TriTAndam) which is always found with a pontiff. Andaan had the privilege of having both Bodily relationship (Thega sambandam) and Spiritual relationship (Atma sambandam). Bodily relationship as Sri Ramanuja’s Bagineyar and Spritual relationship as a Servant of Sri Ramanuja.

Written with reference from – http://www15.brinkster.com/mudaliandan/History.htm