piLai lokAchAryAr vaibhavam 

translation of yatheendra pravana prabhAvam

lokAcharyAyaguravae krishnapAthasyasoonavae

samsArabogi santhashta jeevajeevAthavae nama:

(I humbly bow to sri piLai lokAcharya, who is son of vadaku thiruveethi piLai, who is medicine for jeevAs who has been bitten by snake called samsArA)

piLai lokAchAryA - periya kovil

dravidAmnAya hrudhayam guruparvakramAkatham

ramyajAmAthrudevena darshitham krishnasoonunA

(a granthA named Acharya hrudhyam which is acharyA’s parambara kramam was done by sri azhagiya manavAla perumAl nayanAr, who is the son of krishnar alias vadakku thiruveethi piLai)

Thiru avathAram

One day Nampillai was there in his graham in madhyAniha kAlam after finishing kAlakshebham. During that time, ammi, thiruthAyAr of vadakku thiruveethi pillai came and prostrated before nampillai. Nampillai asked about gruhayogakshemam of ammi. Ammi replied that after you have done marriage for your sishya, we left them for sahasayanakalyAnam. Then He came out with lot of sweats, crying that there is a snake inside the room. Nampillai on hearing this with smile asked her again, “what needs to be done?” she replied that she needs a son for vamsa vrudhi & fell at the lotus feet of nampillai. The nampillai asked her to bring her daughter-in-law and blessed her to have a son like nampillai himself. Then He summoned vadakku thiruveedhi pillai and ordered him that “for acharyan’s order and for logamariyAdhai, get a son for your vamsam”.

Then after 12 months has been passed by, a son was born on aippasi thiruvonam. Vadakku thiruveethi pillai named Him as “lokAcharyAr piLai”, to show his faith towards nampillai and went before Lord RenganAthA on apthapoorthi day. NamperumAl was very much pleased and offered theertham, sri sadakopan, sandhanam, sukandham, thirumAlai. Then through archakAs gave arulipAdu to nampillai as “you have blessed a son like yourself. Now, bless another one like us”. Nampillai was very much pleased and blessed as Sri RenganAtha has ordered. This is Sri Azhagiya manavAla perumAl nayanAr’s thriuavathAram.

Swami piLai lokAchAryA in Srivilliputhur

piLai lokAchArya is considered to be the avatAra of Lord kachi devaperumAl himself. This is explained in Annex - I

piLai lokAchAryAr vaibhavam

piLai lokAchAryAr’ thiruavadhAram is equivalent to nammAzhwar’s thiruavadhAram and He is considered as avadhAra vishesham due to nampillai’s grace. His holy brother azhagiya manavAla perumAl nAyanAr, grew upon the grace of piLai lokAchAryAr. Both of them grew like perumAl and ilaya perumAl as bAlyath prapruthi susnikthar & nambi mootha pirAn and Krishnan.

thambiyudan dAsarathyAnAnum sangavanna

nambiyudan pinandanthu vanthAnum – pongupunal

ongumudumbai ulagAriyanum aran

thAngu manavAlanume than

Among these two, piLai lokAchAryAr did the following granthams owing to his grace; so that women and people without inner sAstric knowledge can also study and understand sampradAya arthA visheshams.

1.       thanipravanam
2.       thanidwayam
3.       thanicharamam
4.       paranthapadi
5.       sriya:pathipadi
6.       yAthruchikappadi
7.       mumukshupadi
8.       samsAra sAmrajyam
9.       sAra sangraham
10.   tatvatrayam
11.   tatvasekaram
12.   prapana parithrAnam
13.   premeyasekaram
14.   archirAdhi
15.   arthapanchakam
16.   navavidha sambandham
17.   navarathnamAlai
18.   sri vachana booshanam
19.   and many so ragasya granthAs.

piLai lokAchAryA - Melkote

During such times, following parama sAdhvikAs, became sishyAs of sri piLailokAcharya

1.    koorakulothamadAsar nAyan
2.        manarpAkathu nambi
3.        azhagiya manavAla perumAl pillai (koli kAvala dAsa)
4.        koturil annar
5.        thirumalaiAzhwAr
6.        vilAncholai pillai
7.        thiruputkuzhi jeeyar
8.       thirukanakudi pillai
9.        thirumalaiAzhwar thiruththAyar, and other such ammayArs

On doing so they developed, sath sambhandham and they did nithya kanikaryam as per “ozhivil kAlamellAm”.

serArunthiruvathiyurar thaNil nirum sirantha manpAkaththu nambiyArai

yerArukanavilupadesaththAl muneduththAruliyezhilarangaththae poyiru neer

serAmalukithamangae solonthoya ulagAriynpAl sernthathanpin avarukku

nerAgakanavilAngavarupadesaththAl munnam viriththakalai vachanabooshana mAnithiyae!

Then nayanAr did “vAkbooshanam vakulabooshana sAstra sAram” Acharya hrudhayam which is sri vachanabooshana sthAbanArtham. He gave the same to petrAr, who is celebrated as thothavaththi thooi marayor. Thus, sri piLailokAcharyA and azhagiya manavAla perumAl nayanAr gave us sri vachana booshanam and acharya hrudham as thathparyams of eedu 30000 padi! Because of this only, our acharyas render both thaniyans during eedu thaniyan. Then he gave acharya hrudhaya to thirunArayanpruathu Ayee.

Some people envying piLailokAcharya’s glory and sri vachana booshanam went to namperumAl and told him that “piLai lokAcharya has done wrong to our darshanam by writing sri vachana booshanam”. namperumAl on hearing this asked piLailokAcharya to be taken before him. piLailokAcharya was bathing during that time and because of the same azhagiya manavAla perumAl nayanAr appeared before namperumAl. namperumAl asked Him the same question through archakAs and azhagiya manavAla perumAl nayanAr established sri vachana booshana through his grantham acharya hrudhayam. perumAl listened to this granthAm as if he listened thirumAlai from thondaradipodi Azhwar and became much blissful on hearing this. He immediately ordered people who envied to move out of the place and gave bramharatham to azhagiya manavAla perumAl nayanAr. piLailokAcharya on hearing this was much joyful and hugged His holy brother as “valarththanAl payan petren”.

Note from (Sri V.V.R Swamy)author: Sri manavAla mAmunigal has said that sri vachana booshana divya sAstram was done based on niyamam of sri namperumAl. Hence this idhiyam seems doubtful. Better to get cleared thorugh Acharya

Azhagiya mavavAla perumAl nayanAr did vyAkyanas for some prabandhams including thirupAvai. Owing to this only, Jeeyar has stated as “thancheerAl vayakuruvin thambi mannu manavAlamuni seyumavai thAmum sila”.

Then after some time, azhagiya manavAla perumAl nayanAr ascended to paramapadham. piLai unable to bear separation of bhagavatha took His thirumudi in his thirumadi and rendered the following in utmost sorrow.

mAmudumbai mannumanavAla vannalodu

semamudan vaikunthamsenrakkAl – mAmenru

thoturaitha solluyanthuanthanninAzh porulum

yetezhuththum inguraipArAr?

Then piLai performed charama kainkaryam and thiruadhyayanam for azhagiya manavAla perumAl nayanAr.

NamperumAl leaving Periya kovil

The time during which piLailokAcharya was enhancing the richness of charama pramAna prameya pramAthru (Arulicheyal, Archai, Acharya) and was prAna boothar of namperumAl, srirangam was under invasion from thurushkAs and was not fit for dwelling of namperumAl along with nAchimArs. piLailokAcharya then created a stonewall in front of periyaperumAl and placed a small vigrahA in front of the wall. namperumAl left srirangam like “sutramelAm pinthodara tholkAnamadainthu” “thambiyodum thAmoruvartham thunaivikAthal thunaiyAga”. piLai followed namperumAl to perform all kinds of kainkaryams like ilaya perumAl who followed sri rAmA “vAlum villum kondu” doing mangalAsAsanam as per “uruvArkaranchangu sumanthingum modoru pAdzhalvAnoradiyAn”.

Loga desikan - thirukacchi

perumAl went inside deep forests that is full of “silai kai vedar” like “pravishyathu mahAranyam rAmo rAjeevalochana” and “vanamsapArya: pravivesa rAgavassalakshmanasoorya ivApramandalam” (rAmapirAn along with seethA and lakshmana went inside forest like sun going inside clouds). There some of the theives threatening to take all the ornaments of namperumAl. Hearing this, piLai lokAcharya came forward and corrected them. On seeing this some of them came forward and fell in the lotus feet of piLai lokAcharyA.

Kalamigupanchamudan kallarpatriva kaththiruvarkAriyappae roruvar vanthu

Palamarinthu pathampanithu pachaikattapAngudanae vAnkinAppol vAngi neengi

Nalamiguntha dhanmithanai nambinomel namperumAlumparudan nayanthu vAzhum

Ilagumigu perunchelvamilaiyenru yermudumbai ulakAriyanu muraiseithAnae!

ulagAriyan ascending to thriunAdu

Then they travelled upto jyothiskudi village with namperumAl. There piLai lokAcharyA got thirunovu in His thirumeni. Seeing all these,  His dear sishyas asked Him what is thanjam for them now? There sri piLai lokAcharya blessed thirumalaiAzhwAr, who was handling rAjya kAryams in Madurai, to become the front runner of this darsanam. Then he ordered

• koorakulothama dAsar to give ragasyAs and sampradAya arthams to thirumalaiAzhwar
• thirukkanankudi piLai and thiruputkuzhi Jeeyar to give the inner meanings of thiruvAimozhi
• nAlor piLai to give 3000 vyAkyanA
• vilAncholai piLai to give sapthA kAthai and other artha visheshAs
• vilAncholai piLai to do nithya vAsA at thiruananthapuram

Then piLai lokAcharya thought of ascending to paramapadham medidated on piLai’s thiruvadi and ascended to thirunAdu on jyesta suththa dwAthasi. All sishyas there were filled with utter sorrow and was unable to move for some time. Then they did charama kainkaryam with perumAl’s thiruparivattam, thirumAlai and celebrated thiruadhyayanam.  piLai lokAcharya’s thirunakshatram is aippasi thiruvonam

vAzhi ulakAsiriyan vAzhi avan mannu kulam

vAzhi mudumbai yennum mAnagaram – vAzhi

manam soozhntha perinbamalgu miga nAllAr

inam soozhnthirukkum iruppu

manavAlan mAran manamuraithAn vAzhi

manavAlanmannukulamvAzhi – manavAlan

vAzhimudumbai vAzhivadaveethithAn

vAzhiyavan urai seitha nool

vAneem punyasudhApakAm sadajithsvairam vikAhyAthrAth

AneeyAmrutha mathrachakrathukupau lokopakArAthmkau

yao vAkbooshana desikendrahruthayApikyao prabanthAvimau

the vanthe bhuvanAryasundaravarao krishnAthmajao desikau

[I humbly bow to two Achayras piLai lokAcharya and azhagiya manavAla perumAl nayanAr, who are the sons of vadakku thiruveethi piLai, who helped people by authoring two prabandhams sri vachana booshanam and Acharya hrudhyam which was done by immersing in the amudhapravAham called thriuvAimozhi done by nammAzhwAr and taking the amrutha from the same]

piLai lokAchAryA along with manavAla mAmunigal - Sri perumbudhur

Annex – I piLai lokAcharyA’s avathAra ragasyam

piLai lokAcharyA is considered to be the avathAra of Lord kachi devaperumAl Himself. This can be inferred from the following idhiyams.

Sri manavAla mAmunigal in sri vachana booshanam vyAkyAna avathArigai

Out of His nirheduga krubhai, perarulAla perumAl blessed some ragasya artha visheshAs to marpAkathu nambi. Then he ordered marpAkathu nambi to reside in between two rivers and Lord will bless more of these arthAs there. marpAkathu nambi came to srirengam and in ekAntham was thinking about these arthAs blessed by deva perumAl. There sri piLai lokAchArya came with close mudhalis and started blessing ragasya arthAs to them. manarpAkathu nambi was surprised to see that these were the arthAs that were blessed by perarulAla perumAl and fell at the lotus feet of sri piLai lokAchArya. He enquired sri piLai lokAchAryA as “avaro neer?”. piLai then responded as “Avathu yethu”.

mudumbai annal - thiruvaliKeni

ThiruvAimozhi piLai getting eedu in deva perumAl sannidhi

thriuvAimozhi piLai wishing to hear arthA visheshAs of thiruvAimozhi from thiruputkuzhi jeeyar, went to thiruputkuzhi. But He was shaken to hear that thiruputkuzhi jeeyar has ascended to thirunAdu when he went there. Then the achArya purushAs, koil parikarams invited thiruvAimozhi piLai to do mangalAsAsanam to deva perumAl and deva perumAl offered him theertham, sri sadakopan, sAthupadi, thiruthuzhAi, thirumAlai. During that time nAlur piLai and nAlurAchAn piLai came there to do mangalAsAsanam to deva perumAl. Hearing about thiruvAimozhi piLai vaibhavam, they were standing behind in the goshti. archakA while offering sri sadakopan, offered very well to nAlur piLai and then immediately placed sri sadakopan at the lotus feet of deva perumAl. Then he took the hands of thiruVaimozhi piLai and went straight to nAlur piLai, invoked him as “arulAlar thiruvadi unriyavarae!” and ordered him as “I ordered in jyothishkudi to thiruputkuzhi jeeyar to offer 3000 vyAkyAna and thiruvAimozhi vyAkyAna. He has arrived here. Since thiruputkuzhi jeeyar is not here, you offer him eedu vyAkyAna!”

Source: YAtheendra pravana prabhAvam, thriumalaiAzhwAr vaibhavam

Annex – II Yatheendra Pravana PrabhAvam

Yatheendra Pravana Prabhavam is authored by Sri Pillai Lokam Jeeyar. It is considered to be the continuation of 6000 padi Guru Parambara prabhavam, which talks volumes about our poorvAchAryAs and their greatness. It is the only oldest grantha that provides the complete and authentic information regarding Srirengam’s state while invasion took place and the vaibhavams of the acharya’s after nampillai, especially manavAla mAmunigal.