Sri Vaishnava Guru Parampara | Nadamunigal Charithram | Rediscovery of Nalayira Divyaprabandam

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Nathamuni's birth name was Aranganathan. However, he was known as Nathamuni, which literally means Saint-lord (Nathan - lord, muni - saint). Muni means one who can do Dyanam on the Lord intensely. His was born in the month of Aani (june-july) in 823 CE on pournami thithi, in the star Anusham in the Tamil year “Shobhakruth varusham”. He is said to have died at Gangaikonda Cholapuram in 924 CE.

Nathamuni is credited with saving the Vaishnavite sampradaya from extinction and bringing to the Tamil-speaking world the works of Azhwars, who distilled the essence of the Vedas (in Sanskrit) and offered them in Tamil through their verses. Just as Bhageeratha undertook penance to bring the Ganga to earth, so too did Nathamuni take it upon himself to search and codify the songs of the Azhwars. Prevalent in oral form, and there being no records, they were in disuse and forgotten. If devotees across the world are able to stand in the sannidhi of Rangananthaswamy in Srirangam and hum the famous verse, Pachai ma malai pol meni, it is solely due to the efforts of Nathamuni, said Tirukkudanthai Dr. Venkatesh.

Born in present-day Kattumannar Koil, Nathamuni is said to have been sent to earth with the express purpose of bringing forth the works of the Azhwars to all. The Azhwrs thiruvavathaarm ended 500 years after Kali started. With them went away all the arulicheyal (4000 Divya Prabhandam) as well and hence there was spiritual darkness. About 1200 years ago Sri Nathamunigal thiruvavtharam happened. So for nearly 3,500 years, our world was devoid of Prabhandam. But luckily in Madhurakavi Azhwar's vamsam his sisyar Parangusa Nambi/Parangusa Dasar lived. He was a great yogi and hence he lived for 3000 years. He lived in one place all these years - Azhwar Thirunagari. Yogis have no time limit. When they are in this Bhooloka for a purpose they will not leave until it is fulfilled. According to Sri Vaishnava tradition, Nathamuni was conversing with his father about the legend of Prabandhams written by the Azhwars. His father, Ishvara Bhattar, exclaimed the Prabandhams were long lost, and that they would be impossible to retrieve unless one had the grace of Narayana. Hence, Nathamuni got interested in this and had set on a pilgrimage to the Kumbakonam Sarangapani Temple, where Vishnu is worshipped as Aravamudhan. There, he heard a group of people singing 10 particular pasurams (hymns) dedicated to Aravamudhan by Nammazhwar. (Another version is that, those Yatris came to Veeranarayanapuram temple from Kumbakonam and sang the Pasurams and that is how Nathamuni heard them.) He was overjoyed hearing those and enquired its details, as the last pasuram said it was ten of thousand hymns. But they stated that only 10 pasurams was known to them out of 1,292 written by Nammzhwar. He placed immense faith on the deity Aravamudhan and he visited Thirukurugur, birth place of Nammazhwar. He enquired about the Prabandhams written by Nammalvar to Madhurakavi's direct descendant who lived at Thirukurgur, Sri Parangusa Nambi. There, the descendant of Madhurakavi gave 11 pasurams written by Madhurakavi Azhwar by the name of Kanninun Cirutampu. He said that he had no knowledge of the 1000 songs but his paramacharya had written 11 pasurams on the person who wrote the 1000. He can give them to him. Parangusa Nambi also informed Nathamuni that whoever sings these 11 pasurams with dedication would meet Nammazhwar himself at the shrine in the city. Nathamunigal kept full faith in Nammazhwar and started singing the pasurams with dedication under the tamarind tree under which Nammazhwar himself sat during his lifetime.

Once he completed the count 12,000 times, the deity Aravamudhan sent Vishvaksena, the commander of Vishnu's armies, to bless Nathamuni again as Nammazhwar (Nammazhwar is the avatar of Vishvaksena). Thus, Nammalvar himself came in front of Nathamuni and granted him first his pasurams, starting with "uyarvaRa uyar nalam udaiyavan yavan avan". Then, poured all the 4,000 pasurams of all the Azhwars, along with 1,292 written by himself. He blessed him with full knowledge in ashtanga yogam, 4000 divya prabhandham and all meanings of arulicheyal.

When Nammazhwar was pouring the arulicheyal on to Nathamunigal like a torrential rain, Nammazhwar hints that Kali's torture will end because of the birth of a great soul, a Bhavishya Acharyar namely Sri Ramanujar. Not only did he indicate he also gave a vigragam of The Bhavishyachar to Nathamunigal. This was the third blessing to Nathamunigal, first being bestowing the astanga yogam, second arulicheyal and third the vigragam of Sri Ramanujar.