Periya Tirumalai Nambi:
Periya Tirumalai Nambi was born in the year 974 A.D (Tamil year Bhava), in the Tamil month of Chitirai under the asterism of Swathi. He spent most of the years of his life at Tirumala offering water from Papavinasa Theertham to Tiruvenkatamudayan. Pious tradition records that once he was also addressed as ‘Appa’ (thaatha) (Father!) by the LORD of seven hills (who is the parent, preceptor and friend of all beings).
He wrote:- Thaniyan(eulogy) for ‘Amalanaadippiran’
He was the maternal uncle of Sri RAmAnujA
Periya Tirumalai Nambi arrived to Sriperumpudur on hearing the birth news of Sri RAmAnujA. On seeing that the child was marked for eternal service to Sriman Narayana ,, he named the baby boy ‘ElaiAzhwan’ (Laskhmanan).
As requested by Sri RAmAnujA, he brought back Govindhan (another nephew of Periya Nambi) to the folds of SriVaishnavism from Saivam.
He made his son ‘Pillai Tirumalai Nambi’, ‘Pillan’, his nephew KidambiAachan and two daughters seek spiritual guidance from Sri RAmAnujA who accepted them as his disciples.
During Sri RAmAnujA’s first visit to Tirumala, Periya Tirumalai Nambi himself came down the hills, despite his old age, to welcome him. When Sri RAmAnujA asked him why he came all along as he could have asked some younger disciples to welcome? Periya Tirumalai Nambi is supposed to have replied, “I could not find anyone in Tirumala who was younger than myself”
He bade his disciple Govindhan become a disciple of Sri RAmAnujA and when he came back restless, Periya Tirumalai Nambi asked him to go back to Sri RAmAnujA saying, “A cow sold cannot be bred again”.
No comments:
Post a Comment