The auspicious birth of Govinda Perumal and his cousin Ilayazhwar, their early Vedanta studies under Yadavaprakasa, and Govindar's role in saving his elder brother from a deadly plot.
EMBAR VAIBHAVAM
Sri:
Srimathe Ramanujaya Namah:
(The Glorious Life of Embar)
Ramanujapadachchhaya Govindahva'napahini
Tadayattasvarupa sa jiyanmatvishramasthali
May he who never separates from Sri Ramanuja and remains as the shadow of his divine feet, who obtained his true nature (svarupam) and radiance from those very divine feet, who possesses the divine name Sri Govinda Perumal, and who is the resting place (refuge) for this servant—may he (Embar) shine gloriously for many, many years (Pallandu Pallandu).
Bhattaryaya prapattim vyapadisativaram dravidamnaya mauleh:
Artham sribhashyamanyenapi cha yativaradesonyan rahasyan |
Yacchokto desikendro yatipati saranacchaya namar yavarya: T
am govindaryamasmatkulaguru mamitajnana vairagyamide ||
I bow down to Sri Govinda Perumal (Embar), who, as per the command of Yatirajar (Ramanuja), graciously imparted the Prapatti Sastra (doctrine of surrender), Bhagavad Vishayam (commentaries on the divine works), Sri Bhashyam, and many other texts and esoteric secrets (rahasyas) to Sri Parasara Bhattar; who received the name of being the shadow of the divine feet of that Yathirajar (Ramanuja); who is the preceptor of our lineage (Kula Guru); and who shines as a boundless treasure of knowledge (jnana) and detachment (vairagya).
Hrudinarayanam pasyan napyagacchadrahasthata |
Yaha svadararatau chapi govindam tamupasamahe ||
I meditate upon Govinda Perumal who, always beholding Sri Sriman Narayana within his heart, never found a secluded/private place even for rejoicing with his own wife
The above three Sanskrit Taniyans (invocatory verses) and the Tamil Pasuram praise the Acharya who comes immediately after Emperumanar (Ramanuja) in the Satsampradaya Acharya lineage. The Tamil verse reflects the meaning of the third Sanskrit Sloka.
One of the important disciples of Alavandar, Periya Thirumalai Nambi (Srisaila Purnar), was a great soul who was deeply engaged in the kainkaryam (service) of Lord Thiruvengadamudaiyan at Thirumalai. He had two sisters. The elder sister, Bhoomi Piratti (Kanthimathi), was married to Asuri Kesava Perumal, a Sarvakratu Deekshitar in Sriperumbudur, and the younger sister, Periya Piratti (Dyuthimathi), was married to Vattamani Kamalanayana Bhattar of Mazhalai Mangalam (Madhuramangalam).
Among them, the elder sister gave birth to a male child on the auspicious day of the Chithirai Thiruvathirai star in the Pingala year (1017 AD). The child's maternal uncle, Periya Thirumalai Nambi, named the child Ilayazhwar (Lakshmanan). Nine years after this, in the Kurodhana year (1026 AD), the younger sister gave birth to a male child under the Punarpoosam (Punarvasu) star in the month of Thai. Thirumalai Nambi named this child Govinda Perumal.
Ilayazhwar is the reincarnation of Thiruvananthazhwan (Adisesha). He later became the world-renowned Jagadacharya known as Ramanuja Munivar. Govindan later became the next Oranvazhi Vaishnava Acharya after Ramanuja. He is considered the amsa avatara (partial incarnation) of Periya Thiruvadi, Garudazhwan. There is a traditional folklore in that town that Garuda, for some reason, received a curse stating, "You will be born as a human; you will remain a Saiva for some time and then once again become a devotee of Thirumal," and as a result, he was born in Madhuramangalam. In the Madhuramangalam Vaikuntha Perumal Temple, Embar blesses devotees in his archavatara (deity) form. The sacred temple tank next to it is known by the name Garuda Pushkarini
Ilayazhwar and Govindar received all the purificatory rites (samskaras) that Brahmins should receive, performed by their respective parents, and were educated in their youth. Later, both of them joined the school of a scholar named Yadavaprakasa, who was famous in those days at Thirupputkuzhi, to pursue their Vedanta education. Yadavaprakasa had taken up asceticism (sannyasa) and was deeply immersed in the Advaita philosophy. Therefore, Ilayazhwar and Govindar could only learn Advaita principles from Yadava. It is said that Ilayazhwar learned the "Purvapaksha" (preliminary views or opposing arguments) from Yadava.
While studying Vedanta in this manner, the Advaitic meanings given by Yadavaprakasa for the Vedic statements did not appeal to Ilayazhwar's mind, so he started articulating alternative meanings that occurred to his own mind. Yadava feared that if he let him grow to state other meanings contrary to the Advaita religion, it could bring destruction to that religion itself. Thus, he decided that he must somehow finish off (kill) Ilayazhwar. He planned to take him on the pretext of a pilgrimage to Kasi (Varanasi), push him into the Manikarnika, and drown him. Manikarnika is a bathing ghat on the river Ganges in Kasi. The Puranas say that bathing in the Ganges at this spot removes all sins. Yadava's opinion was that finishing off Ilayazhwar here would be a great help to the Advaita religion, and the sin of killing a Brahmin (Brahmahatya) would not attach to him.
Yadavaprakasa set out on the Kasi pilgrimage with all the disciples studying in his school, and after walking for many days, reached the slopes of the Vindhya mountains during their journey. Although Govinda Perumal knew of Yadava's plot, Yadava and the other disciples kept a close watch so that there was no opportunity for him to meet his elder brother in private and tell him. When an opportunity finally arose for them to be alone together in the forest region on the slopes of the Vindhya mountains, Govindar explained the matter to his elder brother and requested him to somehow escape, and Ilayazhwar subsequently hid in the forest without anyone knowing. Govindar, with the peace of mind that Ilayazhwar would somehow survive and reach Kanchipuram, rejoined Yadava's group and remained there acting as if he knew nothing. Yadavaprakasa, upon not finding Ilayazhwar, searched for him as a group and not finding him, [Yadavaprakasa] rejoiced inwardly, thinking, "He must have fallen prey to some wild animal; our task has been easily accomplished." Without revealing this joy outwardly, he continued the pilgrimage with his group and reached Kasi.