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Manavala Mamunigal | |
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 Statue of the theologian | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Alagiya Manavalan 1370 CE |
| Resting place | Tamil Nadu, India |
| Other names | Varavaramuni Sowmyajamatrumuni Ramyajamatra Muni Soumyopayanthrumuni Sundarajamatrumuni Periya Jeer Yathindra Pravanar |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Denomination | Sri Vaishnavism |
| Philosophy | Vishishtadvaita |
Azhagiya Manavalan,[1] best known by his epithetManavala Mamunigallit. 'The great saint, Manavalan' (1370–1450), was aHindu theologian. He was a major proponent of theSri Vaishnavism tradition in the 15th century inTamilakam, disseminating it with the help of his eight disciples. The disciples of Manavalan established places of learning to teach theVishishtadvaita philosophy in Tamilakam.
Yathindra Pravana Prabhavam by Pillai Lokam Jeeyar is the earliest work on which scholars and historians rely for information for the biography of Manavala Mamunigal.
Manavala Mamunigal was born in 1370 atAlwarthirunagari in Tamil Nadu. His parents were Tigalakidanthan Tirunaveerudaiya Piran Tadar Annar and Sriranga Nachiyar.[citation needed] His father was the son-in-law and also a disciple of Kollikavala Dasar, a junior disciple ofPillai Lokacharya. His parents named himAlagiya Manavalan (beautiful groom) after the deityRanganathaswamy ofSrirangam.[2]
Manavalan was schooled by father and maternal grandfather, who taught him theVedas,Vedanta, and theNaalayira Divya Prabandam. He married at the age of 16, and moved from Sikkil Kidaram to Alwarthirunagari to become the disciple of theacharya Tiruvaymolipillai.
Tiruvaymolipillai was instrumental in reviving thearcha tirumeni (idol) ofRamanuja at Alwarthirunagari and in building a temple for him. He put the young Manavalan in charge of the temple and gave him to title of Yatheendra Pravana in recognition of his devotion to Ramanuja. It was around this time that Manavalan wroteYathiraja Vimsati, which is considered to be the very essence of the exaltedRamanuja Nutrantati.
On his deathbed, Tiruvaymolipillai instructed Manavalan to learn and propagate theSri Bhasya, and to spend most of his time in propagating and preaching thearulicheyal (Divya Prabhandam) of theAlvars. He also asked Manavalan to stay atSrirangam and perform service toRanganatha, as his predecessors had done.[citation needed]
Manavalan was inconsolable upon the death of his master. He immersed himself completely into studying and delivering discourses on Divya Prabandham, and rahasyas. Word of his abilities spread and he gained various disciples. Prominent among them was Sri Alagiya Varadar, who undertooksanyasashrama (asceticism) from Manavalan. The sanyasa name was given as "Ramanuja Jeeyar" (also known as Ponnadikkal Jeeyar). Thus began the most illustrious jeeyar matha in the Sri Vaishnava sampradaya, the Vanamamalai matha, that continues the great unbroken lineage of acharyas to this day.[3]
Intending to fulfil the wishes of his acharya, Manavalan and his disciples left for Srirangam, spending some time atSrivilliputhur, the birthplace ofAndal, on their journey.[citation needed]
Srirangam, at that point, was facing the worst consequences of the Muslim invasion that took place in the early 14th century. It was structurally dilapidated, sacramentally bare, intellectually barren and spiritually, socially and morally corrupt. Misuse of rights, corruption and disorder were rampant. Manavalan had to exert tremendous effort and bring to force his organizational skills to restore the original pristine glory for daily sacramental and festival procedures at Srirangam, without antagonizing the people who were functioning in different capacities at that point in time. He realized the importance of bringing the focus back to the essential tenets of Sri Vaishnavism and achieved this objective by bringing to fore scholarly works of acharyas, that had hitherto been pushed into the background. As a result of his devotion, Manavalan was put in charge of everyday temple administration, as well as anointed the leader for all the Sri Vaishnavas of his time.[4]
With normalcy returning to Srirangam, Manavalan set on a pilgrimage toKanchipuram,Tirumala, andSriperumbudur, after seeking the blessings of Ranganatha. Manavalan paid his obeisance toSrinivasa at Tirumala, and reached Kanchipuram. At the request of his disciples to glorify the form of Vishnu at Kanchipuram, he composed theDevaraja Mangalam, which praises the glory of Varadharaja in thirteen verses.[5] At Sriperumbudur, Manavalan worshipped Ramanuja, and sought his blessings to formally studySri Bhasya under an acharya. Ramanuja directed him to Kidambi Manavalan, a descendant of Kidambi Achan (Vedantha Desikan’s lineage). Manavalan exhibited his erudition and scholarship by grasping the intricacies of Sri Bhasya deftly, and then simultaneously expounding it to other disciples. The discourse took place at Yathothkari temple atTiruvekkaa, where his idol is seen showing thevyakhyana mudra (the teaching gesture) to commemorate this event.[6]
After visiting several other holy places, Manavalan returned to Srirangam to fully manage the temple affairs. He undertooksanyasashrama (asceticism) from Sri Sadagopa Jeeyar ofAlwarthirunagari Permual Temple fromAhobila mutt, however his acharya (pancha-samaskaaram acharya) was Thiruvaaymozhi pillai. It was during this time that he received the appellationAlagiya Manavala Mamuni.
At this point of time, some prominent scholars, namely, Koil Kanthatai Annan,Prathivadhi Bhayankaram Annan(composer of Venkateswara and Naiyanacharya mangalam/suprabhatam), Erumbi Appa, and Appillai became his disciples.
Manavala Mamunigal continued to live inSrirangam, and involved himself completely in writing commentaries for works of Pillai Lokacharya. He wrote elaborate commentaries for three ofPillai Lokacharya'srahasya granthas (secret texts), namely Mumukshupadi, Sri Vachana Bhushanam, and Thathvathrayam. He also wrote commentaries on the works of swami Arulala Perumal Emperumanar - Gnana Saram and Prameya Saram.[7] He penned commentaries on some decads of Periyalvar Tirumoli, for which the original commentaries of Periyavaccan Pillai were supposed to be lost. In addition, he provided the gist ofNammalvar'sTiruvaymoli in the form of poetic verses tuned in theantati metre in his magnum opus,Tiruvaymoli Nutrantati. Manavalan extolled the greatness of theAlvars and the acharyas who wrote commentaries on Tiruvaymoli in hisUpadesa Ratnamalai, or the gem-studded garland of instructions.[8] His swansong,Arti Prabandham - a work composed out of utter despair at having to live in this material world - bears resemblance in part to his earlier Sanskrit work titledYatiraja Vimsati.[9]
After some time, he returned to Alwartirunagari and started to write commentaries for Acharya Hrudayam. This is a seminal work written by Alagiya Manavalaperumal Manavalan (Pillai Lokacharya's brother), which lays bare the philosophy and basic tenets of Sri Vaishnavism, with words chosen fromNammalvar's Tiruvaymoli. The text was written completely inManipravalam, but when trying to teach Acharya Hrudayam, Mamunigal encountered some difficulties. So, he decided to consult withAyee Jananyacharya, who was a co-disciple of Tiruyaymolipillai. Ayee was on his way to Alwartirunagari to meet Manavalan. They both met at the outskirts of Alwartirunagari and returned to Manavalan's residence, and the latter studied the secrets of the Acharya Hrudayam.[10]
Manavala Mamunigal wrote nineteen books known asgrantha. Three of these were inSanskrit, and the rest were in theTamil language andManipravalam.
According to tradition, during his old age, Manavalan discovered that part of Periyavachan Pillai's commentary on Periyalvar Tirumoli was missing. So, he duly restored the lost portion of the commentary. It is also noted that he composed the commentary on Acharya Hrdayam with great difficulty, as his health was failing. When he became very ill, preventing him from worshiping at the temple, he dedicated one Tamil stanza a day, expressing to Ramanuja his anguish at staying in this world, and his eagerness to reachVaikuntham. These collected verses became known asArti Prabandham, his last work.[11]
Manavala Mamunigal's burial site, called the Tiruvarasu in Tamil, is located along the Kollidam Flood Bank Road in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu, India.[12]
Archaeological and radar surveys in the Tiruvarasu area yielded conclusive evidence of his burial site along with locations of temples destroyed during invasions prior to his time period.[13][14]
Manavalan's devotional practices towards Vishnu, especially the presiding deity of Srirangam, and the lineage of teachers like Ramanuja, left an indelible influence on his followers, numbering several millions throughout India. His influence can be traced to everyday observances till this date.[citation needed]
His eight famous disciples are known asAshtadiggajas (elephants of the eight directions): Vanamamalai Jeeyar, Paravasthu Bhattar Piran Jeeyar, Tiruvengada Jeeyar, Koil Kandhaadai Annan,Prathivadhi Bhayankaram Annan, Erumbi Appaa, Appillai, and Appillan. Prathivadhi Bhayankaram Annan'sSri Venkateswara Suprabhatham is widely known. In that work and in the connectedprapatti and mangala stotras he refers to the "God of the Seven Hills" as residing in the heart of Manavala Mamunigal. The teacher-disciple tradition has been followed for over six centuries and exists intact today amongst 74simhasana adipatis.[citation needed]
The traditional Sri Vaishnava mathas at Srirangam, Tirumala, Kanchi, Melkote, Vanamamalai, Sriperumbudur, Alwarthirunagari, Srivilliputthur, and descendants of most of the Acharya Purushas follow and propagate Manavala Mamunigal's teachings. The Vijayanagara kings and Nayak kings patronized Sri Vaishnavism, inspired by the teachings of Manavala Mamunigal, and his disciples.[citation needed]
Thetaniyan orvandana slokam (eulogy) of Manavala Mamunigal, "Sri Sailesa dayapattram", is chanted across Sri Vaishnava temples, including Tirumala, Srirangam, Kanchi, Melkote, Yadadri (Telangana), and many more across India and abroad.[citation needed]
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