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From the Bhakti List Archives

M K Sudarshan • February 23, 1997 


At 09:17 AM 2/22/97 EST, SriSadagopan wrote:
           ****************************************
>Dear Sri Sudarshan : I think I have come across this slokam 
>in Prapanna PArijAtham , where NadAthur AmmAL
>quotes it as a part of commentary on Lakshmi Tantram.

>>If my memory serves me right , this beautiful verse
>is not by Acharya RamAnujA and is about Maha Lakshmi
>in general and not about PerundEvi ThAyAr.This verse 
>to the best of my recollection is from VishNu PurANam. 
>
>I will not be surprised , if my memory is faulty.
            *****************************************
Dear Sri.Sadagopan,
After reading your post I am also a little confused now about the authorship
of this short and extremely sweet verse.

I recall that a very pious relative of mine, who used to regularly conduct
"bhagavath-ArAdhanam" in his house in Kanchi, recited this verse after the
"sriPanchAkshara" meditation alongwith "kalyANanAm avakalanidhi-hi kApi
kArunya seemA ...etc."

The reason why I have believed that the author of this verse is SriRamanUja
is because I read somewhere that our "uDayavar", after first setting out on
his tour of India since assuming "sanyAsam" in SriRangam, visited Kanchi and
was there received by 'Kanchi-purna'. Our "acharya", it seems, prostrated at
his feet and dedicated :

   srimath kAnchi munim vandE kamala pati nandanam I
   varadAnghi sadAsanga rasAyana parAyaNam  II

Then Kanchi-purna himself led our "yatirAjan" into the Temple of our
VaradarAjan !

First, our "uDayavar" prostrated before the "AnaikAtta-peruman". Then he
proceeded to wash himself in the "ananta-saras" pond. Then he paid his
respects to "gnyAna-pirAn" in the outer "prAkAram". Then, it is said, our
"achArya" proceeded to worship the "AzhwAr-sannidhi-s", "balipItha", and
"jaya-vijaya". Then he is reported to have saluted "adisEsha" and the Holy
Hill. Then SriRamanuja's glances, it seems, fell on the great hall to the
east where  Sri.Yamunacharya first met the young Ramanuja many years
earlier. At that point our "uDayavar" repeated :

   namO namO yAmUnAya yamUnAya namO namaha I
   namO namO yAmUnAya yamUnAya namO namaha II

Then, it is written, that our "acharya" worshipped the "vimAna" after paying
respects to "kariya-mANikayath~emberumAn". After that he bowed to the
"madapalli nAcchiyAr".

It is said that SriRamAnuja then turned to "perundEvi-thAyyAr" and dedicated
the verse below before finally entering the Abode of Lord Varada:
             
       "AkAratraya sampannAm aravinda nIvAsInIm  I
       asEshajagadIshatrIm vandE varadavallabhAm  II"

Recalling all the above details I had read somewhere a while ago, I had
always been under the impression that it was our "uDayavar" who composed the
euphonic verse in praise of 'perundevi' !!

After reading Sri.Sadagopan's post I realize now I may be utterly mistaken !

Pardon me for my inaccuracies, but it was the strong "Kanchi connection"
which led me astray and made me falsely/rashly attribute this verse to the
credit of SriRamanuja !!(My nativity from the maternal side is Kanchipuram;
also, my mother's maiden name was "ManiPerundevi" before she became the
"Mani Krishnaswami" she is today !!) 

Perhaps someone else on the 'list' can still confirm which one is more wrong
: Sri.Sadagopan's memory or my own recollection !

sudarshan.