speciality of azwar aruLich cheayl over other shAstrAss

From the Bhakti List Archives

• March 25, 1997


Dear bAgawathALs,
     There are several incidents in our ahchArya guru pArampariyam that
had
taken place to show the truth that azwar aruLichcheyaL is considered as
the
most prmoinent and also superior literature of all. This relate to the
recent
quote by Sri varadhan from PBA and subsequent questions by Sri PD on the
understanding and the validity of the same in certain manner. This post
is
not to hurt anyone's feelings. Sri varadhan and Sri PD
please forgive me if these continued posts are in anyway hurting your
feelings.
This post is simply meant to present a beautiful incidence from our
poorvacharyaaLs
that will show us that azwaar aruLich cheyaL was indeed considered as
the most
prominent and important and holy literature of all in their mind.
     Sri koorath azwar's son Sri Rangaraja battar was serving periya
perumal
and our sri sampradayam as a pravarththar. That time a srivaishnava came
to Srirangam
from north and battar met him at thiruk kauveri. When asked about the
news from north
the visting sriviahsnava said that there is "vedathi" near thiru narayan
puram and
is teaching all the advaithic philosphy to all masses as simiular to
your 
services for sri vishitaadvaidam. Later when the sriviashnava went to
north
he told the vedanthi that he met with Sri battar at srirangam. 
He also told him that Sri battar is more proficient 
than vedanthi.  when asked by vedanthi he replied
sri battar knows tharkkam, vyAkaranam and meemamsai and all other
shaastraas.
some time later the srivishnava returned to srirangam and told sri
battar
about his conversatrion with vedanthi. battar asked him "what did
youtell him
as to what shaastras i knew". srivaishnava repeated. Sri battar replied
" swami,
you didnot mention to vedanthi of those most important subsatnace i have
learnt
and instead you have told him about the other shaaatraas. Next time when
you meet
him please tell him that i have unederstood thiru nedunthaandakam".
Vedanthi didnot
know this when he was told. Later battar went to this place and debated
the vedanthi
for 9 days as per periya perumal's advice. On the 10 th day periya
perumal appeared
in his dream and said i wanted him to know your expertise in all the
other shaastras so far.
tomorrow you may use thiru nedinthaandakam and alawandaar's srisukthi
and will win him.
Thus the vedanthi accepted defeat with the thirunedunthaandakam arulich
cheyal
and its vyaakyaanma itself and pleaded to sri battar to accept him as a
shishyaal
and became a sriviashnavaL under him. The moral of this acahraya
vaibavam is 
such that not only our poorvachaRyaaLs but also periya perumal of
srirangam
had in THEIR mind that azwar aruLichceyal is the most important shastram
of all.

Sri Rangaraja battar thiruvadikaLE charaNam
thiru nedunthAndakam thantha parakAlaN thriuvadikaLE charaNam
Sri RanganAyika samEtha Sri Rangantha perumAL pAdukE charaNam
Sampath Rengarajan