srI: A Life Sketch of Sri NampillaisrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: Ed. 1AzhvAr emperumAnAr jIyar thiruvadigaLE sharaNamhttp://www.acharya.org3
Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:Srimathe Baladhanvi Mahagurave Nama:Srimad Varavaramunaye Nama:
A Life Sketch of Sri Nampillai
(By Sri U Ve Bhuvarahachariar Swami, M.A., Rtd. Prof. of Sanskrit, Alwar Thirunagari )
Part 1
A unique and distinctive feature of our Sri Vaishnava Sampradayam is its unbroken chain of successive great Azhwars and Acharyas. Sri Vedanta Desika in his"Yathiraja Sapthathi" waxeseloquent as regards this uninterrupted appearance (Avataram) of Acharyas and metaphoricallycompares it to a beautiful garland of gems.a muna tapaniti sayee bhumnayathirajena nibadha nayaksri |mahati gurupankthi hara yashtihivibhudhanaam hrida yangama vibhati ||In this stanza, he compares our Acharya Parampara to a garland of gems for which the centralsapphire is Sri Ramanujar. The diamond chain embellishes only the body where as this AcharyaParampara haram adorns the soul.Many of us, nowadays are not aware of the Guruparampara (succession of Acharyas). Hence I givetheir order of appearance.1.
Periya Perumal. (Lord Sri Ranganatha, the presiding deity reclining on the serpant bed atSrirangam)2.
His consort Sri Ranga Nachiyar3.
Senani (Sri Vishwaksenar, The chief commander of all beings)4.
Nammazhwar5.
Nathamunikal6.
Uyyakondar (Pundarikaksha)7.
Manakkal Nambi (Sri Rama Misrar)8.
Alavandar (Sri Yamunachariyar)9.
Periya Nambigal (Sri Parankusa Daasar)10.
Emberumaanar (Sri Ramanujar)11.
Embar12.
Parashara Bhattar13.
Nanjeeyar14.
Nampillai15.
Vadakku Thiruveedhi Pillai16.
Pillailokacharyar17.
Thiruvazhmozhi Pillai18.
Manavala Mamunigal
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