kurugai kAvalappan

by

sri:
srimathE rAmAnujAya nama:
srimadh varavaramunayE nama:
sri vAnAchala mahAmunayE nama:

thirunakshathram: thai, visAgam

avathAra sthalam: AzhwAr thirunagari

AchAryan: nAthamunigaL

kurugai kAvalappan is a dear sishya of nAthamunigaL. nAthamunigaL, after returning to kAttu mannAr kOil, spends some time in meditating on emperumAn. Subsequently, he orders kurugai kAvalappan to learn the yOga rahasyams and teaches the same to him. kurugai kAvalappan learns the same and continues to meditate on emperumAn in ashtAnga yOgam. When nAthamanuigaL leaves to paramapadham unable to bear the separation from emperumAn, kurugai kAvalappan goes to the place where nAthamunigaL gives up his  vimala charama thirumEni (pure final body) and stays there for the rest of his life fully meditating on emperumAn and taking care of that place.

maNakkAl nambi instructs ALavandhAr to go and learn yOga rahasyam from kurugai kAvalappan. ALavandhAr along with his sishyas reach where appan is in yOgam (meditation) with emperumAn. Wanting to not disturb appan’s meditation, without making any sound, they all hide behind a wall and watch appan from behind his back. Suddenly, appan turns around and asks if anyone from chottai kulam (srEshta kulam of nAthamunigaL). AlavandhAr comes out and introduces himself as yamunai thuraivan the grand son of nAthamunigaL.  He asks appan “We were hiding behind the wall on your back side. How did you come to know about my identity?”. appan replies “When I am with emperumAn in yOgam, even if periya pirAttiyAr comes and invites him, he will not turn around. But he was constantly pressing my shoulders down and looking over me towards your direction. From that I understood that there must be some one from the sottai kulam of nAthamunigaL which is very dear to him”. AlavandhAr becomes very moved with appan’s experience with bhagavAn and bhagavAn’s attachment towards nAthamunigaL. He then falls flat at appan’s lotus feet and requests him to teach the yOga rahasyam.  appan lifts him up and promises to teach him the same but he says he will reveal that only towards the end of his own life here in samsAram. Being a great yOgi, he exactly knew his date of ascending to paramapadham. He revealed that date and time to ALavandhAr in a note and asked him to come back that particular time to learn yOga rahasyam. Agreeing to that, ALavandhAr returns to srIrangam and continues his kainkaryam.

Subsequently, during adhyayana uthsavam at srIranagam, AzhwAr thiruvaranga perumAL arayar recites nammAzhwAr‘s thiruvAimozhi in front of namperumAL. He recites the thiruvananthapuram padhigam – kedumidar (10.2) and by namperumAL’s divine desire, arayar recites the phrase “NadaminO NamargaLuLLIr NAmumakku aRiyach chonnOm” (நடமினோ நமர்களுள்ளீர் நாமுமக்கு அறியச் சொன்னோம்) meaning “Oh dear devotees! walk to thirvananthapuram at once” looking at ALavandhAr’s face. Hearing this, ALavandhAr accepts thus as the divine order of namperumAL and leaves to thiruvananthapuram. After reaching there and performing mangaLAsAsanam, he realizes that, it was the day when appan had asked him to come and learn yOga rahasyam. So, ALavandhAr laments that he did not have a pushpak vimAnam which will carry him at once.

Thus appan meditated on emperumAn and stayed forever at the place where his AchAryan left samsAram and finally himself reached his AchAryan’s divine lotus feet.

Let us pray at the lotus feet of kurugai kAvalappan to develop great attachment towards emperumAn and AchAryan.

kurugai kAvalappan’s thaniyan:

nAthamauni padhAsaktham gyAnayOgAthi sampadham
kurugAthipa yOghIndhram namAmi sirasA sadhA

நாதமௌநி பதாஸக்தம் ஜ்ஞானயோகாதி ஸம்பதம்
குருகாதிப யோகீந்த்ரம் நமாமி ஸிரஸா ஸதா

adiyen sarathy ramanuja dasan

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Sources: 6000 padi guruparamparA prabhAvam, periya thirumudi adaivu