ఆచార్య రామానుజ ఆత్మా దీపం

Thiruvarangathamudanar, in his 'Ramanuja Nootrandadhi,' has acknowledged the role of the Azhvars in spreading Vedantic truths. Refering to Poigai Azhvar, the first Azhvar, he says he is the one who lit a lamp to get rid of darkness. He refers to Poigai Azhvar with a sense of possession as 'yem' (our). The reason is Poigai Azhvar's work, as that of the other Azhvars, is in Tamil. His verses are not in a language we cannot comprehend, but it is in our language. Hence this is a cause for delight. What was the darkness the lamp lit by Poigai Azhvar's lamp dispelled ?It was the darkness of ignorance in our hearts that the Azhvar dispelled, through his verses. His verses are collectively referred to as the Mudal Thiruvandadi. Poigai Azhvar's work begins with a verse that says that with the world as the lamp, the ocean as the oil, the Sun as the igniting spark, the Azhvar lit a lamp, namely his verses. It goes on to say his verses are the garland he offers to Lord Narayana, and the Lord will rid us of the veil of ignorance. But while the Azhvar talks of the lamp, the igniting spark and the oil, he does not mention the wick. Thriuvarangathamudanar, in his verse on poigai Azhvar, explains what the wick is. He says Poigai Azhvar took two threads: one was the Tamil language; and the other was the meaning of the Vedanta. With the two threads, he made a wick. He wove together the essence of the Vedanta and Tamil, and this was the wick used in the lamp he lit; the 'Mudal Thiruvandadi.' Thiruvarangathamudanar refers to Ramanajua as the one who has this lamp in his heart. While all the Azhvars have given us the same truth, namely Lord Narayana is the Supreme One, it was Poigai Azhvar who set the ball rolling, and therefore he has a hallowed position among theAzhvars. Poigai Azhvar appeared in a lotus, and so did goddess Mahalakshmi. The Goddess is gentler than the Lord. And so is Poigai Azhvar who used a gentle, sweet language - Tamil - for composing his verses.