By Karappangadu Venkatacharyar Swami

It is not an exaggeration to say that there is no greater mantra than this one which was given by the supreme Lord Sri Ranganatha Himself.

Manavala Mamunigal was the target for the complete grace of his acharya ("srishailesha dayApAtram"), Thiruvaymozhip Pillai. The fruit of that devotion to his acharya is shown not as bhagavat prApti but as yatIndra prAvaNyam and dhIbhaktyAdi guNArnavam. As Swami himself shows "enthai thiruvAymozhip piLLai innaruLAl vantha", his possessing extreme love for Ramanuja and his being the ocean of qualities such as knowledge, devotion and determination, came about due to his acharya's grace. A person who posseses wealth enjoys it just by being the owner of that wealth and nothing else. Similarly, Swami being Yatindra Pravana and possessing great qualities happened by his acharya's grace - as he is srishailesha dayAtpAtra.

By acharya's nature of being a benefactor, association and devotion to Ramanuja who is the deliverer, occurs. Swami shows his devotion and madhurakavi nishtai to Ramanuja in Yatiraja Vimshati ("rAmAnujArya! karuNaiva tu madgatiste") and in Arthi Prabandham ("mAsil thirumalaiyAzhvAr ennai nEsaththAl ninpAl sErththAr", "unthan abhimAnamE uththArakamenRu sinthai seythirukkac seytha nI anthO! ethirAsA! sathirAga nin thiruththAL thA", "avarkkAy ethirAsar emmaik kadugap paramapatham thannil ERRuvar, enna bayam namakkE", "ethirAsar tham abimAnamennum pOthaththai ERip pavamAm puNarithanaik kadanthu pAthak karailayak kuRuguvanE"). In Upadesa Ratthinamalai too, as phalasruti Swami says "enthai ethirAsara innaruLukku ilakkAgi sathirAga vAzhnthiduvar".

Therefore, the greatest meaning that Mamunigal shows is that the name ethirAja and rAmAnuja (4 aksharas) are greater than the name nArAyaNa (4 aksharas). And this is present in the thaniyan given by Namperumal.

Let us recite the divine name 'ramya jAmAtru muni' which has even the Lord's divine name in it, and surrender to Swami ("vande ramya jAmAtaram munim").