YAMUNACHARYA (Tamil Alavandar)

(Cir. 918-1038 A.D.)

 

We have a fairly full account of the life and works of Yamunacharya in the traditional Guruparamparas and other works based on them. He was born in Viranarayanapuram (Cir. 918 A.D.) and was early initiated by his father Ishvaramuni in the study of the Vedas and other traditional Shastras- The circumstances leading to his disputation with the Court poet of the Chola king of the day and his victory in it make very interesting reading.

Akkialvan the Court poet wanted to collect tribute from Maha Bhashya Bhatta, the Guru of Yamuna and when he (Yamuna), on behalf of his Guru, refused the payment of the tribute, got infuriated and demanded submission of Yamuna to him or a contest. Young Yamuna accepted the challenge on his Guru’s behalf and overcame his powerful adversary in the ensuing disputation which was conducted in the presence of the king and queen in the palace. The queen, who had been impressed by Yamuna’s personality, was so pleased with his victory that she hailed him as “Alavandar”, the Victor. Yamuna himself, according to the king’s wager ‘n the contest got half the kingdom and began to lead a life of luxury and ease in the royal palace- This turn in the life of Yamuna was 4 matter for great concern for Rama Mishra who had been enjoined by his Guru to prepare Yamuna for the spiritual mission.

By a clever ruse, 14 he got access to Yamuna in his palace and reminded him of the spiritual treasure which had been bequeathed to him by his grand-father, Nathamuni and which be ("Rama Mishra) bad been keeping in trust for him all along. Yamuna’s curiosity was roused and was one day induced to follow Rama Mishra to Shrirangam to get possession of the treasure there. Yamuna’s spiritual consciousness was awakened when Rama Mishra took him to the shrine and pointing to the God there told him that that was the treasure bequeathed to him (Pailamaham Dhanam}, was no other than Shri RangaHatha. Yamuna thereupon, was awakened to his destined role, took up Sanyasa and devoted the rest of his life for the propagation of Vishishtadvaita Rama Mishra had accomplished his task by reclaiming Yamuna to the spiritual mission which had been long ago determined for him by Nathamuni.

14. After regularly supplying a particular vegetable to the palace kitchen every day for Yamuna’s daily food, Rama Mishra all of a sudden stopped the supply. Noticing the absence of that particular ‘tem in his daily menu, Yamuna asked for the reason and was told that the gentleman who had been supplying it regularly had stopped doing so suddenly. Yamuna ordered that he should be brought to his presence when next he came to the palace with the supply. Accordingly, when Rama Mi3ra again went to the palace, he was introduced to Yamuna. Thus did Rama Mishra gained access to Yamuna.

Yamuna's works If Nathamuni had by his works provided a plan for the formulation of Vishishtadvaita, Yamuna was to lay its foundations secure for its later systematization by Ramanuja. 15 This will be clear from a careful analysis of Yamuna’s works, most of which luckily are now extant and have been commented upon by celebrated Acharyas like Venkatanatha. They are (1) the Siddhitraya, (2) Agamapramanya, (3) Gitartha Sangraha, (4) Mahapurusha Nirnaya, (5) Stotra Ratna (6) Chatushloki. 16 A brief review of these works will reveal the wide range of subjects dealt with.

15. Refer Tattva Mukta-Kalapa, Adravyasara St.136, quoted by R Ramanujachari in his article on Nathamuni and his times-Journal of the Annamalai University Vol. IX, page 271.

16. See the shloka containing the names of these works in the introduction to the Gitarthasangraha Raksha by Venkatanatha.

 

Siddhitraya 17: – This work in three sections, Atmasiddhi, Ishwara Siddhi, and Samvit Siddhi, seeks to establish the reality of the individual and the Paramatma (Supreme) soul and refutes the doctrine of Avidya of Advaita. It is often quoted by Ramanuja in his Shri Bhashya for the purpose of refuting the position of Shri Shankara. In fact, it contains all the main arguments advanced by the different schools of thought in regard to the nature of the soul, Ishwara, and consciousness.

17. The following editions of Siddhitraya may be consulted. (i) By R. Ramanujachari and K. Shrinivasacharya, Annamalai University Philosophy series 4.

(ii) Edition in Sanskrit by P. B. Annangaracharya Siromani, Wadtal, Nirnayasagar Press. Bombay. (iii) Edition in Tamil by Uttamur Viraraghavacharya. The Samvit Siddhi is stated to have been the first of the three Siddhis though it is usually put as the third. It is also incomplete, presumably because the final portions of it have been lost.

 

Agamapramanya: – In this work, Yamuna seeks to eatablish the authority of the Pancharatra Shastra. He also establishes its orthodoxy by pointing out that its tenets are not contradictory but are fully reconcilable to the Vedanta. It is on the basis of this work that Ramanuja maintains that the ‘Utpatyasambhavadhikaranam’ reflects the authority of the Pancharatra.

 

Gitartha Sangraha:— is a summary of the teachings of the Gita in 30 verses presenting the arguments in that work according to the Vishishtadvaita school. Ramanuja’s commentary on the Gita follows the lines set by Yamuna in his work 18.

 

Stotraratna: — containing 75 shlokas expressing Yamuna’s deep devotion to the lord is indeed the gem of that class of devotional literature. Subsequent stotras including those of Kurattalvan and Parashara Bhatta have followed the model set by Yamuna in this respect. Together with the ChatushIoki, it is said to have inspired the soul-stirring Gadya Traya of Ramanuja. The sentiments expressed in the stotra would reveal that it is a document of Prapatti and not merely one of prayer 19.

18. See A recent study by D. T. Tatacharya on the subject in the Journal of the Shri Venkateshwara Oriental Institute. Also the thesis on Ramanuja’s Gita Bhasya by Dr. J. Buitenan with text and translation of the Gitartha Sangraha.

19. Mss. on the development of Vishishtadvaita by Dr. K. C. Varadachari. He thinks that it is for this reason that this and the other Stotras are considered to be hand-books of the Philosophy of Religion of Vishishtadvaita.

Chatushloki — is a stotra of four verses on Shri or Lakshmi. The four verses bring out the essence of the Shri Tatva, the Supreme Motherhood of God. ‘God and Mother form a divine pair. Sri is Grace --- inseperable from Hari in all possessions, powers and purposes. 20

20. ibid. The author is of the opinion that it is the importance, of Shri in the system that has led to its being called by.

 

Maha purusha Nirnaya:— is unfortunately not now extant. It is just possible that it was a sort of sequel to his Agamapramanya. Having established the authority and orthodoxy of the Pancharatra, Yamuna should have thought it necessary to establish the Mahapurusha, Supreme person or being who had to be worshipped according to the astra.

Yamuna’s works noted above seen to reveal a purpose namely, the supplementing of the works of his grand-father, Nathamuni for a fuller formulation of the Vishishtadvaita system. That being so, it is natural to expect that he should have contributed to the literature on Yoz28a also. But tradition is silent on this, and the fact that Venkatanatha does not mention any such work of Yamuna in the shloka referring to his works in his introduction to the Pancharatra Sangraha Raksha should show clearly that there is no work by him on Yoga.

There is an interesting and also a revealing episode on Yamuna’s life relating to this subject. Tradition records that after Yamuna had settled down in Shrirangam as Acharya, Rama Mishra told him that there was yet another ‘Rahasya which he (Yamuna) had to learn from Kurakkaikkavalappan, the disciple of Nathamuni. Rama Mishra recalled to Yamuna how his &rand-father, Nathamuni had tried to initiate his disciple Pundarikaksha Into the Yoga, and how he could Not do it as the disciple felt that the initiation had to be done towards the close of his life. It is Obvious there.

fore, that Nathamuni Could not initiate Pundarikaksha in Yoga in his own life time and that therefore, there Was a break in the Yoga tradition. On hearing this, Yamuna felt a desire to learn the secret of Yoga, having had the Other essential discipline from Rama Mishra, already, He went to Kurukaikkavalappan, who happened to be the Only disciple of Nathamuni and Custodian of the Yoga Rahasya, yet living the latter fixed a Particular future date, namely, the day on which he was shed his mortal life and directed him to go to him again before that date for the Purpose of initiation.

The story g0es that during the Subsequent Pilgrimage of Yamuna to the holy Places in the South, When he was Staying in Tiruvanantapuram, he remembered the date fixed for his Yoga initiation and found to his great regret that that happened to be the very day fixed for the Purpose. He had, therefore, to forego the great initiation.

It is easy to arrive at the facile Conclusion that the Yoga tradition had been lost even in the days of Yamuna and that ever since it has had no place in the theory and Practice of Vaishnavism. But, can this be true? Is it Possible that this Yoga Rahasya that had been imparted by Nammalvar to Nathamuni along with the knowledge of the Darshanas and Divya Prabandhams Would have been allowed to die out so unceremoniously?

The answer lies in the proper interpretation of the Kurukkaikkavalappan episode in Alavandar’s life against the background of the development of the trends of Vaishnava thought since the days of Nathamuni. The new trend initiated by Nathamuni was the popularisation of the Divya Prabandhams and the doctrines of Bhakti and Prapatti emphasised by them. They were no doubt implicit in the Pancharatra and in the Bhagavata religion the spirit of which only is revealed in the hymns of the Alvars. But, what Nathamuni attempted anew was to popularise these doctrines and hold out the promise of salvation even for the commonfolk (not initiated in Yogic methods.) through Bhakti and Prapatti margas.

And it may be noted too, that this was attempted to be done through the popularisation of the Divya Prabandhas which uttered the language of the people and spoke to their heart. This being the new trend of Vaishnava teaching, more and more emphasis was laid on these by succeeding Acharyas and less and less on the path of Yoga which was only for the select few trained to pursue it for Moksha.

It may be that Yoga, difficult as it was also considered likely, as the ritualistic Mimamsa in an earlier phase of Hindu thought and practice, to mislead its votaries into fogetting God ("the end) in the exaltation of the Ego. Nevertheless, it would be wrong to assert that Yoga had been altogether given up or discarded in the Vishishtadvaita system As long as the Pancharatra continues to be regarded as the cardinal text of Vaishnavism, so long should Yoga be deemed to be one of its vital disciplines. For, one of the daily duties prescribed by it for every Shri Vaishnava described as a ‘Panchakala-Parayana’ and included as part and parcel of Bhakti 21., is Yoga in the sense of Ashtanga Yoga. That it is so even to-day is shown, among other things, by the insistence on ‘Bhuta-Suddhi’ (purification of the Prakriti or the elements composing the body) of the worshipper as a kind of Yoga for the performance of the daily Aradhana (worship) of God by every Shri Vaishnava.

It will be a misreading of Vaishnavism to think that it has no place for Yoga in its system.

What has been considered lost is just what probably has been deliberately discarded namely, the kind of Yoga (for eg. Hatha Yoga) which is intended for conquests, however exalted they may be rather than for salvation of one’s self. It is also possible to construe that the more acceptable aspects of Yoga have been deliberately veiled as being impossible for the understanding of the comtnonfolk.

In a sense, Yamuna’s great contribution to Vishishtadvaita, perhaps next only to his works, must be said to his discovery of Ramanuja for the Acharyaship next to him. The Guruparampara accounts of his quest for a proper successor to him vividly describe his anxious concern in the matter despite the fact that he had already several ardent disciples under him in Shrirangam.

21. See Aspects of Bhakti, Mysore University Lectures by Dr. K. C. Varadachari.

Having heard about Ramanuja’s proficiency in shastras, when he was yet a pupil of Yadavaprakasha, Yamuna visited Kanchipuram to acquaint himself with the young scholar. Seeing him from a distance, he was struck by his personality so much that he declared in the presence of his followers that he (Ramanuja) was verily the future Acharya. He had by that time come to know about Ramanuja’s proficiency in Shastras and his penchant for the correct interpretation of the Vedic texts.

He rightly allowed him time to grow into maturity under the gentle influence of Tirukkacchi Nambi and the benign grace of Lord Varadaraja at Conjeevaram.

Subsequently, on hearing that Ramanuja had left the tutelage of Yadavaprakasha and was engaged in the service of the Lord Varadaraja- Yamuna sent mahapurna (Periya Nambi) to g° and fetch Ramanuja from Conjeevaram. While on his mission, Periya Nambi one day was going round the temple reciting the Stotra Ratna of Yamuna; on hearing which Ramanuja stopped to enquire who the author of verse was. Being told that it was Yamuna’s he expressed at once a desire to meet him and obtain his grace. Periya Nambi was only too happy to take him along with him to Shrirangam. But while they were nearing Shrirangam, they saw at a distance on the banks of the Cauvery a huge concourse of man and soon learnt that they had gathered there for the last rites of Yamuna who had since passed away:

Here comes the significant story of how Ramanuja saw and was curious to know the reason why three fingers in the hands of Yamuna remained closed. True to his guest, he was told that Yamuna had expressed during his life a strong desire for three things, which he had considered very important. 1. The perpetuation of the memory of Vyasa and Parashara. 2. The fostering Of the loving Memory of Nammalvar, 3. Writing a Bhashya or commentary on the Vedanta Sutra. Thereupon, Ramanuja declared in the Presence of the gathering that, given the grace of Yamuna he would fulfil every one of those Wishes of the departed Acharya. At once, the Closed fingers Straightened up as if to indicate his Pleasure at the ready response of Ramanuja to accomplish the three-fold task that he had in mind.

It is well known that Ramanuja wrote the Shri Bhashya and directed Tirukkurukaippiran Pillan to Write the first commentary in Manipravalam on the Tiruvaymoli of Nammalvar (the Arayirapadi) 22 and thereby fulfilled the second and third tasks set for him by Yamuna. Regarding the first, namely, the Perpetuation of the memory of Vyasa and Parashara, tradition would Say that he accomplished it by naming his intimate associate and disciple Kurattalvan’s son as ‘Parashara Bhatta’ after the great Parashara. This Seems to be a rather unconvincing way of interpreting the performance of a noble task, consistently With the manner in which he had fulfilled the other two tasks, it would be more Convincing and appropriate to hold that Ramanuja Perpetuated the memory of Parashara for all time by Writing a commentary on the Gita which is said to be a Substantial Summary of Parashara’s Vishnupurana, having done the same for. Vyasa by Writing the Shri Bhashya the great commentary on his Sutras.

22. Later Commentaries on the Tiruvaymoli by Other Acharyas followed this.

 

Yamuna's date:—

Apart from the traditional date given (918-1028 A.D), there is no other evidence for fixing the date precisely for Yamuna. However, a few facts which may indicate broadly his date have been given. 23 In his Sidhitraya, Yamuna refers to a Cola King of his time ("Yadha Chola Nrpah, etc.) though the king is not mentioned by name it is inferred by the manner of his reference to him as 'Samrat’, that he may be identified Raja Raja the Great (985-1014) one of the powerful rulers of the Cola line. The second broad indication is his reference in the Atmasiddhi to ‘Suresamvachas’ which apparently relates to Sureswaracharya the pupil of Shri Shankara, and it is possible to infer from this that Yamuna was well acquainted with his commentary on Shankara Bhashya.

Yamuna’s contribution may be summed up by saying that ‘he was the initiator of the philosophical dialectic in Vishishtadvaita’ 24 If Ramanuja could compose regular and comprehensive texts on the three ‘Prasthanas’, namely, the Upanishads, the Gita and the Vedanta Sutras, it was mainly because of the earlier works of Yamuna. It would be appropriate therefore to reiterate that Yamuna's contribution to Vishishtadvaita consisted in laying its foundation on the plans already formulated by Nathamuni, for its systematisation by Ramanuja.

23. Vaishnavaite reformers by T. Rajagopalacharya P. 29.

24. Dr. K. C. Varadachari -Lectures on Development of Vishishtadvaita.