Periya Tirumalai Nambi and his descendants

Periya Thirumalai Nambi, also known as Srisailapoorna, was the maternal uncle of Swami Ramanujacharya and Govinda Bhattar (embar) and was also their philosophical mentor (acharya). [Reference - http://anudinam.org/2012/06/02/periya-tirumalai-nambi-thirunakshatram/]

He was one of the five principal acharyas of Swami Ramanujacharya, who was recognised as the jagadacharya. According to the orders of Alavandar, it was Periya Thirumalai Nambi who was supposed to hand over the Sri Ramayana to Emperumanar. Every day, he was involved in the act of divine theertha kainkaryam to Venkateswara, and would carry water from Akasa Ganga for Srinivasa thriuvaradhanam.

A strange incident occurred at that time. Elaiyazhvar and Govinda were learning Samanya Sastra under Yadava Prakasa. At that time, there was a conspiracy to kill Ramanuja during a pilgrimage to Kasi (ie Benaras). Knowing about it, Govinda rescued Ramanuja. At Kasi, during a dip in the Ganges, a sivalinga was found under the river by Govinda. Due to this incident, the Vaisnava Govinda was advised and renamed by his guru, Yadava Prakasa, to be known as Ullan Kai Konarindha Nayanar, and in turn, he became an ardent devotee of Shiva and settled down at Sri Kalahasti. To this day, there are Vaisnavas in Sri Kalahasti, who are known to be ardent devotees of Shiva.

Periya Tirumalai Nambi

From - http://anudinam.org/2012/06/02/periya-tirumalai-nambi-thirunakshatram/

Later, Periya Thirumalai Nambi, on the request of Ramanuja, went back thrice from Thirumalai to Sri Kalahasti to bring Govinda back to the Vaisnava fold. He went along with his disciples, and sat on the path through which Govinda would pass by to pick flowers for prayers. At this location, he started giving a lecture to the disciples on the words of Nammalvar, about worshipping the feet of Sriman Narayana by offering flowers. Govinda realised the efforts of Periya Thirumalai Nambi, and returned from Sri Kalahasti.


Transferring the Ramayana to Ramanuja
Swamy Alavandar had given the responsibility to various disciples of transferring sampradayic knowledge eventually to a single successor, Swamy Ramanuja. Among the tomes, the Ramayana was given to Periya Thirumalai Nambi and he was to hand it over to Ramanuja. Therefore, he forwarded instructions to Ramanuja to come to Thirumalai to receive the treasure.

As you may know, or may not, Thirumala hills are also known as Seshachala, i.e. the incarnation of Adi Sesha, the great-snake companion of Narayana. Swamy Ramanuja was also later considered to be the incarnation of Adi Sesha. Upon arriving at Thirumala, Ramanuja could not bring himself to walk upon the sacred hill. He therefore, started to walk with his knees. On hearing of this, Periya Thirumalai Nambi rushed to the location and welcomed Ramanuja. He said, "If you would begin climbing the divine hill in this manner, upon your knees, then devotees would not be able to brave it to do the pilgrimage. They would find it difficult to reach Narayana. Walk up in the normal manner. Consider this to be similar to bhagavat kainkaryam. Seshachala or Adi Sesha wold only be happy to be blessed by the feet of a devotee (bhagavata sripada sparsam)."

Ramanuja asked in return, "In order to inform me about the manner of my walk on Tirumala, did you have to run all the way? You could have sent anybody younger (or, lesser) with your instructions."

Periya Thirumalai Nambi replied, "Yes. I did want to send somebody smaller than me, and I searched for one all over Tirumala, but, I could not find anyone smaller than me to explain the greatness of Tirumala to you."

Ramanuja stayed in Tirumala for thee days and later came down to Tirupati and made a place for himself to dedicate himself to Sri Ramayana Kalashepam. Every day, for a year, Periya Thirumalai Nambi would complete the offering of waters to Narayana, as Theertha Kainkaryam and come down to Tirupati to expound upon the meaning of Srimad Ramayana to Ramanuja. Upon completion, Periya Thirumalai Nambi asked Ramanuja to seek a gift or reward or an offering from the guru to the shishya, unlike the aspect of gurudakshina from a student to the teacher.

Ramanuja requested Periya Thirumalai Nambi to send Govinda Bhattar along with him and this was agreed to. It was Govinda Bhattar who felt dismayed, but had to obey the Acharya. On beginning the journey, Govinda Bhattar could not suffer the separation from his teacher, and became sick. Realising his anguish, Ramanuja allowed him to return to Tirumala. Govinda Bhattar arrived at the house of Periya Thirumalai Nambi and knocked on the door. When the teacher's spouse wanted to open the door, she was told, "Does any one feed the cow that has been given away?"

Hearing these words, Govinda Bhattar understood his mistake and returned to Swamy Ramanuja and was with him until the last.

Later, as Periya Thirumalai Nambi got older, and was carrying on with his daily duties of carrying water to Lord Venkateswara, a small boy blocked his way and requested for the water. Periya Thirumalai Nambi refused to give water to the boy despite several requests since he would have to walk back to Akasa Ganga to bring water afresh. The boy hit the pot with a small stone and began to drink the water that poured out of the sharply accurate hole. As the weight decreased, Periya Thirumalai Nambi realised the situation and was upset. Upon that moment, the boy showed the manifestation of Narayana as Venkateswara and instructed Periya Thirumalai Nambi to fetch the sacred water from the nearby Koneri Pushparini.

As days and years went by, Periya Thirumalai Nambi could not perform the service of bringing water to Venkateswara. Therefore, he requested the Lord to partake of the food at the residence of another devotee.


Periya Thirumalai Nambi and his descendants

Periya Thirumalai Nambi was the grandson of Yamunacharya a.k.a. Alavandar. He had two sons - Pillai Tirumalai Nambi and Tirukkurukaippiran Pillan. Most descendants went off in these two lines, and went away to propagate Sri Vaishnavism. Some became rajaguru at Vizianagaram, Rayadurg etc, while the descendents of Tirukkurukaippiran Pillan settled in Kanchipuram, Valankuppam, Surapuram, Navilpakkam, Srirangam, Kumbakonam and Mysore among other places. The line from Pillai Tirumalai Nambi settled in Tirumalai in order to continue the service started by their father, Periya Thirumalai Nambi. To this day, the action of Kainkaryam of transporting Akasa Ganga water to Lord Venkateswara for the aradhanam and for offering Thulasi leaves at his holy feet is the responsibility of the family, now known as Tatacharya. They are known in the devasthanam records as Thozhapacharyas.

There is a delightful story of Periya Thirumalai Nambi and his dedication to the service of Lord Venkateswara. He would transport sacred water from Papavinasam, about five miles away from Thirumala for the daily prayers. On one particular day, a bird trapper met him and asked him for water, by addressing him as "Thatha" (= Grandfather). Periya Thirumalai Nambi refused to give the sacred water to the bird trapper since he intended to transport the water for the Lord's abhishekham. The bird trapper was innovative, and he hit the earth with an arrow and from therein, he kept drinking the water. From the next day onwards, Periya Thirumalai Nambi began to collect the water from the nearby place. Seeing this, the bird trapper desired that the water for the abhishekham should be taken from the place where he had shot the arrow. This location is now called Akasa Ganga, and Periya Thirumalai Nambi was convinced that the bird trapper was none other than Lord Venkateswara.

Periya Thirumalai Nambi was responsible for the inspiration for Ramanuja in the Saranagati Gadya. Periya Thirumalai Nambi had two sisters who were married to Kesavasomayaji and Pundarikaksha. A son was born to his sister, Kantimati and Kesavasomayaji at Sriperumbudur, and was named Ramanuja. Upon knowing this, Periya Thirumalai Nambi rushed to the child and blessed him by inscribing the marks of Shankha and Chakra as protective sacred symbols.

He was worried about his second nephew, Govinda, and reverted him back to the study of Srivaishnavism from Saivism. Later, he entrusted Govinda to the care of Ramanuja. Govinda was named as Emberumanar but was usually called as Embar. Periya Thirumalai Nambi handed over his second son, Tirukkurukaippiran Pillan as Gnanaputra (= one who would inherit the wisdom of Sri Ramanuja).

Upon inspiration from Ramanuja, it was Tirukkurukaippiran Pillan who wrote the commentary - Arayirapadi  (= Tiruvoimozhi). Ramanuja declared him to be competent to be in charge of the Ubhayavedanta. Periya Thirumalai Nambi stayed at South Mada Street in Tirumalai and the house is under the management of the Thozhappacharyas (= Prathama Acharya Purushas of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams).

Sharada Bhushan - Indumati - my mother

My mother, Sharada Bhushan, daughter and eldest child of Muniswamy Naidu and Hymavathy Naidu of Chennai, traveled from south India, to Mumbai upon her marriage to Balapila Naga Bhushan. At the time of her first journey to Mumbai, she had never been to the great megapolis, did not know Hindi or Marathi, and had a smattering knowledge of English. She had studied M.A. in Telugu at the University of Madras, at Queen Marys College, and was later teaching Telugu at Stella Maris College.

She arrived at Mumbai, learnt the art of cooking food on a kerosene stove, and later using gas cylinders, did her house management for more than 15 years without a refrigerator, and for more than 20 years without a washing machine. She would wake up at 05.00 - 06.00 am everyday, take care of her needs, cook food for everyone - breakfast, lunch and dinner in one go - and leave home by 07.30 - 08.00 am to go to the Andhra Education Society High School and would return only around 7.00 pm.

She studied and learnt and mastered English, Hindi, Marathi, History and HR while at Mumbai. I studied Marathi along with her, getting the Pravin, Pravesh and Prabodh certificates in Marathi. She also completed her B.Ed and M.Ed degrees.

[To be continued...]

With my mother, Sharada Bhushan, sometime in 1963

My mother would sometimes speak of her early days in Mumbai... of her fear in traveling alone around and about in the big big city. She said that the fear lasted about a couple of months. Later, I remember, she would take me and my sister, even as kids in KG and primary school, and we would travel through suburban trains, buses, change over at different stations and bus stands, or sometimes we would travel by train, bus, train bus etc if we would go to Borivili to meet Rosy Aunty (Nagendra Babu's elder sister).

My parents, B. N. Bhushan and Sharada (Indumati) Bhushan, sometime in 1962

Jairam Naidu - my father's brother-in-law

Jairam Naidu, my father's brother-in-law, was an entirely larger than life personality. Jovial, genial, happy and excellent in living his life for the day. He never seemed to think about a tomorrow, and yet, managed a large family. Lived at Nanganallur, when I met up with him in 1978 and thereafter, and I enjoyed watching how his house grew from a thatch roof small house, to firmer designs. He had his sorrows and troubles, and I remember always that he never shared his problems with my father and my uncle, Shantaram Naidu, who loved him genuinely.

Money was hard to come by, in those days, and Jairam Naidu, treasured every effort of his. He traveled from Nanganallur through the city to Ennore Foundries, and was to be known by it. He found his second son-in-law, chronologically, the first - Chandramohan. Later, Balaji Naidu, my cousin, got Jairam Naidu's job at Ennore Foundries and has been working there ever since.

Jairam Naidu was son of Shanmughavalli and Alagiri Singhari Naidu. He had a sibling, Devaki Amma, who passed away at the young age of 18 years. Jairam Naidu married Pramila, daughter of Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam and Rambai.

Shanmughavalli and Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam were siblings, and children of Neela Meghala Shyamala Naidu and Rukmini Devi, residents of Srivilliputtur. Shanmughavalli was married to and settled in Chennai.

Jairam Naidu at Ennore Foundries, Chennai

On the day of his retirement from Ennore Foundries

My mother's brothers and sisters

My maternal grandfather, Muniswamy Naidu and maternal grandmother, Hymavathi Naidu, had six children - three brothers and three sisters.

(1) Sharada Bhushan nee Indumati (1930 Chennai to 1996 Mumbai) - spouse Mr. Balapila Naga Bhushan (1927 Belgaum to 2009 Pune - earlier known as Balapila Navaneetha Krishna Naidu)
Children - Bharat Bhushan (b. 1962 Chennai - myself) and Sarala Bhushan (b. 1963 Chennai)

(2) M. Kuchela Naidu - spouse Pramila Kuchela Naidu
Children - Satya, Govindamma

(3) M. Gopinath Naidu - spouse Girija Gopinath Naidu
Children - Bhagyashree (?) aka Amul, Prasanna, Indira Jayashree

(4) M. Bhaskar Rao - spouse Bharati Bhaskar Rao
Children - Nagasayana Babu, Poornima aka Paapa, Raghu, Chinni

(5) Saraswathy Purushottam - spouse Purushottam
Children - Mahendra Babu, Phaneendra Babu

(6) Shyamala Nagaraj Naidu - spouse Nagaraj Naidu
Children - Yugendra, Kumar and Bharini

Narayanaswamy Naidu, Chinna Thayamma and some friends who made good in Trichy during 1905 to 1940

One contemporary friend or acquaintance of my paternal maternal great grandfather, Shri Narayanaswamy Naidu and my paternal maternal great grandmother, Chinna Thayamma, residents of 12 Mannar Pillai Street, Trichy during 1900 to 1950 at least, or perhaps 1960, was that they had some friends whose names are remembered by relatives to this date. My father, Balapila Naga Bhushan, used to speak of a well known sweetmeat merchant in Trichy, who began in Palakarai area around 1905 and later, (1908, it seems, as I found out from the net) and established a successful business. This was Shri B. Govindarajulu Naidu. My paternal grandfather, Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam, was born in Srivilliputhur in 1899, and was sent up to live in Chennai with his sisters, Balamma and Shanmughavalli sometime in 1910.

Shri Narayanaswamy Naidu and Chinna Thayamma were acquainted with Shri B. Govindarajulu Naidu, and my father remembers my grandfather speaking about him after he moved to Trichy upon marriage with Rambai, and resettled in the town.

I read from the internet pages from the well doing sweetmeat shop - BG NAIDU SWEETS - that the brand name is doing well and is a household name in Trichy and Pudukkottai districts. Began in 1908 by Hon. Shri B. Govindarajulu Naidu, the shop chain is a successful business firm now. Shri Govindarajulu Naidu came from a small hamlet, Iluppur, between Pudukottai and Viralimalai. He was followed by his son, Hon. Shri B. G. Bakthavatchalam. I remember my father speaking about Shri Bakthavatchalam on occasion, in reference to Trichy. They have dairy farms at Keelamullaikudi village, Trichy and a centralized industrial kitchen at Sangliandapuram, Trichy. Shri B. G. Bakthavatchalam and Smt. B. Santha Bakthavatchalam have been followed by his four sons - Mr. G. B. Balaji, Mr. B. Badrinath, Mr. B. Kedarnath and Mr. B. Amarnath. [From the information in their website - I was intrigued by the choice of names - Venkateswara and Shiva... remarkable and terrific. Much like Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam's choice of Krishna and Ram for his sons.]