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).

My father's family

My paternal great grandfather, Neela Meghala Shyamala Naidu, was born in Srivilliputtur. My paternal great grandmother, Rukmini Devi, was also born in Srivilliputtur, in Tamil Nadu. They were a Telugu-speaking Balija Naidu family in deep South India, devoted to the Goddess Andal of the Srivilliputtur Temple. They were closely associated with the temple and yet, somehow became devoted to the deity Panduranga, Vittala. I am not aware of how that happened, so far south, in Srivilliputtur.

Sri Andal of Srivilliputtur

Deity at the prayer place of my family

since my great grandfather...

Srivilliputtur temple mahagopuram

the beginning....

From Srivilliputtur, my grandfather's marriage took place with Kodai, a lady from Tiruchirapalli, near Srirangam, in Central Tamil Nadu. Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam, my paternal grandfather, was true to his name. The family was extremely devoted to Ranganatha, the deity at Srirangam. Having come from Srivilliputtur, the deities at the prayer place were mainly Andal, Ranganatha and Panduranga. Kodai, my grandmother, or Kodamma, as we knew her, was a twin. Her sister, Lakshmibai / Lakshmamma, was married at Hyderabad in the Nizam State of those times.

Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam

My paternal grandfather

Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam and Kodamma

My paternal grandfather and grandmother

My paternal grandfather, Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam and

My paternal grandmother, Rambai (a.k.a. Kodai - Kodamma) - c. 1958, Mumbai

My grandfather, born on 9 July 1899, served in the army for a brief while, and later moved to the Railway Protection Force, which was an armed force of those times. He kept getting transferred to many places, but kept roots in Chennai, near Nungambakkam. His brother-in-law's family was settled at Nungambakkam and they were attached to the temple of Ranganatha at Tiruvallur. On alternate transfers, the family stayed in Chennai, and kept visiting the Tirumala temple of Sri Venkateswara frequently. Soon, the prayer place was now dedicated to Sri Venkateswara, and was accompanied by Andal, Ranganatha and Panduranga.

My paternal grandmother, Kodai, came from a very respectable family, full of good traditions, devotion and family values. My father was born in Belgaum and his brothers and sisters were born in different places, as the family kept moving.

My paternal paternal great grandfather, Shri Neela Meghala Shyamala Naidu, was an expert at civil construction and much sought after, as a valued contractor for works. He was invited for construction works and was involved in projects in Rajapalayam, Srirangam-Trichy, Kumbakonam, Chennai and nearabouts. In his later years, he was called to Mumbai and was involved in construction projects in the emerging metropolis, sometime in 1920s. Later, he returned to Madras, settled down with his daughters, Balamma and Shanmughavalli, who were married and staying at Triplicane and Mambalam areas. He passed on to the greater temple above in Madras.

My paternal paternal great grandmother, Rukmini Devi, was born in Srivilliputhur and married in the same city. She passed on to the greater temple above while at Srivilliputhur when my paternal grandfather was 12 years old, therefore, 1911. She would have been about 35 years old at that time, so, possibly born 1875 or thereabouts.

Shri Neela Meghala Shyamala Naidu and Smt Rukmini Devi would have probably been residents of Renganathapuram or Perumalpatti at Srivilliputhur, or nearabouts.

My paternal grandfather, Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam and paternal grandmother, Rambai, a.k.a Kodamma, a.k.a. Kodai, had eight children. Three survived to be elders and managed their families. Five children died due to various causes. Their names were -

(1) Daya Krishna - aka Damu
(2) Navneetha Krishna - aka Babu aka Nagabhushan aka Balapila Naga Bhushan (my father)
(3) Pramila Jairam Naidu
(4) Venkata Krishna - aka Venkappa (passed on due to illness)
(5) Sarala
(6) Murali Krishna
(7) Kaushala Ram
(8) Shanta Ram - aka Shantaram Naidu

Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam (Centre) with B. N. Bhushan (Left) 

and Shantaram Naidu (Right) - sometime in the late sixties. 

Photographer - myself, at age 8 or 9 years old, 

with a b&w photosmart camera that cost Rs. 18