Thaniyan - தனியன்

In srivaishnava Sampradayam, whenever we start a Ghosti/ kalakshepam/ Upanyasam we have a unique tradition of reciting the Thaniyan(dhayana slokam) of the Alwaars/acharyars who have done the grantham. For Instance, when we are reciting thiruppavai we start with the Thaniyans 'Neelaa Thunga' and 'Anna vayal' etc.

Similarly for Bagavat vishaya kalakshepam since there are five commentaries done by five aacharyas, we chant all their thaniyans. Also the magnum opus of the commentaries is the Eedu which is basically complete set of notes collected by Sri Vadakku Thiruveedhi Pillai from Sri Nampillai's kalakshepam. This Eedu has however flown through more aacharyas in privacy until Sri Manavalamamunigal who lectured it to Periya perumal and public at thiruvarangam periya koil. So we chant all the thaniyans of the aacharyas who has protected the eedu. Finally It is our aacharyan who is gifting the eedu to us, thus we chant his taniyan as well. So it starts with periya perumal and ends with our aacharyan. The kramam of the thaniyan chanting is as follows.

In Bhagavat visaya kalakshepam, the kramam is that all the people would stand first, recite the pothu thaniyan (srisailesa dayapatram....pranathosmi Nityam) and the start reciting Eedu thaniyans and Bhagavat vishaya paramparai thaniyans. There are lot of thaniyans for Bhagavat Vishayam(that will be a subject on some other day), but the king of them is the thaniyan rendered by our acharya sarvabhowmar Kovil Selva Manavalamaamunigal.

The thaniyan chanted before the thaniyan rendered by Sri Manavalamamunigal is the one rendered by Thiruvaimozhippillai. It starts "Naatham Pankaja netram..." and continues. Manavalamamunigal considering the yeomen service that Thiruvaimozhippillai did to collect and do kalakshepam of Bagavath Vishayam wanted to include his name along with all the above aacharyas. He made a thaniyan in Tamizh which included his aacharya along with the previous aacharyas. Here is the thaniyan.

திருவருள்மால்  சேனைமுதலி சடகோபன் நாதமுனி

    சீர் உய்யக்கொண்டார் மணக்கால் நம்பி சென்றாம் ஆளவந்தார்

குருமாலதரர் குருகைக்கன்பாம் எதிராசர்

    கோவிந்தர் கூரேசர் பட்டர் வேதாந்திமுனி

இருகண்ணற்கு அன்புடைய நம்பிள்ளை இவர் ஈடளிதற்கு

    ஈந்த மாதவர் பத்மநாபர் இவர் அருளாளர்

திருவடி ஊன்றிய தேவப்பெருமாள் கைக்கொண்டருளும்

   திருமலை ஆழ்வார் பதங்கள் முன்பு என்னுள் சேர்ந்தனவே !!

Thiruvarulmaal senaimudhali sadakopan nadhamuni

 seer uyyakondar manakkal nambi senram aalavandaar

Guru maaladharar Kurugaikkanbam ethirasar

 govindar kooresar bhattar vedantimuni

Iru kannarku anbudaya nampillai ivar eedalitharku

 eendha maadhavar padmanabar ivar arulaalar

Thiruvadi oonriya thevaperumaal kaikondarulum

 thirumalai aazhwar padhangal munbu ennul serthanave!!

Who else other than our Mamunigal could render a perfect paadal?

Note the perfect ethukai, monai, seer, adi, thodai, porul and still hasn't missed any aacharya in the lineage.

Before reading further, please recollect the Updesarathinamalai pasurams "Seerar vadakku thiruveedhi pillai & Aangavar paal petra" to recollect how eedu has reached till Mamunigal.

The acharyas mentioned here are

Thiruvarulmaal - Sriman Narayanan

Senaimudhali - Sri Visvakshenar

Sadakopan - Nammazvar

Nadhamuni

Uyyakondar

Manakkal nambi

Aalavandaar - Sri Yamunacharyar

Guru maaladharar - Thirumaalai Aandan, who did Thiruvaimozhi Kalakshepam to Ramanujar

Kurugaikku anbam Ethirasar- Thirukurugai piran Pillaan (6000 padi)

Ethirasar  - Bhagavat Sri Ramanujar

Govindar - Embar

Kooresar - KoorathAazhwaan

Bhattar - Sri Parasara Bhattar

Vedantimuni - Nanjeeyar (Nampillais Acharyan & author of 9000 padi)

Iru kannarku anbudaya Nampillai - Iru kannar is Vadakku thiruveedhi pillai & Periya vachaan pillai(as in Sri Krishna pada & Srimath Krishna samakvaya thaniyans) and Nampillai himself, Periyavachcan pillai gave 24000 padi and Vadakku Thiruveedhi Pillai's notes on sri Nampillai's kalakshepam is 36000 padi famously called as Eedu.

Eedalitharku eendha maadhavar - Eyyunni Madhavar

Padhmanabhar - Eyunni padhmanabhar

Thiruvadi oonriya thevaperumaal - Naaloor aachan pillai( original name: varadarajar) on whom Devaperumal rested his Satari and ordered to do kalakshepam to Thiruvaimozhi pillai. Note the beautiful name Mamunigal has given to him.

Thirumalai aazhwar - Mamunigals acharyan Thiruvaimozhi pillai

Now if we read the thaniyan again, we will realize the greatness of the thaniyan kartha. He has matched the greatness of the grantham with the thaniyan. Just when we listen to the history behind each aacharya in the thaniyan related to the grantham the greatness is very clearly known. If ever there was a thaniyan that could match the grantham's greatness this is it.

Dasan

Madhusudhanan