Ranganatha’s acceptance

July 29, 2020 09:37 pm | Updated 09:37 pm IST

Maraneri Nambi was a disciple of Alavandar. But Maraneri Nambi’s family members were not devout Sri Vaishnavas, and Maraneri Nambi did not want them to perform his last rites after his death. So Peria Nambi, another disciple of Alavandar, performed the last rites for Maraneri Nambi. Peria Nambi was a Brahmin and Maraneri Nambi was not. People began to say that Peria Nambi being a Brahmin should not have performed the last rites of Maraneri Nambi.

When people complained to Ramanuja about Peria Nambi, Ramanuja wanted to show the world the greatness of Maraneri Nambi, said Akkarakkani Srinidhi in a discourse. So he met Peria Nambi and asked him why he had performed the last rites of Maraneri Nambi. Peria Nambi’s reply pleased Ramanuja very much, for that is what he had expected to hear. Peria Nambi said, “Lord Rama granted moksha to the bird Jatayu. Maraneri Nambi is not lower in status than a bird. Nor am I greater than Lord Rama.”

Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam also gave His approval for Peria Nambi’s act. Peria Nambi’s family had been ostracised, and none of the inhabitants of Srirangam would talk to anyone in his family. Peria Nambi, who had never missed participating in Lord Ranganatha’s festivals, stayed at home, sad because he could not witness the Lord’s procession in His chariot. But Lord Ranganatha, who was out on His chariot, wanted to show the world that He fully supported Peria Nambi. Even as people walked along with the chariot, the chariot suddenly stopped outside Peria Nambi’s house. No one was able to move the chariot even an inch until Peria Nambi had had darshan of the Lord. The Lord thus showed His acceptance of what Peria Nambi had done, and also showed the others that He disapproved of their attitude.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.