Ramanujacharya's Brother

Question

'Who is Ramanujacharya's brother? He adopted Saivism when he was around 20 years old. How did Ramanuja brought back him to vaishnavism?Any mythological references for this.

Answer 1

emBAr is the cousin(Ramanuja mother’s younger sister’s son) of Sri Ramanuja.

Swami EmBaar was born in Madhuramangalam (then known as Mazhalai mangalam) to pious couple Periya Pratti and Sri Kamalanayana Bhatta in the year 1026 CE (Krodana samvatsaram) month of Makara ( Tamil Month of Thai ) under the the constellation of Punarvasu. It is said he was the amsam of Vainatheyan . His maternal uncle Thirumalai nambhi named him as Govinda Bhatta.

Later, while taking bath in Ganges with Yadavaprakasar and ashram mates, Sri Govinda Battar gets a lingam in his hand. Sri Govinda Bhattar shows the same to his guru. The advaitic scholar replied that it is the anugruham of Lord Siva and names him as ULangai konNarnda NAyanAr. From that day, Govinda Bhattar becomes a pure advaitin and starts practising the same.

Then Govinda returned back and did the Prathistai of the Lingam in Madhuramangalam ( even to this day you can see this Lingam) then he has seen a dream in which Lord of Kalahasthi beckoned him so he went to Kalahasthi and continued to worship. Years rolled on Ramanujar also grew up and he became the disciple of Thirukachi Nambhigal ,Periya Nambhi,Thirukoshtiyur nambhi etc and he had become an ascetic . Sri Ramanujar felt that he needed some trusted lieutenant to assist him , he then remembered Govinda , whose timely advice saved his life. Then he requested his Maternal uncle Thirumalai Nambhi to bring back Govinda to Srivaishnava fold. Thirumalai Nambhi too had been thinking of correcting Govinda Bhattar and hence immedietely left to Kalahasti with few of his disciples and started giving discourses. He crossed ULangai konNarnda NAyanAr’s path and makes AaLavandAr’s shlokam from Stotra ratna fall on his ears:

svAbhAvikAnavadhikAtisayEsitritvam
nArayANa tvayi na mrishyati vaidhikAh kah
brahma sivah satamakhah parama-svarad ity
ete 'pi yasya mahimArNava-viprushas te.

Meaning: O Lord Narayana, what learned Vedic scholar will not accept You as the all-powerful and unlimited Personality of Godhead? Brahma, Siva, Indra, and the liberated residents of Vaikuntha are but drops in the ocean of Your transcendental glory.

Something in NAyanAr’s mind gets stirred when he hears the words and becomes disturbed. On another occasion, Nambigal went and sits under the tree from which NAyanAr used to pluck flowers everyday and starts teaching the meaning of TiruvAimozhi to his disciples. NAyanar forgets his task of gathering the flowers and stands there mesmerized. When Nambigal was explaining the meaning of the pathu titled “Thinnan veedu” – there is a pasuram –

dhevum epporulum padaikkap poovil naanmukhanaip
padiaatha – devan Emperumaanukkallal Poovum poosanaiyum thagume ?

Meaning: Would it even be appropriate to make flower offerings and other worship to any deity other than our NarAyaNan who created the four-faced BrahmA in His navel and entrusted him, under His direct control, with the function of creating all the other deities and the other different entities?

On hearing those words, NAyanAr throws the basket and the flowers and cried by saying ‘thagathu ! thagathu !’ (It wouldn't, it wouldn't). Realising the folly he had been committing, he fell down at the feet of Thirumalai Nambi with tears rolling down his cheeks and cried for saving him and to change him to a Vaishnavate again.

Then Govinda went along with his uncle to Thirumalai to learn Divyaprabhandam etc. under him. He did kainkaryams to Sri Tirumalai Nambigal.

Sources

http://anudinam.org/2013/01/26/thirunakshatram-of-swami-embar/ https://guruparamparai.wordpress.com/2012/09/07/embar/