Ramanujacharya – Biography - ebooks - ISKCON desire tree

YAMUNACARYAIn the south of India many great devotees haveappeared to spread the glories of the Lord. Of all thesedevotees, perhaps the most famous is Sri Ramanujacarya,whose life is the subject of this book. However, just beforeRamanuja there lived another great Vaisnava whose life andteachings had a tremendous influence on Ramanuja, althoughin fact the two of them never met. This was Sri Yamunacarya,also known as Alabandara - "The Conqueror." It isappropriate in considering the life of Ramanujacarya that weshould first look briefly at this great soul, theillustrious writer of the famous Stotra-ratna.Yamunacarya was born around AD 918 in the city ofMadurai in south India, which was then the capital of themighty Pandya kings. His grandfather was a well-knownscholar and devotee known as Nathamuni, who was also famousfor his mystic abilities and expertise in the practice ofastanga yoga. It was Nathamuni who first compiled the songsof Nammalvara, a famous south Indian devotee, and had themset to music.Nathamuni's son was a handsome, intelligent young mannamed Isvaramuni, who married a beautiful young wife.Shortly after the wedding, Isvaramuni traveled with his wifeand parents to visit the holy places of pilgrimage innorthern India, including Vrndavana, the birthplace of LordKrsna. Just a few months after their return from thispilgrimage, Isvaramuni's wife gave birth to a baby boy, and,in memory of the sacred river which flows through Vrndavana,Nathamuni named him Yamuna.However, the joy of the young couple was but shortlived,for just a few years after the birth of the childIsvaramuni passed from this world, leaving his young wife awidow.Nathamuni was so distressed by the untimely death ofhis son that he decided to have no more to do with theaffairs of this world. He left his wife and relatives totake up the life of a renounced sannyasi, totally dedicatinghimself to the worship of Lord Visnu. Thus at a very youngage Yamunacarya was left to be brought up by his mother andaged grandmother, living a life of great poverty.THE CHALLENGEWhen he was five years old, Yamunacarya went to studyat the school of Bhasyacarya and quickly won his teacher'saffection, both for his sweet nature and his ability tolearn quickly. He studied hard, and by the time he wastwelve years old he was Bhasyacarya's best student.10