Ideal guru and sishya

The Hindu

13-06-2025

Tiruvalluvar says, 'The crown of wealth is one's compassion; all other wealth is found among even the meanest of men.' One may say it is very difficult to show kindness to one's persecutor in the Kali Yuga, but when one decides to overlook faults in others who set out to injure one, then one is walking in God's way, as shown by our acharyas, said Damal S. Ramakrishnan.
Saint Ramanuja had a harrowing experience when his guru himself orchestrated an attempt to cause injury to Ramanuja, while they had crossed the forests of the Vindhyas. Sensing the mood in the camp, Ramanuja slipped away and made his escape through the forests, keen on returning to Kancheepuram. However, he did not know the direction to travel and lay down exhausted under a tree. A hunter and his spouse appeared forthwith and enquired about his travails. Out of respect and regard for his guru and impelled by his inherent compassion, he refrained from naming anyone; instead, he merely says he has to reach Kanchi and whether they can guide him. The hunter couple readily offers to take him to Kanchi as they were also headed there. Ramanuja says, 'Ramaya Ramabhadraya' (You appear like Rama and Sita to me). The couple asks, in feigned innocence, 'Who is this Rama and Sita that you speak of?'
Ramanuja, stunned by their 'ignorance' , immediately narrates the Ramayana in great detail, which ends as they reach Kanchi. Here, the couple disappears as soon as they enter the town and that is when Ramanuja realises that the hunter couple was none but Varadaraja Perumal and Perundevi Thayar, the deities of Kancheepuram temple.
In another incident, that took place years later, when his guru Tirukoshtiyur Nambi arrives in Srirangam, Ramanuja goes forward to receive him and as is the practice, prostrates before Nambi. In sampradaya, a sishya, prostrating to the guru, will continue to do so until the guru calls a halt to the prostration. When Nambi did not give the stop signal for a long time, Kidambi Acharya, Ramnuja's sishya, took matters into his own hand and ending Ramanuja's prostration in the hot sands, lifted him up, defying Nambi. However, Nambi smiled and said, 'This was a test to identify Ramanuja's true sishya and you have done very well.'
Acharyas not only possess great knowledge that they pass on, but they also identify the most sincere sishya, like Ramanuja.