Nathamuni

Biography

Early life

Nathamuni is generally considered to have been born in 823 CE and died in 951 CE. His birth name was Aranganathan; however, he came to be known as Nathamuni, which literally means Saint-Lord (Nāthan - lord, muni - saint/sage). An alternative view is that he was born in 582 CE and died in 922 CE. Yet another view holds that Nathamuni was born at Veeranarayanapuram shortly after 907 CE and flourished during the 10th century. The traditional view that he lived for more than 400 years is untenable. It is likely that Nathamuni lived for slightly over a hundred years in the region governed by the Chola kings prior to their peak prominence. His birth star (nakshatra) was Anusham.

Background and journey to kumbakonam

Although there is difficulty in establishing Nathamuni's exact date of birth and lifespan, he is considered to have lived during the lineage (paramparā) Madhurakavi Alvar. According to Sri Vaishnava tradition, Nathamuni once conversed with his father regarding the legend of the Prabandhams composed by the Alvars. His father, Ishvara Bhattar, noted that these hymns were long lost and would be impossible to retrieve without the divine grace of Narayana. Inspired by this conversation, Nathamuni embarked on a pilgrimage to the Sarangapani Temple in Kumbakonam, where Vishnu is worshipped under the epithet Aravamudhan. There, he heard priests reciting ten particular pasurams (hymns) dedicated to Aravamudhan by the saint Nammalvar. Overjoyed upon hearing these hymns, he inquired about their origins. However, the priests explained that only ten pasurams were known to them out of a total of 1,292 composed by Nammalvar.

Search at thirukurugur and spiritual mastery

Placing immense faith in Aravamudhan, Nathamuni traveled to Thirukurugur, the birthplace of Nammalvar. There, he inquired about Nammalvar's compositions from the direct descendants of Madhurakavi Alvar. The descendants provided Nathamuni with ten pasurams composed by Madhurakavi himself, titled the Kanninun Cirutampu. They informed Nathamuni that whoever recited these ten pasurams with deep devotion would attain the audience of Nammalvar. With complete faith, Nathamuni began chanting the hymn 12,000 times under the sacred tamarind tree where Nammalval had sat during his life. Upon completing the recitation 12,000 times, Vishvaksena—the commander of Vishnu's celestial forces and the divine origin of Nammalvar's incarnation—appeared to bless Nathamuni.

Recovery of the compendium and legacy

Nammalvar then appeared directly before Nathamuni and bestowed upon him not only his own 1,292 hymns, but all 4,000 pasurams composed by the twelve Alvars. Overjoyed, Nathamuni returned to Kumbakonam and profusely expressed his gratitude to both Aravamudhan and Nammalvar. Having recovered these sacred works, Nathamuni successfully compiled and revived the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, thereby establishing himself as the first ācharya (preceptor) of the Sri Vaishnava tradition. In Sri Vaishnava theology, Nathamuni is revered as an incarnation of Gajananar, a nityasuri of Vaikuntha. His spiritual lineage culminated in Ramanuja, who is regarded in the tradition as an avatar of Adishesha.

The spiritual relationship between Nammalvar and Nathamuni is attested by the Guru-paramparā in traditional works such as Divya Sūri Charita and Prappannāmṛta. The Prappannāmṛta also attests that Nathamuni was born in the village Veeranarayanapuram. Veeranarayanapuram is today generally identified as Kattumannarkoil. According to some accounts, Nathamuni died at Gangaikonda Cholapuram. Nathamuni's son was Iśvaramuni, whose own son, Yamunacharya, was likely named to commemorate a pilgrimage that Nathamuni undertook to the banks of the Yamuna River with his son (Iśvara Muni) and daughter-in-law.

He is also known in Sri Vaishnava tradition by the titles Sadamarsana Kula Tilakar, Sottai Kulaththu Arasar, and Ranganatha Acharya. He subsequently taught the hymns to his two nephews and introduced their recitation into the services at the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam while he was the temple's administrator.

Other contributions

Temple rituals in Vaishnavism are based primarily on two early traditions. The first is the Vaikhanasa Sutra, associated with the Krishna Yajurveda school. The other is the Pancharatra Agama, part of the broader Agamic literature, traditionally held to have been revealed by Narayana himself. This tradition incorporates the Bhagavata philosophy, an ancient system referenced in the Mahabharata and Brahma Sutras of Badarayana. Nathamuni established the recitation of the Tamil Veda (Divya Prabandham) during major temple festivals. He is also credited as the originator of the Araiyar Sevai tradition.