Chapter II — Uyyakkondar and Manakkal-Nambi

Uyyakkondar is the same person as Pundarikaksha. The name Uyyakkondar has an interesting story behind it.

On one occasion, Vangipuratt-Acchi, Nathamuni's father-in-law, sent word asking that his daughter Aravinda-pavai — Nathamuni's wife — be sent home for a visit. Nathamuni sent her with his trusted disciple Pundarikaksha as her escort. But some of Acchi's household looked down upon Pundarikaksha because of his caste. Pundarikaksha belonged to the purva-sikhi branch — a class among Brahmans whose custom was to wear the tuft of hair right on the crown of the head. They therefore served him stale food.

But Pundarikaksha never resented this treatment. On the contrary, he considered it the greatest blessing conferred upon him. After leaving Nathamuni's wife safely at her father's home, he returned.

When Nathamuni asked him to narrate what had happened, Pundarikaksha joyfully described the happiness he had derived from eating stale food. When asked how this could be so, he answered that it was certainly so, on the principle taught by the saint Tondaradippodi-Alvar:

Hearing this, Nathamuni embraced his disciple and exclaimed, "You are my savior!" And so Uyyakkondar came to mean "he who practiced the highest precepts of religion taught by his master." Such was the reverence of Uyyakkondar — Pundarikaksha — toward the devotees of God.

He had many disciples, with whom he was happily engaged in the delightful study and exposition of the utterances of the holy Alvars.

The five chief disciples of Uyyakkondar were:

Of these, Manakkal-Nambi — also known as Sri Ramamisra — was the greatest. He bore to his guru Uyyakkondar the same relationship that Lakshmana bore to his master and brother Sri Ramachandra. When Uyyakkondar's wife Andalamma died, Ramamisra himself performed all the menial household services for his guru.

One striking illustration of Ramamisra's implicit servitude is recorded. On a certain occasion he accompanied the two daughters of his guru on a pilgrimage to a bathing place. They were returning when the young women hesitated at a small stream in their path because it was slippery.

Seeing the situation, Ramamisra at once came to their rescue: he stretched himself across the channel and let them walk over on his back!

When the guru heard of this, he drew his disciple to him with exclamations of joy and touched his head with his feet as a mark of favor — a blessing not easily bestowed indiscriminately. "Is there anything more I can do for you?" he asked. "What more can I ask," Ramamisra replied, "than that, having already attained my highest ambition — serving at your holy feet — this service may be continued to me forever."

Uyyakkondar was overcome by this exemplary attitude. In his irrepressible wish to grant his disciple the highest good, he once more commended the Dvaya Mantra (the sacred two-part mantra of surrender) to him for meditation.

Uyyakkondar's time on earth was now nearing its end. Ramamisra reverently approached him and asked who, after him, was to bear the apostleship. "Well, my son," said the master,

Having delivered this message, Uyyakkondar left his body seated in the Padmasana posture, uniting his heart with the holy feet of his Acharya Sri Nathamuni.

Neither Ramamisra nor his brethren could bear the pang of separation. Gradually they recovered and girded themselves to perform all the last services and sacraments with due ceremony and solemnity. The memorial verse dedicated to him records:

Ramamisra was now engaged with his disciples in the work of furthering the holy mission. He was always in eager expectation of the holy son to be born to Isvaramuni.

The happy event came about in the month of Adi, under the asterism Uttarada. Joy overspread their countenances, and they went at once to administer to the child all the sacraments proper to the occasion. According to the wishes of Nathamuni, the child was named Yamunaitturaivar, and all the preliminaries prescribed for Vaishnavas according to the Pancharatra texts were observed. The meaning of what was declared on that day is this: