dhEvu maRRaRiyEn enREnO madhurakaviyaip pOlaE
In that work, occurs the following pasuram:
nAvinAl naviRRu inbam eydhinEn
mEvinEn avan ponnadi meymmaiyE
dhEvu maRRaRiyEn kurugUr nambi
pAvin innisai pAdith thirivanE
Thirukkolur Ammal is asking "Did I demonstrate Acharya bhakti like Madhurakavi Azhwar?"
Madhurakavi Azhwar was born in Thirukkolur near Azhwar Thirunagari. Mathurakavi is believed to have recorded and compiled the works of Nammazhwar (Thiruvaimozhi (1102 verses)). The 11 verses of “Kanninun Siru Thambu” composed by Swami Madhurakavi Azhwar is considered as the key which opened the treasure to the 4000 verses of Nalayira Divya Prabandham. These verses were chanted by Swami Nathamuni 12,000 times to propitiate Swami Nammazhwar and re-obtain the lost Nalayira Divya Prabandham from Swami Nammazhwar.
While Madhurakavi Azhwar was on a yatra to the North, he saw a divine light in the southern sky. Following it he reached Azhwar Thirunagari and found Swami Nammazhwar sitting under a Tamarind tree, in yogic stance. Realizing the greatness of Swami Nammazhwar, Madhurakavi Azhwar fell at his feet and became his disciple.
He then considered his acharya, Nammazhwar as everything - mother, father, acharya (Guru) and God - to him ("annaiyAy aththanAy"). He expressed that in his divine work Kanninun Siruththambu - a work entirely dedicated to Nammazhwar.
In that work, occurs the following pasuram:
nAvinAl naviRRu inbam eydhinEn
mEvinEn avan ponnadi meymmaiyE
dhEvu maRRaRiyEn kurugUr nambi
pAvin innisai pAdith thirivanE
In this pasuram, Madhurakavi Azhwar states that he knows no God other than Nammazhwar ("dhEvu maRRu aRiyEn"). He not only is renouncing the things of this world, but he is rejecting the other world and even Him, in favor of his acharya. The philosophy of following one's acharya as everything, demonstrated by Srivaishnava Acharyas ("AchArya abhimAnamE uththAragam") arose from Madhurakavi Azhwar's Acharya bhakti.
