An Indian Riddle
This year, Sri Vaishnavites are celebrating the 1000th birth anniversary (avatara) of Ramanuja. On Podhigai channel (6:45–7:00 am, Monday to Friday), Sri Dr. Ananda Padmanabacharyar has been narrating stories about the avatara of Ramanuja. On November 18th and 19th, he spoke about Yamunacharya, the grandson of Nathamuni. One particular incident he shared shows Yamunacharya’s brilliance.
The Unbeatable Scholar
In the Chola kingdom lived a great scholar who no one could defeat in debate. He was called ‘Vidhya Dhana Kolakalan,’ or ‘Achi Azhvan.’ Many scholars who lost to him had to serve in his household.
Yamunacharya, still a young boy, heard of Achi Azhvan’s fame and went to challenge him.
The Debate is Set
The king arranged the debate in his palace. Yamunacharya arrived in style—riding an elephant, accompanied by a grand procession. When the king and queen saw him, the king was shocked to see such a young boy facing a seasoned scholar like Achi Azhvan.
(I missed the previous week’s episodes, so I’m not sure if it was the queen who invited Yamuna, as was the custom then.)
The queen, however, was confident and told the king, “This boy will win.”
The king promised that if Yamunacharya won, he would give him half his kingdom. The queen, in turn, boldly said that if Yamuna lost, “I will never argue or disobey you for the rest of my life.”
(This little line shows that, despite being king, he was still a husband—and the queen had been exercising her birthright as a woman to argue with him!)
The Three Statements
Achi Azhvan, seeing the boy’s age, felt pity and warned him not to enter the debate. But Yamunacharya confidently accepted the challenge. As per custom, Achi allowed the boy to ask the first question.
The rule was simple: if one person asked a question and the other could not answer it according to the Sastras, the questioner must give the correct answer.
Yamunacharya didn’t just ask a question—he made three shocking statements:
- Tavam matha vandati – Your mother is a barren woman.
- Raja na sarva bhoman and na dharmavan – The king is not a sovereign ruler (Chakravartin), and he does not rule with dharma (which means he is an adharmi).
- Rani no pati vrata – The queen is not chaste (which implies she has had relations with others).
The entire assembly gasped. Even Achi Azhvan was stunned.
The Answers
Unable to refute these claims, Achi Azhvan admitted defeat and asked Yamuna to prove them true. Yamuna calmly explained:
- Your mother is barren:
The Sastras say a woman with only one child is considered barren. Achi had no siblings, so his mother was “barren.” Like the crow (which lays only one egg) and the banana tree (which bears only one fruiting stem), such mothers are symbolically called barren. Achi accepted this.
- The king is not dharmic or sovereign:
A king inherits one-sixth of the adharma (sins) of his citizens. No matter how righteously he rules, there are always people committing adharma. Therefore, the king too cannot be called fully dharmic.
Also, his power is limited to his own kingdom. Since he is not a ruler of all lands, he is not a true Chakravartin. Achi accepted this too.
- The queen is not chaste:
The Sastras say that before marriage, every woman is “enjoyed” by Gandharvas and certain devatas. Only afterward does her husband receive her as his wife. In this spiritual sense, no woman— including the queen—can be called fully chaste. Achi accepted this as well.
The Winner
The king declared Yamunacharya the winner and, as promised, granted him half the kingdom. The queen, overjoyed, ran to Yamuna and hugged him, saying:
“You came to rescue me! You came to rescue me!” (என்னை ஆள வந்தாய்).
From that day, Yamuna was called ‘Alavandar’ (ஆளவந்தார்).
The term Alavandai literally means “to overrule or exercise authority over someone,” but in this context, it is understood as “rescuer.”
Closing Note
Sri Ananda Padmanabacharyar ended his story of Yamunacharya here.
In my next post, I will share an alternate version I wrote, showing why I think Yamunacharya was actually wrong!
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