Maha Purna had no time to waste. He had to get to the city of Kanchipuram as quickly as possible. Purna’s acharya—the esteemed Yamunacharya himself—had instructed him to bring some young man named Ramanuja to Srirangam.
“When I visited Kanchipuram, I noticed the promising devotion and brilliance of this young Ramanuja,” Yamunacharya had said. “No one but him is more worthy of becoming the next acharya of our sampradayam.”
As he caught his breath—heavy from the strenuous travel—Purna asked around for Ramanuja’s house and finally knocked on his door. The two men briefly exchanged pleasantries before Purna invited Ramanuja to come with him to Srirangam.
Ramanuja was touched. “Yamunacharya asked for me? I am so blessed.”
On their way, they discussed the unlimited glories of Sriman Narayana. After all, what but the Lord was notable enough for the two of them to speak about?
The Srirangam that greeted Ramanuja was unlike what he had expected. The typically calm town was bustling with sorrowful commotion.
“Namaskaram, what is the matter today?” Purna asked someone on the street.
The man was clearly unhappy to be the giver of bad news. “Y-yamunacharya reached paramapadam today.”
They were immediately plunged into grief. Both felt unfortunate to have been away just before Yamuncharya’s death. Ramanuja bowed down in front of Yamunacharya’s still body. His forehead creased when his glimpse slid down toward Yamunacharya’s hands.
“Does he always keep three of his fingers folded like this?” Ramanuja asked.
The crowd gasped. None of them had noticed until now.
“No,” one disciple said. “I have no idea why it’s like this now.
The spotlight turned to Ramanuja. Reverently, he pressed his palms together.
“I promise to honor the legacy of the sages Vyasa and Parashara,” he declared.
The first finger unfurled.
“I promise to encourage and instill devotion for Swami Nammazhwar among Srivaishnavas.”
The second finger unfurled. That third finger?
“I promise to write a commentary for Vyasa’s Brahma Sutras.”
It unfurled too.
The crowd was spellbound by the profound connection between Yamunacharya and Ramanuja.
