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Friday, October 16, 2026

Purattasi Thirumoolam 2026 ~ Jadwiga "King" of Poland'

 Imp. Pre-script:  Today 16th Oct 2026   is the 289th  day of the year (290th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 76 days remain until the end of the year.  This post is in two parts – first on Jadwiga (History) of Europe and 2nd part on Swami Manavala Mamunigal.



Jadwiga (1374 – 17 July 1399), also known as Hedwig   was Queen of the Kingdom of Poland, as well as its last hereditary ruler.  Born in Buda, she was the youngest daughter of Louis I of Hungary and Elizabeth of Bosnia.  


Jadwiga was crowned "King" in Poland's capital, Kraków, on 16 October 1384. Crowned as "King of Poland" not as  "Queen" to reflect the fact that she was a sovereign in her own right.   She was married at a very young age !  The Polish lords did not want to accept fourteen-year-old William of Habsburg as Jadwiga's husband and Polish sovereign.  They thought that the inexperienced William and his Austrian kinsmen could not safeguard Poland's interests against its powerful neighbours, especially the House of Luxembourg which controlled Bohemia and Brandenburg, and had a strong claim on Hungary. The  lords of Lesser Poland were the first to suggest that Jadwiga should marry the pagan duke Władysław II Jagiełło of Lithuania.[61]

Władysław II Jagiełło signed the Union of Krewo in August 1385, promising Queen Elizabeth's representatives and the Polish lords' envoys that he would convert to Catholicism, together with his pagan kinsmen and subjects, if Jadwiga married him. He also pledged to pay 200,000 florins to William of Habsburg in compensation.   According to a Polish legend, Jadwiga agreed to marry Władysław II Jagiełło due to divine inspiration during her long prayers before a crucifix in Wawel Cathedral.  The Polish lords' envoys informed Władysław II that they would obey him if he married Jadwig.  Władysław II went on to Kraków, where he was baptised, receiving the Christian name, Władysław, in Wawel.  On 18 February 1386, Władysław II, who was between 22 and 35 years old, married 12-year-old Jadwiga.  Władysław II styled himself as dominus et tutor regni Poloniae ("lord and guardian of the Kingdom of Poland") in his first charter issued after the marriage. 

Jadwiga was childless for over a decade, which, according to chronicles written in the Teutonic lands, caused conflicts between her and her husband.  She became pregnant in September 1398.  Vytautas, in order to bolster his authority over the Russian principalities, decided to launch an expedition against the Golden Horde with his new Tatar allies, including Tokhtamysh, who been deposed by Timur.  On the occasion of the expected birth to the royal couple, Vytautas sent expensive gifts, including a silver cradle, to the royal court on behalf of himself and his wife, Anna.  The first horoscopes written for Jadwiga's and Władysław II's child in mid-September 1398 predicted a son.  However, a girl was delivered on 22 June 1399 at Wawel Castle.  The newborn princess was named Elizabeth Bonifacia  after Jadwiga's mother and Pope Boniface IX, who, in a letter  of  1399, had agreed to be godfather under the condition that the infant be named after him. She was baptised - However, the infant died after only three weeks. ,  Jadwiga, too, was on her deathbed. Stanisław of Skarbimierz expressed hope that she would survive, describing her as the spiritual mother of the poor, weak, and ill of Poland. She advised her husband to marry Anna of Cilli, Casimir the Great's granddaughter — which he did — and died on 17 July 1399, four days after her newborn daughter.  She was the last hereditary ruler of Poland; her husband and his descendants retained the crown as elective monarchs.  Jadwiga's decision to marry the "elderly" Władysław II instead of her beloved fiancé, William of Habsburg, has often been described as a sacrifice for her country in Polish historiography.   Enough of History !

Today is Friday – 29th day of Purattasi, 16th day of Oct 2026 – today is day 5 of Navarathiri Uthsavam and in the evening at Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam, Sri Vedavalli thayar will have purappadu in Velli simha vahanam.  Today is day 4 of Sri Peyalwar thiruvavathara uthsavam – and today being Thirumoolam, Swami Manavalamamunigal will have ul-purappadu with Vedavalli thayar. 



Acaryar Mamunigal is fondly known as ‘Yatheendra Pravanar’ arising out of his irresistible attachment to the lotus feet of Sri Ramanujar [Yatheendrar].  Sri  Manavala Mamunigal is the incarnation of Adisesha.  One must adore and be attached to their Acharyan and only the direction of Acharyar will lift us from all earthly evils – and for Us fallen at the feet called ‘Ponnadiyam Sengamalam’ – Swami Manavala Mamunigal will direct us and take us to salvation.  Those of us who try and uphold the ideals of our religion and its cultural heritage, will sure be benfitted as it then becomes the responsibility of Acharya to take care of Sishya's Atma guna poorthi.  

Of  the many works, ‘Upadesa Rathinamalai’ is one which all of us should know and recite regularly.  There are 73 paasurams + thanian given  by Kovil Kandadai annan and another one rendered by Erumbiappa was rendered in the morning  purappadu.  There was another purappadu in the evening too ~ Emperuman enjoys being with him and hence there is purappadu of Sri Parthasarathi with Mamunigal in the morning  and the evening.  Here are some photos of the evening purappadu in which Iramanuja Noorranthathi was rendered in the goshti. 

இப்படிப்பட்ட கீர்த்திமிகு ரம்ய (அழகிய) ஜாமாதர (மணவாள) முனி (மாமுனிகள்)கள் திருவடிகளுக்கு பல்லாண்டு,  பல்லாண்டு பாடுவோம். 

"மன்னுயிர்காள் ! இங்கே மணவாளமாமுனிவன்

பொன்னடியாம்  செங்கமலப் போதுகளை- உன்னிச்

சிரத்தாலே தீண்டில் அமானவனும் நம்மை

கரத்தாலே தீண்டல் கடன்" 

On this significant day, here are some photos of Swami Manavala Mamunigal at Melukote Thirunarayanapuram  taken in   earlier visit.

adiyen Srinivasa dhasan.  
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar
16.10.2026
 







 

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