SREEMATHEY RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA
SREEMADH VARAVARA MUNAYE NAMAHA
SREE VENKATA GURAVE NAMAHA
Respected Bhagavatha Bandhus,
In the Sri Vaishnava tradition, Ramanuja is regarded as an “avatara” of
the great Lakshmana of the ‘Ramayana’ whose extraordinary life of
service and dedication (“kainkaryam” and “shraddhai”) to Lord Rama was
divine legend. It is said that Rama found no better way of repaying his
debt to Lakshmana other than to take ‘avatar’ again as Kuresan during
Ramanuja’s time on earth and reverse roles i.e. to do unto Ramanuja the
same yeoman service that he had been blessed to receive from Lakshmana
in an ancient age of the past!
Many incidents that took place
in Ramanyana/Krishna avatara and in the life of Alwar’s and Acharyas
were also repeated in Koorthazhwan’s Family (which included his glorious
twin sons Prasara Bhattar and Veda Vyasa Bhattar), the foll are the few
1) In Ramayana the birth of Sri Rama and Lakshmana, was
well planned and enacted by Sriman Narayana similarly he answered to Sri
Ramanujar who prayed before the Sri Rangam Peria Perumal to bless the
Acharya lineage by bringing a child to this world, fit enough to be
named after Sri Parasarar and he did sankalpam for the birth of Parasara
Bhattar
2)In Ramayana, at the end of putrakameshti yagam,
a divine purusha, comes out from the holy fire, and gives payasam to
Dasaratha to distribute to his wives, after consumption of which the
Rama, Lakshmana, Bharatha & Shatrugna are born to his queens,
similarly after hearing the prayers from Andal wife of Kuresar, Lord
Ranganatha sent his “naivedyam” to Kuresa dhampathis after consuming
which where the glorious sons of Kuresar were born.
3)In
Krishna avataram, lord krishna was born, to Devaki, and brought up by
Yashodha, “Ooruthii Maganai Pirandhu Oor Iravil Ooruthii Maganai
Oolindhlu Valara” similary though Alwan and Andal were parents to
Parasara Bhattar, but Parasara Bhattar was raised by Sri Ranganatha and
Sri Rasnganayaki as their own son. When he was child, there was a cradle
for him near the Thirumanat Thunn and the divine couple played with the
child,and later bhattar became the purohitha for the divya dampathis
was entrusted with koil kainkaryam by his acharya embaar
4)
Parasara bhattar was only five year old when, he made garva bangam of an
ahankari scholar “sarvagnya bhattar”: this incident can be compared
with Swami Aalavandar’s similar talent when he won over akkiyalvan which
earned him the title “Aalavandhan”
5)The most merciful of
all is the Acharya. More than the mother, who cares for our physical and
material welfare (which does not save us from the eternal and vicious
cycle of births and deaths), more than the Lord (who liberates us
because He selfishly craves our company -“Sa EkAkI na ramatE”- to
relieve the tedium of loneliness in Sri Vaikuntam), it is the Acharya,
who yearns for our spiritual well-being and liberation from samsara, who
displays the maximum mercy. The mother may put up with us because we
are from her own body, the Lord may forgive us because we are an
inseparable part of Him, but to the Acharya, we are complete strangers,
and whatever he does for our upliftment is absolutely without any
expectation of a quid pro quo. Our Acharyas are “KripA mAtra prasanna
Acharyas”, driven solely by the motive of mercy towards misguided
mankind. They scrupulously adhere to the dictum “KripayA nisspruhO
vadEt” (The Acharya should impart instruction to the disciple without
expecting anything in return).
Bhattar had taken all pains in
bringing Vedanthi of Thirunarayana puram into our fold, thus giving us a
great acharya in our Guruparampara Nanjeeyar.
This Acharya,
driven by boundless mercy, traversed hundreds of miles on foot to win
over and emancipate a single sishya, who proved worthy of his Acharya’s
efforts. This incident can be equated to Peyalwar”s episode in which
alwar out of love and mercy rectified (THirutthi Pani Kondan)
Thirumazhisai alwar and initiated him into Vaishnavism, if not we would
not have had alwar or his Nanmugan tiruvandadi and Tiruccanda viruttam’.
6)Parasara Bhattar could speak with Periya Perumal which is similar to the Varadarajan speaking to Thirukacchi nambi
7)Bhattar had to leave Srirangam for some time to live in
Thirukottiyoor, as a protest against a cheiftain Veerasundara
Bramharayar which again can be equated with Swamy Ramanuja leaving Sri
rangam for Melkote, due to Kirumi Kanda Chozhan
Again like many acharyas Parasara Bhattar also has given us great works
like Ashtasloki, Bhagavad Guna Darpanam, Sri Ranganatha Sthoram,Sri
rangaraja stavam, Guna Ratna kosham, and a commentary of
Thirunedunthandakam and etc
Bhattar attained
acharyan Thiruvadi at an early age of 54 years, when on a Kaishika
Dwadasi day, reading Kaishika Puranam in front of Namperumal, so
impressed was the lord with the vyakyanam of bhattar, he granted Moksham
to Bhattar, Bhattar accepted it very happily, When explaining “Alan
Purindha Nedun Thadakkai” the 6th pasuram in Thiru Nedunthandakam, and
while explaining the phrase “Anjirai pull Thanipagan”, the lord came on
his garuda and appeared before Parasara bhattar, Bhattar was spell bound
by this vision and immediately recited the following pasuram from
Periyalwar Thirumozhi “Paravai Eeru Parama Puruda Nee Ennai Kai Konda
Pin Piravi Ennum Kadal Vattri, Perumpadham Aagindrdhal” twice and
attained acharyan thiruvadi
Sree Parasara bhattarya Sri Rangesa Purohithaha;
Sree Vatsange sutha Seeman Sreeyase Mesthu Booyasee” is the Thaniyan of
Periya Bhattar All Bhagavatha Bandhus, know the history and qualities
of Sri Parasara Bhattar, but this neechan’s attempt is just to recollect
a few of them,
Today, being vaikasi anusham, being the
thirunakshatram of Parasra Bhattar and Veda Vyasa bhattar, let us all
meditate upon them to bless every sri vaishanava with gynam and
anushtanam that their goal be that of living life, walking the path
shown by our poorvacharyas and to make an attempt to follow at least
some of their qualities.
Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan
Geetha Vasudevan
