Saints of Guruvayur

[Guest guest]

!! Sri Rama Jayam !!

 

------------------------

1. MELPATHUR NARAYANA BHATTATHIRI( AD 1559-1632 )

The most famous among the Guruvayur saints was Melpathur. He was born in

Melpathur illam near Tirunavaya, famed as the theatre of the Mamankam festival.

He was married to Achuta Pisharodi's niece and settled in Thrikandiyur.

Bhattathiri was affected with rheumatism and searched for a remedy. Ezhuthachan,

a well known Malayalam poet and Sanskrit scholar told him - " meen thottu

koottuka " (start with fish). Bhattathiri took it in the proper sense decided to

present the various incarnations of Lord Vishnu starting with the fish, as

narrated in the Bhagavatham in a series of Dasakas ( Groups of ten slokas) . He

reached Guruvayur and started composing one dasaka a day in the presence of the

Lord. The refrain in last sloka of every dasaka is a prayer to him to remove the

ailments and sufferings. He composed his work in one hundred dasakas on the Kali

day. This work is known as NARAYANEEYAM after which he recovered fully and

regained happiness.

Narayaneeyam is in praise of Lord Narayana (Vishnu) on the equation between NARA

and NARAYANA. Narayaneeyam is a summary of the Bhagavatha and its parayana

(reading) confers great benefits; it is an effective faith therapy. It makes one

God-conscious , it concerns mainly about our present life - Aarogyam (health and

freedom from diseases) and saukhyam (happiness).

To Guruvayur also, Narayaneeyam is of utmost importance. No work of this

magnitude has ever been dedicated and addressed to the deity of any other temple

in India. It offers to the devout devotee an opportunity to visualise and

worship Mahavishnu by reading it or listening to its rendition. It will shine

and conjure up at Guruvayur in the heart of posterity. The Devaswom celebrates

the Narayaneeyam Day every year with great enthusiasm and splendor.

---------------------------

2. POONTHANAM(AD 1547-1640)

Poonthanam and Melpathur were contemporaries. Poonthanam was the family name,

his personal name is not known. He married a heiress at 20, but for a long time

, they had no children. Poonthanam began to propitiate the Lord of Guruvayur. A

son was born to him in 1586. He called for a celebration and everybody known was

invited , but the child died an hour before the ceremony. Grief-stricken

Poonthanam sought refuge at Guruvayur and started praying with the puranic story

of Kumaraharanam . By this time Melpathur had also come to Guruvayur to cure his

rheumatism.

Gradually Poonthanam become enlightened and realised - while little Krishna is

dancing in our hearts, why do we need little ones of our own?. Poonthanam spent

the rest of his life of 90 odd years reading the Bhagavatham and singing the

Lord's glories in simple Malayalam. He composed 'Bahsakarnamritham', a

devotional work. The Anandakarnamritham (dance of ecstasy) was his last

contribution to devotional literature.

---------------------------

3. VILLWAMANGALAM(1575-1660)

Villwamangalam II was Prince Manavedan's spiritual mentor. Villwamangalam is the

name of the illam in which the saint was born. He settled in Parur near Aluva.

Like his ancestor, he also joined the order of the Thekkemadam at Thrissur. He

was also a peripatetic religious traveler and had also the miraculous gift of

seeing the Lord in person as distinguished from the idol. There is hardly no

temple in Kerala that has not coined some story associating with his name.

Almost every one of them reflects his divine insight and special equations with

the presiding deity.

He spotted Lord at many places like in Vadakkunnathan's temple in Thrissur,

Vaikom during the Ashtami festival. Ettumanoor temple was built to mark the

sighting of Shiva. He sighted seven Bhagavathis near Cherthala and installed

them in separate shrines of their own. Tiruvarpu Krishna temple has the story of

his finding an the idol from muddy backwaters. He saw the image of Ananthasayi

in the jungle near Trivandrum and as directed by him, the Raja of Travancore

built a shrine to house it. This shrine is today known as Shri Padmanabha

Temple. He stayed at Ambalapuzha and chief Brahmin become his disciple. At last

he arrived at Guruvayur where prince Manavedan become his disciple.

----------------------------

4. KURURAMMA (AD 1570-1640)

Kururamma was born in 1570 in the village of Parur, near the house of

Villwamangalam. Her maiden name was Dhatri . By marriage she became Kururamma,

the senior-most lady of the Kurur illam in the village of Adatthu near Trichur.

She was a childless widow and settled in Guruvayur as a devotee. Thanks to

Poonthanam, she adopted Unnikrishna of Guruvayur as her son. She lived with him,

fondling him, playing with him, chiding him when he became naughty and weeping

at his childish freaks. The song of " Kani kanum neram " is generally attributed

to her.

Kururamma completed the mission of devotion by asserting the right of women, on

her own, to spiritual evolution and eventual salvation by chanting the holy

name.

-----------------------------

5. MANAVEDAN(AD1595-1658)

Prince Manavedan of Calicut was born in 1595 and had early education in

Sanskrit. He wrote Purvabharatha Champu in 1643.

He might have been familiar with Melpathur and Poonthanam during his time. Later

he became the disciple of Villwamangalam II. With his devotion to Lord and

guidance of Villwamangalam, he saw the Lord as Unnikrishna , standing under the

Elajhi tree on the way from the Palace to the temple. The present Koothambalam

is located at this spot. The Prince wrote a series of eight dramas for

Krishnanattam. The Krishnanattam began to be staged in the temple regularly as

an offering to the Lord. Thus the dance-drama, Krishnanattam , became yet

another medium to spread the fame of Guruvayur all over Kerala. There is a

memorial built for Manavedan in the Panchajanyam Guest house compound.

-----------------------------

6. KUDALLUR KUNJHIKKAVU NAMBOODIRI ( AD 1839-1903)

Kunjhikkavu was known as Raman in his childhood. He learnt Puranas through his

mother's daily parayana (recitation ) of Ezhuthachan's works and learnt Sanskrit

on his own . He formerly began his puranavayana in his illam and slowly become

famous as a philanthropist and mystic. He possibly followed the Chaithanya cult.

Very often he forgot this real world, he looked at every women he met as a Gopi

of Vrindavanam. He started circumambulating and prostrating before animals. He

used to take whatever he wanted from Sreekovil. Kunjhikkavu was more famous for

his puranavayana. The particular place in Guruvayur temple where he used to sit

for puranavayana is still known as Kunjhikkavu's corner.

-----------------------------

Hare Krishna

Hare Rama

[Guest guest]

Om Namo Narayana:

 

Thanks to Shri Vinod for briefing the life stories of six

Saints/Bhaagavatotamas of the past viz: Melpatur; Poonthanam;

Vilwamangalam; Kururamma; Manadeva and Kudallur. Their

conttributions to the welfare of mankind is priceless. Also thanks

to those who sent their good wishes to Sri Krishna Janmashtami.

 

Raju, Dombivli West.

26.8.05

 

 

 

guruvayur , " PS, Vinod K \(GE Energy\) "

<vinod.ps@g...> wrote:

>

>

> !! Sri Rama Jayam !!

>

> ------------------------

> 1. MELPATHUR NARAYANA BHATTATHIRI( AD 1559-1632 )

> The most famous among the Guruvayur saints was Melpathur. He was

born in Melpathur illam near Tirunavaya, famed as the theatre of the

Mamankam festival. He was married to Achuta Pisharodi's niece and

settled in Thrikandiyur.

> Bhattathiri was affected with rheumatism and searched for a remedy.

Ezhuthachan, a well known Malayalam poet and Sanskrit scholar told

him - " meen thottu koottuka " (start with fish). Bhattathiri took it

in the proper sense decided to present the various incarnations of

Lord Vishnu starting with the fish, as narrated in the Bhagavatham in

a series of Dasakas ( Groups of ten slokas) . He reached Guruvayur

and started composing one dasaka a day in the presence of the Lord.

The refrain in last sloka of every dasaka is a prayer to him to

remove the ailments and sufferings. He composed his work in one

hundred dasakas on the Kali day. This work is known as NARAYANEEYAM

after which he recovered fully and regained happiness.

> Narayaneeyam is in praise of Lord Narayana (Vishnu) on the equation

between NARA and NARAYANA. Narayaneeyam is a summary of the

Bhagavatha and its parayana (reading) confers great benefits; it is

an effective faith therapy. It makes one God-conscious , it concerns

mainly about our present life - Aarogyam (health and freedom from

diseases) and saukhyam (happiness).

> To Guruvayur also, Narayaneeyam is of utmost importance. No work of

this magnitude has ever been dedicated and addressed to the deity of

any other temple in India. It offers to the devout devotee an

opportunity to visualise and worship Mahavishnu by reading it or

listening to its rendition. It will shine and conjure up at Guruvayur

in the heart of posterity. The Devaswom celebrates the Narayaneeyam

Day every year with great enthusiasm and splendor.

> ---------------------------

> 2. POONTHANAM(AD 1547-1640)

> Poonthanam and Melpathur were contemporaries. Poonthanam was the

family name, his personal name is not known. He married a heiress at

20, but for a long time , they had no children. Poonthanam began to

propitiate the Lord of Guruvayur. A son was born to him in 1586. He

called for a celebration and everybody known was invited , but the

child died an hour before the ceremony. Grief-stricken Poonthanam

sought refuge at Guruvayur and started praying with the puranic story

of Kumaraharanam . By this time Melpathur had also come to Guruvayur

to cure his rheumatism.

> Gradually Poonthanam become enlightened and realised - while little

Krishna is dancing in our hearts, why do we need little ones of our

own?. Poonthanam spent the rest of his life of 90 odd years reading

the Bhagavatham and singing the Lord's glories in simple Malayalam.

He composed 'Bahsakarnamritham', a devotional work. The

Anandakarnamritham (dance of ecstasy) was his last contribution to

devotional literature.

> ---------------------------

> 3. VILLWAMANGALAM(1575-1660)

> Villwamangalam II was Prince Manavedan's spiritual mentor.

Villwamangalam is the name of the illam in which the saint was born.

He settled in Parur near Aluva. Like his ancestor, he also joined the

order of the Thekkemadam at Thrissur. He was also a peripatetic

religious traveler and had also the miraculous gift of seeing the

Lord in person as distinguished from the idol. There is hardly no

temple in Kerala that has not coined some story associating with his

name. Almost every one of them reflects his divine insight and

special equations with the presiding deity.

> He spotted Lord at many places like in Vadakkunnathan's temple in

Thrissur, Vaikom during the Ashtami festival. Ettumanoor temple was

built to mark the sighting of Shiva. He sighted seven Bhagavathis

near Cherthala and installed them in separate shrines of their own.

Tiruvarpu Krishna temple has the story of his finding an the idol

from muddy backwaters. He saw the image of Ananthasayi in the jungle

near Trivandrum and as directed by him, the Raja of Travancore built

a shrine to house it. This shrine is today known as Shri Padmanabha

Temple. He stayed at Ambalapuzha and chief Brahmin become his

disciple. At last he arrived at Guruvayur where prince Manavedan

become his disciple.

> ----------------------------

> 4. KURURAMMA (AD 1570-1640)

> Kururamma was born in 1570 in the village of Parur, near the house

of Villwamangalam. Her maiden name was Dhatri . By marriage she

became Kururamma, the senior-most lady of the Kurur illam in the

village of Adatthu near Trichur. She was a childless widow and

settled in Guruvayur as a devotee. Thanks to Poonthanam, she adopted

Unnikrishna of Guruvayur as her son. She lived with him, fondling

him, playing with him, chiding him when he became naughty and weeping

at his childish freaks. The song of " Kani kanum neram " is generally

attributed to her.

> Kururamma completed the mission of devotion by asserting the right

of women, on her own, to spiritual evolution and eventual salvation

by chanting the holy name.

> -----------------------------

> 5. MANAVEDAN(AD1595-1658)

> Prince Manavedan of Calicut was born in 1595 and had early

education in Sanskrit. He wrote Purvabharatha Champu in 1643.

> He might have been familiar with Melpathur and Poonthanam during

his time. Later he became the disciple of Villwamangalam II. With his

devotion to Lord and guidance of Villwamangalam, he saw the Lord as

Unnikrishna , standing under the Elajhi tree on the way from the

Palace to the temple. The present Koothambalam is located at this

spot. The Prince wrote a series of eight dramas for Krishnanattam.

The Krishnanattam began to be staged in the temple regularly as an

offering to the Lord. Thus the dance-drama, Krishnanattam , became

yet another medium to spread the fame of Guruvayur all over Kerala.

There is a memorial built for Manavedan in the Panchajanyam Guest

house compound.

> -----------------------------

> 6. KUDALLUR KUNJHIKKAVU NAMBOODIRI ( AD 1839-1903)

> Kunjhikkavu was known as Raman in his childhood. He learnt Puranas

through his mother's daily parayana (recitation ) of Ezhuthachan's

works and learnt Sanskrit on his own . He formerly began his

puranavayana in his illam and slowly become famous as a

philanthropist and mystic. He possibly followed the Chaithanya cult.

Very often he forgot this real world, he looked at every women he met

as a Gopi of Vrindavanam. He started circumambulating and prostrating

before animals. He used to take whatever he wanted from Sreekovil.

Kunjhikkavu was more famous for his puranavayana. The particular

place in Guruvayur temple where he used to sit for puranavayana is

still known as Kunjhikkavu's corner.

> -----------------------------

> Hare Krishna

> Hare Rama