Swami Kuresa Thirunakshathram (Thai hastham) today

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SrI:

SrImathE Gopaladesika mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dearest all,

 

Today Thia hastham is the most auspicious day in

Srivaishnavam. It is the janma nakshathram of Swami

KooratthAzhwAn. Kuresa (KooratthAzhwAn) was one of the

Prime and foremost sishyas (disciples) of Sri

Ramanujacharya and was 7 years older than Bhagavd

Ramanuja.

 

Swami KooratthAzhwAn’s scholarship, anushtAnam,

vairAgyam and bhakti were exemplary.

 

He was shining with greatest Athma guNAs. His humility

and Acharya bhakti are amazing. His life history is

soul stirring and is a great role model for each one

of us. His precocious sons were Swami Paraasara

Bhattar and Swami Vyaasa Bhattar. His most devoted

wife was by name AndAL and she was also equally

knowledgeable.

 

His dates are recorded to be from 1010-1116 CE. He was

born in Kuram, a village close to Kanchipuram and

hence was called Kuresa.

 

His wonderful works were :

 

1. Srivaikuntasthavam

2. athimAnushasthavam

3. Sundarabaahusthavam

4. Sri Vararajasthavam

5. Sri sthavam

 

It was he who had composed the famous verse on

Ramanuja:

 

" yO nityamachutha padAmbhuja yugmarugma

vyAmOhatas-tadi-tarANi trNAya mEnE

asmath gurOr bhagavatOsya daiyaiyaka sindOhO

rAmAnujasya charanow sharanam prapadyE ! " .

 

The Holy Feet of My Master, Ramanuja, are my only

refuge! For He is an Ocean of dayA! Everything else is

like blade of grass for him, other than the Supreme

Wealth that is the Feet of Achutha- (One who never

ever lets us down) "

 

This verse appears as the first verse of Srivaikunta

sthavam as a humble prayer to Acharya Ramanuja.

 

Swami Parasara Bhattar wrote the dedicatory verse on

his illustrious father Swmai Kuresa

 

SrIvathsachihna misrEbhyO namaukthim adhImahE

yadhukthaya: thrayIkaNDE yaanthi MangaLasoothrathAm

 

We pay our homage to the One Sri Kuresa, whose holy

verses are the very auspicious mangaLasuthra

(Thirumangalya) around the neck of the Veda mAthA

(Vedas being personified here).

 

His aversion towards anything other than the

sampradayam is illustrated by his giving up all his

wealth and going to Srirangam to serve Emberumaanaar

(Sri Ramanuja).

 

KoorEsar was the one who read the Commentary of

Brahmasoothram in one night and he could remember all

when it was stolen and taken away be the envious

enemies on RamaujA's return from kashmir. Based on

KoorEsar's memory and ability, Ramanuja had written

Sri BhAshyam. Such was the Greatness of

KooratthAzhwAn. Thus endowed with a phenomenal memory

and intellect, he soon become Emberumaanaar's

closest confidant and chief disciple, collaborating

with him in all his efforts. Without Alvan, it is safe

to say that it would have been extremely difficult for

Emberumaanaar to have written

his philosophical masterpiece, the Sribhashya.

 

There is another legend that the house, where the Sri

Kosams were burnt down from a fire and the Sri

Bhaashyam was lost. It is then KurEsar recalled form

memory the Text of Sri Bhaashyam. KurEsar was also Sri

RaamAnujA's amenuse or the memory bank and helped a

freat deal in the creation of Sri Bhaashyam by his

AchAryan

 

The king, on the advice of Nalooraan, (a former sishya

of KooratthAzhwAn, and was working for the king) had

ordered RamanujA and Periya nambhi to appear in his

court to sign a statement saying " Sivaath Paratharam

naasthi " , (means: there is none superior to Siva. When

the command of the king was heard by KooratthAzhwaan

first, he wore the sanyaasi's dress, (when Ramanuja at

 

that time was taking bath in the river), and left his

white " gruhastha " vEshti for Ramanuja, so that he can

escape. He along with periya nambhi went to the king's

court and when Periya nambhi refused to sign, he was

executed.

 

The clever Sanskrit slOkam with double meanings is :

" SivAth paratharam naasthi---> dhrONamasthi tatha:

param " Sivam is KuruNi and DhrONam , the measure

bigger than Sivam is Pathakku That was KoorEsar's

chaathuryam and that must have really triggered off

the king and must have angered him who was trying to

propagate Saivam. the king, Krimikantha, in a mad

rage, ordered his soldiers to arrest Kuresh and

burnt his eyes out. The king’s men took Kuresar to a

prison, and after blinding him, released him in the

forest. During the entire horrifying experience

Kuresar never once protested. He found strength within

knowing that his guru was safe. KurEsar himself

plucked his eyes and threw them in front of the Veera

Saiva RaajA with the announcement that he did not want

to possess the eyes that had the paapam of seeing that

intolerant NaarayaNa dhvEshi .The king's servants

plucked the eyes of Periya nampi , who accompanied

KurEsa to the king's court to refute the assertion of

the king that SivA was the greatest among Gods . This

king later had throat cancer for his aparAdham and

died a miserable death.

 

KooratthAzhwAn was so merciful and soft hearted that

he requested the Lord (when he was asked to appeal to

the Lord, by RamanujA for getting back his eyesight)

to save him (KoorEsar) and Nalooraan also (who was a

traitor and who had committed such asashya apacharam

to his own Acharya- because of which KoorEsar was in

fact blinded at all). What a great heart! - That is

the essential quality of a srivaishnava; He gave away

his very darsanam (eyes) for the sake of (Ramanuja)

Darsanam. None can be equal to our Swami Kuresa. His

life history brings tears on one’s eyes and melts our

hearts. darsanattukkaaga darsanattaye koduttavar " ,

i.e., he sacrificed his darsana (eyesight) for the

sake of darsana (sampradaya).

 

AchAryA RaamAnujA expressly returned from Melkote

after hearing about the fate of KurEsar and Periya

Nampi. He went to Kanchipuram and asked KurEsar to

compose a sthOthra in honor of the boon-granting Sri

VaradarAjan for the return of his (KurEsar " s )eye

sight. KurEsar composed the sthavam on Sri VaradarAjA.

In that sthavam KurEsar asked for Jn~Ana chakshus (

n~Anak KaNNkaL) instead of

physical eyes.His prayer was " nEthrasAth Kuru

KarIsa !sadhA mE " .

 

In him we see such greatest Acharya; and the greatest

Sishya- na bhoothO; na bhavishyathi…

 

Let us pray to his lotus feet to grant us ceaseless

faultless kainkarya ruchi towards the Divya Dampathi.

 

Please forgive me for any errors and omissions of the

great mahAthmA- Swami Kuresa.

 

Kuresa ThiruvaDigaLE SaraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dAsan

 

 

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