Ranganik KaaNpatheppO?: Sri Parasara Bhattar's anubhavam : Part 2.

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs :

 

Sri Parasara Bhattar's sorrow over being exiled from

Srirangam was unbearable , even if it was a self-imposed

exile.He settled in ThirukkOttiUr.There ,he had

the daily darsanam of Soumya NaarAyaNan and ThirumAmahaL

NaacchiyAr resting under the shade of their AshtAnga

VimAnam . Bhattar was surrounded by BhagavathAs there ,

who flocked to hear his KaalakshEpams and nirvAhams . Yet ,

he pined for the life at Srirangam ad the darsanam of

Sri RanganAyaki SamEtha Sri RangarAjan at Srirangam .

His anubhavam must have been similar to that of AchArya

RaamAnujA at Mekote and Swamy Desikan at Sathyamangalam ,

when both had to live away from Srirangam .AdiyEn is just

using my imagination based on the study of AzhwAr's

paasurams to understand what MIGHT HAVE BEEN Bhattar's

reason to choose ThirukkOttiUr over Kaanchi, SrivilliputthUr

or ThirumAlirum chOlai for his self-imposed exile

from Srirangam .

 

ParAsara Bhattar's choice of ThirukkOttiyUr

********************************************

When Bhattar left Srirangam on his own due to

displeasure with the local king , he wanted perhaps to

live close to Srirangam and yet outside the borders

of the king , who committed unforgivable Bhaagavatha

and AchArya apachAram. He chose ThirukkOttiyUr indeed as

the place to wait . The other reason could be his

own familiarity with the AzhwAr's aruLicheyalkaL as

his indicators ( soochakam ). For instance , Thirumozhisai

AzhwAr pointed out in his Naanmukan ThiruvandhAthi

( 34 th Paasuram):

 

kuRippu yenakkuk KottiyUr meyyAnai yEttha

kuRippu yenakku nanmai payakka--

 

(Meaning):adiyEn had two intentions(goals) :

(1)It was my intention to have the darsana soubhAgyam

of the Lord of ThirukkOttiyUr and eulogize Him

(2) It was my intention to receive sakala soubhAgyams

(nanmai)through that sevai and kaimkaryam to Him .

 

Bhattar also reminded himself perhaps about the aruL mozhi

of Kaliyan in his Periya Thirumozhi (7.1.3):

 

thArEn piRarkku UnnaruL yennidai vaitthAi

aarEn athuvE paruhik kaLikkinREn

kaarEy KadalE malayE ThirukkOtti-

urE yuhanthayai uhanthadiyEnE

 

(meaning): Oh Lord of ThirukkOttiyUr ! You blessed

me with Your anugraham and I became the receptacle for

Your dayA.AdiyEn enjoys that grace without satiety .

You have given Yourself away to BhakthAs as the most

generous One. AdiyEn will not share You with

avaishNavAs . I have chosen You as my Lord , who

is resting in the sayana thirukkOlam at the Milky Ocean ,

Srirangam and ThirukkOttiUr and also standing on top of

the Venkatam hills.

 

The displeasure with an avaishNavan like the offending

Veerasundaran and the sEvA bhAgyam of the Lord in reclining pose

at ThirukkOttiyur as in Srirangam might be two of the reasons

for the choice of ThirukkOttiUr by Bhattar as a dhivya

dEsam to wait it out.

 

The other reasons for Bhattar's selection of ThirukkOttiUr

might be surmised from the hailing of PeriyAzhwar right at the

beginning of his Thirumozhi celebrating the birth of

KaNNan at ThirkkOttiUr ( PeriyAzhwAr Thirumozhi:1.1).

In the concluding paasuram of this patthu , PeriyAzhwar

states:

 

sennalAr vayal soozh ThirukkOttiUr

mannu NaaraNan piRanthamai

minnu nool Vittuchitthan virittha, ipp-

pannu paadal vallArkku illai paavamE

 

Just as Andal recognized SrivilliputthUr as

ThiruvAayipADi , PeriyAzhwAr recognized ThirukkOttiUr

as ThiruvAipADi and celebrated Sri Soumya NaarAyaNan as

KaNNan, Kesavan , NaarAyaNan and performed MangaLAsAsanam

for this dhivya dEsam as the place of birth of Lord KrishNA.

 

Yet another possible reason for Bhattar's choice of

ThirukkOttiUr for residence is the connection of AchArya

RaamAnujA to ThirukkOttiyUr nampi. This dhivya Desam was

the seat of great anushtAthAs and Vedic scholars and sishtAs.

PeriyAzhwAr attests to this fact abundantly in

his PeriyaazhwAr Thirumozhi paasurams . For instance

in his Thirumozhi 4.4 , PeriyAzhwAr says:

 

" dEva kaariyam seythu Vedam payinRu Vaazh ThirukkOttiyUr.. "

 

( ThirukkOttiUr with Sri VaishNava sampath known for

the assembly of those , who perform daily AarAdhanam

for the Lord as established in the Nithya granthams and

for those , who practise the Vedic injunctions for

BhAgavath and BhAgavatha Kaimkaryams )

 

" KuRRaminRi guNam perukki GurukkaLukku anukoolarAi

seRRam onRumilAtha vaNN kaiyinArkaL vaazh ThirukkOttiUr "

--PTM: 4.2

 

( The Sri VaishNava assembly at the blessed ThirukkOttiUr

is known for (1) aanukoolya sankalpam (2) PrAthikoolya

varjanam (3) indriya nigraham (4) well developed aathma

guNams (5) blemishless AchArya Bhakthi (6) freedom from

jealousy and ahnakAram and(7) great generosity . It is

their nithya vaasam at ThirukkOttiUr that tilted the scales

for Bhattar to choose this dhivya desam for temporary stay).

 

" bhUtham iynthodu vELvi iynthu pulankaL iynthu poRikaLAl

yEtham onRilAtha vaNN kaiyaarkaL vaazh ThirukkOttiUr

Naathanai Narasinghanai navinRu yEtthuvArkaL uzhakkiya

Paadha thooLi paduvathAl ivvulaham bhaakkiyam seythathE "

PTM: 4.6

 

(meaning): Neither through their bodies made of pancha-

bhUthams nor by five senses nor by their five indhriyams

would the Sri VaishNavAs of ThirukkOttiUr commit any

Bhagavath-BhAgavatha apachArams . They dedicate their

pancha bhUtha sarIram to serve the other Sri VaishNavALs

and use thier senses and Indhriyams for Bhaagavatha Kaimkaryams.

They are the most generous ones. They eulogize Lord

NarasimhA , when they move about and by the imprint of

their feet this earth (ThirukkOttiUr) becomes the most

fortunate place anywhere .

 

" karumtaDa muhil VaNNanaik Kadai koNDu kai thozhum BhaktharkaL

iruntha ooril irukkum maanithar yetthavankaL seythAr kolO ? "

PTM: 4.7

 

(Meaning ): How fortunate indeed are those , who live in

ThirukkOttiUr known for the nithya vaasam of the great

Sri VaishNavAs , whose livelihood is the celebration

of dark-hued Soumya NaarAyaNan through sthOthrams day

and night , the conductance of uthsavams for Him regularly ,

the unceasing meditation of Him ? They must have done

noble penances to have the BhAgyam of living in this

dhivya dEsam of Soumya NaarAyaNan and ThirumAmahaL.

 

" ---ThirukkOttiUr , nambanai Narasinghanai navinRu

yEtthuvArkal kaNDakkAl , YempirAn chinnangaL ivarivar

yenRu aasaikaL theervanE " --PTM : 4.9

 

(meaning ): In the dhivya desam of ThirukkOttiUr , adiyEn will

quench my thirst for the darsanam and the worship of

Sri VaishNavAs , whose devotion to Achyutha-Bhaktha Vathsalan

are exemplary. When adiyEn comes across these VaishNava

sikhAmaNis ,who loudly proclaim the name of BhagavAn

Narasimhan , adiyEn would recognize them immediately

as the true insignia of the Lord and long for their

association and be totally contented with my life .

 

Such is the Sri VaishNava samrutthi (sampath/selvam)

of ThirukkOttiUr that Sri ParAsara Bhattar chose

as his place of residence outside Srirangam .

 

In the subsequent postings , adiyEn will cover

the individual slOkams of Sri RanganAtha sthOthram

of Sri ParAsara Bhattar.

 

Bhattar ThiruvadigalE SaraNam,

Oppilappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan