Fw: Saranagathi Fw: [SriParakalaMatham] RE: Origin of Hebbar iyengars

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs:

 

Sriman Dhivakar located in Vizhaaga Pattinam is the author

of Historical novels like " Thirumalayil Thiruttu " . He is an ardent

admirer of Swamy NammAzhwAr .

 

I am delighted to forward his posting on VaishNavam in

Telugu speaking land .

 

Thank you , Driman Dhivakar ,

V.Sadagopan

 

-

 

venkataraman dhivakar

saranagathi-owner

Friday, August 12, 2005 6:36 AM

Re: Saranagathi Fw: [sriParakalaMatham] RE: Origin of Hebbar iyengars

 

 

Respected Sri Sadagopan AvargaL.

 

 

Truth seeking - Origin of Hebbar Iyengars.

Srivaishnavite of Andhra Desa.

 

The article on Karnataka Srivaishnavites made adiyen to write about something on Andhra desa Srivaishnavites too for the SaraNagathi list. Adiyen had the greatest opportunity of having darshan and discussing with Srimaan Sribhaashyam Applacharyulu swamy (Vaikuntavaasi) in the year 2002-2003, at Visakhapatnam. During one such time swamy told me…

 

“What is there in the origin of caste? If any one called me as ‘Srivashnavite’ that was the greatest gift and most satisfying in the earth”

 

Srimaan Sribhaashyam swamy had immense knowledge in Dhivyaprabhandam and Vaalmiki Ramayana. Especially for Tiruppaavai, the swamy had done excellent service and he spread Godha Devi’s pugazh everywhere in Andhra Desa, that too among common people by giving regular discourses. His profound knowledge in Tiruppavai, though he is a telugu and do not speak in Tamil, somewhat incomparable and his writings on Godha Devi’s paamalai was even today very popular among telugu devotees. Apart from Tiruppaavai his 9 days discourse in Ramayana during Sri Raama navami draws very huge crowds in open air auditorium at Visakhapatnam. His Sanskrit knowledge got him the ‘Mahamahopadhyaya’ from Benarus University. Swamy attained the Lotus feet of Lord in the year 2003 and just before that the swamy had completed his 9 days Annual Ramayana lecture and his devotees also celebrated his 82nd birthday as Aayiram PiRai KaNda Vizaa. Swamy was born on Ramanavami day.

 

His legacy is still continuing through his son Srimaan Sribaashyam Srinivaasacharyulu and his daughter Srimati Triguvengalamma. As a daughter Srimati Tiruvengalamma inherited her father’s wisdom, translated Nammazwar’s Thiruvaaimozi in Telugu with explanations. She also, like father, explains and propagates Tiruppaavai among Telugu devotees. Her one such explanation on Aandal’s ‘UngaL Puzaikkadai Thottatthu vaaviyuL Sengazuniir vAy negizndu Aambal vaay kuumbina kaaN’ was exceptionally excellent where she compares Andaal eyes to aambal and Lord’s eye to Sengazuniir flower. It is a marvel on Andal’s crown.

 

But unlike Karnataka, Andhra desa has history of Srivaishnavites before the arrival of Udaiyavar Sri Ramanuja. According to Historian Prof B.S.L. Hanumantha Rao who wrote ‘ social mobility in medieval Andhra’ mention that a large number of villages had tamil migrated srivaishnavite families such as Satlur, Vangiparru, Karambichedu, Puthur, Urputtur, Viravalli, Kundur, etc. in Karma Raashtra (present Guntur-Vijayawada area) settled during 8th and 9th centuries spreading vedism and Azwaar based Vishnu’s paratatvam. It was also likely that the presence of Sri Ramanuja during 11th century was largely responsible for the emergence of Srivaishnavism in different format that as a rapprochement between vedism and devotionalism of Tamil prabandha’s. One such staunch srivaishnavite Sriman Satluru Gopalakrishnacharya still preaching Tamil Dhivya prabhandham at Simhachalam temple here at Visakhapatnam.

 

Sri Ramanuja ‘s visit to coastal Andhra desa was very significant. Udaiyavar was staying at Simhachalam Sri Lakshmi Varaha Narasimha Swamy hill Temple for more than six months and scores of people had come forward to follow the footsteps of Sri Ramanuja.

 

There was a folklore still famous among rural Andhra people that there was an interesting conflict between Kavi Krishnamachari and the Lord Varaha Narasimha Himself on Sri Ramanuja. Kavi Krishnamachari who did not like the popularity of Sri Ramnuja but as a staunch devotee of Lord he was blessed to speak directly to Lord as one to one. In one such occasion, Kavi has sung beautiful song on Lord for which the Lord Himself appeared before him and danced to his tunes. On completion of song Kavi had asked the Perumaal to bless him with MUKTHI. But Lord asked the Kavi to go to Sri Raamanuja who only has the light to show the way towards Mukthi.

 

But that is another story that Kavi did not like Lord’s response and cursed the God to have a fire on his temple and got back the curse on him instead. Kavi Krishnamachari songs, it was told, highly beautiful, devoted, would have been most famous for the future, but the curse he attained, did not bring it outside world.

 

The Simhachalam Tamil srivaishnavites were migrated from Tamilnadu during Sri Ramanuja’s time though forgot the speaking of Tamil language but not Dhivya Prabhandam. The same thing continued with Srikurmam ksEthram (in Srikakulam District, the north east corner of Andhra desa) where Sri Ramanuja stayed for many days after returning from Jagannathapuri (the present Puri) and prayed the Lord Sri Kurmanatha Swamy.

 

NAMMAAZWAAR TIRUVADIGALE SARANAM.

Dhivakar.