Sri AnnamAchArya Day

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

We are celebrating Sri AnnamAchArya day (a great bhaktha and poet) locally in Washington DC area tomorrow (Mar 22, 2009).

For event details, please visit www.ahobilamutt.org

Sri AnnamAchArya  was one of the earliest sishyas of Sri Ahobila Matam founder Srimad Adivan SatakOpan.

Enclosed below is an article written last year by Sri Sadagopan.

 

Srimad Azhagiyasingar ThiruvadigaLE sharanam

adiyen dasan,

Krishna

 

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Sixth Birth Centennial of Annamacharya

On May 19, 2008 the six hundredth anniversary of the birth of

Annamacharya was celebrated in a grand manner at the remote village of

Talapakkam in today's Andhra Pradesh. A tall statue of Annamacharya was

consecrated in the presence of the current Jeeyar of Sri Matam,SrI

Narayana Yatheendhra Mahaa Desikan. Sri Matam has long links with

Annamacharya is also known as Annamayyangar of Talapaakkam.

Annamacharya was born on the Vaisaka Poornima day of the Sarvadhari

year (May 9, 1408) and lived for 95 years until Phalguna Bahula dwadasi of

the Dhundhubi year (February 23, 1503). Prakrutham Srimad Azhagiya

Singar of Sri Matam, Sri Vann SaThakOpa Sri Narayana Yatheendhra Maha

Desikan was invited by Tirupati-Tirumala devastanam to be the chief guest

to preside over the sixth birth centennial celebrations. It is but

appropriate that the titular head of Sri Matam was invited to preside over

these well planned and well attended sixth centennial avatara utsavam of

Annamacharya at his birth place in the context of the precious relationship

that the divine bard had the founding Jeeyar of SrI Matam, Adhi VaNN

SaThakOpa Jeeyar. The bond between the Jeeyar and Annamacharya was a

special one. The Jeeyar performed the sacred rite of BharanyAsam

for Annamacharya, taught him Sri Bhashya, Rahasya thraya saaram, Srimad

Ramayanam, Nitya grantam and the four thousand divine collect. This great

Acharyan consecrated and presented an archa moorthy of Lord Venkatesa

with His two divine consorts for the daily worship (Aradhanam)

of Annamayya. Further, Adhi Vann Satakopa Jeeyar initiated Annamayya into

the Nrusimha and Venkatesa mantrams and nurtured the deep bhakti of the

bard to glorious heights. Annamayya was immensely grateful to his Acharyan

for all the blessings and spent number of years at Ahobilam performing

kaimkaryams for Malolan and his AchAryan. He composed many moving

sankeertanams on the dhivya desam of Ahobilam, the Lord of Ahobilam and

his revered Acharyan. He moved onto Thirumala with his Acharyan and spent

most of his life there composing and presenting atleast one keertanam per

day for the Lord of Saptha Giri.

Prakrutham Azhagiya Singar summarized in his inimitable style the life and

kaimkaryams of the divine bard from Talapaakam in a Srimukham this

way: " Sri Annamacharya was a mystic poet and like Alwars, he delved deep in

the ocean of divine love. His greatness lay in his songs being in simple

language; yet profound in supreme thoughts as reflected in scriptures, epics

and puranas. His devotion for Lord Venkateswara was unparalled; but his

bhakthi towards Sri Ahobila Narasimha was no less adorable. In a song, he

asserts that to him, the Lord who is a veritable treasure, omnipresent and

ever smiling is the Ahobileswara of Venkatadhri -- Hari Sri Venkatadhri

Ahobilesudu. Annamayya known popularly as Annamacharya saw Narasimha in

Venkatadhri and Venkateswara in Ahobilam as per his meaningful

words: " Paavanaputahobila giri devam Sri Venkatagiri jalagee vaade " . He

avers that Malola Narasimha in all His forms is the all pervading, all

conscious, all consuming Parabrahman. " Prakrutham Azhagiya Singar observes

further that the AchArya bhakthi of Annamacharya was unique:

" Annamacharya, the evolved soul, was a passionate disciple of the founder

Jeeyar of Sri Ahobila Mutt, Sri Adhivann Satakopa Swami. " To him, this

Satakopa Muni is the easily accessible Hari, Prince among ascetics, ever by

our side like a shadow, the glittering pathway for Moksham, the last word

for enemies, an embodiment of holiness, the boat to cross the Viraja

river, possesses glowing erudition to protect the worlds and the effulgent

lightning to both the animate and the inanimate. Surely, he is the vehicle to

cross the ocean of Samsara. Annamacharya significantly ends up this

composition stating that Sri Satakopa Muni is all for Lord

Ranganatha, Kaanchi Varadharaja, Tiruppathi Venkateswara and to Ahobila

Narasimha, the repository of compassion. Totally absorbed in ecstasy, he

hails the Nava Narasimha as " Viswa Simha, Veda Simha, Varada Simha,

Saranaagatha Simha, Trimurthi Simha, Durita nivaarana Simha, Kreeda

Simha, Aapat uddhara Simha and Bhaya nivarana Simha " . Sri Adhivann

Satakopa Sri Narayana Yatheendhra Maha Desikan concludes his tribute to

this special disciple of the founding Jeeyar of Ahobila Mutt with the

observation that it is very appropriate and laudable to propagate the bhaktisoaked

Sankeertanams of Annamacharya for future generations to illustrate

the vaibhavams of Acharya-sishya relationship and Bhagavath Bhakti.

Sankeertanams of Annamacharya:

Annamacharya has composed many krithis on Lord Venkatesa, Alarmel

Manga, Malolan, Ranganathan, Kaanchi Varadhan, Nithya Suris of the Lord

(Vishvaksena, Garuda, Anantha), the utsavams of the Lord including

Pushpa Yaagam, the Bhaagavataas of the Lord and their glories as Parama

VaishNavaas, Bhagavad Raamanuja siddhAntham and its infallibility,

Vaishnava lakshaNams and the supremacy of the performance of

Saranagathy at the sacred feet of the Lord as the never-failing means to

gain the richest of the purushartams. The meanings for the sankeertanams

quoted here are by Sriamthy Ambika Ananth and Sri Adviteeya Dixit.

Exceptional sishyan for an extraordinary Acharyan:

The most important sankeertanams in the context of the sixth

centennial for us as Sri Matam sishyas are in the form of upadesams of this

divine bard about the Acharya-Sishya relationship and the importance of

performing Kaimkaryams for one's Acharyan. In his case, the Acharyan was

the founding Jeeyar of Ahobila Matam, who was initiated into

SanyAsasramam by Lord Narasimhan Himself at Ahobila dhivya desam. Let

us study some excerpts from his sankeertanams extolling Acharya bhakti.

Tribute to Adhivann Satakopa Jeeyar:

In his sankeertanam " chUdu dindariki sualabhudu, Hari todu needayagu

doramuni yitadu " , Ananmacharya presents Satakopa Muni to us and explains

to us as what this great yathi and Acharyan means to him:

" Look! He is easily approachable by all!

Hari is the companion of this Lordly Sage!

Being the golden paved path to eternal,

Being the final authority of the vedas,

Being the sole personification of purity,

Being the boat to viraja, here He is!

To save the worlds, (by) being a brilliant lamp of true knowledge,

and filling the worlds with (His) effulgence,

To absolve the sins of the ocean of Samsara,

Being the raft, Here He is!

The abode of compassion, the Lord of Srirangam,

Lord Varadha of Kaanchi, Lord of Venakata hill

eternally, Lord Narasimha of Ahobilam,

These being His supreme goal, Here He is, Sri SatakOpa Muni! "

Other Upadesams on Acharya Tattvam.

(1) Sankeertanam (yeetanimoolamepo):

Here the divine bard describes what his wealth in the universe is. He points

out: " Because of Him (Acharyan) alone, here on this earth, there is

prosperity. He is there for us. How much wealth we possess! Happiness is

our wealth, AchArya is our wealth. The all pervading Lord of Sree

Venkatadhri is our God! "

2) Sankeertanam (annitiki Hari antaryaami moolamu)

Annamayya’s steadfast devotion to the Lord and His AchAryaas are saluted

here: " For everything, Hari--the antaryaami, is the origin; All other

means that are heard of, or seen, are fruitless. For attaining the rare rightknowledge,

Acharya is the origin on this earth; for the material world, money

is the origin; for supreme salvation, Sree Venkatapathi is the origin for

me, Saranaagathi unto Hari is the supreme means! "

3) Sankeetanam (Vishnude yintaani bhaavinchute buddhi)

Here, Annamaacharya instructs us on what is the right kind of Knowledge:

" Understanding that Vishnu is everything is the right knowledge, Being a

Vaishnava and serving Acharya, is the right knowledge. "

4) Sankeertanam (neevu naasommavu neeu neesommu)

Here is a song that Annamacharya sang to his personal deity: " You are my

property, and I am Your property! For this reason, why don't You stay in my

house forever? Oh Hari! My Acharya bestowed Your perceivable form unto

me long ago, with abounding joy! Oh Nara-Hari! I did not know You by any

unjust means. Is it right then for You to go away even by mistake? "

5) Sankeertanam (yettayinaa jesko ika nee cittamu nannu)

In a dialog with the Lord, Annamayya shares his inner convictions about his

Achaaryan and utter faith in his Acharyan and his teachings: " (Oh Lord!)

What do You want with me? It is up to You! My Guru made me hold Your

feet, I will not let go! -- My devout Acharya is the very reason between You

and me! If You asked " why this love " , my Acharya offered me unto You ----

Joyously my Acharya did the same thing, this remains for eternity, You and

I will never be separated! "

For Annamayya, his Acharyan is the very manifestation of the Lord Himself.

Annamayaa's gratitude to his Acharyan poured out in the form of moving

sankeertanas eulogizing his Acharyan's greatness. To Annamayya, Adhivann

SatakOpa Jeeyar was the true companion of Lord Hari and serving those

sacred feet of his Acharyan was the greatest blessing for him. Together,

the adhbhutha Acharyan and his ideal sishyan raised the glory of Sri

VaishNava sampradhaayam and the illustrious matam founded by Adhivann

Satakopa Jeeyar to great heights. That tradition thrives under the

illustrious prakrutham Azhagiya Singar.

Srimath Azhagiya Singar Thiruvadigale Saranam,

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan