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

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • December 14, 1999 


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