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A SanyAsi ascends the throne : Part 1

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • July 4, 1997 


Dear Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha Divya PaadhukhA sevakAs :

I will commence this series with a paasuram from 
Sri Adhi VaNN SatakOpa Yatheendhra Maha Desikan
Adaikkala Patthu . This verse is part of a ten verses 
performing prapatthi to the First Jeeyar of Ahobila Matam ,
who was initiated into SanyAsa Aasramam at Ahobilam 
by Lord Narasimhan Himself . This verse is also one of 
the verses used in the Sri Sannadhi Saatthumurai Kramam :

aadhimaraiuruvAna adhippuLL verpathanil 
sodhiyenavulahelAm sukam peravE vandhutthittha
adhigurunarasinghan aruLAlEyogiyAna
adhivaNNseer SatakOpan adiiNaiyen mudimaNiyE 

with the split of the compound words , the paasuram 
flows this way for easy comprehension  :

aadhi marai uruvu aana adhi puLL verpu tanil 
sodhi yena ulahellAm sukam peravE vandhu udhittha
aadhi Guru Narasinghan aruLAlE yogi aana
aadhi vaNN seer SatakOpan adi iNai yen mudi maniyE   

The paasuram refers to a wonderful evnt that happened at 
Ahobilam some  598 years ago . 

The first line of the paasuram refers to two of the three 
mountains at Ahobilam . These three are known as 
GarudAchalam , vEdAchalam and achalacchAya Meru . 
The salutation in this paasuram is to vEdAchalam , 
or the ancient vEdAs that took  the form of 
the mountain named vEdAchalam( aadhi marai-
uruvu aana verpu ) and did penance and received 
the boon of protection from Lord narasimhan . The 
first line also refers to GarudAchalam ( PuLL =
Veda purushan , Garudan ) , where Garudan
performed tapas and got the boon of being the 
vaahanam for the Lord . Achalaachala Meru is 
the mountain between VedAchalam and GarudAchalam .
Thus all the three mountains of Ahobilam are covered 
here as the sacred seat of BhagavAn Narasumhan .  

The sacredness of these three mountains covered next by 
the second line and most of the third line of the paasuram:

sOdhi yena ulahellAm sukam peravE vandhu udhittha
aadhi Guru Narasinghan 

This hills are sacred because of the avathAram of the 
resplendent jyothi ( JwAlA Narasimhan )in nine forms
(Nava Narasimhans )  for giving
comfort to the people of the world as the ancient 
Guru . The poet states that Lord Narasimhan 
vandhu udhitthAn. He chose the site , arrived there and 
revealed His auspicious forms for saving PrahlAdhA 
and the people of the world as the primordial Guru . 

The rest of the pasuram deals with another miraculous 
event that occured at Ahobilam some six hundred years ago 
in Lord NarasimhA's role as the aadhi Guru :

---aadhi Guru Narasinghan aruLAlE yOgi aana 
aadhi vaNN seer SatakOpan adi iNai yen mudi maNiyE 

This portion of the paasuram celebrates the event , which
relates to the acceptance of SanyAsa Aasramam by  a  
young man in his early twenties by the name of Kidaambi 
SrinivAsan born in ThirunArAyaNapuram . He was 
commanded by BhagavAn Narasimhan to come to Ahobilam .
SrinivAsan arrived at Ahobilam and was met by Lord Narasimhan,
who appeared as a old sanyAsi and initiated SrinivAsan 
into sanyAsa Aasramam at the sannidhi of Achaarya 
RaamAnujA .The Lord  appointed Kidaambi SrinivAsan 
as the first peetthipathi of the Mutt revered as Ahobila Mutt 
today . BhagavAn Narasimhan also gave the daasa naamam 
for Srinivasan as Sri SatakOpa Jeeyar . This incident is referred
to in the paasuram as " aadhi Guru Narasinghan aruLAlE 
yOgi aana aadhivaNN seer SatakOPan ".

This paasuram concludes with a salutation to the first jeeyar
of Ahobila mutt : aadhivaNN seer SatakOpan adi iNai yen mudi
maNiyE " . The poet and devotee of aadhivaNN SatakOpan
points out that the sacred pair of feet of his aachAryA rests 
on his head as sirOrathnam or mudi maNi or the jewel on 
the top of his head . 

In the next posting , the sacrednes of AhObilam and the life 
of Aadhi vaNN SatakOpa Yatheendhra MahA Desikan as the first
AchAryA of Ahobila Mutt will be covered  .

peRRA thAyAi battharukku bedhamillA tanthaiumAi 
maRRumuLLa suRRamumumAm manniya ponni raasiyumAai
yetthisaiyum yennudaya innuruvAm bhakkiyamAai
uRRamuni SatakOpa ! unn kazhalgal ahalEnE 

(Meaning ) : Oh , Aadhi vaNN SatakOpA ! You are the bioogical 
mother to Your devotees , the unquestionable  father , the one
who exists as the rest of the relatives and the golden 
auspiciousness that befall them . I have obtained as a 
great blessing your beautiful body (subha tanu, subhAsrayam )
for my meditation . Oh , great AachArya ! Oh , my bhAgyam ! 
I shall never ever separate from your sacred feet .

Oppiliappan Kovil VaradAchAri Sadagopan