Narayana bhattathiri

Courtesy:Sri.Gopala krishnan

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MELPATHUR NARAYANA BHATTATHIRI
(AD 1559-1632)

1.INTRODUCTON

The most famous among the Guruvayur saints was Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri. He was born in Melpathur illam near Tirunavaya, famed as the theatre of the Mamankam festival in the preset Malappuram District.

Bhattathiri's father Mathrudattar was a pandit himself. Bhattathiri studied from his father as a child. Learning Rig Veda (adhyayanam) from Madhava, Tharka sastra (science of arguments in Sanskrit) from Damodara, Vyakarana (Sanskrit grammar) from Achyuta Pisharati, he became a pandit by the age of 16. Later Bhattathiri married Pisharadi's niece and settled in Thrikandiyur.

2. BHATTATHIRI TRANSFER RHEUMATIC PAIN OF HIS GURU TO HIMSELF.

Bhattathiri's Vyakarana (Sanskrit grammar) Guru, Achyuta Pisharati, was affected with rheumatism Unable to see his pain, by yogic strength and by way of Gurdakshina, Bhattathri is said to have taken the disease upon himself and relieved his guru of the problem.
3. MEEN THOTTU KOOTTUKA

Bhattathiri so got affected with rheumatism and searched for a remedy. No medicine could cure Narayana. Ezhuthachan, a well-known Malayalam poet and Sanskrit scholar told him - "meen thottu koottuka" (use fish as side dish. Also meaning begin writing with Matsyavathra).

4. GURUVAYUR BHAJANAM

On the face of it, the suggestion would seem offensive to an orthodox Brahmin, who are strict vegetarians. However, Bhattathiri, understanding the hidden meaning, decided to present the various incarnations of Lord Vishnu starting with the fish, as narrated in the Bhagavata Purana in a series of Dasakas (Groups of ten slokas).

5. WRITING NARAYANEEYAM

Upon reaching Guruvayur, he started composing one dasaka a day in the presence of the Lord. The refrain in last sloka of every dasaka is a prayer to him to remove his ailments and sufferings. Every day, he sang 10 shlokas on Sri Guruvayoorappan. Each set of 10 poems ends with a prayer for early cure. The last sloka of every dasaka is a prayer to him to remove the ailments and sufferings. He composed his work in one hundred dasakas on the Kali day. In 100 days Melpathur finished his compositions. This work is known as Narayaneeyam after which he recovered fully and regained happiness.

6. VISION OF LORD GURUVAYOORAPPA

On 27 November 1587 when he finished the last dashakam ("Ayuraarogya Sowkhyam") he was cured. The 100th canto composed on that day gives a graphic description of this form of the Lord from the head to the foot. On that day he had a vision of the Lord in the form of Venugopalan. Melpathur was 27 years old at that time then.

(My note- Dear friends- by over sight in my earlier posting Trikkakkarae… I mentioned as Poonthanam instead of Melapathur. At least one or two would have noted it. Sorry for the mistake)

7. MORE ABOUT NARAYANEEYAM

The Narayaneeyam is a devotional Sanskrit work, in the form of a poetical hymn, consisting of 1036 verses (called 'slokas' in Sanskrit). It gives a summary of 18,000 verses of the Bhagavata Purana. Narayaneeyam was written during the year AD 1586.

Narayaneeyam is in praise of Lord Narayana (Vishnu) on the equation between NARA and NARAYANA. Narayaneeyam is a summary of the Bhagavatha and its parayana (reading) confers great benefits; it is an effective faith therapy. It makes one God-conscious, it concerns mainly about our present life - Aarogyam (health and freedom from diseases) and saukhyam (happiness).

To Guruvayur also, Narayaneeyam is of utmost importance. No work of this magnitude has ever been dedicated and addressed to the deity of any other temple in India. It offers to the devout devotee an opportunity to visualise and worship Mahavishnu by reading it or listening to its rendition. It will shine and conjure up at Guruvayur in the heart of posterity.

8. NARAYANEEYAM DAY

The day on which Narayana dedicated his Narayaneeyam to Sri Guruvayurappan is celebrated as "Narayaneeyam Dinam" every year at Guruvayur
The Devaswom celebrates the Narayaneeyam Day every year with great enthusiasm and splendour.

9. VYAKARANAM AND MELAPATHUR

Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri, third student of Achyuta Pisharati, was also student of Kerala School of astronomy and mathematics. He was a mathematical linguist (vyakarana). His most important scholarly work, Prkriya-sarvawom, sets forth an axiomatic system elaborating on the classical system of Panini.

However, he is most famous for his masterpiece, Narayaneeyam, a devotional composition in praise of Guruvayoorappan (Sri Krishna) that is still sung at the temple of Guruvayoor.

10 LIFE TIME

Bhattathiri lived 106 years and was a profounder of purva mimamsa, uttara mimamsa and vyakarana. He composed the Narayaniyam at the age of 27 and got cured of rheumatic pain. Melpathur is very often called as Guruvayur saint.
No details are available about his children or other details of his wife.

 

knr

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If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

  Every moment, thank God