SRIDHARA VENKATESA AYYAVAL

SRIDHARA VENKATESA AYYAVAL

My Facebook posting of 10 12 2015

Prayers to Sree Sridhara Venkatesa Ayyaval this Guruvar, thursday to spread bhakthi and thus people to live in peace and happiness. Tomorrow, the 11th December 2015 is the Gangakarshanam at Tiruvisainallur.

Salutations to Sri Ayyaval

ईशे तस्य च नामनि प्रविमलं ज्ञानं तयोरूर्जितं
प्रेम प्रेम च तत्परेषु विरतिश्चान्यत्र सर्वत्र च । 
ईशेक्षा करुणा च यस्य नियता वृत्तिः श्रितस्यापि यं
तं वन्दे नररूपमन्तकरिपुं श्रीवेङ्कटेशं गुरुम् ॥

Meaning:
I bow down to my preceptor, Sri Venkatesha, who is verily Lord Shiva in human form. Pristine knowledge of the Lord and his holy names; fixed, unbounded devotion towards them; and also affection towards devotees; absence of attachment towards everything else; grace and compassion of the lord - all these can be attained by taking refuge in him.

Referred as Ayyaval, Sree Sridhara Venkatesa Ayyaval was born in Mysore and his father Lingaraya was a Minister in the court of Mysore.  His father was a great scholar in shastras and Ayyaval studied Vedas at a very young age.  He was married to one Sow. Lakshmi. On the death of his father, when the Maharaja offered the Diwan post, he did not take it and instead took to Uncharviruti to sing the praise of the Lord. After a while he moved down south and for sometime he styaed in Tiruchirapalli and Thanjavur. At Tiruchirapalli, a group of vaishnavites tested him by asking Mathrubutheswarar be dressed as Krishna and Ayyaval sang Krishna Dwadasa Manjari and obliged them.  He also composed a hymn called "Taaraavali" in praise of Lord Siva, to bring back to life of a child of a brahmin couple.
King Shahaji ruled Thanjavur when Ayyaval reached there.  Ayyaval wanted to be in  a serene place to follow the path of Bhakthi and thus reached Tiruvisanallur, close to Thirunthuthevangudi on the banks of the river cauvery.  King Shahaji developed this village in honour of the vedhic brahmins of that place.  Soon Ayyaval earned the respect of the people there due to his devotion and knowledge on vedas.  King Shahaji took him as Diwan.
On request of the King Shahaji, Ayyaval composed a Sanskrit Dictionary known as "Padamani Manjari'.  He also composed 'Shahaji Rajacharitram' a biography on the King.

Sridhara Venkatesa, is one of the pioneers of Nama Sankeertanam movement in the South. He is considered as one of the trinity of Dakshina Bharatha Sampradaya Naama Sankeertanam, the other two being Sri Bodhendra Saraswathi and Marudhanallur Sathguruswamy. While in Tiruvisainallur, Ayyaval brought Gangamatha in his well on Karthikai month New Moon day and hence that day people gather at Tiruvisainallur to have bath in that well known as Gangakarshanam.

It is said that he merged with the Lord Mahalingam of Thiruvidaimaruthur when he was 85.

(More info on Ayyaval at: http://www.sriayyaval.org/

Updated on 23rd June 2016:

Some people around him thought he was leaning in Bhakthi more towards Lord Siva than Lord Vishnu and they told the king about that. The king ordered the temple priest to dress Sree Madhrubootheswarar as Krishna while taking the Lord in procession.  When the procession was passing his house he was in trance and deep meditation on Lord Siva. But he hurriedly came out to have darshan of the Lord and finding Sree Krishna and thus prayed to him with the wish when he would meditate on his Lotus feet, to know the transitory nature of this world - by being humble, by knowing my deficiencies, by being compassionate towards all living beings and also turn a blind eye on other people's faults - He thus composed "Krishna Dwadasa Manjari"- He did not hesitate to mention that Lord Krishna's vision was not easy even for Lord Siva himself.

Knowing this, the King was happy to note the true devotion and bhakthi of Sree Ayyaaval. People who induced the King to test Sree Ayyavaal too, prostrated before Ayyavaal apologising for their ignorance.

Gangagarshanam at the house of Sridhara Ayyaval:
On a Karthigai Amavasya day, when a hungry dalit asked for food, Ayyaval fed him and that also happened to be the day of Srartha, Ayyaval had to perform.  The Brahmins refused to conduct the Srartha ceremony and they told he could get prayachitha only by bathing in Ganges.   As the srartha had to be performed on that day and he could not go the Kasi and had the bath too on the same day, he fervently prayed to Lord Siva and recited Gangaashtakam and Ganges flowed out of his well.  Even today people throng to his house at Tiruvisainallur and take bath in the well of his house during Karthigai Amavasya.  The well can seen in the picture.

மஹாஸ்வாமிகள் -- வேதமும் அங்கங்களும்

மஹாஸ்வாமிகள் -- வேதமும் அங்கங்களும்

வேதத்தின் ஆறு அங்கங்களுக்கு “ஷடங்கங்கள்” என்று பெயர். இதிலிருந்தே மத சம்பந்தமான அனைத்துக் காரியங்களுக்கும் சடங்கு என்ற பெயர் ஏற்பட்டது. அதையொட்டியான ஸம்ப்ரதாயங்களும் வேதத்தின் ப்ரகாரம் ஏற்பட்டவையே.  வைதீக அநுசரணையே தமிழ்நாட்டின் தொன்றுதொட்ட பழக்கம் என்பதற்கு இவையெல்லாம் உதாரணங்கள்.

தமிழ்மறை என்று சொல்கின்ற குறள் முழுக்க, முழுக்க வைதிகமானதே என்பது என் அபிப்ராயம்.  வைதிக சமயத்தில் பித்ருக்களுக்குத்தான் முதலிடம்.அப்புறம் தான் வேதயக்ஞம்.   பித்ருக்களுக்குரிய தர்ப்பணமும், திவசமும் செய்தபின் தான் வேதபூஜை செய்யவேண்டும்.   இதே வரிசையை மாற்றாமல் திருவள்ளுவ்ரும் சொல்கிறார்-

“தென்புலத்தார், தெய்வம், விருந்தொக்கல் தானென்றாங்கு
ஐம்புலத்தாறு ஓம்பல் தலை”

பித்ருக்கள், தெய்வம், அதிதி, சுற்றத்தார்கள், தான் என்ற ஐந்து பேரையும் போஷிக்கவேண்டும் என்கிறார். முதலில் பித்ருக்களான் தென்புலத்தாரைச் சொல்லி அப்புறம் தெய்வத்தைச் சொல்கிறார்.  யமனுடைய திக்கான தெற்கில் பித்ருக்கள் இருப்பதான வைதிக நம்பிக்கையையே மூதாதையர்களை ‘தென்புலத்தார்’ என்கிறார்.