MELPATUR NARAYANA BHATTATIRI – LIFE AND WORKS.
By NR PILLAI (RAJU-KOOVAPPADY).
“veLLam jatAntE bibhrANam
veLLimAmala vigraham
veLLUramarnnu gaureesam
uLLilambOdu chintayE”.
This
is from “Balaprabodhanam” of Putumana Chomatiri (Namputiri – date not known), a
work in Manipravaalam on Sanskrit Grammar written for the use of beginners of
Sanskrit study and was is use until our old and gurukula system of Sanskrit
study became extinct some years ago. Another “Balaprabodhanam” written recently
by one Sri Chandrasekhara Varier(?) is also available which, unfortunately, I
have not seen.
Many
of our members may be well aware that the contribution of Kerala to Sanskrit
Literature is vast in bulk and varied in content. Only few Indian states are
there to equal Kerala in this regard. Contribution of Kerala to Sanskrit
literature comprises all branches of learning, both general like Kavya, Nataka,
Campu, Alankara and Vrtta, and technical subject like the different Darsanas,
particularly, Mimamsa and Vedanta, Tantra, Silpa, Vaidya, Ganita and Sangita.
Many of the works are lost in transit and out of the available material only
few are in print rest all lying in manuscript. This is the general condition of
our culture.
Now
we will focus on the life and work of Narayana Bhattatiri, one of the foremost
Sanskrit poets and savants of Kerala. Born in a Brahmin family of poets,
philosophers, scholars and devotees. As of other famous literary figures of
Kerala, his exact date of birth is also not available but we have some evidence
to show that he lived during the sixteenth century and some historians are of
the opinion that he was born in AD 1559 or 1560. Though PRAKRIYASARVASAM is his
famous and best work, it is NARAYANEEYAM become famous among the mass because
of its contents describing Guruvayurappan and which identifies him with
Mahavishnu, the central figure of Bhagavata, is the greatest of these
mahatmyas, creating a Guruvayur in the heart of those who read it or listen.
This stotra kavya
is
a source of spiritual sustenance to the lakhs of devotees who visit Guruvayur
on pilgrimage throughout the year. Though the family is now extinct, we have
some prolific evidence from the details given by him at the end of the second
and last part of his famous work on grammar PRAKRIYASARVASAM.
“bhUkhande keraLakye saritamiha nilamuttare naiva nava-
Kshetre gavyutimatre punaruparinavagramanamni svadhamni-
Dharmisthat bhattatiryaa akhilamatapatormatrdattadvijendrat-
Jato narayanakhyo niravahadatulam devanarayanajnam.”
It
is seen that meppathur illam was situated on the northern side of Bharata
Puzha, about two miles from Tirunavay in Ponnani taluka of Kerala. His father
Matridatta devoted to dharma and learned Bhatta Mimamsa (Kumarlila Bhatta’s
school of vedic ritualistic philosophy). And the grammatical work has been
composed under the instructions and supervision of Ampalapuzha Puratam Tirunal
Devanarayanan.
Learning
of Narayana in various branches and his teachers are mentioned in the following
verse from the same work.
“Mimamsadi svatatannigamamavikalam madhavacharyavaryat
Tarkam damodararyadapi padapadavimcyutaryad budhendrat
Tesham karunyayogat kathampi kavitamapnravam karma caitat
Bhuyat krishnarpanam me bhavatu ca satatam dhiradhare .
Accordingly
he learned Vedas from Madhavacharya , logic from Damodara. Grammar from Achyuta
Pisharoti. This Achyuta Pisharody is the famous Trikantiyur Achuta Pisharody, a
celebrated grammarian and astronomer of his time.
Bhattathiri
is said to have led an erratic life in his youth and grew up against the
tradition of his family. He ran away from home without studying Vedas and other
traditional courses practiced by Brahmins and led a wayward, dissolute life.
During this time he came in contact with Achyuta Pishorody and with his able
guidance and in a short time Bhattatiri begins to turn down from his bad habits
one by one and initiated to practice traditional brahmin’s duty. In a span of
short time under the tutelage of Pishorody he became a different man in
life.Bhatathiri took to writing from this time and produced a number of
devotional booklets and prabandhas and later became one of the foremost
Sanskrit writar of Kerala. While he was thus
emerging
into fame, his Guru Phisharoti was stricken with rheumatism. Bhattatiri, by way
of gurudakshina, took upon himself by avahana (icarious suffering) the disease
from which his guru suffering. As a result Pishorodi was cured his ailment and
Bhattatiri contracted the disease. As he himself failed in all methods of
treatment to cure the ailment, he decided to go to Guruvayur and took refuge at
the feet of Lord Guruvayurappan. There he composed the mahakavya Narayaneeyam
contains 1036 slokas in praise of the Lord and recited them before the deity.
He said to have composed the entire 1036 slokas in ten days reciting 100 every
day. As all of us know it is prayer to Guruvayurappan to cure the malady of the
author, and cured he was by the grace of the Lord.
His
works: As mentioned above Bhattatiri composed many literary works on
Philosophy, Grammar, Devotion and many champus for the purpose of Koothu and
Koodiyattam.1) Prakriyasarvasam; 2) Narayaneeyam; 3) Manameyodaya; 4)
Apaniniyapramanta; 5) Ashtamimahotava; 6) Ahalyamoksha; 7)
Aswalayanakriyakrama; 8) Kirata 9) Kailasavarnana; 10) Kotivihara; 11)
Kauteyashtaka; 12) Guruvayupuresvastava 13) Gosrinagaravarnana; 14) Caturan-gasloka; 15) Tantravartikanibandhana;
16) Tripuradahana; 17) Dakshayajna; 18) Dutavakya; 19) Devanarayanaprasasti;
20)Dhatukavya; 21) Nalayanicarita; 22) Nrgamoksha; 23) Niranunasika; 24) Panchaliswayamvara;
25)
ushpodbhedetyama-rukapadyavyakhya 26) Balakantakatha; 27)
bimbalisaprasasti; 28) Matsyavatara; 29) Manavikramaprasasti; 30)Yadyasajjanmetyadibhagavataslokatrayavakya;
31) Yudishtirabhiksheka; 32) Rakssasotpati; 33) Rajasuya; 34)
Sailabdhisvaraprasasti 35) Sripadasaptati; 36) Subhadraharana; 37)
Sundopasundopakhyana; 38) suktasloka; 39) Svahasudhakara; 40) Some stray
verses.
Some
more campus: 1) Ajamilamoksha; 2) Gajn]endramoksha; 3) Aswalayanagrhya
Sarigraha;
4) Kuchelavrtta; 5) Kausitakighyasangraha; 6) Bhasmanisedha; 7)
Ramayanaprabanda;
8) Rasavilasa; 9) Rukmangadacarita; 10) Syamantaka; 11) Vamanavatara;
12)
Bharataprabandha (each story of Mahabharata composed as separate campus).
Bhattatiri
said to have passed away after living a long life. Some says he lied upto the
age of 106; some says upto 56 or 60 and other view he lived upto 80 years. It
is clear that he lived between 1560 and
1655.
Author - NR. Raju, Dombivli,
Date: June 2006.
(Published in Navaneetham online Magazine ).
