Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri
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Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri (1559-1632), third student of Achyuta Pisharati, was a member of Madhava of Sangamagrama's school of Astronomy and Mathematics. He was a mathematical linguist (vyakarana). His masterpiece is considered the Prkriya-sarvawom, which sets forth an axiomatic system elaborating on the classical system of Panini. He is most famous for his Narayaneeyam a devotional composition that is still sung at the temple where he worked, Guruvayoor.
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[edit] Birth and Education
Sri Bhattathri was a Namboodari Brahmana from Melputtor, on the north banks of Bharathapuzha River, close to a holy town called Thirunava, famed as the theatre of the Mamankam festival. Bhattathri's father was Mathrudattar, a pandit himself. Bhattathri studied from his father as a child. Learning Rg 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. He married Achuta Pisharati's niece and settled in Thrikandiyur.
[edit] The Narayaneeyam
The Narayaneeyam is a devotional Sanskrit work, in the form of a poetical hymn, consisting of 1034 verses (called 'slokas' in Sanskrit). It was written by Melputhoor Narayana Bhattathiri and gives a summary of 14,000 verses of the Bhagavata Purana. Narayaneeyam was written during 1586.
[edit] The legend
Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri is believed to have proceeded to the Guruvayoor Temple, located in Kerala state, India, on 19th Chingam of circa 761 ME - Malayalam Era, Malayalam calendar. There, he had written these verses and submitted before Guruvayoorappan, the presiding deity of Guruvayoor. These verses were submitted to the deity to get his chronic rheumatic disease cured as advised by his well wishers. He had completed the work in 100 days by submitting one cantos (of 10 verses, called "Dashakam" in Sanskrit) before Guruvayoorappan on each day.
Bhattathiri's dear vyakarana (sanskrit grammar) guru, Achyuta Pisharati, was struck with paralysis. Unable to see his pain, by yogic strength and by way of Gurudakshina, Bhattathri is said to have taken the disease upon himself and relieved his guru. To relieve Narayana of this disease, Ezhuthachan, a Malayalam poet and Sanskrit scholar hinted- "meen thottu koottuka" (start with the fish). On the face of it, the suggestion would seem offensive to a 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 Bhagavatham in a series of Dasakas ( Groups of ten slokas). 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. Everyday he sang 10 shlokas on Sri Guruvayoorappan. Each set of 10 poems ends with a prayer for early cure. In 100 days he finished his compositions. On 27th 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. He was 27 then. He was a propounder of purva mimamsa, uttara mimamsa and vyakarana.
