This Azhagiyasingar was born at Parantur agrhAram in Purattasi month, ViSAka nakshatram. He belonged to Vangeepuram vamSam. His pUrvASrama tirunAmam was Vangeepuram VidvAn, SrI VedAntachariyar. He ascended to AsthAnam of SrI Ahoblia maTham in PramAdhISa year, AvaNi month, Sukla Paksha daSami tithi (12th September, 1853).
This Azhagiyasingar after performing MangaLASAsanams of the divya dampatis of Thiruvallur and with Their permission, started his sancAram. He first went to Sriperumbudur and had the MangaLASAsanam of AcArya Ramanuja. Then the jIyar continued his sancAram and worshipped at Perumal Koyil, Madurantakam, Tirukkovalur, Tiruvaheendrapuram, Tirucchittirakoodam, SrimushNam, Tirukkudantai, Tiruvinnagar, Pullambhuthamkudi and AdanUr. After [[277]] this sancAram, he arrived at Srinusimhapuram. Here, he stayed for a long period worshipping the arcA mUrtis in the BrundAvanams of his pUrvAcAryAs.
Responding to the prayers of his SishyAs, the jIyar went again on sancAram to various southern divya deSams up to Setu (Tiruppullani) and returned to Srirangam. From Srirangam, he traveled to Tirunarayanapuram and had his MangaLASAsanams of Tirunarayanan, Yadugiri Nacchiyar and BhAshyakArar. He then went to the BrundAvanam of Adi vaN SaThakopa yatIndra mahAdeSikan and prayed there. After this, he retuned back to the maTham. He stayed at Tirunarayanapuram for a long time. From here, he went on his next sancAram to ChoLasimhapuram, Tirumalai and other divya deSams and had his MangaLASAsanam of the EmperumAns. The jIyar then returned back Thiruvallur. It was thus known that the Azhagiyasingar went on sancArams, three times. During these three sancArams, thousands and thousands of SishyAs received the samASrayaNa bharanyAsa anugrahams. Hundreds of SishyAs attended vedAnta kAlakshepams.
During one of these sancArams, SrImad Azhagiyasingar built a sannidhi for SvAmi Vedanta DeSikan at Nagappattinam and consecrated the arcA vigraham for him.
This Azhagiyasingar was a mahA Purushar like SrI BhAshyakArar, SvAmi DeSikan, SrImad Adi vaN SaThakopa yatIndra mahAdeSikan, SrI shashTa ParAnkuSa yatIndra mahAdeSikan and SrI Srinivasa yatIndra mahAdeSikan. Further like these mahAns, he was a great scholar and highly knowledgeable. He had matchless valor. He completed many kaimkaryams for Thiruvallur Veeraraghava Perumal. He repossessed the land properties of SrI maTham that were occupied by others. During his time, this mahA Purushar enhanced the vaibhavam of SrI maTham. This spacious maTham at Thiruvallur was built by him. His style in rendering kAlakshepam had a unique style of its own. He had a sharp mind, generosity, courage and other auspicious guNams. After this Azhagiyasingar, it is amazing to recall that eight Azhagiyasingars who all served Malolan had links to this 33rd paTTam Azhagiyasingar. They administered the AsthAnam of SrI maTham for about sixty years. His superhuman kaimkaryams are matchless and numerous. One can not explain in full this jIyar’s vaibhavam. He had SrI NrusimhAnugraham.
What have been referred to herein about this mahAn were heard from elders about his enchanting style in performing MangaLa hAratti to [[278]] Malolan, his intellectual sharpness in winning over debaters and other superhuman efforts that happened during a sancAram in Karnataka deSam. They all had to stay in a region of dense forest for a day. The local bandits with oil lighted torches were robbing travelers at night. They tried to rob the party of SrImad Azhagiyasingar and steal all the AbharaNams of Malolan. The sannidhi kaimkaryaparars appraised SrImad Azhagiyasingar about this threat from the robbers. SrImad Azhagiyasingar smiling, asked the sannidhi people to tell the leader of robbers to come to him (jIyar) and that he would give him all the jewelries. The members of SrImad Azhagiyasingar’s group were very upset, cried and wept. The leader of the robbers arrived in front of the jIyar. The jIyar said that he will give the robber all the jewelry willingly on one condition. He would do that after decorating Dolai Kannan one more time, celebrate a Dolai utsavam for Him and then hand over the precious jewelry. He told the robber that he should wait until the Dolai utsavam was over.
The leader of the thieves agreed for the condition. He stood aside. The jIyar ordered cooking of huge amounts of sugar rice (sakkarai Pongal) for Kannan. The utsavam went on well. After the naivedyam to Kannan, the jIyar asked the robbers to come and have the sevA of Dolai Kannan resplendent with the AbharaNams. The jIyar performed a MangaLa hAratti and thereafter stood quietly with tears rolling from his eyes.
Meanwhile, there were screams amidst the robbers. The robbers and the head of them were running helter skelter. They fell at the sacred feet of the jIyar. They sought the jIyar’s protection. Azhagiyasingar asked them to get up.
They said that if you promise to protect them, they will get up. Azhagiyasingar told them not to be afraid and asked them to get up. Saying thus, he sprinkled Perumal tIrtham on them. They were shivering. SvAmi asked the leader of the robbers as to what happened. They said, “SvAmi, when you performed the camphor hAratti to Perumal, hundred of lions surrounded us. We could not move anywhere. The lions ran towards us to kill and eat us. These lions were fierce and frightening to look at. After you sprinkled sacred tIrtham, the lions stopped attacking us. Our bodies are aching. We did not know about the power of your penance and chose to rob you. Please pardon us and protect us”. They all fell at SrImad Azhagiyasingar’s sacred feet, Azhagiyasingar asked them to get up. He did some upadeSam to them. He gave them the prasAdam and asked them to eat it. They ate [[279]] and thereafter presented many gifts for Malolan as their samarpaNams. How can one explain the power of Bhagavad sAkshAtkAram of this Azhagiyasingar?
When SrImad Azhagiyasingar was in Mysore, the King of Mysore was performing ArAdhanam to Malolan. A vidvad satas was arranged in the palace. At that time, one by name SrIrAmA SAstri, the AsthAna vidvAn of the king came to the sadas. He sat opposite SrI Azhagiyasingar and was very proud. SrI Azhagiyasingar did not ask him as to who he is. There was silence for sometime. Then SrIrAmA SAstrigal started telling something on tarka SAstram. SrI Azhagiyasingar told him to stop and asked him as to who asked you to talk on this subject.
SAstrigal replied that the King asked him to talk about the subject.
SrI Azhagiyasingar - Who is presiding (adhyakshar) over this sadas, me or the King? This sadas is being organized by me (Azhagiyasingar) and so I am the adhyakshar.
Immediately the King said that SvAmi is the adhyakshar, SAstri too said so.
SrI Azhagiyasingar - Who is this person who does not have the etiquettes and does not even know that without the permission of the adhyakshar cannot talk? Is he your AsthAna vidvAn? Oh SAstrigal, do you allow this in the sadas being conducted by you? AsthAna Vidvan, SAstrigal - No, we will not.
SrI Azhagiyasingar - Then why here like this? What is your name?
SAstrigal - rAmA SAstrigal
SrI Azhagiyasingar - Your name does not look appropriate! How dIrgam (elongated syllable) came here? Anyway how does it matter to us with your name?
Thus saying SrI Azhagiyasingar asked the SAstrigal a few questions on tarka SAstrams. He could not answer.
SrI Azhagiyasingar - Let it be. You were to say something. Tell about it.
When SAstrigal said some thing in the debate, SrI Azhagiyasingar asked some questions on that also. He could not answer to these also. [[280]] It was said that immediately SrI Azhagiyasingar presented him with some gifts and praised him.
SrI SAstrigal - Since SvAmi is younger, I did not do praNAmams, disrespected (avaj~nA) you and took my seat. I never thought that you are a great scholar. I realized now only that simham (lion) is here. Please forgive me for the disrespect.
Elders were telling that whenever SrI Azhagiyasingar is in the vicinity nearby, this SAstrigal used to come and pay his obeisance to the jIyar. There are so many episodes like this.
Once one of the SishyAs of SrI Azhagiyasingar, Thiruvallur taTTai SrI Krishnamacharyar prayed to the SvAmi to bless with the creation of SrI sannidhi GuruparamparA. Heeding to this request, SrI Azhagiyasingar blessed him with the creation of the grantham, “satsampradAyamuktAvaLi”, a treatise on SrI sannidhi GuruparamparA, based on the mUla granthams of “AcAryaguNAdarSanam”, and “satsampradAya sAram”. SrI Krishnamacharyar got the grantham printed and presented to SrImad Azhagiyasingar. In that grantham, half of the details are about the caritram of this SrImad Azhagiyasingar.
While SrImad Azhagiyasingar was performing kAlakshepams to many of his SishyAs on SrI Bhashyam and other granthams (CatushTya granthams), had a set back to his health. At that time, a great scholar of Kanchipuram, Tirupputkuzhi SvAmi came to the sannidhi of SrI Azhagiyasingar and said that he heard about the setback of SrImad Azhagiyasingar’s health and so came to see him and asked the jIyar about his health. SrImad Azhagiyasingar told him the prevailing condition of his health. Then the Tirupputkuzhi SvAmi asked the jIyar as to whether he is having any wish in his mind and if so, he is ready and prepared to get it done. Azhagiyasingar replied saying that he will do a samarpaNam of Rupees ten thousand (Rs.10,000) and that he desires to have the darSan of DevAdirajan seated in tiruthEr in tirumaNa kolam (marriage) and wish to have the darSanam of Perumal here. (SrI Tirupputkuzhi SvAmi used to visit SrI maTham often to consult SrImad Azhagiyasingar on laukika matters. Elders used to say that in his pUrvASramam, Azhagiyasingar had close relationship with this Svami).
SrImad Azhagiyasingar’s health deteriorated further. He ascended to Paramapadam on PramAdhi year, AvaNI month, 27th, Krshna paksha daSami tithi, Wednesday (10th September 1879). [[281]] His AsthAna nirvAka kAlam - 26 years
taniyan
श्रीरङ्गनाथशठकोपयतीन्द्रपाद- पङ्केरुहप्रवरणचित्तमुदारबोधम् । श्रीवीरराघवयतीन्द्रकृAपावलम्बं श्रीमच्छठारियतिशेख्रमाश्रयामः॥ (श्रीमच्छशठारियतिवर्यगुरुंA भजामः ||)
SrIrannganAthaSaThakopayatIndrapAda- pankeruhapravaraNacittamudArabodham | SrIvIrarAghavayatIndrakrpAvalambam SrImat SaThAriyatiSekhramASrayAmaH || (SrImat SaThAriyativaryagurum bhajAmaH)
Note: The words in parenthesis of last pAdam/line is pATha bhedam.
MangalamAlai
कन्याविशाखजाताय काञ्चीवरदवीक्षणात् । शठकोपयतीन्द्राय स्वाचार्योक्त्यनुपायिने॥ प्रमादिसिंहमास्यच्छदशम्यां मङ्गले मठे। अभिषिक्ताय धीराय जितामित्राय मङ्गलम् ॥
kanyAviSAkhajAtAya kAncIvaradavIkshaNAt | SaThakopayatIndrAya svAcAryoktyanupAyine || pramAdisimhamAsyacchadaSamyAm mangale maThe | abhishiktAya dhIrAya jitAmitrAya mangalam ||
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