Thirunakshatram of Parasara Bhattar on 12 June

Parasara Bhattar

ACHARYA                 Embar

SISHYA                                          Nanjeeyar, Kooranarayana Jeeyar
YEAR OF BIRTH                 1062

LIFE SPAN                         54

BIRTH MONTH                 Vaikasi

BIRTH STAR /NAKSHATRAM Anusham

YEAR OF DEATH                  1116

PLACE OF BIRTH          Srirangam

PARENTS                  Koorathazhwan & Andalamma

PLACE OF DEATH          Srirangam

NAME AT BIRTH          Parasara

GOTHRAM                 Haritha

WORKS                         Ashtasloki, Bhagavad Guna Darpanam, Sri Ranganatha                                                             Sthoram, Srirangaraja stavam, Guna Ratna kosham, and a commentary                                 of Thirunedunthandakam, Kaisikamahatmya: Commentary on                                                         Kaisikapurana,  Maivannanarungunji,   Tirumanjana Kavi,  
LINKS
http://yathirajapadhuka.blogspot.in/2013/05/vaikasi-anusham.html#uds-search-results                                   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasara_Bhattar                                                          

http://www.srivaishnava.org/sva/bhattar.htm                                        

http://guruparamparai.wordpress.com/2012/09/11/parasara-bhattar/                            

http://www.ahobilamutt.org/us/acharya/lineage/lineage.asp?file=08-bhat.inc                  

http://www.sadagopan.org/acharyans/ac10.htm

http://anudinam.org/2012/12/11/sri-parasara-bhattar-service-personified/

SHORT NOTE ON PARASARA BHATTAR

He is the son of Koorathazwan who was born by the blessings of Ranga. He was born in Srirangam in the Shubhakruta varsham in the year 1062 AD in the month of Vaikashi and star Anusham. As a baby itself, he grew as a abhimana putran  for Sriranganathan and Sriranganachiyar inside the temple garba griham or sanctum sanctorum. While he was taking him to Udayavar for his blessings as a new born, Embar kept chanting the dwayam as a protective shield in his ear. Extremely  glad, Udayavar, ordered that Embar should therefore be his acharya from here on. Emperumanar named him as Parasar. He was a great scholar. Even at a very young age, he would surprise everyone with his intelligence and smartness. He was an expert  in both Sanskrit and Tamil. He had the full blessings and kataksham of Ramanuja on him and was also the fit person to receive it. It was at Ramanuja’s behest that he fought a verbal debate with a great vedanti living in Melkote and brought him into the fold of Vishishtadwaita siddhantam. He also then did pancha samaskara etc for him. He later became the famous acharya Nanjeeyar.

Parasara Bhattar wrote many commentaries. Let us first list outhis Sanskrit works. They are :- Ashtasloki (About the three rahasyas), Bhagavad Gunadarpanam (Detailed meaning of Vishnu Sahasranama), Sri Gunaratnakosham  (A commentary on the greatness and qualities of Piratti),   Srirangaraja Stavam (A stotram praising Lord Ranganatha),Sri Ranganatha Ashtakam,   Tattva Ratnakaram (A commentary on the tattvas), Lakshmi Kalyanam (A drama detailing the Vishishtadwaita siddhantam), Shubhalopanishta Vivaranam and many other individual slokas. One of these is a conversation between Perumal and Jivatma. Other than these he has written a Tamil work called as  Kaisika Puranam. He has given special deeper meanings to pasurams in the Divya Prabandham. We can experience them in the Eedu Vyakhyanam.

Emperumanar appointed him to take care of the temple administration after him. Sri Vedanta Desikan too has used many of his works as references in his commentaries.

It is well known  that though being one of the 74 simhasanadipatis, dearly respected by Sri Ramanuja and as a disciple of Embar, Sri Parasara Bhattar, while taking care of the temple administration at Srrangam continued to give kalakshepams on Sri Bhashyam and Bhagavad Vishayam. Sri Parasara Bhattar was one of the four poorvacharyas who established their giant intellect capacities at a very young age. (The other three are Sri Alavandar, Sri Ramanujar, and Sri Vedanta Desikan). He was the darling child of Sri Ranganathan and SriRanganayaki Thayar born and raised by their blessings. He had the tremendous capacity to bring out amazing hidden meanings for the Arulicheyal of the alwars. There is mention of Bhattar’s temple administration in many places in the Eedu. It is on the basis of his explanations that his disciple Nanjeeyar wrote the commentary for the Divya Prabandhams.