Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Parents - Incarnation of Sword
Narayana Suri the son of Narayanayya did not have children for a long time. Narayana Suri and his wife Lakkamamba visited the Tirumala Temple, and while they were bowing before the Holy Mast [Dhwaja Sthambha], a stunning streak of brightness from the sword of Lord Venkateswara, hit them like lightening. Soon a son was born to them, and they called him Annamayya. Annamayya turned Annamacharya when the Sage Ghana Vishnu of Tirumala christened him as a Vaishnavite when he was eight years old.
Narayanayya - His Grandfather
As a child, Narayanayya was not eager in studies, and it was usual in those times for the gurus to subject the pupils to various kinds of agonizing ways to make concentrate on their studies. Fed up with the punishments, the little boy decided that death would be better than a life of torture, disgrace and shame. He had learned about the poisonous cobra at the temple of Chinthalamma, the village Goddess. In an effort to take his own life, Narayanayya put his hand in the snake hole at the temple. To his surprise, the village Goddess appeared before him, and told with him not to take his life, as a boy, an incarnation of Hari or Vishnu would be born in the third generation of Narayanayya.
Annamayya to Annamacharya - His Guru
Ghana Vishnu was a devotee of Lord Venkateswara. He was a Vaishnavite and was living in Tirumala. One day Lord Venkateswara appeared in his dream and told him about a dark complexioned boy named Annamayya who can be found singing His glory. Lord Venkateswara instructed Ghana Vishnu to take the boy into the fold of Vaishnavism. To help with the ritual, He gave him the metal marks ofShanka and Chakra. Ghana Vishnu found Annamayya at the Yaga Sala just the way the Lord had described; Annamayya was completely immersed in singing a composition on Lord Venkateswara. Ghana Vishnu approached Annamayya and told him about the dream he had. Annamayya happily agreed to convert. There were no second thoughts. The ritual of conversion was conducted and from the time of that conversion Annamayya came to be known as Annamacharya. His entire lineage since then retained Vaishnavism as their form of life and philosophy.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
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