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Great preceptor of Sholingur
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Many are the miracles performed by Doddacharya of Chozhasimhapuram, where Pavitrotsavam was recently held. T. A. SRINIVASAN writes.
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Sri Doddacharya... his devotion moved the Lord.
LORD NARAYANA not only incarnated in this world to reform the people, but also sent His messengers as preceptors to perform this function. One such preceptor was Doddacharya of Chozhasimhapuram, now known as Sholingur, who lived there nearly 450 years ago performing service to Lord Lakshmi Narasimha, enshrined in the beautiful hill temple there and also Anjaneya, who is doing penance in the small hill just opposite the big hill.
Doddacharya was a descendant of Sri Mudaliandan, otherwise known as Dasarathi, nephew of Saint Ramanuja on whom he used to lean while going to the Cauvery at Srirangam for his bath. Like Ramanuja, Doddacharya took all steps to propagate Visishtadwaita and maintain the temples, sanctified by the Azhwars' hymns. His descendants are even now looking after the temples on the hills at Sholingur and also Bhaktochita Swami temple at the foot of the hills where the Utsava idols of the hill temple are enshrined.
Many are the miracles performed by this great preceptor at various holy places such as Kancheepuram, Azhagarkoil near Madurai, Thiruchithrakoodam (Chidambaram), Tirumala and at Sholingur itself. One of them is commemorated even now during the third day of the Vaikasi Brahmotsavam at Kancheepuram when Lord Varadaraja is taken out of the temple, mounted on Garuda. As soon as the Lord approaches the main entrance of the tower, the Lord's image is hidden from public view with two massive umbrellas and ``Harathi'' is performed. This is known as ``Doddachariar Swami Sevai'' as the Lord appeared, mounted on Garuda, before Doddacharya at Sholingur over 400 years ago when the preceptor, who regularly took part in the festival, could not make it to Kancheepuram on one occasion. He expressed his inability by standing on the banks of the Brahma Theertham (holy water sources also known as Thakkan Kulam). The Lord, in all His enchanting beauty, appeared before the preceptor, astride Garuda.
To commemorate this great event a temple was built on the banks of Thakkan Kulam where the stone idol of Lord Varadaraja mounted on Garuda, is enshrined. Another place where a similar Moolavar idol is found is at the Parthasarathi Temple at Thiruvallikeni (Triplicane). The Lord here has been hailed by Thirumangai Azhwar as the one who rushed to rescue the elephant king, Gajendra.
The holy water source of Thakkan Kulam at Sholingur got the name of Brahma Theertham as Brahma did penance on the banks of the tank to get rid of ``Anka Vaikalya Dosham'' when one of his five heads was severed by Lord Siva and he became ``Chathurmukan'' or the four-faced. He got rid of the sin by bathing in the tank and doing penance, praying to Lord Narasimha. Even now many people perform ``Pithru Dharpanam'' and other rituals after bathing in the tank.
The temple of Lord Varadaraja with the Punyakoti Vimanam and Lord Varadaraja's image mounted on a Garuda, speaks volumes about the glory of this great preceptor. The Utsava idols of the Lord with Sridevi and Bhoodevi and Saint Ramanuja and Swami Doddacharya are also enshrined in it. The temple faces west.
Doddacharya was born as the son of Periyappan, a descendant of Mudaliandan. Periyappan and his younger brother, Siriyappan, served the Lord of Chozhasimhapuram. (He did penance for 12 years and Sri Sudarsana appeared before him and showed the cave in the hill where the idols of Sri Narasimha and His consort were kept. Even now one can find in the second four-pillared mantap on the hill, the images of Doddacharya and Sri Sudarsana on two pillars.
As the festivals and other rituals for the idols had not been performed for a long time, Doddacharya sought the help of Achyutha Deva, a relative of Sri Krishnadevaraya. The ruler, impressed by the Acharya's mystic powers, granted a large chunk of area near Chozhasimhapuram and with the help of his disciples Doddacharya established what is now known as Kondampalayam and also built a beautiful temple for Adikesava where the Utsava idols of Sri Thakkan and His consort were enshrined, in the 16th century, according to inscriptions found there. The ruler also granted 64 villages to him.
When the Acharya went to Tirupati, the Lord gave him the Sudarsana Chakra and ordered him to reopen the Govindaraja shrine inside the Chidambaram temple after driving away the opponents. While returning to Kancheepuram, he reached Ginjee where he restored the worship of Lord Ranganatha after the local chieftain built an Agraharam there and agreed to conduct festivals and also installed the idols of Andal, Azhwars and Acharyas.
The ruler, Krishna Bhoopan, was imprisoned by his enemies but he escaped and conquered them with the help of his supporters after being blessed by the preceptor. With his help, the Acharya removed the stone wall built in front of the Govindaraja shrine at Chidambaram and restored regular worship and the conduct of festivals there. He later visited Kattumannarkoil (birth place of Nathamunigal), Srimushnam, Karambanur, Srirangam before returning to Chozhasimhapuram.
Once when he was being carried to the hill temple of Narasimha, the palanquin bearers felt tired and hungry. The Acharya asked them to consume the poisonous fruits of a tree (Ettimaram) after touching it. The fruits actually tasted very sweet.
The awesome utsava deities ... Lord Varadaraja, Sridevi and Bhoodevi at Sholingur.
To commemorate this event, during the Brahmotsavam, a sweet preparation made from the fruits of the tree are offered to the Lord and distributed to the devotees. Many such stories about this Acharya are narrated by his disciples in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
When the Acharya visited Sriperumbudur once, some Madhwas objected to adorning the idol of Sri Ramanuja with ornaments and silk vastra and he justified it by citing the ``Bodayana Kalpa'' and other scriptural works of Parasara and other sages. Legend has it that Doddacharya and Appayya Dikshitar met in front of the Karuppannaswami shrine at Azhagarkoil near Madurai and the former held the latter's hands and asked him who was the Supreme God, Lord Narayana or Lord Siva. As it is a sacrilege to utter a lie before Karuppannaswami, Dikshitar accepted the supremacy of Lord Narayana, it is said.
Both of them had a duel later at Chozhasimhapuram when Doddacharya, with the help of ``Sathadooshani," a work of Sri Vedanta Desika, won the battle.
The reference is found in ``Vedanta Vijayamangala Deepika" of Sri Sudarsanachari and ``Yathindra Madha Deepika" of Srinivasachariar, the preceptor's chief disciple. He also wrote the work, ``Chandamarutham," a commentary on ``Sathadooshani," refuting the views expounded by Appayya Dikshitar in his ``Advaita Deepika."
He also composed five other works including Vedanta Vijayam that are said to be an authority on Nyaya, Tharka and Vedanta.
Doddacharya shed his mortal coils at Srimushnam, a ``Swayamvyaakta Kshethra," near Chidambaram.
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