Avathaarikai

This blog is dedicated to Sri Pranathaarthihara, popularly known as KidAmbi AchAn or madapaLLi AchAn, the personal cook to EmperumAnAr and one of the 74 simhAsanAdhipathis appointed by Him as a Rahasya simhAsanadhipathi.

AchAn was EmperumAnAr's second cousin, in the sense, he was Periya Tirumalai Nambi's wife's nephew, and hence was PiLLAn's maternal cousin. It was after the (in)famous poisoning incident, witnessing AchAn's acharya bakthi, TirukOshtiyur Nambi ordered(blessed) him to take charge of EmperumAnAr's bikshai. From then on he was revered as madapaLLi AchAn. He had the bhagyam of having vedanta kAlakshepam under EmperumAnAr 12 times, and he was honoured by Swami as "veDAnta dyana Acharyan". Though none of his works are available today, he is fondly remembered for his closeness and service to EmperumAnAr, and for being the kootasthar for the KidAmbi family, the lineage in which were born illustrious stalwarts like Atreya RAmAnuja PillAn, KidAmbi AppullAr (KidAmbi RAmAnuja, the maternal uncle of Swami Desikan), Kidambi Srinivasachar(popularly known in his SanyAsashrama name AdivaN Satagopa Yatindra MahAdesikan, the founding Jeeyar of Sri Ahobila Mutt) and Gopala Desikan (15th descendant of AppuLLar, Munitraya Pravarthakar).

I have seen in a couple of places on the web that AchAn's pages were attributed as cook-blogs, I do not have any authority in cooking to write a full-fledged cook-blog, though I am regarded as a person with a good cooking-sense. But, definitely, one day, I would like to identify myself with madapaLLi kaimkaryam to Him.

I have been a jack of all trades since childhood, right from music, sports, art, speaking, and many more and almost of all them, I have shed with just a couple of years of interest and involvement. In the last few years of living away from home, some force (Sri:) has braught me to the fold I originally belong to.

Though I do belong to a sampradaically 'significant' lineage, I wasn't braught up in an agraharam or a temple atmosphere; I was so ignorant that I did not even know the meaning of the words "mandahapadi" or "rA-patthu"! until I was 22. Thanks to the likitha-kaimkaryam of Oppiliappan Koil Dr. Sadagopa Iyengar and his group, I was blessed with the opportunity to learn about Sampradayam, allied history, philosophy, theism, discipline, more advanced topics like aagama, and above all, I fell in love with Perumal Koil without having ever been there. Last vacation, I was almost branded crazy by many dear ones around, for the spree I was in, throughout, visiting temples. Despite enjoying the bliss that I am being subjected to, I do have a fear that this too should not pass like those childhood 'one-year-passions'. Sriman U.Ve. VeLukkudi Krishnan often says "spiritualism is best enriched by sharing thoughts with the like-minded and members of the family must get together atleast once a week and talk bhagawadvishayam". I can do that only with my mom during the long phone calls in the weekends. Other than mom, I wish to share it with the medium thorugh which I learnt most of whatever I know today - The Interent, to keep me going.

நன்றும் திருவுடையோம் நானிலத்தில் எவ்வுயிர்க்கும்*

ஒன்றும் குறை இல்லை ஓதினோம்* - குன்றம்

எடுத்தான் அடி சேர் இராமானுசன் தாள் *

பிடித்தார் பிடித்தாரைப் பற்றி

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பிள்ளை உறங்காவில்லி தாசர்