Tallapaka was the name of the village in Rajampet Talaq of Cuddapah district where a bright boy was born to Lakkamamba and Narayanasuri. They named him Annamayya, and fed him after the food and milk was offered to the Lord first. his Upanayanam was performed in his fifth year (Pancame Brahmavarcasakamam and Navametv ayuskamam) meaning if upanayanam is performed in the fifth year he attains Brahma's effulgence and if performed in the 9th year he attains longevity.
While yet a child he gained a strong hold on poesy and devotional song. he danced in ecstasy while singing to the Lord, this devotion grew strong as he grew up. One night he saw in his dream the temple of the Lord, the golden doorway, the sanctum sanctorum and the resplendent Lord therein beckoning him to come near. soon after he set off to Tirumala alone without even intimating his elders at home. he reached the foot of the hills worshipped the village goddess and started his climb up enroute he worshipped the tamrind tree at alipiri and the Lord Narasimha and reached Mokallamettu out of exhaustion he fainted. It is said the goddess Alanelmanga woke him up from his stupor and having refereshed him with her mercy and glances he was able to climb the rest of the distance. early the next morning after his bath in the temple tank he went to the temple but it was locked. he then sang a sataka he had composed and lo behold the locks came off and the temple doors were thrown open for one of the Lords greatest devote. it is believed that this happened in his sixteenth year. every thing comes to the Lords devotee by design so to say. one day to a priest named Vishnu had a dream that the lord was instructing him to perform the Tapta Chakrankana(marking Sankha and Chakra on the shoulders) along with Panchasamskara to a black complexioned boy who would approach him the next day. The saint did all that was necessary to make the boy a full fledged Vaishnava thenceforth he was Annamacharya.
He has written 12 songs in Sanskrit he professed that he belonged to the school of Ramanuja "puman visnur iti khyato striprayam itaram jagat" which means Vishnu is the only man and the rest of the universe is female. He also believed that it was wrong to show any discrimination on the ground of caste creed and colour. this is brought out in the beautiful song
"tandanana ahi tandanana indu jantukumal antan okate mendaina brahmanudu mettu bhumi yokate candalu dundeti sari bhumi yokate "
and also in
"Vijatul anniyu vrtha vrtha ajamiladula kadi ye jati..."
Annamacharya was a profound scholar both in Telugu and Sanskrit. His Telugu Sankeertanams appear to be a happy blend of grammatical and colloquial forms. His Sanskrit language has its own distinctive style. they are rich in romance and philosophy platonic love as brought out in the song "idi gaka saubhagyam idi gaka tapamu..." expressing Madhura bhakti.
The Vaishnava literary compositions seem to vie with Saiva literature of Basava, Palkuriki somana, Panditaradhya and others.
While yet a child he gained a strong hold on poesy and devotional song. he danced in ecstasy while singing to the Lord, this devotion grew strong as he grew up. One night he saw in his dream the temple of the Lord, the golden doorway, the sanctum sanctorum and the resplendent Lord therein beckoning him to come near. soon after he set off to Tirumala alone without even intimating his elders at home. he reached the foot of the hills worshipped the village goddess and started his climb up enroute he worshipped the tamrind tree at alipiri and the Lord Narasimha and reached Mokallamettu out of exhaustion he fainted. It is said the goddess Alanelmanga woke him up from his stupor and having refereshed him with her mercy and glances he was able to climb the rest of the distance. early the next morning after his bath in the temple tank he went to the temple but it was locked. he then sang a sataka he had composed and lo behold the locks came off and the temple doors were thrown open for one of the Lords greatest devote. it is believed that this happened in his sixteenth year. every thing comes to the Lords devotee by design so to say. one day to a priest named Vishnu had a dream that the lord was instructing him to perform the Tapta Chakrankana(marking Sankha and Chakra on the shoulders) along with Panchasamskara to a black complexioned boy who would approach him the next day. The saint did all that was necessary to make the boy a full fledged Vaishnava thenceforth he was Annamacharya.
He has written 12 songs in Sanskrit he professed that he belonged to the school of Ramanuja "puman visnur iti khyato striprayam itaram jagat" which means Vishnu is the only man and the rest of the universe is female. He also believed that it was wrong to show any discrimination on the ground of caste creed and colour. this is brought out in the beautiful song
"tandanana ahi tandanana indu jantukumal antan okate mendaina brahmanudu mettu bhumi yokate candalu dundeti sari bhumi yokate "
and also in
"Vijatul anniyu vrtha vrtha ajamiladula kadi ye jati..."
Annamacharya was a profound scholar both in Telugu and Sanskrit. His Telugu Sankeertanams appear to be a happy blend of grammatical and colloquial forms. His Sanskrit language has its own distinctive style. they are rich in romance and philosophy platonic love as brought out in the song "idi gaka saubhagyam idi gaka tapamu..." expressing Madhura bhakti.
The Vaishnava literary compositions seem to vie with Saiva literature of Basava, Palkuriki somana, Panditaradhya and others.
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