Shri Vancheshvara Kavi (known as Kutti Kavi) was the son of the granddaughter of Shri Govinda Dikshita. This lineage has produced several Jagadgurus of Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Mulamnaya Sarvajna Pitham, among them Jagadguru Shri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati, the 68th Acharya.
Some of the padyams (poems) written by Shri Vancheshvara Kavi in praise of the Acharya of Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Pitham are found in manuscripts as part of sammati patrams . They indicate the agra sambhavanas offered to the Acharyas with the acceptance of prasadam of Chandramaulishvara brought to Tanjavur by Ahobala Yajva from Kanchipuram. Along with these are found benedictory verses written by some of the residents of Tiruvisanallur Agraharam. The following shloka records the name of the Jagadguru Shri Mahadevendra Saraswati. It also mentions the names and familial relations of Ayyavarumakhi and Lakshmipati (the grandsons of Govinda Dikshita) and Vancheshvara ( the son of Govinda Dikshita’s granddaughter).
“The one who with numerous scholars of the five agraharas, did yajnas by the banks of Kaveri and one who did yajnas such as dvadashaha lasting 12 days – His (the husband of Govinda Dikshita’s daughter) son Ayyavaru Makhi and Ayyavarumakhi’s son Lakshmipati. We first accept the ajna of Shri Mahadevendra Saraswati.
Tirumalamakhi the brother of Ayyavarumakhi, and the son of the minister Govinda Dikshita’s son of the daughter’s daughter (granddaughter) Vancheshvara Dikahitar consider themselves blessed to do this agra sambhavana by the ajna of Shri Mahadevendra Saraswati.”
(Biography and Family Tree: Vancheshvara alias Kutti Kavi, P.K.Gode, Annals of Bhandarkar Oriental Library)
It is significant to note that these padyams were written prior to the shifting of Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Pitham to Tanjavur. These benedictory verses offer namaskarams to the then Pithadipati, the 61st Acharya Shri Mahadevendra Saraswati Shankaracharya Swamigal who was based in Kanchipuram. It was during the time of the 62nd Acharya Shri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati Shankaracharya Swamigal that the Shrimatham shifted from Kanchipuram to Kumbhaghonam due to the wars going on near Kanchipuram.
Works of Shri Vancheshvara Kavi
Shri Vancheshvara Kavi wrote three shatakas – Mahishashatakam, Dhati Shatakam and Ashirvada Shatakam. Mahishashatakam is a satirical work bristling with shlesha ( pun). Shri Vancheshvara Kavi’s great grandson Vancheshvara Yajva wrote the Shleshartha Chandrika commentary on this work. Dhatishatakam or Turaga Shatakam is on the procession of Shri Ranganatha at Shrirangam.
Ashirvada Shatakam and Shiva Padadikeshanta Stotram
Ashirvada Shatakam is a beautiful work of Shri Vancheshvara Kavi. This work contains a hundred benedictory verses of stutis written in the long sragdhara metre. It reminds us of the Shivapadadikeshanta stotra of Shankaracharya in structure, metre, approach, content, and style, and perhaps was influenced by i t. It is noteworthy that the Shivapadadikeshanta stotra also begins with the word, “Kalyaanam,” a word that indicates auspiciousness/ mangalam. I n the Shivapadadikeshanta stotra before the beginning of Padadikeshanta Varnana proper, there are several benedictory verses to the Kailasha Parvata, the axe, trishula, and the bow Pinaka that Shiva bears, His vehicle the Vrshabha, and the kuranga or deer in His hands. It also contains stutis on parivaradevatas Vinayaka, Skanda, Shasta, Pramathaganas, and Parvati. The Ashirvada shatakam begins with a stuti to Brahma and Sarasvati and contains stutis to Kailasa, other mountains, rivers, and devatas such as Ganesha, Subrahmanya, Rshis and much more. It was first published by Kamakoti Kosasthanam with the commentary of Vyakarana Vidvan Shri Kuppa Anjaneya Shastri of Machilipatnam.
The commentary writer says that while the verses may seem to be a disconnected miscellaneous collection of verses, there are many places where there is a sense of anvaya and connection between them. He highlights them in places where they occur.
The first verse on Brahma:
“May Brahma be auspicious to us. He is the unparalleled great sculptor who creates this universe modelled after the prior creation after the world was enveloped and unseen in the dark clouds of the water of pralaya. He is the oldest among all the devatas and the swans of the Vedas swim on the small lotus-forest that is his face. Brahma who is known as Vidhi is born of the navel of Vishnu, the enemy of Kamsa. He is the bearer of the entire weight of this universe.
Brahma is known by the epithets, “ब्रह्मात्मभूस्सुरज्येष्ठ:” in the Amarakosha. He is the first-created among all the devatas. The commentary explains “मुख-कमलवनीसंसरद्- वेद-हंसः” in two ways. The Vedas are the swans that swim in the lotus-forest of Brahma’s face, and the whiteness of the swans is used to indicate the purity of the Veda. Alternatively, the word hamsa can be interepreted to mean Surya, as indicated in the Amarakosha “भानुर्हंस:सहस्रंशु. Thus the Kamalavana of Brahma’s face is fully bloomed by the Sun that is the Veda.
That Brahma creates the world remembering in His mind the prior sarga’s creation is also mentioned in the Sutasamhita and other Puranas.
In the subsequent parts of this article, an attempt will be made to translate the text with highlights from the commentary.
