Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri

(Collected by M P R Nair)

The famous devotional epic, Narayaneeyam, was composed by Melpathur Narayana

Bhattthiri. He was born in 1560 A.D. in a Namboothiri Brahmin family of Kerala, at a place
close to the famous temple at Tirunavai, on the banks of river Bharatpuzha. He had mastered the
ancient Hindu scriptures, Vedas, Vedangas, Tarka (logic), and other subjects and studied
Mimamsa, Vyakarana (grammar) at an young age of 16 onwards. His primary Guru was his own
father, Mathrudutta, himself a great scholar and devotee of Lord Mahavishnu, besides
Madhavacharya, Tirukandiyur Achyuta Pisharoty and his own elder brother, Damodaran.
Bhattathiri composed Narayaneeyam at the age of 27. Besides, he has authored many works on
Sanskrit grammar and on various other subjects.

According to legend, Bhattathiri acquired the disease of paralysis voluntarily, by praying

to the Lord for trasnferring the disease to him from his teacher of Sanskrit grammar, Achyuta
Pisharoty, who had been suffering

from it, thereby relieving his Guru from the ailment. He, then, had himself carried to the temple
of Lord Krishna at Guruvayur, and lying prostrate before the Lord, he sought shelter and relief at
the Lord's lotus-feet. He sent his emissaries to Thunchathu Ramanujan Ethuthacchan, renowned
Malayalam scholar and composer of the epic Ramayana in that language, and received advice
through his emissaries "to serve (the Lord) starting with Fish" .Bhattathiri understood the
message in the correct sense and straightaway entered upon the monumental task of composing a
highly condensed version of Srimad Bhagavatam, the great epic composed by the eminent Sage
Veda Vyasa, describing beautifully in great detail, a magnificent account of the origin of the
universe and Lord Mahavishnu's several incarnations for the establishment and sustenance of
"Dharma", the evolution of creation, the rules of conduct,

the different paths available for the attainment of Moksha or Nirvana (salvation), and many other
matters. Bhattathiri composed daily one Dasakam cosisting of ten 'shlokas', or verses, in general,
with a few variations in number, here and

there.

1
 On the 100th day, he had a dazzling Darshan of the Lord himself in 'Saguna' form and on
seeing the Load he was cured of his ailments. In these ten verses, Bhattathiri has given a graphic
head-to-foot description of the Lord's form and of His wonderful, soul-stirring and ecstatic form
as Venugopala. Bhattathiri also described in detail, his amazing experience, while in front of the
Lord. Thereafter he lived for many more years healthy, and without any serious diseases. He
shed his mortal coils at the ripe old age of 105 years, but his magnificent epic Narayaneeyam,
endures forever.