APPAYYA

Appayya

My  mother was born in Appaya dhikshithar vamsam and I used to wonder what is meant by appayya

Appayya like Iyappa refers to Lord Siva (Ayya) and Lord Vishnu (Appa)

Appayya Dhikshithar’s father did not have a child for a long time and he prayed at the Chidambaram temple for a long period worshipping both Lord Nataraja and Lord Govindaraja with equal bhakthi.

The child born by the anugraha of both of them is named after them.. 

  

His father is Rangarajadhwari named after Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam.

That is in deference to Rangarajadhwri's mother who is an Iyengar rescued from suicide by Achan Dhikshithar a scholar adorning the court of king Krishnadevaraya and they were married.

She was about to be married to an old man in discharge of debts of her family and she took the extreme step but was fortunate.

Among lot of Appayya Dhikshitha’s works Ranganatha Ashtakam is still popular and loved and adopted by even staunch vaishnavites

This is ascribed to Adhi Sankarar as vaishnavites were in constant quarrel with Appayya Dhikshithar especially the prolific poet and acharya Vedanta Desikar.

But Adhi Sankarar never visited Srirangam and only Appayya Dhikshithar visited Srirangam in different attire and had dharsan of Lord Ranganatha.

His quarrel is not with Lord Vihsnu but the denigration of Lord Siva by the vaishnavites.

He has also written commentaries to vaishnavite texts and  slokams praising both uma and lakshmi side by side.

Siva Vishnu abedham is entrenched in the family and in this vamsam .