A.V. Devan Times

1. Biography Ancestors The holiest of holy days was heralded in the year of Jaya, on the eighth day of the lunar month of Vaikasi, on Sunday 20th May 1894 when the constellation “Anusham” was shining in the sky. This day was the blessed day when Srimad Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Jagadguru Sri Sankaracharya, the 68th Acharya Swamigal of Sri Kamakoti Peetam, established by Sri Adi Sankara was born into this world. This auspicious event took place in the house of Govindarayar, located in the southern tip of an agraharam in Nawab Thoppu in the town of Vizhuppuram in Sourth Arcot district. A Brahmin named Subramania Sastrigal and his devout wife Mahalakshmi Ammaiyar had the good fortune of bringing this holy man into this world as their second son. Sri Swamigal in His purvashramam belonged to the Hoysala Karnataka Smartha Brahmin community. This community had migrated from Karnataka and settled in the Chola Kingdom, near Cauveri during a time when a prominent member of the community, Govi

Dear Readers I am writing this blog after a break as I was occupied with personal functions of both Grihapravesham and my elder son’s Upanayanam which was performed last month. It was a miraculous May. I happened to be at Kancheepuram on two occasions recently. One for getting the ashirvadams for my sons’ upanayanam from Kanchi Acharyas and the next trip was along with my friend. By his divine mercy I got the paduka of Mahaperiyava on the second visit and I feel blessed with that. Am writing this article only because of Guru’s mercy for which I am indebted forever. During the December concert season 2009 I bought two volumes of Tyagaraja Kriti’s sung by different artists. In the first volume when I heard the song “Neevada Negana” in the raga ‘Saranga’ composed by Saint Tyagaraja I was thrilled and moved by the song. It was sung by the legend Musiri Subramania Iyer who was very famous for his Bhava laden singing which I came to know later. I became the ‘Visiri’ (Fan) of ‘Musiri’ immedia