Bodhendra

Bodhendra was born to Kesavapanduranga Yogi and Suguna in the year 1610 at Kanchipuram, which was then the headquarters of Kanchi Matham. The couple did not have children for a long time and finally got a son when they were blessed by their devotion to Viswakendra Saraswati (Athmabodhar), the 59th Jagadguru of the Kanchi Matham. The child was given the name of Purushotaman by Viswakendra Saraswati.

 Seeing the extraordinary qualities and immense potential of the child to render in­valuable good to humanity, Shri Viswakendra Saraswati requested his parents to hand over the child to the Matham with the pious hope of making the child suc­ceed him. The parents willingly gave the child to the Mutt. The child attained extra ordinary mastery over Shruti and the Smriti. It gradually dawned on him that nama sankeerthanam (chanting of Lord Rama’s name) would uproot the cycles of death and birth in Kali Yuga. He is said to have chanted the name of Lord Rama one lakh times every single day.

 Shri Bodhendra travelled to various villages spreading the greatness of Rama nama (Taraka mantra). Once he was invited to a devotee’s house at Perambur near Nidamangalum for Bhiksha. Shri Swamiji was greeted with respect by the family members of the house, and was served lunch on a banana leaf. He then saw a little boy standing and gazing at the food. 

 The compassionate Swamiji asked the little one to eat with him. When the child did not respond to his call, the parents told him that the boy was deaf and dumb. He became very sad and tears rolled down his eyes. He was dejected that the boy could neither hear nor chant ‘Rama’, the name that would shower him with happiness and lead him to God.

The parents tried to console him, but he could not eat anymore and left the house. As the family was seeing the saint off, the hungry child, who was alone at the house, ran and ate the uchchishta (remnants from Bodhendral’s leaf). When the family members came back inside, they were stunned! The dumb boy was dancing and singing the divine names of the Lord – ‘Rama, Krishna, Govinda’. That is the power of the uchchishta of a Mahatma. Not only did the boy begin to hear and speak be­cause of it, but he also got jnana and bhakti through it! Shri Bodendra lived in Perambur for 16 years and a Mutt with his Padukai still exists in this village. 

Shri Bodhendral stressed the efficacy of devotion as a means to liberation in this Kali Yugam and therefore undertook the Nama Siddhantha, or establishing the supreme efficacy of reciting the names of Bhagavan in many of his writings, chiefly in Nama­mritha Rasayanam and Namamritha Rasodayam.

 During the course of his wanderings in the Kaveri delta, Shri Bodhendral was at­tracted by the beauty of the place and decided to attain samadhi there. He attained Jeeva Samadhi at Govindapuram on Full Moon day in 1692 in a sitting yogic posture.  His Samadhi or Brindavan is maintained by the Kanchi matham.  His main works include:

1.      Naamamritha Rasodayam

2.      Naamamritha Rasaarnavam

3.      Naamamritha Rasaayanam

4.      Naamamritha Suryodayam

5.      Naamamritha Tharangam

6.      Mrutha Bramha Vivekam

7.      Harihara Bhedha Dhikkaram and

8.      Harihara advaitha Bhushanam.

 In addition Swamigal wrote several works on Advaita philosophy also. There are many Guru kirtanas sung in his praise in every Sampradaya Bhajan.  Few examples shown below:

•                    Bodhendram Jagataam Gurum

•                    Bhaja re Maanasa Bodhendra

•                    Shri Guru Bodhendram Maanasa

•                    Bodhendra Gurum Bhajeham

•                    Parama karunayaa Pankaja nayana