Poonthanam
Encyclopedia
Poonthanam (1547-1640AD) was a famous devotee of Guruvayurappan, who lived in Keezhattoor
in (Malappuram
district), Kerala
, India
. He was a famous devotee of Lord Krishna (Guruvayurappan). He is remembered for his masterpiece, Jnanappana
which means 'the song of wisdom' in Malayalam. Poonthanam was the family name, his personal name is not known.
Poonthanam was born into a Namboodiri Brahmin
family. He married at 20, but for a long time, they had no children. He began to propitiate the Lord of Guruvayur
and a son was born. He called for a celebration and everybody known was invited, but the child died an hour before the ceremony. Grief-stricken Poonthanam sought refuge at Guruvayur
and started praying with the puranic story of Kumaraharanam. He considered Lord Krishna as his son and achieved enlightenement. In his work he writes: "While little Krishna is dancing in our hearts, do we need little ones of our own?" Poonthanam spent the rest of his life reading the Bhagavatham and singing the Lord's glories in simple Malayalam. His magnum opus, Njanappana, was composed during this period. The house which he lived in Malappuram District is now taken care by Guruvayur Devaswom.
He is contemporary of Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri
, another famous poet associated with Guruvayur
. Lord Guruvaayoorappan has appreciated Poonthanam's bhakthi various times directly and it is believed that he himself came down to earth and taken Poonthanam personally to Vaikuntam.
Keezhattoor
Keezhattoor is a village 15 km north of Perinthalmanna in Malappuram district in Kerala, India. The birth place of well celebrated Malayalam poet, Njana pana Poonthanam Namboodiri is situated here. The residence of the 16th century poet is still in existence. There is a proposal to make this...
in (Malappuram
Malappuram
Malappuram is a municipality in the South Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 33.61 km2. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Malappuram district. As per the 2011 census Malappuram urban agglomeration is the fourth largest UA in kerala with a total population of...
district), Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was a famous devotee of Lord Krishna (Guruvayurappan). He is remembered for his masterpiece, Jnanappana
Jnanappana
Jnanappana is a devotional poem written by the 16th century Malayalam poet Poonthanam. This poem written as a devotional prayer to Guruvayoorappan is considered as an important work in Malayalam literature. Apart from its devotional and poetic merits, it is well known for its simple Malayalam...
which means 'the song of wisdom' in Malayalam. Poonthanam was the family name, his personal name is not known.
Poonthanam was born into a Namboodiri Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
family. He married at 20, but for a long time, they had no children. He began to propitiate the Lord of Guruvayur
Guruvayur
Guruvayur is a municipal town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It houses the famous Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple, the fourth biggest temple in India in terms of the number of devotees per day.-History:Guruvayur, according to the legends may be 5,000 years old as the Guruvayur...
and a son was born. He called for a celebration and everybody known was invited, but the child died an hour before the ceremony. Grief-stricken Poonthanam sought refuge at Guruvayur
Guruvayur
Guruvayur is a municipal town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It houses the famous Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple, the fourth biggest temple in India in terms of the number of devotees per day.-History:Guruvayur, according to the legends may be 5,000 years old as the Guruvayur...
and started praying with the puranic story of Kumaraharanam. He considered Lord Krishna as his son and achieved enlightenement. In his work he writes: "While little Krishna is dancing in our hearts, do we need little ones of our own?" Poonthanam spent the rest of his life reading the Bhagavatham and singing the Lord's glories in simple Malayalam. His magnum opus, Njanappana, was composed during this period. The house which he lived in Malappuram District is now taken care by Guruvayur Devaswom.
He is contemporary of Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri
Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri
Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri , third student of Achyuta Pisharati, was of Madhava of Sangamagrama's Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. He was a mathematical linguist . His most important scholarly work, Prkriya-sarvawom, sets forth an axiomatic system elaborating on the classical system...
, another famous poet associated with Guruvayur
Guruvayur
Guruvayur is a municipal town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It houses the famous Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple, the fourth biggest temple in India in terms of the number of devotees per day.-History:Guruvayur, according to the legends may be 5,000 years old as the Guruvayur...
. Lord Guruvaayoorappan has appreciated Poonthanam's bhakthi various times directly and it is believed that he himself came down to earth and taken Poonthanam personally to Vaikuntam.
External links
- http://www.celextel.org/stotras/other/jnanapana.html
- http://india.deepthi.com/who-is-who-kerala/poonthanam.html
- http://www.vaikhari.org/downloads.html Vaikhari Digital Archive - Works of Poonthanam in Malayalam PDF