[Advaita-l] Discovery of the Aradhana and Jayanti dates of Mahaan Sri Nilakanta Dikshitar

[Divya Meedin]

श्री गुरुभ्यो नमः

In 1964, Jagadguru Srimad Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal visited the
village of Palamadai in Tirunelveli, where Mahakavi Sri Nilakanta Dikshitar
had lived and attained Siddhi. Mahaswamigal then inquired about the
Aradhana of the Mahaan. When it was supplicated before His Holiness that
the date of Aradhana was unknown, Mahaswamigal sat in Nishta for a while.
He then announced that that very day of His visit to the Adhishtanam
(Margazhi Shukla Ashtami) was indeed the Aradhana day of the Mahaan, and
directed that the same be observed every year thenceforth. He also had Rs.
201 given to the descendants of the Mahaan, as first contribution towards
the cause.

In order to obtain further details regarding the Jayanti and Aradhana dates
of the Mahaan, descendants Sri PS Nilakantan and Sri AK Srinivasan
approached a Nadi astrologer in Deivaseyalpuram. An astonishing occurrence
followed. In the Nadi leaf, it was seen that 'two will come to learn more
about what one Mahaan had told about another Mahaan. The names of those who
come for this purpose will be those of the Mahaans themselves!' (Srinivasan
being the Poorvashrama name of Jagadguru Srimad Abhinava Vidyatheertha
Mahaswamigal) The horoscope of Sri Nilakanta Dikshitar, the details of His
date of Siddhi, and the horoscope of Jagadguru Srimad Abhinava
Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal were also found. The birth chart of Mahaswamigal
accurately matched with the one found in the leaf. Per Anumanapramana, the
Jayanti date of Sri Dikshitar was determined to be Vaikasi Anusham (Vaikasi
8, Year Jaya, 23/5/1594).

Source: The Preface by the Author (in Tamil) to a translation of Sri
Nilakanta Dikshitar's Kalividambanam, published by Mahakavi Sri Nilakanta
Dikshitar Foundation, Chennai.

Details about other books available from the Foundation:
http://palamadai55appaiah.blogspot.com/2020/02/

The Sphatika Chandramouleeshwarar Lingam, the Panchaloha Mahaganapati, and
the Srichakram that had been worshipped by Srimad Appayya Dikshitar that He
had later passed onto Sri Nilakanta Dikshitar, were passed down through
several generations in the family, before being submitted to the Sringeri
Jagadguru. They are now part of the Jagadguru's Pooja. Picture of the
idols: (10th picture in the Palamadai visit gallery found here):
http://vijayayatra.sringeri.net/vijayayatra/palamadai-may-27-28-2017/#

श्री गुरुभ्यो नमः

Namaskaram,
Divya