SrI SundarabAhu Stavam is a big stavam with 132 slOkams. KurEsar enjoyed the Vaibhavam of ThirumAlirumchOlai SundararAja PerumAl intensively as the Six AzhwArs did through their 128 Paasurams. PeriyAzhwAr, ANDAL, Thirumangai AzhwAr, BhUthatthAzhwAr, pEy AzhwAr and NammAzhwAr have blessed us with 128 deeply moving Pasaurams about the dhivya Soundharyam of the Lord celebrated as Azhagar, MaalalankArar, Sundara ThOLudayAn, Sundara Baahu, and KaLLazhagar. As archA Moorthy, Azhagar’s aprAkrutha soundharyam shines through His aparanji tanga ThirumEni.
Here at ThirumAlirumchOlai known otherwise as Azhagar Koil, Lord SundarabAhu enjoys the cool breezes from Vrushabha Giri and enjoys Thirumanjanam from the waters of SilambARu (Noopura Ganghai). Here the Lord is accompanied by Sundaravalli ThAyAr and resides under Somasundara VimAnam. The fragrant breeze from the Vrushabha Giri embraces the natural perfume of the Sandal Wood Trees, which are the Sthala Vrukshams at this dhivya dEsam.
KurEsar’s ancestors were performing atthANi sEvakam to SundarabAhu and Sundaravalli ThAyAr for centuries before one of their descendants settled down in Kooram agrahaaram near Kaanchipuram. Hence, KooratthAzhwAn had ancestral links to ThirumAlirumchOlai. In the 76th SlOkam of SundarabAhu Sthavam, Swamy KurEsar refers to his ancestral links to ThirumAlirumchOlai:
“maamakaaSca gurava: purAtanaa: sundaram vanamaheedhragam SritA:”
Here, KurEsar states that his ancestors arrived at ThirumAlirumchOlai and gained Parama PurushArtham through their worship of Azhagar, who had settled earlier at the foothills of VrushabhAdhri.
This elaborate Stavam was created by KurEsar at ThirumAlirumchOlai, when he was an exile from ChOLa Naadu due to the cruelty of the fanatic ChOLa king. He missed the Sriranga SrI. His AchAryan was away at Melkote. He was approaching the ripe age of one hundred. Here at “Thenn KooDarkkOn tennan koNDAdum Tenn ThirumAlirumchOlai”, KurEsar reminds the Lord about his ancestor’s atthANi sEvakam to Him following the foot steps of Malayadhwaja Paandyan, the ruling king of Tenn Mathurai, who gained Moksham at this dhivya dEsam. Lord SundarabAhu is prathyaksham to Malayadhwaja PaaNDyan even today at this dhivya dEsam. Here KurEsar missed antharanga Kaimkaryam for his AchAryan (BhAshyakArar), who was away at Melkote and prayed to Lord SundarabAhu to unite him with his AchAryan. This union happened and AchArya RaamAnuja took his dearest sishyan to Lord VaradarAjan’s Sannidhi and commanded his sishyan to pray for the restoration of his eyesight. The matchless boon giver, Lord VaradarAjan responded positively. KurEsar did not want the eye sight for seeing any one except his AchAryan and Lord VaradarAjan, His aarAdhana Moorthy. Lord VaradarAjan granted that special boon to his dear devotee.
