SWAMI SRI VEERABRAHMENDRA

A Monograph on Pothuluru Veerabrahmendra Swamy

A Biographical Sketch

The following short biographical sketch of Potuluru Veerabrahmam can be considered very near the truth on the basis of the source material available.

Veerabrahmam was called Veerappa and Veerambhotlayya in his boyhood days. As he grew up, In course of time, he was called by about three dozens of names, such as Veerappayya, Veeracharya, Veera Narayanamurty, Veerabrahmam, Brahmam Garu and Veerabrahmendra Swami; so on and so forth. Of these names the last but one is very popular. Most of the names were prefixed by the term ‘Veera’ which indicates that his ancestors had followed the Veera Saiva tradition of ritual and worship. The story goes that Veerappa was the son of Prakritamba and Paripurnayacharya (The names seem to be symbolic) who died leaving their only child to the care of Papamamba and Veerabhojayacharya, another noble couple of the same community who were in charge of Papagni Mutt of Karnataka State, Unfortunately, Veera Bhojayacharya, the foster father also died when Veerappa was still a child. The child was brought up most affectionately by Papamamba.

Veerappa, born in Viswakarma (Vishwabrahmin) community, naturally learnt with ease the popular crafts of sculpture, carpentry, goldsmithy, blacksmithy, in addition to the study of Vedas and Sastras immediately after his thread marriage. Right from boyhood he was very much inclined towards self meditation. On a momentous day the boy entertained the Idea of going to forests to practise austerities. He sought permission from his mother. Quite understandably, she was unwilling. Which mother would be willing to send her son to forests? With great difficulty and good deal of exhortation, the son convinced the mother to his point and left for the forests.

There he carved out the statue of Veerabhadra Swami, his favourite diety and began to worship him. The deity manifested before him and blessed him.

Later he went to Banaganapalli (Kurnool District) where he gazed the cattle of Garimireddi Atchamamba, a land lady of the place. The austerities of the boy miraculously began to bear fruit. The moment he touched the cattle, they felt more energetic than before. Under the divine cars of the boy they felt neither hungry nor thirsty and did not stir out of the line he used to draw around them. The boy was regularly going to a nearby mountain cave and was writing maxims of Kalajnana (Kalagnanam) on palm-leaves. Most surprisingly, one day his land lady saw him composing Kalajnana Maxims while a serpent spread its hood and sheltered him from the sun. She discovered in him a ‘Balayogi’ and felt ashamed of treating him as cowherd. The noble lady immediately got one mutt constructed for him in Banaganapalle.