Sri Kulasekhara Azhwar
Place: Kulasekharapuram near Kodungalur
Year: Pramadhi
Month: Masi
Star: Punarpoosam
Paksham: Sukla Paksham
Tithi: Chaturti
Amsam (incarnation of): Kaustubam (divine necklace of the Supreme Lord)
Compilation: Perumal Thirumozhi and many other sanskrit works like Mukundamala
Also known as: Kolli Kaavalan, Koodal Naayakan, Koyikone, Villavar Kone, Cheyralar Kone
Thaniyan (Invocatory verse of glorification to an Acharya which is usually composed by a disciple)
Thirunakshatra taniyan
Kumbhe: punarvasau ja:tham ke:rale: cho:lapattane:
kausthubha:msam dhara:dhi:sam kulase:kharam a:sraye:
Nithya taniyan
ghushyathe: yasya nagare: rangaya:thra: dine: dine:
tham aham sirasa: vande: ra:ja:nam kulase:kharam
I bow my head down and worship kulasekara Azhwar in whose capital city there is constant hailing about srIranga yAthrai (travelling to Srirangam).
Azhwar’s history
Kulasekhara Azhwar was a prince in his kingdom and also a prince among the azhwars. Hw was born into the royal family of Chera king Dhidavradhan and Nadhana Azhagi. Even though people born in such families are in the mode of passion with ego and pride, our Kulasekhara azhwar was completely the opposite with qualities of humility and servitude. Because of his great devotion to Lord Sri Rama (Perumal), Kulasekhara Azhwar came to be known as Kulasekhara Perumal.
In his pasurams (poems), he glorifies to show the significance of srivaishnavas. As a king he used hear the glories of Sri Rama as part of Ramayana. Once he was so engrossed listening to the pastimes of Sri Rama, that Kulasekhara azhwar ordered his soldiers to march towards Lanka to help Sri Rama in the war against Ravana.
Envious of the attention that the srivaishnavas were getting from King Kulasekhara, the ministers stole and hid the royal jewels and blamed it on the srivaishnavas. Kulasekhara truly believed that srivaishnavas can never descend to such low levels. To prove his belief, he ordered a pot with a cobra in it and said that if the cobra harms Kulasekhara when he puts his hand inside the pot, the ministers were right. If the cobra climbs out without harming Kulasekhara, it would prove the srivaishnavas’ innoncence. Not surprisingly the cobra did not harm Kulasekhara and the ministers confessed their guilt.
In his works of Perumal Thirumozhi, Kulasekhara wishes to be a bird, a rock or a fish in the Pushkarani or the stepping stone inside the sanctum sanctorum of Tirumala temple. As an honour till present, the stepping stone inside the Tirumala temple is called Kulasekhara padi.
These are just a few of the glorious pastimes of Sri Kulasekhara Azhwar