In the village named Brahmandapuram, there used to live a sinless saint
called Paripurnacharya with his wife Prakruthamba, who was a chaste woman. She
gave birth to a child in the middle of a forest en route their home from
pilgrimage. The couple died immediately after his birth, and the child was
noticed by the sage Atri, who was attracted by the divine aura of that child.
He also noticed the shodasha kala (16 divine qualities) in his face and
considered the big star originated in the eastern part of the sky as a
premonition of his birth. He took that child to his Ashram (Hermitage) and
started rearing him with cow’s milk. He gave him a name ‘Veeram Bhotlayya’.
Veera Bhojayacharya and Veera Papamamba of Nandikonda village went to
pilgrimage. They cited a hermitage and went inside; there they were welcomed by
sage Atri, who asked their whereabouts. Veera Bhojayacharya explained him that
he was the owner of Papaghni Mutt. And as they don’t have children, they were
on a pilgrimage visiting sacred places and serving saints. Sage Atri found them
to be very pious and filled with satva gunas (good qualities). He gave them the
child and told them not to scold him or treat him badly. The couple happily
received the divine looking child and returned to Papaghni Mutt. Veeram
Bhotlayya grew up under the care of foster parents, and he used to impress
everyone by his extraordinary intelligence and spiritual bent of mind. He
explained her illusory nature of attachments and preached her Sankhya Sutram. Realizing
that her son is an enlightened soul, Papamamba gave him permission to leave
home and go on a pilgrimage to holy places. While he was visiting Harihara
Kshetra, he came across a yogi named Ananda Bhairava, who confessed to him that
he took to Sanyasa as a mark of repentance on his inadvertent killing of a cow.
To liberate him from the sin of killing a cow Veeram Bhotlayya initiated him
into Dwadasakshari mantra and gave him the boon that in his next birth he will
be born as a Muslim and when he comes of age he would become his chief disciple.
Later
Veeram Bhotlayya changed his name as ‘Veerappayacharya’, and reached Garima
Reddy Achamma’s house in Banaganapalle. Achamma initially entrusted him with
the task of tending cows was surprised when some villagers informed her that he
is leaving the cows in open fields and going somewhere. She didn’t ask him
anything, but quietly followed him the next morning. He had taken the cattle to
Ravvala konda area and drew a line around them with his stick, and proceeded
towards a Palm Tree. That palm tree automatically bent itself so that he could
pluck the palm leaves easily. He plucked the leaves and then the tree on its
own became upright again. The cattle implicitly
obeyed his command and Achamma realized that the boy was not an ordinary
shepherd but must be a God man of great powers. He then went inside a cave, and
she silently followed him and to her consternation, that dark cave was
entirely dazzling as though light of a thousand
suns had entered inside the cave. She went inside and got mesmerized to
see the divine swami sitting and scribbling
something on palm-leaf parchments. She fell
at his feet, and begged to be excused for having treated him as a menial. Achamma
was one of the few who were given the privilege of listening to the future
predictions written in the form of chants by Sri Veerappayacharya.
He performed many miracles during his 12 years stay in that village. He
restored eyesight to Achamma’s son, Brahmananda Reddy by suggesting a
retribution for the sins of a past life. Once the Nawab of that region who was
jealous of the fame of Veerappayacharya sent word to him and after a hypocritical
show of respect and courtesy, presented him a platter covered with a muslin
cloth. Knowing that meat was taboo to the Hindu sage he still filled the plate
with dishes made of meat. Veerappayacharya accepted the plate and removed the
cloth cover. To the utter amazement of the Nawab and his courtiers the platter
was heaped with beautiful flowers with no trace of meat anywhere. The Nawab
fell at his feet begging forgiveness and donated land for the founding of an
Ashram by Veeram Bhotlayya. Annajayya, a Brahmin disciple used to look after
the mutt and Ashram and it is he who made the predictions of his master known
to the public. He buried the palm-leaf parchments inside a pit in the Banaganapalle
mutt, and a tamarind tree grew over that pit. In the twelfth year of his stay,
entrusting the change of the Ashram to Annajayya, he left for ‘Kandimallaya
Palle’, a village in Kadapa.
He introduced himself to the villagers as ‘Potuluri Veera Brahmam’, and used
to work as a carpenter. He soon became the spiritual leader of the village
community. While visiting the temple in a nearby hamlet, Pedakomerla, he
chanced to come across a funeral procession. Going near the bier, he sprinkled
holy ash (Vibhuthi) on the corpse and to the amazement of everyone the dead man
got down and shocked to see himself over a bier. This created a sensation in
the village and most of the villagers began worshipping Veera Brahmam as the
very incarnation of God. A few non-believers wanted to play a trick on him. One
of them lay down on a bier pretending to be dead and the rest approached Veera
Brahmam with the request that their friend’s life be revived. Wishing to teach
them a lesson Veera Brahmam said their friend could not be brought back to
life. The non believers gleefully asked their friend to sit up but were shocked
to see that he was really dead. Moved by their pitiful pleas for forgiveness
and help, Veera Brahmam brought the young man back to life and this won for him
the respect and admiration of everyone. Veera Brahmam accorded to a few seekers
of that village knowledge of his Kalagnanam chants pertaining to events that
would take place in the future. Sivakotayya was one of those seekers and he
reverentially offered his dauaghter Govindamma as bride to Veera Brahmam.
Hearing that Govindamma had chosen to remain unmarried all these years as it
was her wish to marry a man who is an embodiment of divinity, Veera Brahmam smilingly
gave his consent. After the marriage the couple returned to Kandimallya Palli
and from there left on a pilgrimage to holy places. After a short visit to
Banaganapalle they returned to Kandimallaya palli. Devotees built an Ashram for
them and Veera Brahmam began to be worshipped by them as ‘Sri Veera Brahmendra
Swamy’. The couple were blessed with four sons and a daughter. All the children
were devout like their parents and took active part in the spiritual programme
conducted in the Ashram.
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