7/24/2019 Allama Prabhu His Life

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Allama Prabhu His Life

Prabhu is not a mere metaphysician but a real master of excellence and perfection. The peculiar excellence of man is

his power of thought by which he surpasses and rules all forms of life. As the growth of thought gives him his

supremacy, so its development gives him fulfilment and happiness. The chief condition of happiness is the life of

reason which represents the specific glory and power of man. Prabhu does not discard the life of reason, on the

contrary, it finds its full expression in his life and action. He does not spare chastising even asava for his one sided

attachment to sham !angamas. He upholds virtue which implies a masculine sort of excellence. "or him virtue

depends upon self#control, symmetry of desire and artistry of means.

Prabhu, who is otherwise $nown as Allama, Allayya, Allama Prabhu or Prabhu#deveru, was probably born in the very

beginning of the %&th century. The exact date of his birth is neither $nown nor has it been ascertained by any of his

biographers. The biographers can be divided into two groups' one holding all too human and the other all too divine

view of him. oth views are wrong, for both lac$ the historical perspective and predominantly represent a

mythological view. (et out of this legendary outloo$ we can glean a few historical facts. Prabhu was undoubtedly born

of the human parents at allegavi, a village near anavasi. His father)s name was *irahan$ara, and his mother)s,

+unani. -aravura seems to be his family name. allegavi was set in the midst of palm trees, water#pools and rice

fields. The temple of oggeleshwara or uheshwara adorned this inspiring setting. His parents were a devout couple

and oggeshwara was their family deity. +unani had often visitations from od, oggeshwara in her dreams.

*irahan$ara was the head of a dance school and was well versed in the three branches of music. ut a secret

longing was gnawing at their hearts. /t was the longing for a child. /n her daily prayers, +unani appealed to od to

bless her with a child. 0ne day she dreamt that she had been possessed by the od. /n the temple opposite her

house the image of +hiva 1uic$ened to life under her own eyes. A ray of light penetrated to the depth of her being. /n

course of time, she conceived and gave birth to a child. The child, whom the world was to $now as the 2airagya

3ha$ravarti, 4the supreme renunciate5 was named Prabhu. He was a little boy full of fun and life. *obody imagined

what giddy heights, what tremendous depths lay hidden in the little body of this charming child. His artistic

temperament and prowess were revealed when he was only six years old. He had inherited from his father)s artistic

temperament. A passionate instinct for the beautiful was the first channel which brought him in contact with od. ut

there was a rich undercurrent of asceticism which occasionally peeped through his demeanour. The mutually

conflicting instincts for the artistic and the ascetic and for the beautiful and sublime struggled within him for

supremacy. /n the end the ascetic instinct got the upper hand and turned him into a renowned 67enunciate8.

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