About Krishnaastami

Sri Periyavaccan Pillai Vaibhavam

srImatkrushNasamAhvAya namO yAmunasoonavE |
yatkadAkshaikalakshyANAm soolapa: srIdharas sathA ||
(Salutations to that Srimatkrishnar (Sri Periyavaccan Pillai) who is the son of Yamuacharya, and to whose followers (those who are the target of his grace) Sridhara is always easily attained).
Sri Periyavaccan Pillai (PVP) was born in the sarvajith year (1167), in the month of avani in Krishnashtami Rohini. He was born to Yamunacharya and Nacciyaramman, in the town of Sanganalloor near Thiruvelliyankudi (in Tanjore district). He was born as the amsam of Lord Krishna and was named as Sreekrishnar.
He was the right hand of Sri Nampillai (like Lakshmana was to Rama), and wrote several vyAkhyAnams based on Sri Nampillai's upanyAsams.
It was said that one can speak all the glory of even periya perumAL, but one cannot complete speaking of Sri PVP. He was without equal in the cause of the spreading of Srivaishnava philosophy. He shone as an example in the qualities of being a disciple as well as in the qualities of being an Acharya. He was given the titles paramkAruNikar and apArakaruNAmruthasAkarar.
Sri Pillai Lokacharyar once said "periyAzhvAr is like no other azhvar". It could be said that Sri PVP is like no other acharya.
In Srivaishnavism, the three important works are the rahasyams, thiruvAymozhi and SriRamayanam. Sri PVP stored the essence of these three in his mind and not only taught them to all his disciples, but also wrote vyakhyanams to them for the benefit of the vaishnavas yet to come. He is the person who wrote vyakhyanams for all the nAlAyira divyaprabhandam.
It is said in the AzhvarAcharya vaibhavams that for those in visishtadvaidam, there is no way beyond the divyaprabhandams, and that there is no better way to understand them outside of Sri PVP's vyakhyanams. Therefore all Srivaishnavas are the disciples of Sri PVP.
After hearing his vyakhyanams Sri Ranganatha Himself gave him the name Abayapratharajar. By writing the essence of Ramayanam for us, he earned the title SriRamayanapPerukkar. Upon hearing his work, it was wondered if he was the reincarnation of Sri Valmiki.
Even though he was learned in Sanskrit he decided to write his vyakhyanams in maNipravALam (a mixture of Tamil and Sanskrit) so that everyone could understand them. He has written hundreds of works most of which are now unfortunately lost.