Acyuta Piṣāraṭi (c. 1550 atThrikkandiyur (aka Kundapura),Tirur,Kerala,India – 7 July 1621 in Kerala), also known asAchyuta Pisharati orAchyutha Pisharadi, was aSanskrit grammarian,astrologer,astronomer andmathematician who studied underJyeṣṭhadeva and was a member ofMadhava of Sangamagrama'sKerala school of astronomy and mathematics.[1]
He discovered the techniques of 'the reduction of theecliptic'. He authoredSphuta-nirnaya,Raasi-gola-sphuta-neeti (raasi meaningzodiac,gola meaningsphere andneeti roughly meaningrule), Karanottama (1593) and a four- chapter treatiseUparagakriyakrama on lunar and solareclipses.[1]
Pisharati is known to have scolded and provoked an errantNarayana to take up the Brahmin's duties of prayer and religious practices. He accepted Narayana as his student. Later when Pisharati was struck with paralysis (or rheumatism by another account), Narayana, unable to bear the pain of his dear guru, by way ofGurudakshina took the disease upon himself. As a result, Pisharati is said to have been cured, but no medicine could cure Narayana. As a last resort, Narayana went to Guruvayur and requestedThunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, a great devotee ofGuruvayoorappan, to suggest a remedy for his disease. Ramajunan Ezhuthachan advised him to compose a poetical work on the Avatars (incarnations) of Lord Vishnu beginning with that of Matsya (Fish). Narayana composed beautiful slokas in praise of Lord Guruvayurappan and recited them before the deity. He was soon cured of his disease.[2]
The book ofslokas written by Narayana were namedNarayaneeyam. The day on which Narayana dedicated his Narayaneeyam to Sri Guruvayurappan is celebrated as "Narayaneeyam Dinam" every year atGuruvayur.[3]
