Parāśara Bhaṭṭar — Intellect, Devotion, and the Sahasranāma
Parāśara Bhaṭṭar (named after the Vedic sage Parāśara, father of Vyāsa) is the son of Kūrattāzhvān and one of the most brilliant Āchāryas in the post-Rāmānuja Śrī Vaiṣṇava tradition. He was a direct disciple of Rāmānuja and grew up at Śrī Raṅgam under Rāmānuja's guidance — indeed, Rāmānuja named him 'Parāśara Bhaṭṭar' after the sage, a high honor. Parāśara Bhaṭṭar was known for his lightning-quick wit, his mastery of Sanskrit, and his combination of scholastic depth with a warm personal devotion that made him beloved by all.
Bhaṭṭar's most celebrated work is the Bhagavad Guṇa Darpaṇam ('the Mirror of Bhagavān's Auspicious Qualities') — a commentary on the Viṣṇu Sahasranāma (the Thousand Names of Viṣṇu) from a rigorously Viśiṣṭādvaita perspective. The Viṣṇu Sahasranāma, embedded in the Mahābhārata (Anusāsana Parva), had been commented upon by Ādi Śaṅkara from an Advaita standpoint. Bhaṭṭar's commentary provides the counter-interpretation: each of the thousand names is shown to denote one of Bhagavān's infinite auspicious qualities (kalyāṇa-guṇas), demonstrating that Bhagavān is eternally the supremely qualified personal Absolute — not an attributeless Brahman. His commentary is the definitive Viśiṣṭādvaita reading of the Sahasranāma.
Bhaṭṭar also composed the Śrī Guṇa Ratna Koṣam ('The Treasury of Gems of Śrī's Auspicious Qualities') — 65 Sanskrit verses in beautiful ārya metre celebrating the qualities of Mahālakṣmī. The Aṣṭa Ślokī (eight key verses on the Śrī Vaiṣṇava philosophy) is another of his foundational works. Bhaṭṭar was converted from a somewhat proud and conventional early life into the depths of Viśiṣṭādvaita devotion, and this transformation — narrated in the hagiographic literature — became exemplary for the tradition. He is one of the rare Śrī Vaiṣṇava Āchāryas whose works span both Sanskrit and Tamil Maṇipravāḷam.