Śrī Parāśara Bhaṭṭar was born to Kūrattāzhvān and Āṇṭāḷ at Śrīraṅgam, his birth being, by tradition, a boon granted to Kūrattāzhvān by Śrī Raṅganātha himself. Named Parāśara in honour of the sage Parāśara — father of Vyāsa and author of the Viṣṇu Purāṇa — he was raised in the direct presence of Rāmānuja and received both the pañcasaṃskāras and deep instruction in both Sanskrit śāstra and the Divya Prabandham tradition. After Rāmānuja's passing, Bhaṭṭar became a leading Ācārya at Śrīraṅgam and was instrumental in establishing sound doctrinal interpretations during a critical transitional period of the tradition.
His major works span commentary, independent theological composition, and liturgical verse. The Bhagavad Guṇa Darpaṇam (also called Viṣṇu Sahasranāma Bhāṣyam) is his magnum opus: a running commentary on all thousand names in which each name is shown to reveal a distinct kalyāṇa guṇa (auspicious attribute) of Bhagavān. Unlike some earlier commentators who applied the names to Śiva or other deities, Bhaṭṭar firmly establishes each name's exclusive applicability to Nārāyaṇa on the grounds of the six marks (ṣaḍ-liṅga) of authentic meaning. The Śrī Guṇaratna Koṣam is a devotional-philosophical hymn in Sanskrit on Śrī Mahālakṣmī, elucidating her role as the purūṣakāra (mediatrix) between the bound soul and Bhagavān. The Aṣṭaślokī is a compressed eight-verse summary of the entire Viśiṣṭādvaita system.
Bhaṭṭar's style is marked by characteristic wit, philosophical precision, and a rhetorical confidence rooted in unshakeable devotion. His personal relationship with Nañjīyar — initially an Advaita scholar whom Bhaṭṭar brought into the Śrī Vaiṣṇava tradition — exemplifies his skill in doctrinal debate and teaching.