Alvars and Their Celestial Songs

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Alvars and Their Celestial Songs ĀĻVĀR SAINTS AND THEIR CELESTIAL SONGS. N.Rajagopalan I.R.A.S. (Rtd.) Ex-Financial Advisor, (I.R.). Published by N. Rajagopalan Apt.2-A, ‘SRINIDHI’, T.37 A & B, 16 th Cross Street, Besantnagar, Chennai – 600090. i Front Cover Image: Sri Ranganātha and Sri Ranga Nāchiār at Srirangam Temple. Back Cover Image: Sri NammāĮvār at ĀĮvār Tirunagari. Front Inside Cover Image: All twelve ĀĮvārs and Kumudha-Valli Nāchiār. Back Inside Cover Image: ‘ĀĮvārs’ Sannidhi at Richmond Hindu Temple, Toronto, Canada. ISBN 81-9012873-6. First Edition – 2015. Printed & Processed by: Vibhgyar Graphix Price: For Sales enquiries: Tele. 91 44 24915326. Email: [email protected]. ii Dedicated to the memory of my parents Sri T.R. Narasimhachariar And Smt. N. Jayalakshmi iii Abbreviations used in the Book Jitante Stotram J.S. Tiruvāimoļi T.V.M. Stotra Ratnam S.R. MudhalTiruvandādhi M.T. IrandāmTiruvandādhi I.T. NārāyanaUpanişad N.Up. MunrāmTiruvandādhi Mu.T. MahānārāyanaUpanişad Ma.Na.Up. Tiruneduntāndakam T.N.T. PuruşaSūktham P.S. PeriaTirumoļi P.T.M. VishnuSūktham V.S. Nānmukan Tiruvandādhi N.M.T./N.T. BrihadāranyaUpanişad Br.Up. Tirucchandaviruttam T.V.C. ĀchāryaHrudayam A.H. Tiruviruttam T.V. SriVachanaBhushanam S.V.B. PeriaTiruvandādhi P.T. SriVaradarājastavam S.V,Sta. PerumālTirumoļi PML.T.M. Harivamsam Ha.Vam. PeriāļvārTirumoļi P.A.T.M. SriRangarājastavan Pur.Sat. S.R.S.P.S./Pu.S. UpadesaRattinamālai U.R.M. SrimadVālmiki RāmānusaNūtrandādhi R.N. Rāmāyanam S.V.R/S.R. NācchiārTirumoļi N.T.M. Mahābhāratham Mah.Ba. TirumālaiTiruppalliyezhuchi T.M.T.P. Mukundamālai M.M. UpadesaRattinamālai U.R.M. SiriaTirumadal S.T.M. VishnuPurānam V.P. YajurVeda Ya.Ved. T.Up. Godāstuti G.S. TaiitriyaUpanişad Tait.Up./ MundakaUpanişad M.U. Vishnudharmam V.D. ChāndogyaUpanişad Ch.Up. SriRangarājastavam Brahmavalli Br.Va. UttaraSatakam S.R.S.U.S. AdhikāraSangraham A.S. SrimadBhāgavatham S.Bha. DēhaleesaBhagavad GitaStuti B.G. D.S. Dramidopanişad TātparyaRatnāvali Dr.Ta.Ra. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS. 1. 1-22 2. ĀļvārsandtheoriginofDivyaPrabhandam 23-40 3. MudhalĀļvārs–Poygai,Putatt,andPey 41-64 4. TirumaļisaiĀļvār 65-106 5. Nammāļvār 107-122 6. MadhurakaviĀļvār 123-144 7. KulasekharaĀļvār 145-168 8. Periāļvār 169-224 9. Āndāl 225-258 10. TondaradippodiĀļvār 259-278 11. TiruppānĀļvār 279-348 TirumangaiĀļvār 12. 349-359 ContributionofĀļvārstoSrivaishnava SampradāyaandViśiştādvaitaSiddhānta v Foreword TheSrivaishnavatraditionholdsontotheSanskritVedasand theNalayiraDivyaPrabandhamknownasDravidaVedam as the two authorities (Pramanam) for establishing the Siddhanta.AlltheAcharyasinthelineagewererigorously trainedandproficientinboththescripturesknownasthe UbhayaVedanta.ThetwoVedasareliketwoeyesthatenable us to get a whole, panoramic view of the Tatva, Hita and notPurusharta. created byThe anyonemajor butdifferences the Nalayirabetween Divyathe Prabandhamtwobegin with their origin. The Vedas are ‘Apourusham’, meaning namelyhasthe glorythe Karmaofassociation Kandam withand the sacredGnana tongueKandam.of Thethe formerAzhwar containsaints. Thevarious Vedas prescriptions are vast and for contain day to daytwo living,parts ritualsandceremonieswhilethelatterpart,theUpanishads Yogicareexclusive vision ofVedanta. the Seers.TheversesoftheAzhwarsaintsare pure,distilledexperienceoftheAlmightyflowingfromthe The Tamizh verses are melodious, magical and enable us topeepintotherapturousfloodofemotioninthehearts of these mystics. The Azhwars themselves spoke of their verses in words filled with awestruck joy and declared that the Almighty too was enamoured with their songs. “EmpirrakkuThondaradipodi iniyavare” Azhwar’s islast just verse one ofexample. Thirumalai When where the he pronounced that his work was sweet to the Lord MudalAzhwarsspoke,theLordstoodamidstthemeagerto soakintheadoration;hefollowedThirumazhisaiAzhwar captivatedbyhisverses;hebeggedNammazhwartoconfer hisversesofadulationonhisArchaforms.UnliketheVedas whichthe inexorableissuecommands compulsionsand ofspeak life. crypticallytheAzhwars appealtouswithanunderstandingofhumannatureand vi that too only the males among them. The hymns of the TheVedascanbetaughtonlytoaselectfew,theBrahmins, Azhwar’s are open to all who have the desire to learn. The Azhwar saints condensed the substance of the vast, inscrutable, tough Srutis into nectar like classic Tamizh verseswhichpackthewisdomofallscripturesintothem. NalayiraTheDravida DivyaVeda PrabandhamisIntamizh, Sentamizhin his Tamizhand Gnanatamizh.composition Swami Desikan has summarized the importance of the PrabhandaSaaramVerse18thus. aayndeduttu Andamila aarana naalagi ninra adan karuttai azhwargal Seyya tamizhal arul seyda vagay togayyum sindamal Sandamigu tamizhmarayon toopul tonrum vedantaguru ulagankalvaazhavenru mozhinda prabhanda saaram Sindayinal anudinamum sindiporkku semamadam thirumaltankarunayale. Interestingly Swami Desikan’s Tamizh works collectively knownasDesikaPrabandhamconsistsof24compositions equalingthetotalnumberofworksintheNalayiram.The Vedantacharya whose scholarship“Sandamigu in the tamizhmarayon” Ubhaya Vedanta. was legendary, reveals his partiality towards the Tamizh Vedasbydeclaringhimselfa IntheVedicwayoflifeitiscustomarytointroduceoneself stating the Gothram, Veda branch to which the family belongs as in ‘Bharadhwaja Gothram yajus saka adhyayi’. Swamisums hisDesikan, devotionproudly to theproclaims Nalayira himself,Divya Prabandham.asbelonging Histo thePrabhandaclanof chantersSaram is ofa richthe Tamizhtribute Vedas.to the divineThisdeclaration hymns of captures the uniqueness of each of the Prabhandhams, the thesaintswhereintheVedantacharyawithusualbrilliance livesofthesaintswhosangthem,thenumberofversesin vii eachwork.Allthisisachievedwithintheeighteenverses whichcanbeeasilystoredinmemory. TheAcharyawasaprolificwriterandhasleftbehindawide rangeofworksinSanskrit,Tamizh,PrakritandManipravala. He is perhaps the first in the Guru Paramparai to have beforewritten himin theincludingDravida Ramanuja).language. The(Though parallelthere qualityare ofa fewthe verses like Tanians to Prabhandas attributed to Acharyas compositions in both Sanskrit and Tamizh is striking and isthedelightofscholars.ThebeautyofhisSanskritcanbe compared to the Stotras of Koorathazhwan and Parasara Bhattar while the sweetness of his rich Tamizh verses makesin eachus ofwonder the languagesifthepoetry seemsisthat to addofthe toMudal the felicityAzhwars of expressionor Thirumazhisai in the other.piran. EveryThe Vedantacharya’s one of his compositions, scholarship as short as a Nyasa Dasakam or long as Paduka Sahasram Prabhandaflowfromcontemplation Saram, the Acharyaofthe issuesdivine, a arecommandsurcharged repeatingwith emotionandtaketheformofUpadesaforourwelfare.Inhis The crux of the edict issued by him is “Studying the Nalayira Divyaittwice, Prabandhamwiththeintention shouldof bedrilling a lifetimethe preoccupation”messageintous.. “Eththisayum vazha ivar padi vaitta nalayiramum engal vaazhve!” “Tuyya tamizh irubattu nangin pattin togai nalayiramum adiyongal vaazhve!” All the Acharyas in the illustrious Guru parampara have, depths of the Arulicheyal. Acharya Nathamuni the foremost like Swami Desikan, reveled in the boundless, mystical fascinated by the melody of the verses and is credited to intheAcharyaParamparaiafterSwamiNammazhwar,was have brought back the hymns which were lost over time by Yogic contemplation. The classification of the twenty fourprabhandasintofourpartsviii astheyareusedtodaywas ceremonialdonebyNathamuni. recital of ThiruvaimozhiWhatSageVyasa starteddid byto Thirumangaipreservethe VedaswasdonebythisAcharyatotheTamizhVedas.The AzhwaratSriRangamwasrevivedandexpandedtoinclude thesetheworks versesof allareAzhwars not only bychaste,Nathamuni. classic TamizhTheNalayiram but are wasIsai alsotunedtobesungintheLord’spresencewithtalamas orraayirattulTamizhtoo! Itippattum’wasthe thatmelody charmedofthe Nathamuni.decad‘Aaravamude’ Anecdotes which ends with the line ‘Kuzhalin maliyach chonna in the commentaries speak of the ecstatic anubhavam of Sri Alavandar, Thirumalai Nambi, Embar, Anantazhwan, Koorathazhwan, Bhattar, Nanjeeyar while dwelling on the versesBhagavadofthe RamanujaAzhwar issaints. revered as the Thirupavai Jeer as he revived the ceremonial chanting of Nalayiram in temple chantedThiruppavaiwithoutfailduringBhiksha.Ramanuja Bhattar.worship “Eendraandthe mudalartofthe tai sadagopanAraiyars.He moympalwashailed valarttaasthe idaththaifostermother iramanusan”toNammazhwar’s. The AcharyaThiruvaimozhi breathedby Parasaralife into Ramanuja’sthe Tamizh abilityVedas byto initiatingreconcile the VyakhyanaBheda, Abheda tradition and withPillan’sAarayirappadicommentarytoThiruvaimozhi. PerumalGhataka Nayanarshrutis canin his be Acharya directly Hrudayam traced to “Bhashyakarar the profound iduunderstanding kondu ofsutra Thiruvaimozhi vakyangal says Azhagiyaorungaviduvar” Manavala. of Ramanuja’s admiration and understanding of the verses ThiruvarangathAmudanar’sRamanujaNootrandadispeaks “Pantarum maran pasuntamizh aanandam pai madamaiof the Azhwars’ vindida particularly engal iramanusa Thiruvaimozhi muni in vezham” glowing, “Thiruvaimozhiyinwords. innisai mannum idantarum …. Pukku nirkum ramanusan” this adoration. are a few verses which capture ix a thorough study and uninterrupted contemplation of the ThusDivyawe Prabandhamlearnfrom theis thelives surestandworks meansof ourof understandingAcharyasthat the Sidhanta. It is an enriching mystical experience and a medicineforallthatailsusinworldlylife.Theseworksare inboth small Marundu amounts and as Virundu. long as
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