The Twelve Alwars

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Twelve Alwars The Twelve Alwars Paige Alvar Bhoothathalvar Peyalvar Thirumalisai Alvar Nammalvar Madhurakavi Alvar Kulashekhara Azhwar Periyalvar Andal Thondaradippodi Alvar Thiruppaan Alvar Thirumangai Alvar In the Sri Vaishnavite tradition in their history of their lineage, they list some outstanding devotees. There were twelve Alvars who appeared in South India. Not all at the same time, but over a period of several centuries. They established the basis of the Krsna bhakti cult in the Kaliyuga. The appearance of such great devotees in the Kaliyuga is predicted in the SrimadBhagavatam. Srimad- Bhagavatam was spoken at the beginning of the Kaliyuga, and when Krsna left this planet then he took with Him dharma. The Vedic dharma at that point disappeared, or became invalid, and spiritual knowledge was also obscured. But it says in the same verse that Lord Krsna left the Srimad Bhagavatam for the people in Kaliyuga to get light out of. Now still, the book Bhagavata was there but they also needed the person Bhagavata, or one who lives the SrimadBhagavatam. In other words, they needed the spiritual master. So in the initial stage of Kaliyuga, the first few centuries, these twelve Alvars appeared in South India, and actually established the basis of what would later on become the four Vaisnava sampradayas. The four sampradayas all had their origin in South India, and the founders of these sampradayas each in their own way drew, to a greater or lesser extent, from this tradition of the Alvars, especially in the Laksmi sampradaya, but it is also there in our sampradaya too, and in the others. The Radha Krsna cult is the further development of the devotional tendency of loving God in close fellowship and in the spirit and relation of a woman to her husband or lover. This tendency is striking in the Prabandham of the Alvars. Goda, the famous woman Alvar, is said to have been married to the Deity Ranganath of the Sri Rangam temple. Tondaredipodi Alvar (Bhaktanghri Renu in Sanskrit) expresses in his Tirup Palliyeducci (Paramatmar Jagarana in Sanskrit) that to serve and love God one's spiritual body is the summom bonum of one's service to. God. One of the Alvars was known as Bhaktisara. So he was living at Sri Rangam, and he was living very very simply, like a babaji. So he would sit at Sri Rangam. Around the temple are 7 walls, and between the walls are some areas like streets where people would walk and live. So Bhaktisara would sit in that street area, or in the courtyard of the temple, and he would sit in the sun and sew his cloth. He wore old old cloth, and he would sew it and maintain it until practically speaking it was unwearable, and only then he would he go and find some new old cloth. And because he was purposely kept himself impoverished, he used to sew it with a broomstraw, this would be his needle. And on the end of it he would tie a thread. Then he would take his old torn garment and sew it. So he used to be seen often, sitting somewhere in the Sri Rangam complex sewing his cloth. One day Lord Siva and Parvati were flying over the sky just above the earth. By flying like this, their shadow was cast upon the ground. So whe rever this shadow would fall, naturally people became very enlivened in their material desires. But when the shadow fell on Bhaktisara, they stopped and observed him. Bhaktisara was sewing, and then he looked around and saw this shadow. He could understand that this shadow is inspiring one to have material desires. So thinking, "This is inauspicious," he moved out of the shadow. Parvati turned to Lord Siva and said, "What is this? Everyone else is so eager tha t we may give benediction, that they rejoi ce if they catch sight of us or if our shadow falls on them. But this person is moving out of the shadow. What does this mean?" Lord Siva replied, "He is a great Visnu bhakta. We have no business with him. He doesn't need anything from us." Parvati said, "No no no. Everyone wants something from us. Everybody has material desires and wants them fulfilled. Let us go down there." So they went down there, Parvati and Siva, and they appeared before Bhaktisara, who was just sewing his cloth. So then Parvati, who was standing behind Lord Siva said, "Offer him heaven." Lord Siva said, "My dear devotee of the Lord, we have come down before you to give you a benediction, so I am offering you the svarga, the heavenly world. You may go there." Bhaktisara didn't even look up, he just kept on sewing and ignored them. So then Parvati said, "Offer him the post of Lord Brahma." Bhaktisara ignored this also, and continued sewing his cloth. Parvati was becoming more and more agitated, so she said, "Offer him a form just like yourself." So Lord Siva said, "So will you take a form or a position just like mine?" Then Bhaktisara looked up and said, "You've already got enough trouble." He was referring to the fact that although he was the great Lord Siva, he was still being pushed around by Parvati. So then Parvati said, "He must ask something from us. So just tell him to ask for a benediction." Lord Siva said, "All right, if you don't want any of these things I am o ffering, then you pick something, because you must take a benediction from us." So then Bhaktisara said, "Well, you give me liberation from material existence." Lord Siva said, "That's one thing I can't give." Lord Siva himself says mukti pradata sarvesam visnu eva na samsaya. One who wants mukti has to approach Lord Visnu. So he was caught in an embarrassing situation when Bhaktisara asked for that, something he could not give. "I'm sorry, but this is something that I cannot g ive." Bhaktisara said, "Then what is the use? What is the use of you and your benedictions?" Lord Siva said, "You must take something from us, because we have come to offer you a benediction." "All right," Bhaktisara said. "While I sew, the thread is always coming off the needle, because that is only a broomstraw. So you please make some arrangement that this thread becomes attached to the back of the straw so I can finish sewing my cloth." At this, Parvati became enraged. "He's insulting you! You can give him the universe, and he's asking for such a minuscule thing. This is an insult. You must do something." So then Lord Siva opened his third eye, and a tongue of flame came out towards Bhaktisara. Bhaktisara saw this tongue of flame coming, so he pressed his foot to the ground, and from where he pressed his foot an even greater flame came out, devoured that flame from Lord Siva's eye, and started to pursue Lord Siva. Lord Siva was running around Sri Rangam temple with this fire following him. So he went before the deity of Ranganath and prayed, "My dear Lord, I have made a great mistake today by offending your devotee. Please help me." So the Lord instantly conjured a Vaikuntha cloud, and this was raining a kind of nectar. Because it was a Vaikuntha cloud, within a very short time the whole area of Sri Rangam was totally flooded. In this way the fire of Bhaktisara was extinguished, but the whole temple was covered, like a big lake. Then suddenly Bhaktisara appeared on top of the lake, like a cork. He was just sitting on top of the water still sewing his clot h. Very quickly the water subsided. Lord Siva appeared before Bhaktisara and blessed him. He gave him this name. Bhakti means devotion, and sara means essence. So this name means, "the essence of devotion." Lord Siva said, "Your attitude and devotion to Lord Visnu is the essence of devotion, because even if Lord Siva comes, you do not want anything from him, although all the materialists are desiring." Another time there was a shuktihara, a magician flying through the sky on his tiger. Bhaktisara was again sitting sewing his cloth. And then when he flew over Bhaktisara, his tiger couldn't stay in the sky, it fell to the ground. He came down to earth, and he was wondering, "What is this? Why can't we fly here?" And then he saw Bhaktisara, and he could understand, "Oh, it must be by the influence of this saintly person that my magic is rendered is null and void." The magician became pleased, because he could understand "He is very very advanced. He is so pure that this kind of mystic jugglery I am doing does not function in his presence." So being very pleased with him, he wanted to reward him. He took from his shoulders a very very expensive ornamental cloth that he was wearing. You can just imagine, he's a wizard so he's got to be dressed really far out. It had gold sewn into it and diamonds and rubies and emeralds all over it. So he took it off, and he presented it to Bhaktisara, "You please accept this." As soon as the cloth touched Bhaktisara's hand, it was transformed into an old rag wit h holes, the type which Bhaktisara was accustomed to wear. Something fit for Bhaktisara to wear. And then Bhaktisara took his cloth that he had been wearing, and gave it to this shuktihara, and as soon as the shuktihara took it, the cloth became like molten diamonds, like a diamond jelly.
Recommended publications
  • AZHWARS – 12 Vaishnavite Saints Who Had Totally Surrendered Unto the Holy Feet of Sriman Narayana
    AZHWARS – 12 Vaishnavite Saints who had totally surrendered unto the Holy feet of Sriman Narayana. The below mentioned song is the benedictory verse of Manavala Mamunigal in his work Upadesa rathina malai.. Contd..2 -2- AzhwArgal vAzhi aruLichcheyal vAzhi thAzhvAdhumil kuravar thAm vAzhi – yEzhpArum uyya avargaL uraiththavaigaL thAm vAzhi seyyamaRai thannudanE sErndhu Meaning : May the divine azhwars live long! May their works, the divya prabandhams, live long! May the spotless poorvacharyas live long! May their accurate commentaries, which were generously offered so that people of the seven worlds can benefit from them; live long along with the sanskrit vedas! AZHWARS Azhwars are divine poets absorbed in Bhakti towards Sriman Narayana. Since they are always immersed (Azhndhu, tamil word for "in depth") in kalyana gunas (the most auspicious attributes) of Sriman Narayana, they are called Azhwars. Azhwars are known as Nityasuris or Divyasuris; those who reside permanently with the Lord in His Heavenly abode. They had incarnated as Vasihnavite Saints to propagate Bhakthi Marga - devotion towards Lord Vishnu in the 4th-9th centuries A.D. Contd..3 -3- There are 12 Azhwars, who are the main authors of Naalayira Divya Prabandham - 4000 poetic hymns sung in praise of Sriman Narayana, at various sacred shrines known as "Divya Desams" (108 in total). Divya Prabandham, in its present form was compiled by Nathamunigal during the 9th – 10th centuries. They are an incredible synthesis of poetic beauty, rhythmic magnificence, literary brilliance, spiritual loveliness and philosophical wisdom appealing to the head and heart of the masses. The Twelve Azhwars are : 1. PoigaiAzhwar 2. BoothathAzhwar 3.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Mysticism' of the Alvars
    Theological Studies Faculty Works Theological Studies 2010 Engendering the ‘Mysticism’ of the Alvars Tracy Tiemeier Loyola Marymount University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/theo_fac Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Tracy Sayuki Tiemeier, Engendering the ‘Mysticism’ of the Ālvārs, The Journal of Hindu Studies, Volume 3, Issue 3, October 2010, Pages 337–353, doi: 10.1093/jhs/hiq027 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Theological Studies at Digital Commons @ Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theological Studies Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Journal of Hindu Studies 2010;3:337–353 Doi: 10.1093/jhs/hiq027 Advance Access Publication 13 September 2010 Engendering the ‘Mysticism’ of the Ālvārs Tracy Sayuki Tiemeier Abstract: This essay explores the relationship between gender, power, and mysticism through an examination of the Tamil Vaiṣṇava Ālvārs and how two scholars, Friedhelm Hardy and S.M. Srinivasa Chari, interrelate Ālvār mysticism, female voice, and the one female Ālvār, Āṇṭāḷ. Although both Hardy and Chari define Ālvār mysticism through female voice and uphold Āṇṭāḷ as mystic par excellence, they miss important nuances of Āṇṭāḷ’s poetry that radicalise female voice and frustrate gendered expectations. Āṇṭāḷ’s mysticism proves to be socially and theologically subversive, laying claim to authority even over the divine. In her gendered genealogy of Christian mysticism, Grace Jantzen shows how the definition and delimitation of mysticism is inexorably connected with power and gender.
    [Show full text]
  • 23. Ranganatha Mahimai V1
    Our Sincere Thanks to the following for their contributions to this ebook: Images contribution: ♦ Sriman Murali Bhattar Swami, www.srirangapankajam.com ♦ Sri B.Senthil Kumar, www.thiruvilliputtur.blogspot.com ♦ Ramanuja Dasargal, www.pbase.com/svami Source Document Compilation: Sri Anil, Smt.Krishnapriya sadagopan.org sadagopan.org sadagopan.org Sanskrit & Tamil Paasurams text: Mannargudi Sri. Srinivasan Narayanan eBook assembly: Smt.Gayathri Sridhar, Smt.Jayashree Muralidharan C O N T E N T S Section 1 Sri Ranganatha Mahimai and History 1 Section 2 Revathi - Namperumaan’s thirunakshathiram 37 Section 3 Sri Ranganatha Goda ThirukkalyaNam 45 Section 4 Naama Kusumas of Sri Rnaganatha 87 sadagopan.org sadagopan.org sadagopan.org sadagopan.org sadagopan.org sadagopan.org PraNavAkAra Vimanam - Sri Rangam 1 sadagopan.org NamperumAL 2 . ïI>. INTRODUCTION DHYAANA SLOKAM OF SRI RANGANATHA muoe mNdhas< noe cNÔÉas< kre caé c³< suresaipvN*< , Éuj¼e zyn< Éje r¼nawm! hrerNydEv< n mNye n mNye. MukhE mandahAsam nakhE chandrabhAsam karE chAru chakram surEsApivandyam | bhujangE SayAnam bhajE RanganAtham Hareranyadaivam na manyE na manyE || sadagopan.org sadagopan.org sadagopan.org AZHWAR ARULICCHEYALGAL adiyEn will focus here on the 245 paasurams on Sri RanganAthA by the eleven AzhwArs. The individual AzhwAr’s paasurams are as follows: Poygai Mudal ThiruvandhAthi 1 BhUtham Second ThiruvandhAthi 4 PEy Third ThiruvandhAthi 1 Thirumazhisai Naanmukan ThiruvandhAthi 4 Thirucchanda Viruttham 10 NammAzhwAr Thiruviruttham 1 3 Thiruvaimozhi 11 PeriyAzhwAr Periya Thirumozhi 35 ANdAL NaacchiyAr Thirumozhi 10 ThiruppANar AmalanAdhi pirAn 10 Kulasekarar PerumAL Thirumozhi 31 Tondardipodi ThirumAlai 45 ThirupaLLIyezucchi 10 Thirumangai Periya Thirumozhi 58 ThirunedumthAndakam 8 ThirukkurumthAndakam 4 Siriya Thirumadal 1 sadagopan.org sadagopan.org sadagopan.org Periya Thirumadal 1 Thirumangai leads in the count of Pasurams with 72 to his credit followed by the Ranganatha Pathivrathai (Thondaradipodi) with 55 paasurams.
    [Show full text]
  • Divine Love in a World History Perspective: Contributions of Medieval Female Saints”
    “Divine Love in a World History Perspective: Contributions of Medieval Female Saints” WHA San Diego June 27, 2010 Scholars have noted that similar notions of Divine Love have existed among the mystical traditions within Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. And by Divine Love I am referring to the means in which someone, usually the mystic, uses love as a way of experiencing and uniting with God. Now central to the development of Divine Love, also known as love-mysticism, were the poetic contributions of the female saints in each of these religions. Yet to date a comparative study does not exist. Why? I suspect that many scholars would agree with noted religious studies expert Carol Lee Flinders who wanted to write just such a book, but stated that, “my own scholarly training was in the literature of medieval Europe…I don’t know Hindi and the cultural divide is so considerable that I could not do” justice to such an endeavor.1 Isn’t it great to be a world historian and to be liberated from the shackles of narrow national specialization! These global studies are vitally important not only to our understanding of the cross-cultural transmission of ideas and beliefs, but also as a means to better understand individual traditions as well. Such daunting comparisons must be tackled despite the 1 linguistic barriers; here we must rely on the translations provided by specialized linguists – just as we rely on the numbers calculated by economists, demographers, or geologists in our own research. And we, as world historians, are just the right kind of trained specialists to take on such a challenge.
    [Show full text]
  • PILGRIM CENTRES of INDIA (This Is the Edited Reprint of the Vivekananda Kendra Patrika with the Same Theme Published in February 1974)
    VIVEKANANDA KENDRA PATRIKA A DISTINCTIVE CULTURAL MAGAZINE OF INDIA (A Half-Yearly Publication) Vol.38 No.2, 76th Issue Founder-Editor : MANANEEYA EKNATHJI RANADE Editor : P.PARAMESWARAN PILGRIM CENTRES OF INDIA (This is the edited reprint of the Vivekananda Kendra Patrika with the same theme published in February 1974) EDITORIAL OFFICE : Vivekananda Kendra Prakashan Trust, 5, Singarachari Street, Triplicane, Chennai - 600 005. The Vivekananda Kendra Patrika is a half- Phone : (044) 28440042 E-mail : [email protected] yearly cultural magazine of Vivekananda Web : www.vkendra.org Kendra Prakashan Trust. It is an official organ SUBSCRIPTION RATES : of Vivekananda Kendra, an all-India service mission with “service to humanity” as its sole Single Copy : Rs.125/- motto. This publication is based on the same Annual : Rs.250/- non-profit spirit, and proceeds from its sales For 3 Years : Rs.600/- are wholly used towards the Kendra’s Life (10 Years) : Rs.2000/- charitable objectives. (Plus Rs.50/- for Outstation Cheques) FOREIGN SUBSCRIPTION: Annual : $60 US DOLLAR Life (10 Years) : $600 US DOLLAR VIVEKANANDA KENDRA PATRIKA PILGRIM CENTRES OF INDIA PILGRIM CENTRES OF INDIA CONTENTS 1. Acknowledgements 1 2. Editorial 3 3. The Temple on the Rock at the Land’s End 6 4. Shore Temple at the Land’s Tip 8 5. Suchindram 11 6. Rameswaram 13 7. The Hill of the Holy Beacon 16 8. Chidambaram Compiled by B.Radhakrishna Rao 19 9. Brihadishwara Temple at Tanjore B.Radhakrishna Rao 21 10. The Sri Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry Prof. Manoj Das 24 11. Kaveri 30 12. Madurai-The Temple that Houses the Mother 32 13.
    [Show full text]
  • Organic Farms VANAGAM Headquarters: Nammalvar
    Organic Farms VANAGAM Headquarters: Nammalvar Ecological Foundation, 60/3, L B Road, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai 600 041. Field office: Nammalvar Ecological Foundation, Suruman Patti Village, Kadavur Post, Tharagampatti via, Karur Dt. E-mail and telephone numbers are as follows:- [email protected] and [email protected] Phone Numbers are 094425-31699 and 094426-24589. VANAGAM (Heaven on Earth) is a new NGO registered in the name of the Nammalvar Ecological Foundation for Farm Research and Global Food Security. The new organization will primarily focus on developing ecologically friendly and sustainable agriculture methods. It expects to carry on the Nammalwar tradition of training the farmers all over the country in ecologically and sustainable agriculture methods of farming The organisation will also focus on traditional medical systems and to create an affordable health centre based on alternative therapies. As a centre, VANAGAM will do research to bring back our traditional culture and seeds and exchange these with other farmers in India. ‘We are in search of permanent solution for not using fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture’, says Nammalwar. The centre will work with indigenous breeds of cattle, integrated pest management solutions and examine how human activities can be made to decrease their contributions to green house gases. I visited the centre in June and was delighted to see the work already being done. VANAGAM has brought a new youthfulness to Dr Nammalwar. We can only benefit. SIVAPRAKASAM Aranarai, Perambalur, Thiruvalluar District, Tamil Nadu. Sivaprakasam cultivates on six acres of irrigated and six acres of rain-fed land with assistance from his family and hired help.
    [Show full text]
  • 48374 Job Opening Announcement for the Position of Priest
    Sri Venkateswara Temple & Cultural Center 26233 Taft Road, Novi, Michigan – 48374 Job Opening Announcement for the position of Priest Advertisement Posting Date: September 25, 2019 Sri Venkateswara Temple & Cultural Center (SVTCC), Novi, Michigan invites applications for the position of priest to perform daily poojas (rituals) at the temple and at the devotee’s residences as required. Applications are accepted from interested priests only. Job Description: 1. To meet the temple community’s devotional and spiritual needs the priest is required to perform daily poojas (rituals) and religious functions/ceremonies as approved by the temple management. 2. The job performance, personal conduct and life style of the priest should be consistent with the accepted Hindu customs and traditions. 3. The priest must be able to perform all the poojas and functions commonly observed in Sri Venkateswara Temples throughout the world. Qualification & Experience Requirements: Required Professional Qualifications 1. Shall have been trained in Vedic traditions, practices and rituals commonly performed in Sri Venkateswara Temples throughout the world. 2. Shall be knowledgeable and be willing to perform Vaidika Panchadasa Karmas ( functions and ceremonies that signify various stages of life, rites and rituals to be performed by Hindus on various occasions throughout their life) 3. Must have served as a resident or consulting priest either in the U.S. or in India for a minimum period of 5 years. 4. Broad understanding of traditional Hindu rituals and festivals in various regions of India is required. 5. Understanding of Sanatana Dharma – Vedas and Upanishads, Ithihasa Puranas and well known scriptures such as Srimad Bhagavad Gita will be required 6.
    [Show full text]
  • 99. Sundarabahu Stavam V1
    Sincere Thanks To: 1. Smt.Krishnapriya for compiling the source document 2. Mannargudi Sri.Srinivasan Narayanan svami for providing the Sanskrit texts and proof reading 3. Nedumtheru Sri. Mukund Srinivasan, Sri. R. Venkat, Sri. M.N. Srinivasan et al., for images 4. Smt. Jayashree Muralidharan for eBook assembly. sadagopan.org C O N T E N T S Introduction 1 Slokams and Commentaries 5 Slokam 1 7 Slokam 2 9 Slokam 3 11 Slokam 4 13 sadagopan.org Slokam 5 16 Slokam 6 19 Slokam 7 21 Slokam 8 24 Slokam 9 26 Slokam 10 29 Slokam 11 31 Slokam 12 33 Slokam 13 35 Slokam 14 37 Slokam 15 38 C O N T E N T S (CONTD.,) Slokam 16 40 Slokam 17 42 Slokam 18 44 Slokam 19 47 Slokam 20 50 Slokam 21 53 Slokam 22 55 Slokam 23 59 Slokam 24 61 sadagopan.org Slokam 25 63 Slokam 26 65 nigamanam 66 Appendix complete list of sundarasimham-ahobilavalli eBooks 67 . ïI>. YŒZ sadagopan.org INTRODUCTION: SrI SundarabAhu Stavam is a big stavam with 132 slOkams. KurEsar enjoyed the Vaibhavam of ThirumAlirumchOlai SundararAja PerumAl intensively as the Six AzhwArs did through their 128 Paasurams. PeriyAzhwAr, ANDAL, Thirumangai AzhwAr, BhUthatthAzhwAr, pEy AzhwAr and NammAzhwAr have blessed us with 128 deeply moving Pasaurams about the dhivya Soundharyam of the Lord celebrated as Azhagar, MaalalankArar, Sundara ThOLudayAn, Sundara Baahu, and KaLLazhagar. As archA Moorthy, Azhagar's aprAkrutha AzhwAn - thanks SrI MN Srinivasan soundharyam shines through His 1 aparanji tanga ThirumEni. Here at ThirumAlirumchOlai known otherwise as Azhagar Koil, Lord SundarabAhu enjoys the cool breezes from Vrushabha Giri and enjoys Thirumanjanam from the waters of SilambARu (Noopura Ganghai).
    [Show full text]
  • DHANUR MASA PUJA Andal Kalyanam
    Hindu Community and Cultural Center 1232 Arrowhead Ave, Livermore, CA 94551 A Non-Profit Organization since 1977 Tax ID# 94-2427126; Inc# D0821589 Shiva-Vishnu Temple Tel: 925-449-6255; Fax: 925-455-0404 Om Namah Shivaya Om Namo Narayanaya Web: http://www.livermoretemple.org DHANUR MASA PUJA Tuesday, December 15, 2020 to Wednesday, January 13, 2021 Andal Kalyanam Saturday, January 16, 2021 The life of Andal is remarkable in its romantic simplicity. There was a devout Brahmin named Vishnuchitta in Villiputtur, a town near Madurai. His daily duties included procuring flowers for the worship of Lord Ranganatha at the local temple. One morning, he discovered a baby girl lying under a Tulasi plant in his flower garden. Having no family of his own, Vishnuchitta felt it was God's grace that gave him this child. The child was named Godhai (meaning, a beautiful garland, in Tamil) and she was raised by Vishnuchitta. She is also known as Andal, Goda Devi or Bhoo Devi who grew up in an atmosphere of love and devotion. Vishnuchitta always sang songs to her about his beloved Lord Ranganatha, teaching her all the stories and philosophy he knew, and sharing with her his love of Tamil poetry. Even as a child, Andal made up her mind to marry none but the Lord Goddess Andal Ranganatha. Unknown to her father, she adorned herself daily with the flower garland he prepared for the Lord at the temple, admiring her reflection and thinking of herself as the Lord’s ideal bride. When Vishnuchitta noticed it, he was shocked and saddened by this desecration.
    [Show full text]
  • Language in Andal's Thiruppavai
    LANGUAGE IN INDIA Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow Volume 11 : 4 April 2011 ISSN 1930-2940 Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D. Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D. Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D. B. A. Sharada, Ph.D. A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D. Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D. Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D. S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D. G. Baskaran, Ph.D. L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D. Language in Andal's Thiruppavai Poornima Immanuel, Ph.D. =================================================== The Focus of This Paper Andal (a:NDa:L) is a mystic hymnist of South Indian religious renaissance, in particular, the Vaishnavite tradition. The main motive of the religious mystic is achieving an intimate relationship with God. It is essential to have knowledge of the fundamental principles of the mystic's philosophy and theology to understand the language of a mystic. This paper will attempt first to analyze the philosophical and religious content of Andal's Thiruppavai and then proceed to discuss its poetic richness and lyrical felicity. Consummation of Relationship with Lord Ranganathan Andal, who lived over a thousand years ago, is seen as a mystic due to her recognition of the existence of the soul and its relation to the Divine Soul. Andal is also a great mystic because through her sensuous poetic images she brings out the intimacy between her and Lord Ranganathan, the presiding deity of the Vaishnavite sect, Lord Ranaganathan of Srirangam. She looks for the consummation of this relationship with him as her consort, longing to marry him. Language in India www.languageinindia.com 210 11 : 4 April 2011 Poornima Immanuel, Ph.D.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Tamil Literatures for the Dissemination of Alvar Pasurams
    © 2018 JETIR September 2018, Volume 5, Issue 9 www.jetir.org (ISSN-2349-5162) History of Tamil Literatures for the Dissemination of Alvar Pasurams R. Maheswari Assistant Professor, Department of History, D. G. Govt. Arts College for Women Mayiladuthurai, Tamilnadu -625258. Abstract Although Alvar Pasurams are original songs that have been chanted before the idols of the Lord Vishnu throughout Tamilnadu, there are at present many commentaries and allied writings relating to the Pasurams for promoting the songs in Nalayira Divya Prabandam. The historical datelines of the origin of such Vaishnava books have not been put in order so far. So, this paper attempts to trace the history of Tamil literatures that had appeared for the dissemination of Alvar Pasurams in South India. Key Words: Tamil literatures, Alvar Pasurams, Vaisnava books, history. Introduction The Holy text of Vaishnavas, which is an anthology of 4000 Pasurams written by the twelve Alvars between the 675 AD and 835 AD, is popularly known as the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. During the period of Alvars, in fact, the Pasurams were sung with devotion by the disciples of the Alvars who were habituated in and around the native place of respective Alvars and to some extent the Pasurams might have reached the hands of some Vaishnava scholars.1 These pasurams were collected and made into a single manuscript in palm-leaf script by Nathamuni of Kattumannar koil, another name of Vira Narayanapuram.2 As a scion of good Brahmin family, Nathamuni (823-918AD)3was well known for his excellence in Sanskrit and Tamil literatures; he was in the Srirangam shrine and listened to Ramayana when Kambar had inaugurated opening ceremony for his Ramayana manuscript in the year 885 AD.4 Since there was a quarrel with the King Kulothunga Chola, Kambar had awaited to inaugurate his Ramayana in the royal court, but he couldn’t have such opportunity; the Nalayira Divya Prabandham might have inaugurated before the Ramayana and it could have motivated Kambar to inaugurate his poetry before the lord of Srirangam when the quarrels arose.
    [Show full text]
  • 300 Designs. This Part Presents Wu's Main Analysis of What He Terms The
    300 BOOK REVIEWS designs. This part presents Wu's main analysis of what he terms the "pictorial pro- gram" of the shrine. In it, he considers the iconographical, ideological, and ritual aspects of the shrine illustrations. It is here that he attempts to draw some general con- clusions concerning thought and society, although his exposition is anchored in a mass of details concerning the shrine itself and relevant materials from other sources, both textual and artifactual. Wu sees the shrine as essentially a representation of the universe in which the deceased's soul would abide once it was detached from his body. This grand conception prompts Wu to declare unequivocally that the shrine "is a masterpiece..., an epic representation of human thought, comparable to the Sistine Chapel and the Chartres Cathedral in Western art." (p. 70) As stated, this is merely an assertion that remains to be demonstrated. The shrine, when standing, would have measured only five feet (sides) by seven feet (back-the front was left open), and many of the scenes are so miniature and schematic that they would have been hard to dif- ferentiate clearly even before the damage that has been done to them by the ages. I am also dubious of the claim made on p. 165 (following K.C. Chang) that a certain Master Wind Pot of most doubtful authenticity should be ranked with Lucretius (96 ?- 55 B.C.E.) as "one of the first archaeologists in the world" to propose a classification of civilization based on material culture. Furthermore, I would suggest that Wu look into what Herodotus, Thucydides, Tacitus, and Hegel have to say about the dual nature of history (facts and interpretation) before intimating that Geoffrey Barraclough was the first theoretician in the West to comprehend (in 1955) what Sima Qian, China's first great historian, had arrived at in the first century B.C.E.
    [Show full text]