Nammalvar

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Nammalvar
Kalamegha Perumal temple
Personal
Born
Sadagopan

8th century CE[1]
ReligionHinduism
PhilosophySri Vaishnavism, Bhakti
Religious career
Literary worksTiruviruttam
Tiruvaciriyam
Periya Tiruvantati
Tiruvaymoli

Nammalvar (

Naalayira Divya Prabandham, where praises are sung of 108 temples that are classified as divine realms, called the Divya Desams
. Nammalvar is considered to be the fifth in the line of the twelve Alvars. He is highly regarded as a great mystic of the Vaishnava tradition. He is also considered to be the foremost among the twelve Alvars, and his contributions amount to 1352 among the 4000 stanzas in the Naalayira Divya Prabandam.

According to traditional scriptures, Nammalvar was born in 3059 BCE in Alwarthirunagiri;[2] historically he flourished in 8th century CE.[1] In Hindu legends, Nammalvar remained speechless from the moment of his birth, sitting under a tamarind tree when he first interacted with Madhurakavi Alvar, who saw a bright light shining to the south, and followed it until he reached the tree where the boy was residing.

The works of Nammalvar were compiled by Madhurakavi as four different works, the

Tiruvaciriyam (or Tiru Asiriyam - 7 verses) and Periya Tiruvantati
(87 verses). The works of Nammalvar contributed to the philosophical and theological ideas of Vaishnavism.

The Garudasevai festival in

Srirangam temple
are dedicated to him. The verses of Nammalvar and other Alvars are recited as a part of daily prayers and during festive occasions in several Vaishnava temples in Tamil Nadu.

Alvars

Festive image of Nammalvar

The word alvar means the one who dives deep into the ocean of the countless attributes of god.

Srivatsa (An auspicious mark on Vishnu's chest) and Thirumangai of Sharanga, Rama's bow. The songs of Prabandam are regularly sung in all the Vishnu temples of South India daily and also during festivals.[5][6]

According to a traditional account by Manavala Mamunigal, the first three alvars, namely Poigai, Bhoothath and Pey, belong to the Dvapara Yuga (before 4200 BC). It is widely accepted by tradition and historians that the trio are the earliest among the twelve alvars.[4][5][7][8][9] The alvars were also instrumental in promoting the Bhagavatha cult and the two epics of India, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.[10] The alvars were instrumental in spreading Vaishnavism throughout the region.[11] The verses of the various alvars were compiled by Nathamuni (824-924 AD), a 10th-century Vaishnava theologian, who called it the "Tamil Veda".[12][13]

Sri nammalvar-Subbiah kumara valai

Early life

According to traditional scriptures, Nammalvar was born on the 43rd Kali in 3059 BCE as an amsha of

Nammalvar's grandfather, Tiruvalmarban Pillai, is a Vellalar and comes under the Vaishya Caste.[21] J. V. Chelliah a popular Tamil scholar who translated the Ten Idylls into English states that Paṭṭiṉappālai (Commonly dated between 1st to 2nd Century CE) has mentions that Vellalars belonged to the Vysya caste, They followed the 4 Vedas, they were commonly involved in agriculture, taking care of cattle, trade and other business pursuits.[22]

Tradition says that he must have been born fully enlightened because as a baby he never cried or suckled and never opened his eyes. According to legend, as a child he responded to no external stimuli and his parents left him at the feet of the deity of

Vaikuntha and eat (think) of God.[23] Madhurakavi Alvar
realized the divinity of this child.

It is believed that in the Kali Yuga, the doors of Vaikuntham (The abode Of Vishnu) was opened first time for him by Narayana himself and it is believed that the followers of Swami Nammalvar have the most easy access to the supreme abode. Following his moksha his family entitle as the Subbiah Kumara Pillai by holy Vaishnava acharyas and they serve him and believe him to be Sriman Narayana Tiruvadi. After the passing of Nammalvar, Madhurakavi Alvar composed 10 pasrams called Kanninin Sirutambu. He gave a word that whoever reads this 11,000 times with devotion will get vision and blessings of Nammalvar whenever they visit his abode at Alvarthirunagari.

Nammalvar was one of the twelve alvar poet-saints who immersed themselves in a love of Vishnu and who had a considerable knowledge of ancient Tamil literature and its variants of traditional stories concerning Vishnu and his associates, as well as the philosophical differences between Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism.[15]

Nalayira Divya Prabandham
.

Swami Nammalvar with Madhurakavi Alvar and Nathamunigal

Work

He contributed four pieces of works to

Divya Prabhandham. These works consisted of 1,296 poems, making him the most prolific contributor to the 4,000 hymns written by the Alvar poet-saints.[14]
These works are:

Tiruvaymoli describes Ranganatha as a metaphor for discussing the philosophical details in

  • The nature of the
    paramatma
    (divine soul)
  • The nature of the
    jeevatma
    (living soul)
  • The means for the
    Paramatma
    (divine soul)
  • The blocks and hurdles on the way and
  • The goal moksha (divinity).

In the Sri Vaishnava canon, these four represent (in Tamil language) the four

divyadesam temples talked about in the Vaishnava religion, it appears from his works he must have had the vision of all the archa forms in the temples he glorified in his hymns.[24]

Style of composition

The distinction of Nammalvar with his contemporaries is above the devotional aspects in writing, the visualization and dramatic movement. He mentions Vishnu in various aspects frequently in all his verses. The poems of Tiruvirrutam are depicted fully between the lone context of the hero and heroine. Most of these are utterances of the hero, heroine, her friends to the heroine or her mother to the heroine. The heroine always perceives her hero, Vishnu everywhere around her. As per Varadachari, Tiruviruttam is "an account of the pilgrimage of the soul to its transcendence over its ignorance, sleep and sloth in which it is caught up in the body". While medieval poetry is considered self-pity and repentance, his works always have a message of hope.[25]

Significance

Nammalvar is regarded as one of the top three Hindu mystics in India, with the other two being

Manickavasagar and Kabir.[26]
Nammalvar is considered greatest among the twelve alvars and his contributions amount to 1352 among the 4000 stanzas in the Nalayira Divya Prabandam.

The

Divyadesams are chanted with music and dance in front of respective utsavar deities. It is the most important of the festivals in this area, and it draws thousands of visitors.After this paasuram recital is completed, the Alvar utsavar in anna vahanam and the nine Perumal deities in Garuda Vahanam come around the maada veethi [temple street] of Alvar Thirunagari. Then, each divyadesam Perumal utsavar bid farewell to their most relished jeevathma Nammalvar and return to their respective temples. Amongst these Perumals, when Alvar most favourite deities of Irattai tirupathi leave after the utsavam, Alvar is saddened by their departure and will wait until they take a turn to their divyadesams. This episode of the Garuda Sevai is known as "Vidaiyaatri Utsavam". The saddened Alvar is taken into the temple by Alvar Thirunagari's deity Polindhu Nindra Piran by showing his beauty. This garuda sevai is to show how Alvar has sung paasurams on each perumal without moving an inch from his Thirupuliyazhwar. All the Perumals come to the Holy Tamarind tree to get sung by the Alvar.[27]

The Pagal Pathu and Ra Pathu festivals are celebrated in the month of Margazhi (December–January) for twenty days in

Srivilliputhur.[29] The tradition of Araiyar Sevai was started by Nathamuni, a 10th-century Vaishnavite who compiled the works of alvars.[30] It is believed as per Hindu mythology that 330 million demi-gods came down to witness the event.[31] The festival deity is brought to the 1,000-pillared hall on the morning of Vaikunta Ekadashi through the Paramapada Vasal (gate to paradise). Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims rush to enter it after the gate is opened and the deity passes through it as it is believed that one who enters here will reach Vaikuntha (heaven) after death. The gate is open only during the ten days of Ra Pathu (10 days of the nighttime festival). On the last day of the festival, the poet Nammalvar is said to be given salvation. The performance is enacted by priests and images in the temple depicts Nammalvar as reaching heaven and getting liberation from the cycle of life and death. At that point, a member from the crowd of devotees, who are witnessing this passion play, goes up to the centre stage and requests Vishnu to return Nammalvar to humanity, so that his words and form in the temple will continue to inspire and save the devotees. Following this performance of the salvation of Nammalvar, the cantors are taken in procession around the temple.[28]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c "Nammazhvar | South Indian poet-saint | Britannica".
  2. ^ .
  3. ^ "Meaning of Alvar". ramanuja.org. Retrieved 2 July 2007.
  4. ^ .
  5. ^ a b c Dalal 2011, pp. 20-21
  6. .
  7. ^ Aiyangar, Sakkottai Krishnaswami (1920). Early history of Vaishnavism in south India. Oxford University Press. pp. 17–18. poigai azhwar.
  8. . poygai.
  9. .
  10. ^ B.S. 2011, p. 42
  11. ^ B.S. 2011, pp. 47-48
  12. .
  13. .
  14. ^ .
  15. ^ .
  16. ^ "Nammalwar in whose Honor Vaikuntha Ekadashi is Celebrated". 26 April 2015.
  17. ^ Ramanujan 2005, p. xi
  18. .
  19. ^ Gupta, Ke.Si. (1988). Vaishyas in India, Volume 1. India: All India Vaishya Samaj. pp. 5, 38. VYSYA. SAINTS. NAMMALVAR. According to tradition Nammalvar is the first amongst Alvars of Ramanuja Visista Advaita Siddhantha and he was is known traditionally one who born in a Vysya family .
  20. . Nammalwar belonging to the Vellalar, Vaishya community
  21. ^ Ramesh, M.S. (2000). 108 Vaishnavite Divya Desams: Divya desams in Malai Nadu and Vada Nadu. T.T. Devasthanams. p. 95.:"A vysya by name Tiruvazhmarba was married to lady by name Brindha . They had no children . They prayed to the Lord of Tirupatisaram and were blessed with a daughter named ******* Udaya nangai ."
  22. ^ https://archive.org/details/pattupattutentamilidyllschelliahj.v._108_Q/page/n81/mode/2up
  23. .
  24. ^ Das 2005, p. 29
  25. ^ Das 2005, pp. 41-44
  26. .
  27. ^ "Garudasevai". The Hindu. 25 October 2002. Archived from the original on 30 June 2003. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  28. ^ .
  29. ^ .
  30. ^ .
  31. .

References

External links