The Name NAMMALWAR conveys very many meanings. Nam Alwar in Tamil means our own saint. This is said to have been given by Lord Ranganatha to this saint. this is stated in Kamban's Satagopan Andadhi. he was so called because of his conquest of the Satha Bayu or the conquest of the materialistic attractions of the world atmosphere which stands in the way of spiritual vision of the soul. Other name he is know by is Maran one who is different. he is also known as Parankusa meaning one who has control over the elements, even as the elephant is controlled by ankus. He is also famously known as Vakulabairana. It is believed that Nammalwar is Rama himself who has come into the world without Sita devi. He is believed to have promised her that he would be wearing the garland made of Vakula flowers which are said to represent Devi herself. As Nammalwar was always wearing Vakula flowers he came to be known as Vakula baranan. Nammalwar was born in the Kaliyuga just 43 days after Sri Krishna retired from the world. ending dwapara yuga. The Bavishyat purana prophesied that inthe begining of Kali yuga on the day the full moon is in conjunction with the constellation Visaka, Visvaksenar who is the commander in chief of Vishnu will himself incarnate as Nammalwar in order to revive faith in Vishnu. Brahmanda Purana also refers to this when it says that in the Pandya desam in the town called Srinagari /Thirunagari on the banks of the river Tambarapani will be born a saint known as Nammalwar.
The genealogical table detailing the ancestors of Nammalwar is as follows:
1. Thiruvazjudi Valanadar (king of Kurugu nadu with thirunagari as its capital)
2. Dharmavarma.
3. Chakrapaniyar.
4. Achutar.
5. Senthamarai Kannar.
6. Senkannar.
7. Porkariyar.
8. Kariyar.
9. Nammalwar.
Porkariyar got his son Kariyar married to the daughter of Thiruvazhmarbar, the great vaishnavite of Thiruvanparisaram a place close to Kurugoor. thiruvazhmarbar's daughter was Udaiyar Nangaiyar. After the marriage Kariyar and Udaiyanangaiyar visited Thirukurungudi and prayed to Lord Nambi for an issue. god promised to fulfil their wish. Kariyar and his wife returned to Kurugoor or Srinagari. Meantime Narayana i.e. thirukurungudi Perumal Nambi had commanded His chieftain Visvaksenar to go down to earth and be born as the son of Kariyar. Adisesha, the divine couch of Narayana was born in the form of a tamarind tree which was to be the holy tree under which Nammalwar would meditate. At the same time Madurakavi was born in a brahmin family at thirukkolur. He is believed to be the Amsam of Periya thiruvadi, (Garuda) the mosaic of the Lord's pattern was falling into the predetermined intentions. Madurakavi was well versed in six agamas, the four vedas, the mimamsas, the puranas, dharma sashtras, thus was very well versed as per standards of those days. He proceeded to visit the divya desams of the North of India.
meantime in Kurungoor where Nammalwar was born he as child never cried, never suckled, and did not even open his eyes. the parents grew worried but religious as they were presumed that god had blessed them with such an issue for a purpose. On the 11th day after the birth of Nammalwar the parents bathed him and took him to him to Adinathar koil in Srinagari, near the banks of Tambarapani river. The child which was in a gem studded gold cradle was named Maran by his parents as he seemed to be different from other children. No sooner the child and the cradle were before the lord, the child of 11 days crawled out from the cradle and took his position in the tamarind tree a position it assumed is padmasana pose with the forefinger and thumb forming a gnana mudra. he did not seem interested to see anything, eat any thing. or require anybody or any thing a quiet content child deep in meditation. what a wonder for a 11 day old child. he stayed in this pose and form for 16 long years as per the records of all the works and people of those times.
meantime Madurakavi who had gone on a pilgrimage to North India one night saw a bright effulgence which can be compared to thousands of suns illumining the sky. this got him anxious and he was keen on observing this phenomenon night after night. His curiosity grew as he seemed to be receiving a message. he decided to verify whence forth this bright light was shining night after night beckoning him so to say. he then slept by day and in the night would walk guided by the light which shown guiding him to his quest. he arrived at Srirangam but the light seemed to be coming from further south. on per suing it he reached thirunagari. here the star or light he was falling disappeared. on enquiry the people mentioned the strange features of the wonder child who lived in the tamarind tree. Madura kavi visited the place. He felt he identified the effulgent star with the brilliance radiating from the saint. Madura kavi wondered if the sixteen year old boy had any life at all for he was seated like a statue. he wondered if there was an ability to hear. to test both these qualities he lifted a stone and then dropped it on the ground. the noise startled the motionless figure he opened his eyes and smiled at Madurakavi which was enchanting. Now Madhurakavi wanted the boy to speak so he posed a tricky question. If in the womb of what is dead a subtle thing is born what does it eat and where does it abide? the answer he got was so apt to the tricky question it even today seems strange at what was conspiring between the two great souls. If one is not aware of the mind body soul divine relationship one may find no meaning in both the question and the answer. Nammalwar's answer was it eats that and it abides there.
As I am not qualified, i desist from any explanation of the question or the answer. But a fit pupil found a great teacher and the bond between the teacher and the taught was made in that moment of revelation. and we centuries later are yet trying to figure out what then went on between the two we seem to be awe struck at the genius of both the teacher and the taught. the works the life of how Nammalwar lived the remainder of his life is before us and to comprehend even a small portion of it seems a mammoth task.
The genealogical table detailing the ancestors of Nammalwar is as follows:
1. Thiruvazjudi Valanadar (king of Kurugu nadu with thirunagari as its capital)
2. Dharmavarma.
3. Chakrapaniyar.
4. Achutar.
5. Senthamarai Kannar.
6. Senkannar.
7. Porkariyar.
8. Kariyar.
9. Nammalwar.
Porkariyar got his son Kariyar married to the daughter of Thiruvazhmarbar, the great vaishnavite of Thiruvanparisaram a place close to Kurugoor. thiruvazhmarbar's daughter was Udaiyar Nangaiyar. After the marriage Kariyar and Udaiyanangaiyar visited Thirukurungudi and prayed to Lord Nambi for an issue. god promised to fulfil their wish. Kariyar and his wife returned to Kurugoor or Srinagari. Meantime Narayana i.e. thirukurungudi Perumal Nambi had commanded His chieftain Visvaksenar to go down to earth and be born as the son of Kariyar. Adisesha, the divine couch of Narayana was born in the form of a tamarind tree which was to be the holy tree under which Nammalwar would meditate. At the same time Madurakavi was born in a brahmin family at thirukkolur. He is believed to be the Amsam of Periya thiruvadi, (Garuda) the mosaic of the Lord's pattern was falling into the predetermined intentions. Madurakavi was well versed in six agamas, the four vedas, the mimamsas, the puranas, dharma sashtras, thus was very well versed as per standards of those days. He proceeded to visit the divya desams of the North of India.
meantime in Kurungoor where Nammalwar was born he as child never cried, never suckled, and did not even open his eyes. the parents grew worried but religious as they were presumed that god had blessed them with such an issue for a purpose. On the 11th day after the birth of Nammalwar the parents bathed him and took him to him to Adinathar koil in Srinagari, near the banks of Tambarapani river. The child which was in a gem studded gold cradle was named Maran by his parents as he seemed to be different from other children. No sooner the child and the cradle were before the lord, the child of 11 days crawled out from the cradle and took his position in the tamarind tree a position it assumed is padmasana pose with the forefinger and thumb forming a gnana mudra. he did not seem interested to see anything, eat any thing. or require anybody or any thing a quiet content child deep in meditation. what a wonder for a 11 day old child. he stayed in this pose and form for 16 long years as per the records of all the works and people of those times.
meantime Madurakavi who had gone on a pilgrimage to North India one night saw a bright effulgence which can be compared to thousands of suns illumining the sky. this got him anxious and he was keen on observing this phenomenon night after night. His curiosity grew as he seemed to be receiving a message. he decided to verify whence forth this bright light was shining night after night beckoning him so to say. he then slept by day and in the night would walk guided by the light which shown guiding him to his quest. he arrived at Srirangam but the light seemed to be coming from further south. on per suing it he reached thirunagari. here the star or light he was falling disappeared. on enquiry the people mentioned the strange features of the wonder child who lived in the tamarind tree. Madura kavi visited the place. He felt he identified the effulgent star with the brilliance radiating from the saint. Madura kavi wondered if the sixteen year old boy had any life at all for he was seated like a statue. he wondered if there was an ability to hear. to test both these qualities he lifted a stone and then dropped it on the ground. the noise startled the motionless figure he opened his eyes and smiled at Madurakavi which was enchanting. Now Madhurakavi wanted the boy to speak so he posed a tricky question. If in the womb of what is dead a subtle thing is born what does it eat and where does it abide? the answer he got was so apt to the tricky question it even today seems strange at what was conspiring between the two great souls. If one is not aware of the mind body soul divine relationship one may find no meaning in both the question and the answer. Nammalwar's answer was it eats that and it abides there.
As I am not qualified, i desist from any explanation of the question or the answer. But a fit pupil found a great teacher and the bond between the teacher and the taught was made in that moment of revelation. and we centuries later are yet trying to figure out what then went on between the two we seem to be awe struck at the genius of both the teacher and the taught. the works the life of how Nammalwar lived the remainder of his life is before us and to comprehend even a small portion of it seems a mammoth task.
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