Dravida veda

 Scriptures are the source of esoteric knowledge but it is also very clear that the path to God realisation is not through mere Vedanta study or practice of yagas and yagnas. It is an intuitive perception that shines in the inner being through divine grace. In this context, Vedanta Desika pays tribute to the Nalayira Divya Prabandha that has come to be acknowledged as Dravida Veda in the spiritual tradition, pointed out Vanamamalai Sri Padmanabhachariar in a discourse. These hymns are the unique compositions of the Azhwars, who are held to be specially endowed by the Lord to reveal the esoteric truths hidden in the Vedas in simple Tamizh. The Vedas, that are the very life breath of the ineffable Supreme Brahman, are compared to the boundless ocean that is truly unfathomable. Both are repertoires of innumerable and invaluable treasures. Vyasa has provided us with the garland of sutras, the Brahma Sutra which contains the essential truths in the Upanishads. But even this needs to be unravelled with the extraordinary scholarship. Just as the rain bearing clouds extract the palatable sweet water from the ocean and shower it as rainwater on the lands to benefit and sustain life, Azhwar’s hymns very clearly and without any ambiguity present the inaccessible meanings of the Vedas for the benefit of humanity.

Known as ‘arulicheyal,’ these hymns speak about what is important for the jiva to get out of samsara. Alavandar, Ramanuja and other acharyas have formulated the Visishtadvaita philosophy based on the study of these hymns. Contradictory viewpoints such as the question of supremacy among the Trimurtis are resolved in the hymns that go in accordance to the Upanishad statement that speaks of the supremacy of Narayana in relation to Brahma and Siva.