Sanskrit and Tamil are perhaps two of the oldest languages of the world that have produced great literature. Both belong to India. sanskrit is the language of the Aryans. and Tamil that of the Dravidians. It is indeed amazing how these two languages influence each other. The vedic gods were the forces of nature, rain, thunder, fire, earth and sky, the sun, moon and stars. gradually Rudra and Vishnu attained pre-eminance and attracted worshippers. Interestingly Vedic literature is more religious than secular. where as the earliest Tamil literature now available to us was more secular than religious. Important Tamil poems like the Tirumuruharruppadai, celebrating the glory of Muruha, the favourite tamil God or Meyon another name for Krishna or Vishnu. Also the Paripaadal has seven poems devoted to Vishnu and eight to Muruha.
Later in the History of India, both Jains and Buddhist who rebelled against the authority of the Vedas attracted many adherents in the south. they left behind considerable literary works epic romance, proverbs and moral instructions, remarkable for their depth of feeling and grace and polish of their expressions. subsequently the great acharyas Shankara Ramanuja and Madhava attempted to undo the influence of the Jains and Buddhists to re-establish Hinduism.
The Shaivite devotee of this period is depicted as being acutely aware of his tendency to sin, calls himself a cur, and is amazed by god's grace towards him. Manikkavachakar's Tiruvachakam is full of Passionate yearning for God, with an equally passionate dispisal of himself as wholly unworthy.
For the Love of God the Religious classic of the Vaishnavities the Nalayira Divya Prabhandham contains 23 works big and small authored by the (Azhwars) meaning God Immersed, or (Alwar) meaning ruler or born to rule. it can be taken as a tribute paid to a great devotee of God meant by him to rule the rest of humanity.
From the works of the azhwars it appears that several of them questioned the notion of Moksha. Thirumangai alwar declared "what is all this talk of Moksha? we have seen none who has actually attained it, heard none narrating the experience. all that people want is happiness, the happiness of heaven attained through Dharma, or on earth as artha, the first two steps are preliminary to the third karma. which was the end so his aim was to achieve krishna not moksa.
Tondaradippodi alwar claimed that he was more than ready to exchange not only paradise but the kingship of paradise for perpetual life on earth, provided he could always see the Vishnu idol before him. adressing the Reclining figure of SriRanganatha in Srirangam he sang:
Lord of Srirangam the great city.
Your form is a mountain of Jade,
Your mouth Coral,
Your eyes red lillies,
Unshakable bull among lords!
Sprig of the cowherd clan,
Should i be asked to exchange
The savour of chanting these names
to go out and get instead
The savour of ruling Heaven,
I would not my lord,
Make that exchange.
The noticible feature of the prabandham is the mingling of both the Aryan and Dravidian cultures.
Curiously enough, while every poem attributed to andal describes itself in its signature stanza as a composition by the daughter of vishnuchittan of Puduvai or puttur, the works of Vishnuchittan himself make no reference or mention of this gifted daughter.
Vishnuchittan
Special lines in Palland.
To you gem Hued with your wrestlers shouldres, Your rosy feet our rest.
Come quickly to partake of the joy abounding, and shout "hail Narayana", so that the land city and hamlet may hear you. and the benediction you invoke On our lord.
Learn to sing a benediction for him so that your worldly bounds may be snapped.
To him will I sing 'All Hail' who has
The garuda on his flag
And has given me rice ghee-soaked and service
Perpetual in his court.
Betel to chew, neclace and earings,
cool sandal paste for my body
And everything to make me lead
A pure and spotless life.
I too have now become, LORD,
a retainer of yours.
In all ways i will sing and spread
"HAIL NARAYANA"
that I may ever tread the good path
And sing this benediction.
For the pure one, the supreme wielder
Of the bow saranga
will for ages take delight
In that great ones company,
Lauding him with it.
Thalatu.
Hush a bye Baby.
Brahma sent you in his love
This little cradle of pure gold
With rubies set on either side
and diamonds inbetween
Hush a bye, my little dwarf
who spanned the world.
Siva on his bull sent you
to wear round your waist this beautiful belt
made of gold and set with gems
sparkling like pomegranate seeds
dont cry dont cry the owner of all
Hush a bye, world spanner.
Indra sent for my dear Lord
who wears Lakshmi on his chest
And whose feet are like Lotuses
With lovely anklets and stood by
Hush a bye dear lotus eyed.
The gods in heaven have sent you
A right Whorled conch
Tinkling anklets for your rosy feet,
Bangles for wrists,
A string as a necklace and one for the waist
Red eyed dark cloud Hush a bye,
Dwarakas lion hush a bye.
The bountiful donor Kubera
Thinking it the most appropriate
Brought for your chest and amulet
With Vishnu's five weapons in relief
strung on a necklace and stood by
Hush a bye pure gem hued.
Strings from the sea of dazzling pearls
And corals of the best quality
And bangles and ampulets
Varuna has sent you
Bright locks are curly Hush a bye
Winsome shoulders hush a bye.
Garlands of Tulasi fragrant and forest grown
and chaplets of heaven grown Karpakam
Have been sent by Lotus borne Lakshmi
Dont cry my king dont cry
Hush a bye as if in Kudantai.
A cloth band to keep your garments in place,
A small dagger, a gold flower for the head
Have been sent to you by the earth Goddess
You who sucked the demoness dry
Hush a bye do not cry.
Sandal paste musk camphor and turmeric
and colyrium for your lovely large eyes
The Goddess of Learning stands holding in her hand
Dont cry sir dont cry
Hush in Srirangam
This well knit song was composed
by the brahmin of Puduvai
Stating how his cowherdess mother
Lulled to sleep the dark hued one
who was to suck the demoness dead
Who came deceitfully to suckle him
those who would recite it
Shall be free from all evil.
Naachiyar Tirumozhi
The God of love invoked.
All through the month of Tai, Ananga
I swept the floor and drew figures on it,
And now in Maasi 's first fortnight
Adorned the streets with grains of sand
I Worshipped you and your younger brother
So that you may save my life
Will you join my destiny
To Venkatam's Lord whose disc spits fire.
O Kama, I'd placate you with penance,
Strewing the streets with white fine sand
Bathing before the crack of dawn
And feeding your fire with thornless twigs,
With flowers that are dripping honey
The name of the sea Hued written on them
Will you aim at him and join me
to the tearer of the beak of the demon bird.
With fragrant datura and drumstick flowers
Three times a day i worship your feet
That with my heart aflame I may not revile you
Call u a fraud and blacken your name
with bunches of fresh blown flowers for your darts
And the name of Govinda written on them
Will you aim at that wonderful Venkatam's Lord
And link my destiny to that lamp.
O Kama look, I have shown on that wall
Your ancestry and flag and fish
Horses women and white fly whisks
and a bow made of sugarcane
From childhood i have dedicated
To the Lord of Dwaraka and him alone
Join my destiny quickly with his.
Dont ruin our sand castles.
O thousand named Narayana
Incarnate now as man
If you were indeed our cousin
All our troubles would have gone
We have decorated this street
Welcoming Kama in panguni
O wicked Sridhara, bearer of Lakshmi
Dont you ruin our sand castles.
We have broken our backs all day
Putting these castles up
Let us now rest and look at them
and quench our ardour thus....
We have worked with our braceleted hands
to filter and winnow the sand
With the seas pure waves for your bed
Dont ruin our sand castles.
O hued like the thick rain cloud
you charm us with your words and deeds
your face holds us in thrall
as if under a magical spell
We say nothing to hurt you
less you call us thoughtless brats
O you with your eyes like the lotus
dont ruin our sand castles.
Reveal my luck
If I'll have the fortune to touch
and fondle the feet
of the God whom many pure devotees
worship with raised hands
The Lord of Tirumal's grove
Who may lie whereever he list---
O Loop i draw, come out right.
If the one whom Brahma and the gods
adore and praise
the son of lovely Devaki
of the bright brows
Good Vasudeva's princely son
will come to me
O loop i draw, come out right
and reveal my luck.
If he will come who does not dwell
Except in the heart
Of those that love him ardently
Dwaraka's king
The cowherd whose great pleasure lies
In grazing and sport
o loop i draw come out right
and revel my luck.
A Dream Wedding.
My friend I dreamt that Narayanan
with a thousand elephants came
In a procession and was received
By the city all bedecked
With festoons and flans along the streets
and brimming golden jugs.
My friend, I dreamt that tomorrow
Being fixed as my wedding day
He Madhava Hari Govinda
Entered like a bull
A canopy of coconut fronds
With cluster of areca nut
My friend I dreamt that Indra the god
Came down with his clan
to bespeak the bride and fix the terms
And andari the bridegrooms sister
Wrapped round me the bridal saree
And then garlanded me
My friend, I dreamt that numerous priests
Brought water for holy sprinkling
from the four corners of the earth
And raising vedic chants
Knoted the guarding string round my wrist
That i may wed kannan the pure
My friend I dreamt that Mathura's King
Sandalled striding in
Shook the earth and beautiful maids
Advanced to welcome him
Carrying lamps as bright as the sun
And many an ornate jug
My friend i dreamt that my husband to be
Madusudana took my hand
Drums beating and conches blowing
Under a canopy
Which were sagging under the weight
Of the pearls strung from it.
My friend i dreamt that the veda versed
had built a fire and banked it
With a boundry of green grass
And he an elephant in must
Took my hand in his and we both
Walked around that fire.
My friend I dreamt that Narayanan
To whom i shall be bound
In this birth and for seven times seven
Caught hold of my foot
And placed it with his lovely hand
On the grinding stone
My friend i dreamt that my elder brothers
Bright faced with brows like bows
sat me in front of the fire and stirred it
And placing my hand in his
the leonine - they fed that flame
Liberally with puffed rice
My friend i dreamt that i was smeared
with sandal and saffron paste
And the two of us taken on an elephant
Through decorated streets
In a procession that was to end
In a fragrant ritual bath.
Kodai the daughter of Puduvai's chief
Respected by the brahmins
Strung these twice five verses in Tamil
Sactified by her dream
The wish fulfillment of her wedding
to the divine cowherd
Those who can recite them well
Will be gladdened with good children.
Though Maha Vishnu assumes various aspects such as Para, Vyuha, Vibhava, Antaryami and Archa, it is in the worship of His iconic form the Alwars found immeasurable joy and ecstasy. they realized that the Lord is the very acme of simplicity reaching out to reclaim the fallen souls. These mystic bards, soaked in divine love, visited the divya desams, admired the towers and turrets and described the grandeur and glory of the deities enshrined there in exquisite poetry. The archa form of the Lord is to shower his divine grace on the people of yesterday today and tomorrow.
Thirumangai alwar says "Pinnanar vanangum shodhi" meaning a light that can be seen and prostrated by posterity. The archa forms can be classified as swayam vyakta, daiva, saiddha and manusha. swayam vyaktha means appearing in the archa form on his own there are 8 such places. the first being Srirangam, Srimushnam, Venkatadri, Salagrama, Naimisharanya, Vanamamalai, Pushkaram and Nara narayana ashrama (Badri)
Tell me white conch
to be continued.