Episode 01 - Naalaayira Divya Prabandam - Preface.
PREFACE
“Azhwars” – the word is interpreted in several ways: one is that they were derived distortions of “Alwars” ones who ruled – ruled the spiritual world and thereby ruled the whole universe; the other is they were immersed in their emotional devotion to the Lord – ‘Bhakti’. The Thamizh country was specially blessed to have these remarkable entities who realized the Almighty – not by rigorous ascetics nor by methodical studying of scriptures, but by invoking their innate, inborn affiliation with the Almighty, expressing themselves emotionally in remarkably riveting, soul-stirring poetry, pregnant with philosophical, spiritual, metaphysical and ‘bhakti’ thoughts.
This remarkable devotional corpus would stand tall even merely as great, immortal, captivating poetry.
The period of the Azhwars and the Nayanmars (of the Saivite faith) in Thamizh country – approximately from the 7th to the 9th century CE, could be regarded as a period of golden resurgence of the Hindu faith, defeating, obliterating as it were, the penetration of Buddhism and (later) Jainsim deep down in the south. This ‘bhakti’ movement may have supplemented a similar push by Sri Adi Sankara, but this movement was distinguished by offering to the people at large, the lay people, a proposition, a path to divinity, that was so simple, so comprehensible, so appealing and so comfortable for the least initiated, nay, even the illiterate to accept and resolutely hope for deliverance; there was, for the first time possibly, an option for the poor, illiterate and uninitiated to join the privileged on the path towards convergence with the Ultimate – no rituals were prescribed, no rigorous ascetics were called for. All that was asked of a seeker, an aspirant, was – ‘give up, surrender, invoke the torrent of joy and pleasure in singing His praise, his innumerable Kalyana Gunas and His infinite Compassion that reached down even to the most sinning – so very sharply demonstrated by some of the’Azhwars’ themselves emerging as such exalted divinities from their past ignorant or fault-filled lives.
The corpus we all have inherited from these twelve elevated entities is popularly called the Naalaayiram (the four thousand) – and the ‘Divya Prabhandam’, the ‘Dravida Vedha’ and the’Thamizh Vedha’ தமிழ் மறைகள்.
The breakup of this “Naalaayiram” is –
ThiruppaaNaazhwar 10
Thirumangai Azhwar 1253
Kulasekara Azhwar 105
Madhura Kavi Azhwar 11
Sri Andal 173
Thondaradippodi
Azhwar 55
Poigai Azhwar 100
Bhoodathaazhwar 100
Peiy Azhwar 100
Thirumazhisai Azhwar 216
Periyaazhwar 473
Nammazhwar 1296
Ramanuja Nootrandadhi 108
Total 4000 verses
Of the 24 distinct collections making up this corpus, two are dedicated to entities other than Sri Maha Vishnu – Madhura Kavi Azhwar’s 11 verses are dedicated to Nammazhwar; Ramanuja Nootrandhaadi is dedicated to Sri Ramanuja.
How Did We Get This Peerless Devotional Corpus?
Madhura Kavi Azhwar dedicated his life to propagating the Divya Prabandham across Thamizh country. However, within a couple of centuries after him, these had been virtually lost to the world – apparently due to disuse and ignorance. The reemergence of this grand devotional corpus in even greater glory and effulgence is a pithy story.
Sri Natha Munigal (named Ranganatha, but gained this moniker due to his ascetic life and his devotion to study of ancient spiritual and religious scriptures) born in Veera Narayana Puram (now known as Kaattu Mannar Koil – the adjacent lake ‘VeeraaNam’ though still connotes the old name) – period 823 to 951 CE (This is contested and a sampradaya belief is that he lived for four hundred years), was a highly learned Sri Vaishnava: had himself authored two granthas – Nyaya Tatvam, Yoga Rahasyam, Purusha NirNayam. Possibly through straws in the wind he had heard about Azhwars and their Prabhandams and his father – Isvara Bhattar – disabused him of his ambition to regain this treasure saying that these were lost long back and there is no way – except through the Grace of Sriman Narayana Himself – to try and regain them. Nathamunigal would not let that remove his resolve to find this treasure – in his life time. It was God ordained that he was visiting Kumbakonam** and was offering prayers at Sri Sarangapani Koil (widely and popularly known Aaravamudhan Sannidhi) when he heard some priests render some scintillating and hugely elevating paasurams that included one dedicated to the presiding deity- Aaravamudhan –
ஆரா அமுதே! அடியேன் உடலம் நின்பால் அன்பாயே
நீராய் அலைந்து கரைய உருக்கு கின்ற நெடுமாலே!
சீரார் செந்நெல் கவரி வீசும் செழுநீர்த் திருக்குடந்தை
ஏரார் கோலம் திகழக் கிடந்தாய் கண்டேன் எம்மானே
After singing ten verses, as the eleventh verse that sounded like a ‘phala sruti’, they sang a verse that had the words - குருகூர் சடகோபன் and ஆயிரத்தில் இப்பத்தும். Nathamunigal enquired of the priests if they know the source of these verses and if they knew any more of these. The priests had no clue. But they said if Nathamunigal could go to Thirukkuruhoor (Azhwar Thirunagar) and contact the descendants of Madhura Kavi Azhwar there, he might find some useful information.
Nathamunigal set out to Thirukkuruhoor and contacted Parankusa Dasar, hailing from the family of a disciple of Madhura Kavi Azhwar. Parankusa Dasar suggested to him that if he would, in focussed meditation of Nammazhwar, sing the eleven verses of Madhura Kavi Azhwar dedicated to Nammazhwar repeatedly, Nammazhwar could grace him with his ‘anugraham’ and let him know about the Naalaayiram. Trained as he was in the ‘ashtanga yoga’, Nathamunigal sat in front of the Tamarind Tree that was home to Nammazhwar and recited these verse beginning with –
கண்ணி நுண் சிறுத் தாம்பினால் கட்டுண்ணப்
பண்ணிய பெரு மாயன் என் அப்பனில்
நண்ணித் தென் குருகூர் நம்பி என்றக்கால்
அண்ணிக்கும் அமுது ஊறும் என் நாவுக்கே
Nammazhwar appeared to him and made him imbibe the whole corpus of Naalaayiram including commentaries on their pregnant meanings.
As Nathamunigal was also a great scholar in music, well-versed in composing and rendering, swaras and talas, he is said to have set the whole 4000 verses to appropriate devotional rhymes and notes. He also collated the 4000 verses into four distinct components – First thousand, second thousand, third thousand and fourth thousand, according to the distinct content and context in these groupings. He went on further to provide a routine – a celebrating model – for the rendering of these verses in the various temples according to the different occasions. We owe to this great saint that we have this great, spiritually elevating, stirring and ear-pleasing and heart-filling corpus of devotional poetry is so alive now, embellished with musical construct and a well-codified process for rendering them in the temples, at homes.
There is a (pitifully) modest shrine for this great saint who had granted us this spiritual treasure – all by himself, in Kattu Mannaar Koil, his birthplace.