AZHVARS

श्री:

SHREE GURUBHYO NAMAH

AZHVARS

'AzhvAr ஆழ்வார்' is a tamizh word meaning 'one who is deeply engrossed'.  In tamizh, it is said - 'Azhndavar AzhvAr ஆழ்ந்தவர் ஆழ்வார்'.

There were twelve tamizh AzhvArs who were highly realised VaishNava saints, intensely devoted only to Lord VishNu. After dwApara yuga,  Lord VishNu sent the great AzhvArs to liberate the people of the earth from the bondage of samsAra.  Every AzhvAr is an 'amsha' of Lord VishNu's close and eternal associate called nityasoori, or divine weapon (Ayudha), or divine ornament (AbharaNa).  Every VaishNava should consider himself abundantly blessed to sing the glories and divine hymns of the great AzhvArs who have been extolled in Srimad BhAgavatam. 

AZHWARS IN SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM - BOOK 11, CANTO 5, 38, 39, 40

कृतादिषु प्रजा राजन् कलाविच्छन्ति सम्भवम् ।

कलौ खलु भविष्यन्ति नारायणपरायणा: ।

क्व‍‍चित् क्व‍‍चिन्महाराज द्रविडेषु च भूरिश: ॥ ३८ ॥

ताम्रपर्णी नदी यत्र कृतमाला पयस्विनी ।

कावेरी च महापुण्या प्रतीची च महानदी ॥ ३९ ॥

ये पिबन्ति जलं तासां मनुजा मनुजेश्वर ।

प्रायो भक्ता भगवति वासुदेवेऽमलाशया: ॥ ४० ॥

kRutAdiShu prajA rAjan kalAvichChanti sambhavam |

kalau Kalu bhaviShyanti nArAyaNaparAyaNA: |

kvachit kvachinmahArAja draviDeShu cha bhUrisha: || 38 ||

tAmraparNI nadee yatra kRutamAlA payasvinee |

kAvEree cha mahApuNyA prateechee cah mahAnadI || 39 ||

ye pibanti jalaM tAsAM manujA manujEshvara |

prAyo bhaktA bhagavati vAsudevE - amalAshayA: || 40 ||

The people of Satya yuga and other earlier ages long to take birth in the kali yuga because there will be many devotees worshipping Lord NArAyaNa.  There will be plentiful such devotees in South India (drAviDa dEsha).  Those men who drink the waters of the sacred rivers tAmrabharani, krutamAla (vaigai), payasvini (chandragiri), kAveri, prateechi (PeriyAr river) and mahAnadi will be pure hearted (spotless) devotees of Lord vAsudEva.

If the dwAdasha Adityas were created to dispel the external darkness, these twelve AzhvArs incarnated to dispel the internal darkness of jeevAtmas and elevate them to the eternal abode called VaikunTha.  The AzhvArs appeared in Tamilnadu and Kerala regions between the end of dwApara yuga and early kali yuga. They travelled across India, visiting temples of Lord VishNu and composing tamizh poems exclusive to the presiding deities in the respective shrines. All their poems establish that Lord NArAyaNa is the supreme reality (parabrahmam) who can be attained through a simple process of surrender (sharanAgati). The 108 temples visited and extolled by these twelve AzhvArs are called '108 Divya Desams or 108 tirupatis /108 திவ்ய தேசங்கள்/ 108 திருப்பதி".  

108 DIVYA DESAMS

Shri PiLLai PerumAL AiyangAr alias azhvagiya maNavALa dAsar has composed a verse in his work '108 tirupati andAdi' for us to remember the geographical spread of the divya dEsams.

ஈரிருப தாஞ்சோழ மீரொன்ப தாம்பாண்டி

ஓர்பதின்மூன் றாமலைநா டோரிரண்டாம் - சீர்நடுநா

டாறோடீ ரெட்டுத்தொண்டை யவ்வட‌நா டாறிரண்டு

கூறுதிரு நாடொன்றாக் கொள். (6)

eer-irupadAm chOzham (2*20=40), eer-onbadAm pANDee (2*9=18),

Or-padinmoonRAm malainADu (13), Or-iraNDAm seer naDunADu, (2)

Or-ARu eer-eTTu toNDai (6+ 2*8=22) avvaDanADu ARu-iraNDu (6*2=12),

kooRu tirunADu (1) onRA koL (6)

This verse categorizes the location of 108 divya dEsams as follows:

CHOZHA NADU  40   (CHOLA REGION)

PANDYA NADU   18   (PANDYA REGION)

MALAI NADU      13   (CHERA REGION)

NADU NADU        2    (NORTH EAST TAMILNADU)

TONDAI NADU   22    (SOUTHERN ANDHRA AND NORTHERN TAMILNADU)

VADA NADU       12    NORTH INDIA PLUS KSHEERABDI

TIRU NADU          1    VAIKUNTHA LOKA

In his concluding verses, he submits that the feet of those who learn, praise, think and listen about the one hundred and eight revered tirupatis or divya dEsams starting from Shreerangam to VaikuNTham, will become a decorative ornament of golden flowers for his head. 

மண்ணி லரங்கமுதல் வைகுந்த நாடளவும்

எண்ணு திருப்பதிநூற் றெட்டினையும் - நண்ணுவார்

கற்பார் துதிப்பார் கருதுவார் கேட்டிருப்பார்

பொற்பாத மென்றலைமேற் பூ.

mannil arangamudal vaikunta nADaLavum

eNNu tiruppatinoor eTTinaiyum - naNNuvAr

karpAr tudippAr karuduvAr kETTiruppAr

poRpAdam en talai mEl poo.

4000 DIVYA PRABANDHAMS / PASURAMS

The entire compendium of 4000 poems composed by the AzhwArs is called 'nAlAyira Divya Prabandham'. The subject of every poem covers Lord VishNu's divine form (divya mangaLa vigraham), His supernatural deeds (atimAnusha leelAs) and divine qualities (kalyANa guNas).  Every prabandham has a phalashruti by the AzhvAr, blessing the reciter of the poem with happiness in this world and beyond, and promising attainment of Vishnu's ultimate abode, the Paramapadam.  Since everything is divine about the 4000 poems, they are aptly termed as 'நாலாயிர திவ்விய பிரபந்தம், 4000 Divya Prabandham - 4000 divine compositions".

Most of the AzhvArs were born and brought up in humble backgrounds. They were blessed with knowledge, devotion, and poetic proficiency by the unconditional compassion (nirhEtukakRupA) of Lord ViShNu.   It is for this flawless, divine knowledge obtained by them that AzhvArs are called 'mayarvaRa madinalam AruLa peRRavar'. Their divine poems are referred by many names such as '4000 Divya Prabandham', 'AzhvAr's aruLi cheyals', 'aruLicheyal ArAvamudam', 'AzhvArgaLin aruLamudam', etc.

 AzhvArs extolled the auspicious qualities and glories of the archA moortis presiding in the divya dEsams, hence their poems are referred to as 'AzhvAr mangaLAshAsanams'.  

Each poem is called 'pAsuram' in tamizh.  3,892 pAsurams by AzhvArs and the 108 pAsurams of rAmAnuja nooRRandAdi by Tiruvarangattu amudanAr,  a devotee of AchArya rAmAnuja, total up to 4000 pAsurams.  

In Divya Prabandham text books (moolam), pAsurams are classified under 24 major prabandhams which are arranged under four titles namely Mudal Ayiram, iraNDAm Ayiram, moonRAm Ayiram and nAngAm Ayiram, each containing around 1000 pAsurams.

	24 PRABANDHAMS OF AZHVARS
MUDAL AYIRAM	IRANDAM AYIRAM	MOONRAM AYIRAM	NANGAM AYIRAM
1. PERIYAZHVAR TIRUMOZHI	10. PERIYA TIRUMOZHI	13. MUDAL TIRUVANDADI	23. TIRUVAYMOZHI
2. TIRUPPAVAI	11. TIRUKURUNTANDAKAM	14. IRANDAM TIRUVANDADI	24. RAMANUJA NOORRANDADI
3. NACHCHIYAR TIRUMOZHI	12. TIRUNEDUNTANDAKAM	15. MOONRAM TIRUVANDADI
4. PERUMAL TIRUMOZHI		16. NANMUGAN TIRUVANDADI
5. TIRUCHCHANDAVIRUTTAM		17. TIRUVIRUTTAM
6. TIRUMALAI		18. TIRUVASIRIYAM
7. TIRUPALLIYEZHUCHCHI		19. PERIYA TIRUVANDADI
8. AMALANADIPIRAN		20. TIRUVEZHUKURRIRUKKAI
9. KANNINUNSIRUTAMBU		21. SIRIYA TIRUMADAL
		22. PERIYA TIRUMADAL

DIVYA PRABANDHAMS AS BHAKTI LITERATURE.

A careful study of the meanings of divya prabandham in our website would reveal that all the nine types of bhakti mentioned in Shrimad BhAgavata MahApurANa (VII. 5:23-24) and all the eleven types of bhakti mentioned in Shree nAradeeya purAnam have been practised by AzhvArs.

9 types of bhakti - shravanam, keertanam, smaraNam, pAda-sEvanam, archanam, vandanam, dAsyam, sakhyam and atma-nivEdanam. 

11 types of bhakti - guNamahAtmya shakti (love for God and His glories),  roopa shakti (attraction towards lord's charming appearance), poojA shakti (love for worshipping the lord all the time),  smarana shakti (love to remember the lord all the time), dAsya shakti (serve the lord as a servant), sakhya shakti (love for the lord as a friend),  vAtsalya sakti (to love the lord as one’s child), kAntya sakti (love the lord as His beloved),  AtmanivEdana sakti (to surrender at the feet of the lord), tanmaya sakti (to be completely absorbed in the lord),  paramaviraha sakti (to feel severe pang of separation for the lord).

AzhvArs' pAsurams are epic poems filled with devotion, philosophy, retrospection, sharanAgati (surrender to the supreme Brahman), natural, scenic, and cultural descriptions of the 108 divya dEsams, and the mesmerising beauty and power of the presiding deities.  Their compositions are set in eloquent 'sanga tamizh' literature, versified in a variety of outstanding poetic styles, truly outclassing normal poems. 

The meaning of the word 'Tamizh' itself is 'sweetness'. Added with divinity, the divya prabandhams are indeed pure nectar. One has to taste them to enjoy them. As the tamizh verses expound the principles of supreme truth, they gain the unique status of being equal to the vEdas and hence are hailed as 'drAviDa vEdam' or 'tamizh maRai'.

ACHARYA NATHAMUNI AND DISCOVERY OF DIVYA PRABANDHAM

SHRI NATHAMUNI - MOOLAVAR
 AVATARA STHALAM- KAATTU MANNAR KOYIL

After AzhvArs' period, the precious Divya Prabandhams were lost due to passage of time.  In the 10th century, a VaiShNava AchArya called 'NAthamuni' of kATTu mannAr kOyil (veeranArAyaNapuram), heard some brAhmaNas recite Shree NammAzhvAr's 10 pAsurams on Lord TirukuDandai ArAvamudan perumAL. 

The recitation started with TiruvAymozhi 5.8.1

ஆரா அமுதே! அடியேன் உடலம்*  நின்பால் அன்பாயே* 
நீராய் அலைந்து கரைய*  உருக்குகின்ற நெடுமாலே* 
சீர் ஆர் செந்நெல் கவரி வீசும்*  செழு நீர்த் திருக்குடந்தை* 
ஏர் ஆர் கோலம் திகழக் கிடந்தாய்!*  கண்டேன் எம்மானே!* (1)  

ArAvamudhE aDiyEn uDalam ninpAl anbAyE

neerAy alaindu karaiya urukkuginRa neDumAlE!
seerAr sennel kavari veesum sezhuneer tirukkuDandai
ErAr kOlam tigazhak kiDandAy kaNDEn emmAnE (1)

Oh, Unquenchable nectar (ArAvamudE!) and Lord of infinite greatness (neDumAlE!)! Your love has drawn me towards You, thereby melting me and putting me to tears, making me feel like water. I am blessed to have a vision of You, Oh Lord ArAvamuda reclining beautifully in the city of TirukuDandai abundant in water resources and filled with tall paddy crops that appear like fans. 

And the verses ended with the 10th pAsuram phrase "kuzhalin maliya chonna OrAyirattuL ippattum "குழலின் மலிய சொன்ன ஓராயிரத்துள் இப்பத்தும் - this set of 10 among the 1000 verses'.  

NAthamuni was wonderstruck that such devotional verses in tamizh language existed at one point in time.  When he curiously inquired about the origin of the prabandham, he was advised to go to Kurugoor, the birthplace of saint nammAzhvAr (saDakOpan) to find more details. At kurugoor (AzhvArtirunagari), he met ParAnkushadAsa, a descendent of Madhurakavi AzhvAr (nammAzhvAr's shishya).  ParAnkushadAsa advised NAthamuni to recite the Madhurakavi AzhvAr's prabandham 'KaNNinuN SirutAmbu' 12000 times.

Saint Nathamuni meditates on Kanninun Siruttambu and Nammazhvar and Madurakavi Azhvar appear.

AchArya NAthamuni, being an acclaimed practitioner of bhakti yOga,  sat in meditation reciting the 'KaNNinuN SirutAmbu' prabandham composed by Shree Madurakavi AzhvAr in praise of Shree NammAzhvAr.  NammAzhvAr appeared in his vision and taught him all the 4000 Divya Prabandhams. AchArya NAthamuni taught the Divya Prabandhams to his nephews MelaigattAzhvAn and KeezhaigattAzhvAn.  Thus it was propagated to many more shishyas. He also set the entire prabandhams to specific rAgas and created a musical format called 'dEvagAnam'.  He choreographed  dance steps to match the tune and devotion of the poems and instituted a divine style of performance called 'araiyar sEvai அரையர் சேவை', which is still being performed by revered arayars during the 'tiru adhyayana utsavam' in Shreerangam.  

The restoration of 4000 divya prabandhams by Acharya nAthamuni was the greatest contribution to vaishNava philosophy.  Founded on the two authentic proofs for absolute truth viz. .  'the sanskrit vEdas' and 'tamizh divya prabandhams',  the term vaishNavam was recoined as 'ubhaya vEdAntam'. (ubhaya meaning originating from two).  AchArya NAthamuni is hence revered as 'The Founder of Shree VaiShNavism'. 

But, NAthamuni attributed his discovery of the precious divya prabandhams to the blessing of KumbakOnam ArAvamuda PerumAl and hence gifted an umbrella called "Gandharvan KuDai" to the perumAl. Hence this TirukuDandai ArAvamuda PerumAl is referred as "drAviDa shruti darshaka" - the granter of tamizh vEdas.

Truly, the 4000 Divya Prabandhams are an inestimable treasure waiting to be enjoyed by generations to come.

TWELVE AZHVARS - AZHVARGAL PANNIRUVAR 

The names of the 12 great AzhvArs in order of incarnation on this earth are :

1. POYGAI AZHVAR

2. BHOODATTAZHVAR

3. PEYAZHVAR (The first three AzhvArs are together referred as 'Mudal AzhvArs')

4. TIRUMAZHISAI AZHVAR (MAHZHISAI PIRAN)

5. NAMMAZHVAR (SHATAKOPAN, MARAN, PARANKUSHA)

6. MADHURAKAVI AZHVAR

7. KULASEKARA AZHVAR (CHERALAR KON)

8. PERIYAZHVAR (BHATTAR PIRAN, BHATTANATHA, VISHNU CHITTAN)

9. ANDAL (KODAI NACCHIYAR)

10. TONDARADIPODI AZHVAR (BHAKTANGRIRENU)

11. TIRUPPANAZHVAR (PANAR, PANANATHAN)

12. TIRUMANGAI AZHVAR (KALIYAN, PARAKALAN)

TEN AZHVARS - AZHVARGAL PADINMAR

These 12 AzhvArs are also collectively referred as 'padinmar பதின்மர்' which means '10 AzhvArs'.  The reason why two AzhvArs are left out in this term is because ANDAL is said to be a part of her father AchArya PeriyAzhvAr, and Madhurakavi AzhvAr is said to be a part of His AchArya NammAzhvAr (antargatam). 

SwAmi MaNavALa mAmuNigaL lists the order of 10 AzhwArs in his laudatory work  'upadEsha ratnamAlai - 4':

பொய்கையார் பூதத்தார் பேயார் புகழ் மழிசை
அய்யன் அருள் மாறன் சேரலர்கோன்  துய்ய பட்ட
நாதன் அன்பர் தாள் தூளி நற்பாணன் நற்கலியன்
ஈதிவர் தோற்றத்து அடைவாம் இங்கு (௪)

poigaiyAr bhoodattAr pEyAr pugazh * mazhisai

ayyan aruL mARan sEralarkOn – tuyya bhaTTa
nAthan anbar tAL tooLi naRpANan naRkaliyan
eedivar tORRattu aDaivAm ingu (4)

*mazhisai ayyan - tirumazhisai AzhvAr, sEralarkOn - king kulasekara of chEra dynasty, aruL mARan - nammAzhvAr, bhaTTanAthan - Grand Priest PeriyAzhvAr, anbar tAL tooLi - toNDarasDipoDi AzhvAr the dust of bhAgavata's feet, naRpANan - humble tiruppANAzhvAr, naRkaliyan - the transformed tirumangai AzhvAr

PADINMAR AZHVARS AS ABHINAVA DASHAVATARAS

VedAnta Guru SwAmi Desikan opines that Lord VishNu Himself incarnated in the form of ten AzhvArs to uplift the people of the world. In his rahasya literature, 'Rahasya-trayasAram - Guru-paramparAsAram' chapter, he refers to 'padinmar AzhvArs' as 'abhinava dashAvatArams' or the 'naveena dashAvatArams', meaning 'the new dashAvatAras'.

’பராங்க்குச பரகாலாதி ரூபத்தாலே அபிநவ தசாவதாரம் பண்ணி உய்யவித்தான்’ 

'parAnkusha parakAlAdi roopattAlE abhinava dashAvatAram paNNi uyyavittAn'

The new dashAvatarams of Lord VishNU are also mapped with the former dashAvatArams as  follows:

Poygai AzhvAr - Matysa avatAram

BhoodattAzvAr - Koorma avatAram

PEyAzhvAr - VarAha avatAram

Tirumazhisai AzhvAr - Nrusimha avatAram

NammAzhvAr - VAmana avatAram

KulasEkara AzhvAr - ParashurAma avatAram

PeriyAzhvAr - RAma avatAram

ToNDaraDipoDi AzhvAr - BalarAma avatAram

TiruppANAzhvAr - KrishNa avatAram

Tirumangai AzhvAr - Kalki avatAram

AZHVARS' 4000 PRABANDHAMS

he 24 prabandhams of AzhvArs total up to a magic number - 4000. AchArya swAmi VedAnta Desikan has arrived at the precise count of prabandhams of each AzhvAr in his Prabandha SAram verse 15 and 16 that reads as follow:

எண்ணின் முதல் ஆழ்வார்கள்  மூன்று நூறும்
எழில் மழிசைப் பிரான் இரு நூற்று ஒருபத்தாறும்
உண்மை மிகு மாறன் மறை யாயிரத்தோடு
உற்ற விரு நூற்றுத் தொண்ணூறும் ஆறும்
வண்மை யுடை மதுரகவி பத்தும் ஒன்றும்
வஞ்சியர் கோன் நூற்று ஐந்தும் பட்ட நாதன்
பண்ணில் நானூற்று எழு பத்து மூன்றும்
பார்க்கோதை நூற்று எழு பத்து மூன்றே –15–

eNNin mudal AzhvArgaL mUnRu nURum

ezhil mazhisaip pirAn iru nURRu orupattARum

uNmai miku mARan maRai yAyirattODu

uRRa viru nURRut toNNURum ARum

vaNmai yuDai madurakavi pattum onRum

vanjiyar kOn nURRu aintum bhaTTa nAdan

paNNil nAnURRu ezhu pattu mUnRum

pArkkOdai nURRu ezhu pattu mUnRE –15–

பத்தர் அடிப் பொடி பாடல் ஐம்பத் தைந்தும்

பாணர் புகழ் பத்துடனே பரகாலன் சொல்

அத்தன் உயர் வேங்கட மாற்கு ஆயிரத்தோடு

ஆன இரு நூற்று ஓர் ஐம் பத்து மூன்றும்

முத்தி தரும் எதிராசர் பொன்னடிக்கே

மொழிந்த வமுதர் பாடல் நூறும் எட்டும்

எத்திசையும் வாழ விவர் பாடி வைத்த

இவை நாலாயிரமும் அடியோங்கள் வாழ்வே –16-

pattaraDip poDipaaDal aimpattaindum

paaNar pugal pattuDanE parakaalan sol

attan uyar vEngadamaaRku aayirattODu

aana iru nooRRu Oraimpattu moonRum

muttitaru metirAsar ponnaDikkE

mozinta vamudar pADal nooRum eTTum

ettisaiyum vaazha ivar pADi vaitta

ivai NAlAyiramum aDiyOngaL vaazhvE. 

May we sustain on the nectarine 4000 divya prabandhams composed by Mudal AzhvArs (300), tirumazhisai pirAn (216), nammAzhvAr mAran (1296), madurakavi (11), kulasEkarAzhvAr (105), PeriyAzhvAr (473), ANDAL (173), tonDaraDipoDi AzhvAr (55), tiruppANAzhvAr (10), Tirumangai AzhvAr (1253), Tiruvarangattu amudanAr (108).

AZHVAR BIRTH CHART

The following is a comprehensive chart detailing AzhvArs' birthplace (AzhvAr tiru avatAra sthalam), birth star (AzhvAr tirunakshatram), incarnation (AzhvAr amsham) and the number of Divya Prabandhams (AzhvAr aruLi cheyal) sung by them.  Each AzhvAr was an incarnation of either a weapon, ornament, or attendant of Lord VishNu. In Vishnu temples, AzhvArs' tirunakshatrams are celebrated with ArAdhanam (ritualistic worship) followed by sARRumuRai (Reciting Divya Prabandhams).

AZHVAR DIVYA PRABANDHAM LIST

 

As swAmi Desikan advised - 'ivai nAlAyiramum aDiyOngaL vAzhvE! இவை நாலாயிரமும் அடியோங்கள் வாழ்வே', let us make the 4000 divya prabandhams an integral part of our living.

HEARTY WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF AMARANTHINE DIVINE NECTAR.

MEANINGS OF DIVYA PRABANDHAMS--->

 

Malathi Balaji

NAMO NARAYANAYA

AZHVAR TIRUVADIGALE SHARANAM