The Āzhwārs and Their Spiritual Legacy

The contribution made by the Ā zhwā rs of Tamil Nā du to Tamil heritage is quite unsurpassed. The term " ஆ ழ ் வ ா ன ் " (" Ā zhwā n" ) means " ஆ ழ ் ந ் த ு க ி ட ப ் ப வ ன ் (" one who

delves deeply into a chosen field and remains deeply immersed in it" ). " ஆ ழ ் வ ா ர ் "

" Ā zhwā r" is a term of respect. The Ā zhwā rs were a distinctive group of Tamil Vaishnava saints who delved deeply into the Divine through intense devotion or Bhakti. They experienced the Ultimate Reality in and through everything that they saw in the world of existence and poured their love and adoration for Him into beautiful poetry. The Reality that they experienced was not only transcendental but also all pervasive and immanent. Above all, the Reality was very personal and represented Sriman Nā rā yanā (" the support and the abode of hosts of souls" ) with all auspicious and glorious attributes. The physicalworld is like the body of the Lord and the Lord is the life and soul of the physical world. The most important attribute of the Lord is His compassion, represented by " Sri" who eternally resides in His heart. " Sri" is mother Lakshmi, Who intercedes on behalf of the embodied souls and helps in their ultimate redemption. Hence Nā rā yanā is known as

Sriman Nā rā yanā. The root " ம த ு ப ் " " matup" in " Srimat" (ஸ ் ர ீ ம த ் ), indicates " Nitya-

Yoga" or eternal association. Thus the word " Sriman" implies the inseparable union of Sri with the Lord and therefore indicates only the Divya Dampathi (the divine couple). Surrendering to the Lord in utter devotion or Bhakthi is the simple means advocated by the Ā zhwā rs unlike other systems including the Vйdic injunctions or practices. If the Reality is the ultimate cause of all physical forms in the cosmos and the substratum of their very existence, then it must exist in and through all of them. In fact nothing could theoretically exist without the underlying Reality. Thus the Ā zhwā rs saw and felt Sriman Nā rā yanā in everything. They visualized Him in all His great Avatā rā s on this earth such as Matsya, Kū rma, Varā ha, Nrsimha, Vā mana, Rā ma, Krishnā and others, which He had taken from time to time for the sake of human redemption. Sriman Nā rā yanā not only was in their hearts but also in the skies, the rivers, the clouds, the mountains, the oceans, the lovely images in the temples (" Archa Avatā rā " ) and in short everywhere. Their poetic verses give true meaning to temple worship where the icon, a symbol of the Lord but nevertheless imbued with the Lord like every atom of this physical universe.

The Ā zhwā rs' main contribution in the field of spirituality and religion and the history of Tamil literature, are the devotional Tamil poems on Sriman Nā rā yanā that they left behind; poems which are refered to as “pā surams, ” or ‘verses. ’ Collectively, these pā surams constitute the Nā lā yira Divya Prabandham, which amounts to 4000 verses. According to tradition, they are equal to the Vйdā s, in both their revealed knowledge, and in their importance to religious life. Unlike the Vйdā s, which were in Sā nskrit and could not be learnt by all and often restricted traditionally to some classes, the Divya Prabhandham being in vernacular could be learned and recited by any one interested.

The Ā zhwā rs are twelve in number. They include: Poikai Pirā n (ெ ப ா ய ் ை க ப ி ர ா ன ் ), BhudatĀ zhwā r (ப ூ த த ் த ா ழ ் வ ா ர ் ), PeyĀ zhwā r (ே ப ய ா ழ ் வ ா ர ் ), ThirumazhisaiPirā n

(த ி ர ு ம ழ ி ை ச ப ி ர ா ன ் ), NammĀ zhwā r (ந ம ் ம ா ழ ் வ ா ர ் ), MadhurakaviĀ zhwā r

(ம த ு ர க வ ி ஆ ழ ் வ ா ர ் ), Peri Ā zhwā r (ெ ப rய ா ழ ் வ ா ர ் ), Gō dhā (Ā ndā ļ ) (ஸ ் ர ீ ஆ ண ் ட ா ள ் ),

KulaShйkaraĀ zhwā r,....... (க ு ல ே ச க ர ஆ ழ ் வ ா ர ் ),... ThondaradippodiĀ zhwā r......................

(ெ த ா ண ் ட ர ட ி ப ் ெ ப ா ட ி ஆ ழ ் வ ா ர ் ), Thiruppā nĀ zhwā r, (த ி ர ு ப ் ப ா ண ா ழ ் வ ா ர ் )........... and

Thirumangai Ā zhwā r (த ி ர ு ம ங ் ை க ஆ ழ ் வ ா ர ் ). Included by posterity in their company is

the Sri Vaishnava Ā chā rya, Sri Rā mā nuja. Technically, the Divya Prabandham only has 3892 verses, if one omits the 108 benedictory verses on Sri. Rā mā nuja. ….. The advent of the Ā zhwā rs is prophesied in the Srimad Bhā gavata Purā nam, There it tells us that:

" Especially in some parts of the Drā vida [southern] regions of the country through which the Tā mrabarani, Kritamā la, Payaswini, the very holy Kā veri and the great west-flowing Mahā nadi (Periyā r) have their course, devotees of the Lord will specially abound. O King! Those who drink the waters of these rivers will become purified in mind and will generally develop devotion to Vā sudйva, the worshipful Lord. " (Bhā gavata Purā nam, Sk XI-5- 39-40).

The Ā zhwā rs all hailed from the region in Tamil Nā du adjoining the rivers Kā veri, Pā lar and Tā mrabarani. They were all from different walks of life, different social strata, anddifferent periods. Yet they were amazingly unified in their vibrant divine experiences and their philosophic views. They were revolutionaries of their times. They were above all caste distinctions: for them, being in the devotional service of the Divine alone mattered. Some believe that they appeared at a time when Hinduism was facing challenges from other religions such as Buddhism and Jainism and came out strongly against the blind Vйdic rituals and deep sectarianism. The teachings of the Ā zhwā rs brought the true spiritual message of the Vйdā s and the Upanishads to the masses in their own vernacular and helped in some ways to reduce human exploitation.

Although the details of their life stories are somewhat limited, what we know of them is truly elevating to all spiritual aspirants. The origins of some of the Ā zhwā rs are attributed, in traditional account, to mystic births as incarnations of the Lord's divine ornaments and eternal attendants (Nitya Sū ris).

The first three of these great saint-sages, namely Sri Poikai Muni, Sri Bhudat Ā zhwā r and Sri Pey Ā zhwā r— called the Mudal (First) Ā zhwā rs, were contemporaries. They are believed to have lived in the Dwā para Age and were considered to have had mystic origins. Thirumazhisai Pirā n is said to have been born of a sage. Kulashйkara Ā zhwā r and Thirumangai Ā zhwā rs were kings and hailed from the ruling class. Sri Peri, Ā zhwā r Thondaradippodi Ā zhwā r and Madhurakavi Ā zhwā r were from Brahmin families. Sri NammĀ zhwā r was born in a farmer's family and Thiruppā nĀ zhwā r was from the Pā na community considered at the time to be a low class outside the fold of the caste system. Sri Gō dhā (Ā ndā ļ ) was considered an incarnation of Bhū Dйvi (Mother Earth) and was found in the field by Sri Peri Ā zhwā r much like Sri Sī tha was discovered by King Janaka of Sri Rā ma Avathā ra period.

The story that relates the origin of the Nā lā yira Divya Prabandham takes us back in time to one dark stormy night when the three First Ā zhwā rs met in Thirukkō valū r, in a small corridor at the threshold of a house. The presiding deity from Thirukkō valū r temple, Lord Trivikrama, along with Sri Mahā Lakshmi, eager to mingle with Their devotees, appeared amongst them although not revealing Their presence. However, the Ā zhwā rs felt Their

presence as a sense of pressure in that small space. This led to the spontaneous outpouring of the three sweet and fragrant garlands of verses, each containing one

hundred pā surams in the அ ந ் த ா த ி (andā dhi) style, each following the other, beginning with Sri Poikai Muni.

This story is referred to in Sri Poikai Ā zhwā r's Mudal Thiruvandā dhi:

ந ீ ய ு ம ் த ி ர ு ம க ள ு ம ் ந ி ன ் ற ா ய ா ல ்..........

க ா ம ர ் ப ூ ங ் ே க ா வ ல ்

இ ை ட க ழ ி ே ய ப ற ் ற ி ய ி ன ி

(86)

Sri Poikai Ā zhwā r

glorifies

the

cosmic

aspects

of the

Lord by

starting

with

" ை வ ய ம ் த க ள ி ய ா " — lighting a lamp with earth as the base, the surrounding oceans as the ghee and the burning Sun as the light. Sri Bhudat Ā zhwā r follows with " அ ன ் ே ப த க ள ி ய ா " —lighting a lamp with devotion as the base, love as the oil, the sweet

mind as the wick and the knowing self as the shining flame offering all of them to the Lord. When these two lamps were lit, the Lord could no longer hide His presence. Sri

Pey Ā zhwā r describes this in his ம ூ ன ் ற ா ம ் த ி ர ு வ ந ் த ா த ி (Mū ndrā m Thiruvandā dhi). His pā suram begins with " த ி ர ு க ் க ண ் ே ட ன ் " confirming the " Sriya patitvam" of the

Lord. The Struti declares ஹ ் rfSf ச ே த ல க ் ஷ ் ம ீ Sfச ப த ் ந ் ெ ய ௗ (Purusha Sū ktam 2-6), meaning " For Thee, Bhū Dйvi and Sri Dйvi are two consorts". The second ச

(conjunction) indicates indirectly Neela Dйvi as well. In addition, Ā zhwā r clearly indicates how the divine mother, Sri Mahā Lakshmi, brings the grace of the Lord easily.

The story of how the diverse compositions of the individual Ā zhwā rs came to be put together as the Nā lā yira Divya Prabandham by the great Ā chā ryā s is noteworthy. The various poetic works of the Ā zhwā rs would have been lost except for the efforts of Sri Nā thamuni, a sage who was the grandfather of Sri Ā lavandā r, the spiritual Ā chā rya of Sri Rā mā nuja. Sri Nā thamuni apparently heard the ten verses of த ி ர ு வ ா ய ் ெ ம ா ழ ி

(Thiruvā imozhi), one of the works of Sri Nammā zhwā r, which glorifies Sri Ā rā mudan of Thirukkudanthai, being recited by some minstrels, This decad as all other decads in theseries, ends with the words " ஆ ய ி ர த ் த ு ள ் இ ப ் ப த ் த ு ம ் " (" this ten verses amongst the

thousand" ). Hearing this, Sri Nā thamuni enquired after the minstrels about the rest of the thousand verses. However they could not help him in his quest. Sri Nā thamuni, being a great Yō gi, apparently sat in deep meditation invoking the blessings of Sri Nammā zhwā r himself. Pleased with his ardent prayers, Sri Nammā zhwā r apparently revealed not only his own works but also the works of all the other Ā zhwā rs.

The Nā lā yira Divya Prabandham was thus passed down from Sri Nā thamuni, to his grandson, Sri Ā lavandā r. While Sri Ā lavandā r did not live long enough to directly supervise Sri Rā mā nuja’s initiation into the works of the Ā zhwā rs, Ā lavandā r’s disciples did. It was Sri Rā mā nuja, who popularized the poetry of the Ā zhwā rs by including them in Sri Vaishnava religious practice. Because of this succession of Achā ryā s— Namm ā zhwā r, to Nā thamuni, to Ā lavandā r, to Rā mā nuja — we have the Nā lā yira Divya Prabandham today.

Brief Outline of the Life Stories of the Ā zhwā rs:

Mudal Ā zhwā rs (ம ு த ல ் ஆ ழ ் வ ர ் க ள ் ) No great detail is available about the individual

life histories of the three First Ā zhwā rs except the incident that brings them all together at Thirukkō valū r. A brief outline of what has been recorded is as follows.

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