108 Divya-deshams: The Seven Alvars

BY: SUN STAFF

Murtis of the Alvars, Ninra Narayana temple: (From the left: Periyalvar, Tirumalisai Alvar, Tiruppan Alvar, Tondaradippodi Alvar, Kulashekara Alvar, and Madhurakavi Alvar, also featuring Nathamuni)

Dec 25, 2023 — CANADA (SUN) — A tour of the 108 Divya-desams, the divine abodes of Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi.

The Alvars were the Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused bhakti to Lord Vishnu, in their songs of longing, ecstasy, and service, and they are venerated in Vaishnavism. The lifetime of the Alvars is believed to be between the 5th century and 9th century CE, between 4200 BCE and 2700 BCE. Orthodoxy posits the number of Alvars as ten, though there are other references that include Andal and Madhurakavi Alvar, making the number 12. Andal is the only female Alvar among the 12.

The devotional outpourings of the Alvars, composed during the early medieval period of Tamil history, were catalysts behind the Bhakti Movement in the south through their hymns of worship to Vishnu and His avatars. They praised the Divya Desams, the 108 divine realms of Deities glorified by the Vaishnavites. The poetry of the Alvars echoes bhakti to God through love, and in the ecstasy of such devotions they sang hundreds of songs which embodied both depth of feeling and the felicity of expressions. The collection of their hymns is known as the Nalayira Divya Prabandham.

The bhakti literature that sprang from the Alvars has contributed to the establishment and sustenance of a culture that deviated from the Vedic religion and rooted itself in devotion, bhakti, as the only path for salvation. In addition, they contributed to Tamil devotional verses independent of a knowledge of Sanskrit.

Murtis of the Alvars, Ninra Narayana temple:
(From the left: Bhootathalvar, Peyalvar, Nammalvar, and Tirumangai Alvar, also featuring Ramanuja)

Nalayira Divya Prabhandam

THE WORLDLY AZHVARS

Divyaprabandham - Seven Azhvars
You are the sweetness in milk.
You are the brightness of precious gold.
You are the freshness of green moss.
You have the dark color of bees
that drink honey and fly around the ponds.
You are the four seasons.
How is it that the world cannot understand
the nature of the god Maal? (795)

In the Nālāyira Divya Prabhandam, the Seven Azhvars who sang praises to Lord Visnu's Divya-deshams are Periyazhvar, Aṇḍal/Thalaivi, Kulasekharazhvar, Thirumazhisaiyazhvar, Thoṇḍaraḍippoḍiyazhvar, Thiruppaṇazhvar, Madhurakavi Azhvar. There is much information about Vaishnavism and the Azhvars' lives to be found on the internet, including an English translation of the full Naalayira Divya Prabandham, which is a primary source of reference of the Divya-deshams. From the introduction to the translated text:

"According to Tamil scholars, the Vaishnava Bhakthi movement dates from the 5th century CE to the 10th century. 4000 poems (pasurams) were composed by twelve Azhvars who called their god Maal, Neḍumaal, Thirumaal, Kanṇṇan and Nambi. The name Vishnu is not found in the text. (The word Viṭṭu is found in one Pasuram. Does it mean the god is arguable? As much as I know there is no grammar rule for Vishṇu changing to Viṭṭu.). "The god" in this translation means Thirumaal. "Gods" in the plural refers to other gods.

The word Shiva is not used by the Azhvars. Shiva is mentioned as, "the one who has a crescent moon on his jaṭa," "the one who has Ganges in his jaṭa," "the one who has three eyes," "the one who has a dark neck." etc. This translation uses the word "Shiva" so that the readers will understand who the god is. In a very few places the word Brahma is used, but more often the word "Nanmuhan" is used for Brahma. For Indra the Azhvars use the phrases like, "the king of the gods" and "the thousand-eyed one." The translation may use "Indra" for clarity.

The word Lakshmi is not used in the pasurams, rather, "goddess on the lotus," "beloved of the god," "the one who stays on the chest of the god" and similar epithets are used for her. I used the word for this goddess 'Lakshmi' for the sake of the readers. Nappinnai, who is considered as Lakshmi, appears in the Pasurams often. Other uses are as follows: "Maayan," "Maayanar," "Maayavan" and the like refer to Maal (Vishnu). Nambi is another name often used by the Azhvars for Vishnu. When the Azhvars say, "emberuman," "embiran," my translation uses phrases like "dear one," "dear god," "highest god," "god of gods" and the like."

Read the entire Nālāyira Divya Prabhandam in English here.

The Sun News Editorials Features Sun Blogs Classifieds Events Recipes PodCasts

About Submit an Article Contact Us Advertise HareKrsna.com

Copyright 2005, 2023, HareKrsna.com. All rights reserved.