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nacciyar thirumozhi 2

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Ramani Naidu • December 16, 2002 


ANDAL LITERATURE IN ALWAR LITERATURE

Any given piece of literature has its own social and literary tradition.
This article tries to study the literary tradition to which the literature
of Andal belongs.

Chronologically the Alwars are listed out as follows : Poykai Alwar,
Bhuthathalwar, Peyalwar, ThirumalisaiAlwar, Mathurakavi, Nammalwar,
Kulasekaralwar, Periyalwar, Andal, Thontaratippotialwar, Thirupanalwar,
Thirumankaialwar.

When the Prabhantha Literature was collected and edited, the chronological
order was not maintained. Muthalayiram, Thirumoli, Thiruvaymoli, Iyarpa -
these are the four divisions in terms of which the Prabhantha was edited.
There are different opinions about the arrangement. However, such arguments
are not relevant to the subject of this article and therefore may be set
aside.

There had been another arrangement of the Alwars in terms of the themes of
their songs. The first three belong to the first group; Thirumalisai,
thirumankai, Thontaratippoti, Thiruppan belong to the second group and
Nammalwar, Mathurakavi, Kulasekara, Periyalwar, Andal belong to the third
group.

The basic principle involved in the realisation of God as a personal reality
is a sense of wonder. This wonder becomes a very stream of rapture
transcending ratiocination and belief in what is seen. This sense of wonder
being sanctified is found in the songs of Poykaialwar.

When was it You skimmed the ocean?
When was it You submerged the world in water?
I am in no position to know anything whatsoever of it!
....
This world is what you have created, swallowed and spat out!

.....
I know not a principle that knows You.

To known, to see and to enter into Him when the self becomes aware it Self -
these are the three stages in terms of which God can be learnt. That is the
message of the songs of Bhuthathalwar.

The songs of Peyalwar describe what happens after the soul has attainted
God.

I saw Your Physical Grace.
I saw Your golden physique.
.......

When the God is attained the self is lost. Rapture sets in. He acquires a
new vision of the Truth that transcends the limitations of space and time.
He begins to enjoy the boundless of love of God for man. He looks at the
world from such a perspective.

Thus the songs of the first three Alwars begin in wonder; proceed to the
wisdom of knowing and finally gets sublimated in experiencing God as a
personal reality. The circle thus becomes complete. When this is properly
perceived, the realisation of the self felt within the devotee that Peyalwar
describes later led to the nayaka-nayaki strain in the Vaishnava literature.
This yogic experience of realising God is more psychological and
experiential than physical.

The Supreme Reality became the Lover and the Love; the experiencer and the
experience. the Atma and the Paramatma; Krishna and Nappinnai. The Supreme
Reality thus made itself two different aspect of the same Principle. In
physical form, man and women explicate the same. The physical became an
explanation to the relationship that is cicumscribed by time and space. The
Principle became the transcendental reality. When the transcendent is
realised in the physical, it becomes the fusion realised in the highest
plane of spiritual existence.

Thus the experiential aspect of spirituality that was given an initial
thrust found an enriched form in the songs of Nammalwar, Kulasekara,
Periyalwar and Andal. The later Alwars then are to be considered to have
maintained an  unbroken chain of experiential content in vaishnavite poetry.

The reasons behind the second classification are different. The incidents
that are supposed to  have happened in the life of Thirumalisai Alwar
project him as a Siddha. There is unity of thought in his songs. We see in
his poetry an attempt at resolving very personal spiritual conflicts with an
objective perspective of the same. There are no hints about the experienced
graceful or gracefilled aspects of God Experience in his poetry. This
impersonal element and objective approach make his distinct from the other
Alwars.

The story of Thirumankai Alwar is an illustration of the realisation that
physical strength in itself has no power. Having realised the futility of
physical strength, Thirumankai learns of the infinite powers of love,
devotion and affection. His poetry is a celebration of what he has realised
when God made him realise the same with a divine intervention in his life.

The life of Thontaratippoti Alwar shows that a person of high birth commits
a mistake and is redeemed by God. His two works, Thirumalai and
Thiruppalliyelucci have remained songs of prayer and praise. We see that he
strongly criticises other religions. So personal experiential aspect of
lived life is not to be found in his songs too.

The life of Thiruppanalwar shows that Vaishanavam as a religious path was
against unfair caste distinctions. Beginning "Amalan Adhi piran" he has to
his credit 10 verses which celebrate the beauty of the idol at Srirangam.
Thus we find no drama of the experiential aspect of religious literature in
his songs.

So, Nacciyar Thirumoli is to be looked along with the songs of Nammalwar,
Kulasekara and Periyalwar as illustrative of the experiential literature
within the Prabhantha wherein we have other kinds of poetry too. Also it is
noticed that Andal Literature is but an extension of the literature of the
first three Alwars.







Ramani


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