Thiruppaan Alvar

Thiruppaan Alvar or Thirupaanazhwar is one of the twelve azhwar saints of South India, who are known for their affiliation to Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. The verses of azhwars are compiled as Nalayira Divya Prabandham and the 108 temples revered are classified as Divya desam. Thirupaanazhwar is considered the eleventh in the line of the twelve azhwars.

Thiruppaan Alvar
Image of the granite and festival image of Thirupaan in Alwarthirunagari Temple
Personal
Born2760 BCE[1][2]
Uraiyur
ReligionHinduism
PhilosophyVaishnava Bhakti
Religious career
Literary worksAmalaanathi Piraan
HonorsAlvar saint

As per Hindu legend, he was born to a couple from the paanar community. Thirupaanazhwar is known for his affiliation to Ranganatha of the Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple and is believed to have merged with the deity.

The ten verses of Thirupaanazhwar are called Amalanaathipiran, and his contributions amount to ten verses among the 4000 stanzas in the Nalayira Divya Prabandam. The works of Thirupaanazhwar contributed to the philosophical and theological ideas of Vaishnavism.

In South-Indian Vishnu temples, Thirupaanazhwar has images and festivals associated with him. The Tirupaanazhwar Avathara Utsavam is celebrated in Srirangam and for ten days in Azhagiya Manavala Perumal Temple in Woraiyur/ The verses of Thirupaanazhwar and other azhwars are recited as a part of daily prayers and during festive occasions in most Vishnu temples in South India.

Alvars
Main article: Alvars

Though the word azhwar has traditionally been etymologized as from Tamil. 'Azh' (ஆழ்), 'to immerse oneself' as one who dives deep into the ocean of the countless attributes of god, a seminal research[3] by the Indologist S. Palaniappan has established that this word is actually a corruption of the original inscriptionally attested pre-11th century 'ALvAr' 'one who rules' or 'a great person' which should be compared with the epithet 'Āṇḍãḷ' ((ஆண்டாள்) for the female canonized Vaishnava saint Kōtai ((கோதை). Azhwars are considered the twelve supreme devotees of Vishnu, who were instrumental in popularising Vaishnavism during the 5th to 8th centuries AD. The religious works of these saints in Tamil, songs of love and devotion, are compiled as Nalayira Divya Prabandham containing 4000 verses and the 108 temples revered in their songs are classified as Divya desam.[4][5] The saints had different origins and belonged to different castes. As per tradition, the first three azhwars, Poigai, Bhutha and Pei were born miraculously. Tirumizhisai was the son of a sage, Thondaradi, Mathurakavi, Peria and Andal were from brahmin community, Kulasekhara from Kshatria community, Namm was from a cultivator family, Tirupana from the ancient musical pāṇar community and Tirumangai from kaḷvar community. Divya Suri Saritra by Garuda-Vahana Pandita (11th century AD), Guruparamparaprabavam by Pinbaragiya Perumal Jiyar, Periya tiru mudi adaivu by Anbillai Kandadiappan, Yatindra Pranava Prabavam by Pillai Lokacharya, commentaries on Divya Prabandam, Guru Parampara (lineage of Gurus) texts, temple records and inscriptions give a detailed account of the azhwars and their works. According to these texts, the saints were considered incarnations of some form of Vishnu. Poigai is considered an incarnation of Panchajanya (Krishna's conch), Bhoothath of Kaumodakee (Vishnu's Mace/Club), Pey of Nandaka (Vishnu's sword), Thirumalisai of Sudarshanam (Vishnu's discus), Namm of Vishvaksena (Vishnu's commander), Madhurakavi of Vainatheya (Vishnu's eagle, Garuda), Kulasekhara of Kaustubha (Vishnu's necklace), Periy of Garuda (Vishnu's eagle), Andal of Bhoodevi (Vishnu's wife, Lakshmi, in her form as Bhudevi), Thondaradippodi of Vanamaalai (Vishnu's garland), Thiruppaan of Srivatsa (An auspicious mark on Vishnu's chest) and Thirumangai of Saranga (Rama's bow). The songs of Prabandam are regularly sung in all the Vishnu temples of South India daily and also during festivals.[5][6]

According to traditional account by Manavala Mamunigal, the first three azhwars namely Poigai, Bhoothath and Pey belong to Dvapara Yuga (before 4200 BC). It is widely accepted by tradition and historians that the trio are the earliest among the twelve azhwars.[4][5][7][8][9] Along with the three Saiva nayanmars, they influenced the ruling Pallava kings, creating a Bhakti movement that resulted in changing the religious geography from Buddhism and Jainism to these two sects of Hinduism in the region. The azhwars were also instrumental in promoting the Bhagavatha cult and the two epics of India, namely, Ramayana and Mahabaratha.[10] The azhwars were instrumental in spreading Vaishnavism throughout the region.[11] The verses of the various azhwars were compiled by Nathamuni (824-924 AD), a 10th-century Vaishnavite theologian, who called it the "Tamil Veda".[12][13]

Early life
Shrine of Thirupaan Azhwar in Sri Azhagiya Manavala Perumal Temple, believed to be his birthplace.

[14] Thiruppaan Alvar was born in Purthurmadhi year, Kaarthigai(Nov-Dec) month, on a Wednesday in the Rohini Nakshatra(star) in a small village of Alagapuri near Srirangam in the 8th or 9th century C.E. Paanars are a community of musicians and traditional song makers who are capable of moving their audiences to states of ecstasy and bliss.[15] While later traditional legends treat the Tamil Paanar community as outcastes historically they have never been outcastes or untouchables as established by Palaniappan. The community has traditionally been treated as untouchables by the Tamil hagiographical literature. In reality they have never been untouchable till today. In fact medieval inscriptions present evidence for their performing Sanskrit drama and for singing and training temple dancers in temples.[16] As Palaniappan states therein: "What is interesting about the traditional views regarding the social status of the Pāṇars is that they were not informed by any real data on the Pāṇars actually living in Tamil Nadu during medieval times. Such real data are indeed available to us from Tamil inscriptions, which present a drastically different picture of the social status of the Pāṇars".

It is believed that he is the amsam (form) of the small mark on Vishnu's chest (legend has it that all alvars are avatars of some part of Vishnu), called as Srivatsam on the chest of Sriman Narayanan.

Being a divine child, his instincts were heavenly and he grew as a man leaving all glamour of the world. Having a veena(string instrument) in his hand, he was always to be seen singing the glories of Vishnu. He was soon famous in and around these Tamil lands of Southern India. His skills as a bhakti(divine) musician and his abilities to express and invoke bhakti amongst his listeners, drew audiences from afar. He was soon to be known as "Paanar perumal".[17] One of the strictures on outcastes was that they were not allowed to use some shores of Cauvery river, considered sacred and pure by the people of the region. Following this stricture, Paan Perumal did not come near the Kaveri river, but mostly stood alongside its banks facing the Srirangam temple and sang his praises to Ranganatha, the presiding deity of the temple. He believed that the conventions and spiritual sense specified by sastras lies in moral conduct.[14]

Reaching Srirangam
Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple

A sage by name Loka Saranga came to the river Kaveri for drawing water for the temple. Panar was in deep devotion and was unaware of his surroundings that he missed the voice of Saranga asking him to leave way. The sage threw a small stone in his direction to wake him, but the stone accidentally hit the forehead of Paanar and he started to bleed. Paanar realised the happening and quietly retired. Unaware of the injury caused to Panaar, the sage returned to the temple. He was taken aback on seeing blood oozing out from the forehead of the image of Ranganatha. That very night, Vishnu appeared in the dream of Loka Saaranga and commanded him to fetch Paanar to the temple the next morning in his shoulders. Accordingly, Lokasaranga requested Paanar to come to the temple. But, Paanar, referring to his lowly birth, declined to enter the holy place. When he was told of Vishnu's commandment, Paanar was beside himself and was lost in a deep trance. Loka Saaranga said that if that were his objection, he could carry him on his shoulders to the temple. When they reached the sanctum, Paanar experienced the bliss of Ranganatha and composed the Amalan Adhipiraan a poem describing the beauty from the divine feet to the face of the Lord of SriRangam in ten verses, and ultimately laid his life at the feet of the deity. Thus, it also portrays how a devotee should pray at any temple starting to first look at the divine feet and be immersed in the Lord's presence. [18] The poem is considered to be sweeter than even the sound of music of the Veena.[19][20][21]

Works

The first pasuram(hymn) sung by Alvar is on Arangan's feet. On seeing the Thiruvadi (lotus feet) of Ranganathan he sang:

Neel madhil Arangathamman thrukkamalpadham vandhu en Kanninullana okkinrathe.

He then started to see the whole thirumeni (body) of Emperumaan and he sang a total of ten paasurams (hymns) which explain the beauty of Sri Ranganathar from his thiruvadi (foot) to thirumudi (head). He explains in his ten paasurams (hymns) about the clean saffron cloth which is worn on the body of Ranganathar, his jewels the thiru vayiru (stomach) from where Lord Brahma originated, the broad chest, the red lips and finally on explaining the beauty of the two broad eyes, he fell down. After some time, Thiruppaan Alwar was not found and he went in to the body of Thiruvaranganathan. Like Andal, whose thoughts were always on Aranganathan, and was enraptured by the love of the Perumal, Thiruppaan Alwar was also captured by this love and he became a part of the Lord along with his mortal sheath. He composed a total of ten paasurams, where he explains how a humans should lead their life. His principal purport in them is : "Perumal is the principal supreme entity and our aims and aspirations should be to attain Him through total surrender to him signified by our placing all of ourselves at his lotus feet".[22][23]

One of the verses reads

Commentary and interpretations

Thiruppaanaalvar's ten verses Amalannadhipiraan and the Alvar's Bhagavad Anubhavam (experiences of the divine) moved many Vaishnava Acharyas(gurus). The ten verses are compiled in the Sixth Prabhandam of the Mudalaaiyram of Divya Prabandha.[25] Vedanta Desikan was moved by the composition of the Alvar and wrote a commentary called Munivahana Bhogam in Sanskritized Tamil - Manipravalam. He also composed four verses in Tamil in his Prabhanda Saaram to elaborate on the significance of the contribution of the saint. He went on to compose a Stotram (divine text) in Sanskrit known as Sri Bhagavad Dhyana Sobhaanam. Vedanta Desikan was so moved by the ten verses of Amalanaadhipiraan that he paid multiple tributes to the saint. Desikan was so overwhelmed by the profoundity of the saint's bhagavad anubhavam that he declared the ten verse compendium to be the essence of countless Vedic texts.

Culture

The devotees of Srivaishnva sect of Hinduism pay respect to the azhwars in a similar vein to their worship of Vishnu. The verses of azhwars are recited as a part of daily prayers and during festive occasions in most Vishnu temples in South India. There are shrines dedicated to the azhwars in most of the Vishnu temples in South India.[26] In Srirangam Ranganthaswamy temple, a yearly birth festival of Tirupannazhwar is celebrated wit Viswaroopa darshan of Ranganatha at the sanctum on the occasion of his birthday. The festive idol of Tiupannazhwar is brought from his birth place in Sri Azhagiya Manavala Perumal Temple at modern day Woraiyur to Srirangam. Tiupana is accorded with grand honours called "Keezha Padi Honours". A Parivattam (silk turban) is tied on the Azhwar's head, adorned with garland, shawl is wrapped around his shoulders and sacred sandal paste is handed to him, all of which are believed to bring a smile on the face of the azhwar. An hour later, the image of the azhwar is taken to Nammazhwar shrine and then Thayar shrine, with the chanting of Nalayira Divya Prabandham with the verses of the azhwar's work Amalanaathipiraan. In the Azhagiya Manaval Perumal temple, a 10-day festival is celebrated that included Araiyar sevai, Veda Paaraayanam (reciting of Vedas), special thirumanjanam (ablution) and procession inside the temple.[19]

Mangalasasanam

There are 13 of his paasurams in the 4000 Divya Prabhandham. He has sung in praise of three temples.[27]

S.No. Name of the temple Location Photo Number of Pasurams Presiding deity Notes/Beliefs
1 Srirangam. Srirangam, Trichy district
Tamil Nadu
10.8625°N 78.689722°E / 10.8625; 78.689722
10 Ranganayagi
Ranganathar (Periya Perumal)		 Srirangam temple is often listed as the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world, the still larger Angkor Wat being the largest existing temple. The temple occupies an area of 156 acres (631,000 m²) with a perimeter of 4,116m (10,710 feet) making it the largest temple in India and one of the largest religious complexes in the world.[28][29] The annual 21-day festival conducted during the Tamil month of Margazhi (December–January) attracts 1 million visitors.[30]
2 Paramapadam Heavenly
Vishnu, Lord of Vaikuntha
 1 Lakshmi
Vishnu		 Vaikuntha is the celestial abode of Vishnu[31] who is one of the principal deities of Hinduism and the supreme being in its Vaishnavism tradition.[32][33] Vaikuntha is an abode exclusive to the him, his consort the goddess Lakshmi and other liberated souls that have gained moksha. They are blessed with pure bliss and happiness in the company of the supreme being for all eternity.
3 Tirupati 13.143°N 79.907°E / 13.143; 79.907
2 Alamelumanga
Venkateswara		 Venkateswara Temple is a landmark Vaishnavite temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Lord Sri Venkateswara, an incarnation of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared here to save mankind from trials and troubles of Kali Yuga. Hence the place has also got the name Kali Yuga Vaikuntham and Lord here is referred to as Kali Yuga Prathyaksha Daivam. The temple is also known by other names like Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple, Tirupati Balaji Temple. Lord Venkateswara is known by many other names: Balaji, Govinda, and Srinivasa.[34] Tirumala Hills are part of Seshachalam Hills range. The hills are 853 metres (2,799 ft) above sea level. The Temple is constructed in Dravidian architecture and is believed to be constructed over a period of time starting from 300 AD. The Garbagriha (Sanctum Sanctorum) is called AnandaNilayam. It is the richest temple in the world in terms of donations received and wealth.[35][36][37] The temple is visited by about 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims daily (30 to 40 million people annually on average), while on special occasions and festivals, like the annual Brahmotsavam, the number of pilgrims shoots up to 500,000, making it the most-visited holy place in the world.[38]

Notes
  1. L. Annapoorna (2000). Music and temples, a ritualistic approach. p. 23. ISBN 9788175740907.
  2. Sakkottai Krishnaswami Aiyangar (1911). Ancient India: Collected Essays on the Literary and Political History of Southern India. pp. 403–404. ISBN 9788120618503.
  3. The role of sound Variation Hpercorrection and Folk Eytmology in Interperting the Nature of Saint poets.
  4. Rao, P.V.L. Narasimha (2008). Kanchipuram – Land of Legends, Saints & Temples. New Delhi: Readworthy Publications (P) Ltd. p. 27. ISBN 978-93-5018-104-1.
  5. Dalal 2011, pp. 20-21
  6. Ramaswamy, Vijaya (2007). Historical Dictionary of the Tamils. Scarecrow Press. p. 211. ISBN 9780810864450.
  7. Aiyangar, Sakkottai Krishnaswami (1920). Early history of Vaishnavism in south India. Oxford University Press. pp. 17–18. poigai azhwar.
  8. Lochtefeld, James (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: N-Z. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 515. ISBN 9780823931804. poygai.
  9. Krishna (2009). Book Of Vishnu. Penguin Books India. p. 136. ISBN 9780143067627.
  10. B.S. 2011, p. 42
  11. B.S. 2011, p. 47-48
  12. Mukherjee (1999). A Dictionary of Indian Literatures: Beginnings-1850 Volume 1 of A Dictionary of Indian Literature, A Dictionary of Indian Literature. Orient Blackswan. p. 15. ISBN 9788125014539.
  13. Garg, Gaṅgā Rām (1992). Encyclopaedia of the Hindu World: Ak-Aq. Concept Publishing Company. pp. 352–354. ISBN 9788170223757.
  14. Govindāchārya 1902, pp. 137-138
  15. Rajarajan, R.K.K. "Master-Slave Ambivalence in the hagiography of the Āḻvārs". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  16. Palaniappan, S. "Hagiography Versus History: The Tamil Pāṇar in Bhakti-Oriented Hagiographic Texts and Inscriptions", Hagiography Versus History", 2016.
  17. Rajarajan, R.K.K. (2016). "Master-Slave Ambivalence in the hagiography of the Āḻvārs". The Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society. 107 (1): 44–60.
  18. Rajagopal, Gowri. Twelve Azhvars - Twelve saints of Sri Vaishnavism. Chennai: Sri Ramakrishna Math. pp. 71–76. ISBN 978-81-7883-592-1.
  19. S., Prabhu (6 January 2012). "Ranganatha suffered his pain". The Hindu. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  20. Nandakumar, Prema (24 December 2012). "Where Kamban released his Ramayana". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  21. Dasan, Sampathkumar Ramanuja (March 2013). "Krishna Voice" (PDF). 14 (3). Bangalore: Sankirthana Seva Trust: 11–12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  22. "Amaladhipiran". ibiblio.org. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
  23. Murdoch, John (1865). Classified catalogue of Tamil printed books. The Christian vernacular education society. pp. xcviii–xcix. tirupan azhwar.
  24. "koNdal vaNNanaik". ramanuja.org. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
  25. "Commetary of Munivahana Bhogam". Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  26. Ul Hassan, Syed Siraj (1920). The Castes and Tribes of H.E.H. the Nizam's Dominions, Volume 1. Asian Educational Services. pp. 130–131. ISBN 9788120604889.
  27. Pillai, M. S. Purnalingam (1904). A Primer of Tamil Literature. Madras: Ananda Press. pp. 182–83. ISBN 9788120609556.
  28. Mittal, Sushil; Thursby, G.R. (2005). The Hindu World. New York: Routelge. p. 456. ISBN 0-203-67414-6.
  29. Vater, Tom (2010). Moon Spotlight Angkor Wat. USA: Perseus Books Group. p. 40. ISBN 9781598805611.
  30. Jones, Victoria (2004). Wonders of the World Dot-to-Dot. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. p. 4. ISBN 1-4027-1028-3.
  31. Maehle, Gregor (2012). Ashtanga Yoga The Intermediate Series: Mythology, Anatomy, and Practice. New World Library. p. 207. ISBN 9781577319870. Vaikuntha (Vishnu's celestial home)
  32. Orlando O. Espín; James B. Nickoloff (2007). An Introductory Dictionary of Theology and Religious Studies. Liturgical Press. p. 539. ISBN 978-0-8146-5856-7.
  33. Gavin Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism (1996), p. 17.
  34. "Tirumala Temple". Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 13 September 2007.
  35. "NDTV Report". Retrieved 13 September 2007.
  36. Sivaratnam, C (1964). An Outline of the Cultural History and Principles of Hinduism (1 ed.). Colombo: Stangard Printers. OCLC 12240260. Koneswaram temple. Tiru-Kona-malai, sacred mountain of Kona or Koneser, Iswara or Siva. The date of building the original temple is given as 1580 BCE according to a Tamil poem by Kavi Raja Virothayan translated into English in 1831 by Simon Cassie Chitty ...
  37. Ramachandran, Nirmala (2004). The Hindu legacy to Sri Lanka. Pannapitiya: Stamford Lake (Pvt.) Ltd. 2004. ISBN 9789558733974. OCLC 230674424. Portuguese writer De Queyroz compares Konesvaram to the famous Hindu temples in Rameswaram, Kanchipuram, Tirupatti-Tirumalai, Jagannath and Vaijayanthi and concludes that while these latter temples were well visited by the Hindus, the former had surpassed all the latter temples by the early 1600s
  38. "Ghazal programme at Tirumala temple". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 30 September 2003.

References
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