The Naalayira Divya Prabandham () is a collection of 4,000

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

verses composed by the 12

Alvars The Alvars () are the Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused '' bhakti'' (devotion) to the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, in their songs of longing, ecstasy, and service. They are venerated in Vaishnavism, which regards Vishnu as the ...

. It was compiled in its present form by Nāthamuni during the 9th–10th centuries. The work, an important liturgical compilation of the Tamil

who lived between 5th and 8th Century CE, marks the beginning of the canonisation of 12 ''

Vaishnava Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, '' Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along wit ...

'' poet saints, and these hymns are still sung extensively today.

Description

The ''Divya Prabandham'' sings the praises of

Narayana Narayana (, ) is one of the forms and epithets of Vishnu. In this form, the deity is depicted in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, symbolising the masculine principle and associated with his role of creation. He is also known as Pu ...

(

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

) and his many forms. The Alvars sang these songs at various sacred shrines known as the Divya Desams. The

'' Vaishnavites'', also known as ''Ubhaya Vedanti'' follow both the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

Vedas FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...

as well as the Tamil-language '' Tiruvaymoli,'' a work which devotees of Sri Vaishnavism regard as the Tamil Veda. In many temples —

Srirangam Srirangam is a neighbourhood in the city of Tiruchirappalli in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A river island, Srirangam is bounded by the Kaveri River on one side and its distributary Kollidam on the other side. Considered as the first among ...

, for example — the chanting of the Divya Prabandham forms a major part of the daily service. It is also recited in some North Indian Vaishnavite temples, such as Badrinath. The Divya Prabandham is recited along with the Vedas, and it is given equal status to the Vedas in the Tenkalai denomination of Sri Vaishnavism, largely due to the efforts of

Ramanuja Ramanuja ('; Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmānuja; 1077 – 1157), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and social reformer. He is one of the most important exponents of the Sri Vaishnavi ...

who enshrined the Divya Prabandham on the same pedestal as the Vedas. Prominent among its 4,000 verses are the 1,102 verses known as the '' Tiruvaymoli'' ("verses of the sacred mouth"), composed by

Nammalvar Nammalvar was one of the twelve Alvars, Alvar saints of Tamil Nadu, India, who are known for their affiliation to the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. The verses of the Alvars are compiled as the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, Naalayira Divya Prab ...

and which forms the third portion of the overall ''Divya Prabandham''. Nammalvar self-identifies as a lovelorn '' gopi'' pining for

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

. The compendium begins with the '' Tirupallantu'', a benedictory hymn written by Periyalvar, wishing long life to Vishnu.

Structure

The text is split into 4 sections of roughly 1000 ''pasurams'' each. They are in order (1) ''Mudalayiram'', (2) ''Irandam Ayiram'', (3) ''Munram Ayiram'', and (4) ''Iyarppa''.

Nomenclature

Pasuram

The hymns or songs sung by the Alvars dedicated to Vishnu are specifically designated the term pasuram in Tamil.

Taniyan

The works that make up the Naalayira Divya Prabandham are usually preceded by a taniyan. A taniyan refers to a stray verse, also referred to as a laudatory verse, that offers a brief synopsis of the life of the Alvar poet, a summary of the themes of the hymns, and emphasises the merit gained from the recitation, listening, or reading of the given text. It serves to glorify both the hymns as well as the composer of the hymns. Six taniyans precede the Tiruvaymoli, the most of any text in the compendium.

Vāḻi Tirunamam

Following the customary recitation of the hymns of the work, a ''vāḻi tirunamam'' is chanted. This refers to a hymn that serves to commemorate or exalt the poet-saint who composed a given work. For instance, such a verse may hope for the poet-saint to live long, or for their names to be remembered for a millennium.

Compilation

The collection, once thought to have been lost, was organised in the form of an anthology by Nathamuni. Nathamuni was born in Veera Naarayanapuram (Veeranam) or present-day Kaattu Mannaar Koil. There is a long time gap between Tirumangai Alvar (the last Alvar) and Nathamuni. In this dark period, nobody knew what happened to the 4,000 verses of the text. Legend has it that once Nathamuni heard some people reciting the cantos of ''Āravāmude'' of Nammalvar at

Kumbakonam Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum), or Kudanthai, is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the hea ...

. Captivated by these ''pasurams'' (hymns), he wanted to know more about them. One of the verses also mentioned ''Āyiraththul Ippaththu'' (

: these 10 out of the 1000). When Nathamuni enquired about the remaining 990, the people who sang the 10 did not know anything about the other verses. But as the song mentioned the name and place of the ''Alvar'' (Kurugoor Satakopan), Nathamuni proceeded to Thirukurugoor and asked the people there about

's 1,000 verses. The people did not know the 1,000 verses that Nathamuni wanted, but they told him about 11 ''pasurams'' (hymns) of Madhurakavi Alvar, a disciple of Nammalvar, and the '' Kanninun Cirutampu''. They asked him to go to Thiruppulialvar, the place where Nammalvar lived, and recite these 11 ''pasurams'' 12,000 times. Nathamuni did as advised, and pleased with his penance, Nammalvar granted him not only his 1,000 ''pasurams'', but the entire 4,000-''pasuram'' collection of all the Alvars.

Hymns

The following table shows the details of the 4,000 ''pasurams'' (hymns).

Notes

References

Sources

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External links

;Naalayiram Text in different formats and languages
In multiple languages.With supplementary textsSorted by the 108 Divya DesamsIn Tamil unicode.
;Nalayiram with Meaning or Vyakyanam (detailed commentary)
With PBA Swamy's meaning in Tamil and Araiyar Swami Sri Rama Bharathi's translation in English.Thiruvoimozhi in Roman text and English translation.
{{Authority control Tamil Hindu literature Medieval literature Alvars *