Abirami Antati ( ta, அபிராமி அந்தாதி, translit=Apirāmi Antāti) is a

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

collection of poems sung on goddess Abirami, a deity venerated in Thirukkadaiyur Amirtaghatesvarar Sivan Temple, situated in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. This poetry was composed by Abirami Bhattar (His birth name was Subramanyam) who lived during the 18th century CE, a contemporary to Serfoji I of

Tanjore Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the ...

Etymology

Antati ( ta, அந்தாதி, Antāti) is a classification of Tamil poetry in which last word of a previous verse comes as the first word of next verse. Thus this kind of poem gots its name, Antam (அந்தம், the end) + āti (ஆதி, the beginning) = Antāti. Since this antati was sung in praise of the goddess Abirami of Thirukkadavur,

, it is known as Abirami Antati. Although Tamil literature consists of hundreds of Antati songs, Abirami Antati is praised as one of the prominent Antati songs of Tamil literature.

Legend

It is said that the author of this song, Abirami Bhattar, was an ardent devotee of goddess

Shakti In Hinduism, especially Shaktism (a theological tradition of Hinduism), Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; lit. "Energy, ability, strength, effort, power, capability") is the primordial cosmic energy, female in aspect, and r ...

. Once, when the king Serfoji I visited the Thirukkadavur temple on the day of the new moon and asked him what day it is, he said that it was a

full moon day The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180°). This means ...

- because he was at that moment observing the religious rite known as the Tithi Nitya Aradhana in the Sri Chakra Navavarana krama and was worshipping the goddess as Pournami Tithi. The king was not aware of this rite, provoking his fury and causing him to sentence Bhattar to death. Legend says that the author sung this antati until the goddess appeared in front of him and threw her earring towards the sky, which lit the sky bright like the full moon. Tamil

Shaktas Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti (Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, all ...

believe that recitation of Abirami Antati on the full moon and new moon days would result in impossible boons.

Stanzas

There are a hundred stanzas plus a ''காப்பு'' (Kāppu, protection) verse for

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva_(Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is ...

and a final ''பயன்'' (Payaṉ, outcome), thus a total of 102 stanzas that are included in Abirami Antati. The author praises Abirami as his own mother, regrets his mistakes, speaks of the divine play of his mother and his father,

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

, and her simplicity and mercy. It is believed that recitation of each stanza results in the specific achievement of the devotees. Here is one of the famous stanzas of the Abirami Antati: Pearl like you are, You who are the reddish aura of the pearl!
You are like the pearl studded chain who adds beauty to the chain,
You are pain to those who do not fall at your feet while the panacea for pains of those who fall at your feet, the nectar of Gods,
After worshipping at thine lotus feet, Will I bow before any other, Now and now after.Abhirami Anthadhi English Meaning
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References

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External links

Easy explanation of Abirami anthathi in Tamil

English Translation of Abirami Antati verses

Tamil Stanzasand English meaning

Shaktism Tamil-language literature Tamil Hindu literature Carnatic music