Abirami Antati () is a

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 ...

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

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

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

Tanjore Thanjavur (), also known as Thanjai, previously known as Tanjore,#Pletcher, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the 12th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian c ...

Etymology

Antati (, 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 Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; 'energy, ability, strength, effort, power, might, capability') in Hinduism, is the "Universal Power" that underlies and sustains all existence. Conceived as feminine in essence, Shakti refer ...

. 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 - 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 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 or Ganesh (, , ), 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 the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

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 (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

, 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
/ref>

References

{{Reflist

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