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 Divya Desam (, ) or Vaishnava Divya Desams are the 108 Vishnu and Lakshmi temples that are mentioned in the works of the Alvars, the poet-saints of the Sri Vaishnava tradition. By comparison, the Paadal Petra Sthalam are the 276 Shiva temples ...

. The

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

s'', 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 Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is a Hindu holy place, and is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage. It is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage c ...

. 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 Gopi (, ) or Gopika in Hinduism are commonly referred to the group of milkmaids of Braj. They are regarded as the consorts and devotees of Krishna and are venerated for their unconditional love and devotion (''Bhakti'') to him as described i ...

'' 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 The ''Tirupallantu'' (), also rendered the ''Pallandu'', is a Tamil benedictory hymn dedicated to the Hindu deity Vishnu. Written by the poet-saint Periyalvar, it is the opening hymn of the medieval devotional compendium of the Alvars, the ''Nala ...

'', a benedictory hymn written by

Periyalvar Periyalvar (), also known as Vishnuchittar, was one of the twelve '' Alvar'' saints of South India who are known for their affiliation to the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. He was the foster father of Andal. Andal, also called as Kodhai, is ...

, 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 Merit may refer to: Religion * Merit (Buddhism) * Merit (Christianity) Companies and brands * Merit (cigarette), a brand of cigarettes * Merit Energy Company, an international energy company * Merit Motion Pictures, an independent documentar ...

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 Nathamuni, also known as Sri Ranganathamuni, (823 CE – 951 CE), was a Vaishnava theologian who collected and compiled the ''Naalayira Divya Prabandham''.Srinivasa Chari, S. M. (1994). Vaiṣṇavism, p.22-24. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers ...

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 Madhurakavi Alvar was one of the twelve ''Alvars'' saints of South India, who are known for their affiliation to Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. The verses of the ''Alvars'' are compiled as the ''Naalayira Divya Prabandham'' and the 108 templ ...

, a disciple of Nammalvar, and the ''

Kanninun Cirutampu The ''Kanninun Cirutampu'' (), also rendered the ''Kanninun Siruttambu'', is a work of Tamil Hindu literature composed by Madhurakavi Alvar, one of the twelve Alvars, the poet-saints of the Sri Vaishnava tradition. Comprising eleven ''pasurams'' ...

''. 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

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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 *