The Arul Nool is a supplement to the

Akilattirattu Ammanai Akilathirattu Ammanai (; ''akilam'' ("world"), ''thirattu'' ("collection"), ''ammanai'' ("ballad")), also called Thiru Edu ("venerable book"), is the main religious text of the Tamil belief system Ayyavazhi. The title is often abbreviated to Ak ...

, and is likewise considered a

holy scripture Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

Ayyavazhi Ayyavazhi (, ''Ayyāvaḻi'' , ) is a Hinduism, Hindu denomination that originated in South India during the 19th century.Tha. Krishna Nathan, ''Ayyaa vaikuNdarin vaazvum sinthanaiyum'', p. 62: "" (The day at which Vaikundar is given rebirth co ...

. This book contains the collection of messages given by

Ayya Vaikundar Ayya Vaikundar, also known as Siva Narayana or Vaikunda Swami, was the founder of the Ayyavazhi faith. The Ayyavazhis believe him to be the first and foremost Purna avatar of Eka-Paran and the god Vishnu (Narayana). As per Ayyavazhi mytholo ...

to his

Disciple A disciple is a follower and student of a mentor, teacher, or other figure. It can refer to: Religion * Disciple (Christianity), a student of Jesus Christ * Twelve Apostles of Jesus, sometimes called the Twelve Disciples * Seventy disciples in t ...

s ('' Citars'' or '' Arulalarkal''), whose names are unknown. Since they are believed to be composed by ''Arylalarkar'', it acquired the name ''Arulnool''. There is no direct indication within the book regarding the time of its composition. Within this literature, ''Ukappadippu'', ''Ucchippadippu'', ''Vazhappadippu'' and '' Pothippu'' are prayer formulae used for worship. ''Chattu Nittolai'' is a book that is said to contain the Lamentations of Ayya Vaikundar. It laments on the sufferings of Ayya Vaikundar and the sanar people. There are also views that Ayya Vaikundar himself sang the content of this book when he came from

Thiruchendur Tiruchendur (Tamil: ''Tiruccentūr'' �t̪iɾɯtːʃen̪d̪uːr also ''jayantipuram'') is a municipality in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is home to the Arulmigu Subramaniya Swamy Temple, one of the Six Abodes of Murugan. Geogr ...

. ''Ayya Cicarukku chonna pathiram, Ayya Cicarukku chonna Sivakanta atikara pathiram'' and ''Tinkalpatam'' are instructions given to people on various aspects of life, including the conduct of worship. The instructions found in these are generally rephrasings of those that are given in ''Akilathirattu''. ''Natuthirvai Ula'' is a set of predictions for the

day of judgment The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

, and ''Kalyana Vazhthu'' is a song of felicitation to be sung during marriages in honour of the couples. ''Saptha kannimar padal'' is another formulation of the story of Seven Virgins given in ''Akilathirattu'', and ''Panchatevar Urpatthi'' is about five folk deities named '' Sivaimargal'', believed to be the soldiers of Ayya Vaikundar. The word ''

Ukappadippu The Arul Nool is a supplement to the Akilattirattu Ammanai, and is likewise considered a holy scripture of Ayyavazhi. This book contains the collection of messages given by Ayya Vaikundar to his Disciples ('' Citars'' or '' Arulalarkal''), whos ...

'' in

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 ...

means "The song of the

Aeon The word aeon , also spelled eon (in American and Australian English), originally meant "life", "vital force" or "being", "generation" or "a period of time", though it tended to be translated as "age" in the sense of "ages", "forever", "timele ...

". It is present in Arul Nool. This ''Ukappatippu'' is not to be confused with '' Uccippadippu'', the noon Prayer. The ''Ukappadippu'' consists of six verses, and each was chanted eleven times by the devotees in ''

Pathi Pathi ( - "The place where God is") is the name of the primary centres of congregational worship for the South Indian religious system of Ayyavazhi, having a relatively large structure like that of a temple. They are seven in number. The Pathis ...

s'' and ''

Nizhal Thangal Nizhal Thangal () () also called Inai Thangals) are secondary worship places of the Ayyavazhi, often smaller in size than Pathis, built per the instructions of Akilattirattu Ammanai. Cleanliness is strictly enforced. Though the common people, m ...

s'' twice a day; at dawn and at dusk after the ''

Panividai Ayyavazhi rituals are the religious practices prevalent among the followers of Ayyavazhi. Most of them are connected with Akilam and Arul Nool and a few, though not associated with the holy books, are practiced for over a century right from the b ...

''. The word ''Ucchippadippu'' in

means "Things to be chanted at noontide". This ''Ucchippatippu'' is not to be confused with ''Ukappatippu'' (see above). The ''Ucchippadippu'' is the noon prayer chanted in

Pathis Pathi ( - "The place where God is") is the name of the primary centres of congregational worship for the South Indian religious system of Ayyavazhi, having a relatively large structure like that of a temple. They are seven in number. The Pathis ...

'' and ''

Nizhal Thangals Nizhal Thangal () () also called Inai Thangals) are secondary worship places of the Ayyavazhi, often smaller in size than Pathis, built per the instructions of Akilattirattu Ammanai. Cleanliness is strictly enforced. Though the common people, ma ...

'', exactly at 12:00 noon. This is also found in Arul Nool. The ''Panchathevar Urppatthi'' section explains the situation and the way by which the '' Sivaimar'' were created. The ''Natuttheervai Ula'' section details the happenings of the day of final judgment. The ''Kalyana Vazhthu'' is the ballad which was sung during the marriages of the followers of Ayyavazhi. Most of the lines of this part are extracts from

Akilam Akilathirattu Ammanai (; ''akilam'' ("world"), ''thirattu'' ("collection"), ''ammanai'' ("ballad")), also called Thiru Edu ("venerable book"), is the main religious text of the Tamil belief system Ayyavazhi. The title is often abbreviated to Ak ...

References

* N. Vivekanandan (2001), ''Arul Nool Moolamum Uraiyum'', Vivekananda Publications, Nagercoil. * C. Paulose (2002), ''Advaita Philosophy of Brahmasri Chattampi Swamikal'', Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Ayya Vaikunta Nather Sidhasramam, Pothaiyadi. * G. Patrick (2003), ''Religion and Subaltern Agency'', Department of Christian Studies,

University of Madras The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

. * P.Sundaram Swamigal and K. Ponnumani (2000), ''Ucchippadippu'', Ayyavaikunta Nather Sidhasramam, Pothaiyadi. * R. Shunmugam (2001), ''Nadar Kulathil Narayanar Avataram'', Nadar Kuladeepam Publications, Karankadu. * R. Ponnu (2000), ''Sri Vaikunda Swamigal and Struggle for Social Equality in South India'',

Madurai Kamaraj University Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) is a public state university located in Madurai city, in southern Tamil Nadu, India, that was established in 1966. MKU is one of the 15 universities in India with the University with Potential for Excellence sta ...

, Ram Publishers,

Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...

. * N. Elango and Vijaya Shanthi Elango (1997), ''Ayya Vaikuntar - The Light of the World'', (Published by the authors). * R. Ponnu (2002), ''Vaikunda Swamikal Ore Avataram'', Ram Publishers, Madurai. * T. Krishnanathan (2000), ''Ayya Vaikundarin Vazhvum Sinthanaiyum'',

, Thinai Publications,

Nagercoil Nagercoil, natively spelt as Nāgarkovil (, "Temple of the Nāgas", or Nagaraja-Temple), is a Municipal Corporation city and the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District in Tamil Nadu state, India. Situated close to the tip of the ...

. {{Ayyavazhi large Ayyavazhi mythology Ayyavazhi texts Tamil Hindu literature

See also

References