PB Annangarachariar swamy’s anubhavams on

Thiruppavai
(Thiruppalliezhuchi for azhvars)
Translated in English by Smt. Sumithra Varadarajan

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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1. “pullum silambina kAn”........................................................................................... 3
2. “Keesu keesendru” ..................................................................................................... 5
3. “keezhvAnam vel endru”.......................................................................................... 7
4. “Thoomani mAdaththu”.......................................................................................... 10
5. “nOttru suvargam” ................................................................................................... 14
6. “kattru karavai”......................................................................................................... 16
7. “kanaiththilam kattrerumai” .................................................................................. 19
8. “PullinvAi keendAnai” ........................................................................................... 23
9.”Vungal puzhakkadai” ............................................................................................. 26
10. “ellE elankiliyE”...................................................................................................... 27

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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 “poigaiyAr bhoodhaththAr pEyAr pugazh mazhisai
iyan arul mAran sEralarkOn-tuiyapatta
nAdhan anbartAl thooli narpAnan nankaliyan
edhivar thOtrath thadaivAm engu”

“In her divine work thiruppavai, our dear godhA piratti, soodikodduththa nAchiyar
Sri Andal, from the sixth to the fifteenth paasuram awakens the ten
Azhvars”, enjoys our poorvacharyas in their svabhadeshArtham (these are special
anubhavams of our acharyas which are near and dear to their heart). Andal is
regarded as “anju kudikkoru sandhadhi” (as a daughter to all the Azhvars). In the
above mentioned ten paasurams andal awakens the Azhvars one by one starting with
periyAzhvar, andal’s foster father who brought her up and then she goes in a
descending order till poigai azhvar and in the following seven paasurams explains
the seven thirunAmams respectively. Then she proceeds to wake up the 3 azhvars,
anbartAl thooli, narpAnan and nankaliyan who are going to take birth in future
predicting their birth by her jnana drishti.

Sri PrathivAdi bhayangaram annangaracharya swamy deeply immerses himself in the

anubhavam of andal singing thirupalliezhuchi to the various Azhvars in her
paasurams and explains the correlations in meanings and words in the lines of andal
that indicates the Azhvars. Let us also enjoy swamy’s anubhavams to the smallest
extent possible.

1. “pullum silambina kAn”

This paasuram awakens periyAzhvar (periyAzhvar thirupalliezhuchi). Andal calls
periAzhvar as “pillAi!” One who is ignorant is called as “pillAi”. What is
periAzhvar’s ignorance? Periazhvar is ignorant (has forgotten) of the fact that
perumal is sarva rakshakan (one who is the saviour of all) and hence he does
mangalasasanams to perumal for the welfare of emperuman. Hence andal calls
periAzhvar as “pillAi”. “jnana vibhAga kAryamAna agnAnaththAlE
varumavaiellAm adikazhanju perum” says pillai ulagAriyan in his Srivachana
bhooshanam. Here lokAcharya shows that agnanam (the agnanam that has arised due
to the ultimate jnanam covered due to love and devotion) is the root for
mangalAsAsanam. Since this azhvar has spent most of his time in the garden, in this
paasuram andal starts the paasuram indicating the atmosphere in a garden, “pullum
silambina kAn”. “Pullaraiyan” refers to Periya thiruvadi (Sri garudAzhvan).

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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According to the guru parampara prabhAvam periAzhvar is supposed to be the
avathara of Periya thiruvadi (“vainathEyAmsa sambhoodham vishnuchittham aham
bhajE”). Here andal indicates the same and says “pullaraiyan”.

Periyazhvar-Thiruvallikeni

“vellai vilisangu” is a phrase which has been first used by periAzhvar

(periAzhvar thirumozhi 4-1-7). Andal repeats the same in this paasuram to
strongly show the correlation of this paasuram to periAzhvar. “peimulai
nanjundu”-- PeriAzhvar, out of all the leelas of Krishna, first talks only about
the incident of Krishna drinking the poisoned milk of bhoothanai in periyAzhvar
thirumozhi (seedhakadalul) “pirangiya pEichi mulai suvaitundittu” says periAzhvar
in another paasuram. In one another paasuram “nAlgalOr nAlaindhu” periAzhvar
combines the incident of sagadAsurabhangam along with the above incident. So
Andal here also says, “peimulai nanjundu kalla sagadam kalakkazhiya kAlOchchi”.
“vella tharavil thuyilamarindha viththinai vullaththukkonda munivargalum

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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yOgigalum” says andal. PeriAzhvar is called as “Vishnu chittar”-one whose mind is
always filled with the thought of lord Vishnu. So the above line of andal also
indicates towards periAzhvar.

Now that andal has awakened periAzhvar in this paasuram lets see how she awakens
kulasekara perumAn in the next paasuram.

2. “Keesu keesendru”
In the next paasuram, “keesu keesendru” Sri Andal awakens Sri kulasekara azhvar.
In this andal refers to kulasekara azhvar with three phrases, “pEy pennE! Nayaka pen
pillAi! DEsamudaiyAi!” Kulasekara Azhvar in his perumal thirumozhi, “meiyil
vAzhkkaiyai” padhigam calls himself to be a pEyan. Later in his other padhigams,
viz., “Er malar poonguzhal, Alaineel karumbhu, mannupugazh kOsalaithan” this
azhvar talks considering himself to be a girl. Since kulasekarar declares himself to be
“kollikAvalan koodalnAyakan” andal calls him nAyaka pen pillAi. The gem in the
center of a garland is referred to as “nAyaka kal”. In the acharya guruparamparai
garland EmperumAnAr is considered to be the nadunAyakam (one in the middle).
Swamy desikan says this in his ethirAja sapthadhi as “ethirAjEna nibhaththa nAyaka
sri: mahathee gurupankthi hArayasti:” Similarly among the Azhvars kulasekarar
stands in the middle. On one side of the garland stands the first five, viz., poigaiyAr,
bhoodhathAr, pEyAr, mazhisai pirAn and mAran and on the other side, pattanAthan,
kOdhai, thondaradipodi, panperumal and kaliyan. Hence it is apt to call kulasekarar
in the middle as nAyaka pen pillAi.

(DesamudaiyAi) In bhagavat geetha Sri Krishna says, “sowryam thEjO thruthir

dhAkshyam-kshAthram karma svabhAvajam” where tEjas has been told to be a
characteristic of kshatriyas. Thereby calling kulasekara perumal as
desamudiyai! does suit him. Further according to the acharya hrudhaya sutra,
“dEvathvamum niththaiyAnavanukku olivarum janigal pOlE rajajanmamum
ezhukkenbArkku pandai nAlil piravi vunnAttudEsirE” and Periya thiruvandhAdhi
(79) paasuram, which has been the root cause for the above sutra, “ mannAttil ArAgi
evvizhivittrAnAlum, Azhiangai pErAyarkku AlAm pirappu-vunnAttu dEsandrE”
tEjas actually refers to that birth which supports bhagavat seshatvam. Kulasekara
azhvar in his “voonEru selvaththu” padhigam clearly shows his deep wish to take a
birth to do kainkaryam to emperuman in any form. Hence there is no mistake in
calling him “dEsamudaiyAi!”

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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In this paasuram, andal uses the word “Anai sAththan”. This is actually a word in
malayalam which refers to a bird (Anasaththam). Since this azhvar took birth in
kerala probably this word is used in this paasuram. “kAsum pirappum” reminds the
jewellery incident in the life of kulasekara azhvar. “Arankeda parananbar kollAr
endru avargalukkE vArankeda kudappAmbil kaiittavan” says a thaniyan on
kulasekara azhvar. The line “vAsanarun kuzhalAychiyar maththinAl Osai paduththa
thayiraravam” brings to our memory the following lines in perumal thirumozhi,
“kendai onkan madavAloruththi keezhaiyagaththu thayir kadaiyakkandu vandamar
poonkuzhal thAzhindhulAva thaN thayir nee kadainthitta vannam”

Kulasekara Azhvar

(nArAyanan moorthi kesavanai pAdavum) kesavan refers to the incident in

krishnavatAram where lord Krishna killed the asura, kEsi who came in the form of a
horse. Kulasekara azhvar first of all talks only about this incident in
his prabhandam as “mAvinai vAipilandhukandha mAlai”. And azhvar completes his
prabhandam saying, “nalanthigazh nArananadi keezh naNNuvArE”.

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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(kEttE kidaththiyO) This azhvar has always enjoyed hearing Sri rAmAyanam from
bhagavatas and not stopping with listening he got deeply immersed in the same and
has even started off with his army to help rAmA fight the asuras.

With the above points it is clear that in this paasuram andal awakens kulasekara
azhvar. Next, we will enjoy how Sri GOdhA nAchiyar awakens vagulabhooshana
bhAskaran, prapanajana koodasthar mAran satAkOpan Sri nammAzhvar.

3. “keezhvAnam vel endru”

In the next paasuram, Sri Andal awakens nammAzhvar who is prior to kulasekarar in
the descending hierarchy of Azhvars. “kOdhukalamudaiya pAvAi!” refers to Sri
NammAzhvar. There is a common error prevailing for a long time to recite
“kOdhukulamudaiya “instead of “kOdhukalamudaiya”. In Sanskrit,
“Kowdhoohalam” means wish. Only that term has been changed to “kOdhukalam” in
tamil. Even periyAzhvar says, “kOdhukalamudaiya kuttanEyO”. Here the wish is
towards emperuman or otherwise those who have got the wish of emperuman
towards them. Sri parasara bhattar while talking about nammazhvar says, “rushim
jushAmahE krishnatrishnA thathva mivOdhitam” meaning that nammazhvar is a
sole representation of Krishna kudhoohalam. Again krishnatrishnA came be either
trishna towards Krishna or krishna’s trishna (love towards Krishna or krishna’s love).

Nammazhvar himself shows his feeling in the following paasuram,

“kaimAdhunpozhiththAyendru kaithalai poosalittE, meimAlA ozhindhEn
embhirAnum en mElAnE”. Like reflecting words of geethacharyan, “priyOhi jnAni
nOthyarththam aham sacha mama priya:” nammazhvar remained with deep love
towards emperuman who was filled with great love towards azhvar. The phrase
“pAvAi!” also suits nammazhvar. In thiruvAimozhi, Azhvar in many places, viz.,
“soozhvinai yAttiyEn pAvaiyE” “enpAvai pOyiniththaN pazhanaththirukkOloorkE”
calls himself similarly.

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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 Nammazhvar-Thiruvallikeni

The word “ezhundirai” should clearly refer only to nammazhvar as he is the

azhvar who is seen in sitting posture in all divyadesams. Our poorvAcharyas
admire this posture as “padmAsanOpa vishtam”. So it will be meaningful only to ask
a person sitting to stand up. (keezhvAnam vellendru) Only during the sooryOdhaya
time the eastern side of the sky will be clear. Similarly the rise of vagulabhooshana
bhAskaran in the starting period of kali Yuga has cleared the minds of people. The
lower part of the sky here refers to leela vibhuti and the upper part is the nithya
vibhuthi. Due to the thiruvaimozhi paasurams of azhvar, this leela vibhuthi has been
turned to nithya vibhuthi (“OrAyiraththul eppaththu vuraikka vallArkku
vaikundamAgum thammoorellAm”, “vaiyam manni veetrirundhu vinnumAlvar
mannoodE”).

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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(erumaisiru veedu mEivAn) veedu means moksham. Siru veedu refers to kaivalyam.
This reference has been first used by nammazhvar in his paasuram, “kurugamiga
vunarvaththodu nOki”. ‘erumai’ refers to thAmasaprakrudhigal (those filled with
thAmasa guna). Before the thiru-avadhAram of nammAzhvar many people where
filled with thAmasa guna and hence they reached siruveedu (kaivalyam) instead of
the real moksha.

(mikkulla pillaigalum ….) The action of stopping the rest of the gopis from
proceeding and halting in front of this gopi’s house shows the importance of
this gopi in their group, which again indicates the greatness of nammazhvar,
prapanna jana koodasthar among the group of Azhvars.

(pOvAn pOginrAnai) The usage of this phrase is amazing. Will we ever say they are
going for going, Then why this usage? This is to show that the action of going itself is
the goal (svayamprayOjanam). Such a usage has been first done by nammazhvar in
his thiruviruththam “pOvAn vazhikonda mEgangalE!”

(vunnai koovuvAn vandhu nindrOm) “koovikkollum kAlamennum kurukAdhO”

“ennai kooviarulAi kannanE” “koovikkollAi vandhandhO” wishes nammazhvar in
many paasurams and hence andal puts the above phrase to make him happy.

(mAvAi pilandha dEvAdhi dEvanai) Similar to andal’s nOmbhu in thiruppavai

nammazhvar also sings 10 paasurams with the same feelings. In his thiruvAimozhi
“veetrirundhEzhulagam” nammazhvar says “EttranOttrErkku” in the start and ends
with “vanthamizh noorka nORREn” and in this azhvar enjoys devAdhi dEvan
starting with his mAvAi pilandha leelai in the first paasuram (“vemmApilandhAn
thannai”).

In his first prabhandham azhvar enjoys devAdhirajan as “emaiyOr thalaivA!” and as

“ayarvarum amarargal adhipathi” in his last prabhandam.

(sendru nAm sEviththAl) “vAnanAyakanE! Adiyen thozha vandharulE” Azhvar

called emperuman to come and give him darshan but now andal calls azhvar to
accompany her to go and have darshan of emperuman.

(avAvendru) Andal says that as per azhvar’s wish, “AvAvena virangAr andhO
validhE kol, mAvAi pilandhAr manam”, “and adiyErkku avAvennAyE“ mAvAi

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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pillandha emperuman will say ” avA”. (ArAindhu) thereby azhvar’s wish “Arennai
arAivAr” will also be satisfied.

4. “Thoomani mAdaththu”
In the next paasuram, “thoomani mAdaththu” andal awakens the next earlier
azhvar, thirumazhisai pirAn. Here the phrase “mAmAn magalE” refers to a bodily
relationship. Thirumazhisai azhvar and andal have a sort of bodily
relationship. As per Sri desikan’s godhasthuthi, “kamalAmivAnyAm gOdhAm” and
“sandha:payOdhi dhuhidhus sahajAm vidhustvAm” andal is none other than sri
mahalakshmi and as per amarakosham “bhArgavee lOkajanani ksheerasAgara
sambhavA” and as per the puranas lakshmi (andal) was born in brughu kulam. As
per the charitram of thirumazhisai azhvar, he was also born in bhrughu kulam. So the
fact that both of them were born in the same kulam has to be kept in mind. Azhvar
took birth as a son of a rishi and then was brought up by a hunter (pirambhan kudi).
Andal was born as a daughter to a brahmin and changed herself as a gopika.

Thirumazhisai azhvar-Thirumazhisai

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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Thoomani mAdhaththu- the manikka gem inside the shell will not be clearly
visible. Thirumazhisai azhvar requests emperuman to show him the darshan of
emperuman as he is inside “vutkidandha vannamE puramposindhu kAtitE” and
emperuman did as per the wish of azhvar and hence it is appropriate to use
thoomanimAdhaththu to refer to thirumazhisai pirAn.

Suttrum vilakkeriya- here the lamp is the light of knowledge (jnana oli). As
per the verse, “sAkiyam kattrOm, samanam kattrOm, sankaranAr Akkiya Agamanool
ArAindhOm” this azhvar has learned all philosophies and hence got a clear
knowledge which is referred to as suttrum vilakkeriya. Azhvar himself declares this
in his paasurams as “yAnarindhavAru ArarivAr” and “en madhikku vinnellAm
vundO vilai”

dhoobham kamazha- It is not enough if one has deep knowledge it has to be

practiced and the knowledge should flourish. One who has deep knowledge will
submit him to the divine feet of emperuman and will not fall to the feet of any other
deity even due to loss of memory (marandhum puram thozhA mAndhar)

tuyilanaimEl kanvalarum- This azhvar was deeply involved with emperuman’s in

sayana thirukolam (reclining posture). Thirumazhisai azhvar spent most of his time
in kachchi vekka and thirukkudandhai. Azhvar lists the divya desams in which
emperuman is seen in reclining posture as “nAgaththanai kudandhai vekkA
thiruevvul nAgaththanai arangam pEr anbil nagaththanai pArkadal kidakkum Adhi
nedumAl anaippAr karuththanAvAn”

tuyilanaimEl kanvalarum mAmAnmagalE- the word magal shows the closeness

(vedhEyathvam). It is a practice for a daughter to listen to the words of the father and
visa versa. MAmAn refers to mahA mahAn (greatest among the great). TuyilanaimEl
kanvalarum mahA mahAn is none other than the emperuman in thiruvekka (sonna
vannam seidha perumal, yadhOthakAri) who did as per the words of azhvar.
Emperuman obliged to the words of azhvar when he said, “kanikannan pOgindrAn
neeyum vun painAgappAi surittikkol” and again later when azhvar said, “vun
painAgappAi viriththukkol”. Then another perumal, thirukkudandhai
AravamudhAzhvan who also reclines on the divine serpant adhisesha listened to
azhvar’s words “ezhundirundhu pEsu vAzhikEsanE” and thereby even today gives
darshan in the half reclining and half getting up posture (uththAna sayanam).

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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Otherwise mAman can refer to the great pEyazhvar who enlightened thirumazhisai
pirAn and brought him to our sampradayam. In the thaniyan, “bhoodham sarascha”
pEiyazhvar has been referred to as mahadhAhvaya.

vunmagal thAn voomaiyO- dumb people express their ideas with actions.
Similarly in perum puliyur azhvar on his way halted in front of a Brahmins
house. There some brahmanas were chanting some vedic mantras. On seeing azhvar
not knowing azhvar’s greatness, considering him to be a low caste person not wanting
the vedic mantras to be heard by him stopped the chanting. Understanding the same
azhvar left that place and seated himself in front of another house. The brahmanas
wanted to continue chanting but were unable to recollect the place they stopped.
Immediately azhvar took a black grain and spilt it with his nail and indicated the
meaning of the vedic manthra where they stopped (“krushnAnAm vreeheenAm
naganirbhinnam”. Immediately the Brahmins understood azhvar’s greatness and
thereby prostrasted azhvar and showed their deep respect towards the great mahan.
Since azhvar indicated the manthra through action andal wonders if he is dumb.

SevidO- a person whose ears have lost the power of listening. In the same
perumpuliyur incident some Brahmins invited azhvar to a yagna where some others
insulted azhvar like sisupala who insulted Krishna in krishnavatharam. Azhvar shut
his ears to the insulting words of those persons and hence andal wonders if he is a
deaf person.

AnathalO- are you asleep? Sleep for paramaikAnthis is shutting their eyes
towards anything other than bhagavat vishayam. Azhvar says, “vunnai
theriththezhudhi vAsiththum kettu vanangi vazhi pattum poosiththum pOkkinEn
pOdhu” and “thozhilenakku thollaimAl thannAmamEththa pozhudhu enakku
mattradhuvE pOdhum”. This mental state of azhvar itself is a sleep for him from
other matters.

A-mapperunthuyil mandhirappattAlO- More than the other Azhvars, this azhvar had
a special attraction towards emperuman and special separation from other issues and
hence he was in the state of perunthuyil. “pidhiru manamillEn piggnagan
thannOdedhirvan, avanenakku nErAn” says azhvar. This strength in words is the
speciality of thirumazhisai pirAn.

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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MAmAyan- “mAyamenna mAyamE” and “mAyamAya mAkkinAi vun
mAyamuttrum mAyamE” says azhvar about the mayam (the astonishing act) of
emperuman in various places.

BhakthisArar -Thirumazhisai

MAdhavan- “mAdhavanai ethAdhAr eenavarE” says azhvar. Further in another place

azhvar says, “thiruvillAth dEvarai thErEnmin dEvu”

Vaikundan- Azhvar declared himself to be the person who has sung his paasurams on
vaikundan “vaikunda selvanar sevadimEl pAttu”. Hence it is clear that this azhvar
has enjoyed singing the thirunamams of mAmAyan, mAdhavan and vaikundan in his
paasurams.

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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 5. “nOttru suvargam”
In the next paasuram, “nOttru suvargam” Sri Andal awakens the next elder azhvar to
thirumazhisaipiran, pEyAzhvar. The yogis, the mudal Azhvars, poigai, bhoodham
and pey kept on moving from one place to another without meeting each other till the
day when emperuman decided to enjoy their satsangam in the corridor (edaikazhi) in
thirukkovaloor. Thiruvarangathamudhanar in his nootrandhAdhi says about
pEyAzhvar as follows: “manniya pErirul mAndapin kOvalul mAmalarAl thannOdu
mAyanai kandamai kAttum thamizh thalaivan”.

Poigai azhvar and bhoodhaththAzhvar lit two lamps and in that light the third
among them, pEyAzhvar saw emperuman and sang, “ThirukkandEn ponmEni
kandEn”. This meaning has been shown in the very first line of andal’s paasuram.

NOttru: The other two Azhvars lighted two lamps and did the required
upAyAnushtAnam. Suvargam is nothing but anandAnubhavam (relishing happiness)
Piratti in Sri Ramayana says, “yestvayA saha sa svargO nirayOya stvayAvinA”.

VAsal thiravAdhAr: In thirukkovaloor, poigaiazhvar entered first and closed the

door. Then bhoodhaththAzhvar came and hence poigayar opened the door for
bhoodhaththAzhvar. When pEyAzhvar came bhoodhaththAr opened the door for
him. But since no one came after pEyazhvar andal here calls him as vAsal
thiravAdhar. This is a very apt phrase for pEyAzhvar.

NAttraththuzhAi mudi nArAyanan: PeyAzhvar is very fond of the thiruththuzhAi,

which emperuman adorns and hence he sings about the thiruththuzhai in many
places. In the second paasuram, in his moondram thiruvandhAdhi he says, “ponthOi
varai mArbil poonthuzhai” and in the ending paasuram,”thaNthuzhAithAr
vAzhvarai mArban”. In between also in many paasurams azhvar talks about
narayanan and the thiruththuzhai he adorns. In the ninth paasuram (nAmam pala
solli), azhvar talks about narayanan, thiruththuzhai and kannan simultaneously.

PandorunAl…... Andal awakens azhvar equating him to kumbakarnan. Andal says,

“You were the person who sang, “kAnkAn ena virumbum kangal” and wanted to
have darshan of emperuman always not stopping even for a second, then how come
you are sleeping so long winning over even kumbakarna who is supposed to be the
best sleeper.” Kootraththin vAi veezhdha – the one who reached the southern
direction, kumbakaranan or the one who has the kumbam as the reason for birth, i.e.,

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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agaththiyar who was born from a kumbam (a type of holy vessel) lost to your Tamil
scholarship. That is why amudhanar also praises pEyAzhvar as thamizh thalaivan.

Peyazhvar at his avatara stalam-Thirumayilai

In this paasuram andal talks about Sri rAmapiran in the middle to indicate
pEyAzhvar doing the same in the middle of his thiruvandhAdhi (“avanE-elangApura
meriththAneidhu” and “eidhadhuvum then elangai kOn veezha”)

In the previous paasuram andal while awakening thirumazhisaipiran says

“ananthalO” whereas here she says “AttraanandhaludaiyAi!” This is because this
azhvar is an acharya to thirumazhisaipiran and hence has been given a special
adjective. Ananthal does not refer to the ordinary sleep but here it refers to the height
of paramaikAnthikam, which has been greatly celebrated in the sastras as
“vurOvinyastha hastAsthE nidhrAyanthE sunirbharA:”

ArunkalamE: This azhvar is the luckiest vessel who has received the grace of
emperuman fully at the very start of his paasuram. Other Azhvars have strived
to get emperuman’s darshan and has finally received the same but this azhvar in the
very start sings, “thirukkandEN pon mEni kandEn”

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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 PEyAzhvar at mAdamAmayilai Thiruvallikeni

ThEttramAi vandhu thira: “Your name itself is pEyAr (a mad person). So Oh!
azhvar get to your self and come and open the door leaving your madness” awakens
andal.

6. “kattru karavai”
Next to pEyAzhvar in this paasuram “kattru karavai” Sri goda nAchiyar awakens
bhoodhaththAzhvar. The phrase “kuttramondrilla kOvalar tham porkodiyE” suits
bhoodhaththAzhvar very well. The word “kO” has a number of meanings. Out of the
various meanings here it indicates srisookthi (works) as in the word “kOdha”.
Kovalar thus indicates to the Azhvars who are capable of making many
prabhandhams. The adjective “kuttramondrillAdha” suits only the mudal Azhvars
(first Azhvars), the best, since they do not even have the fault of being born from the

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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fetus of a mother like the other Azhvars (they were ayonijargal who took avathar in a
flower).

PorkodiyE- In his own paasuram bhoodhaththAzhvar calls him to be a creeper, “kOl

thEdiyOdum kozhundhadhE pOndradhE mAl thEdiyOdum manam”. The creeper,
bhoodhaththAzhvar goes in the search of the tree, emperuman to climb over and
sustain life.

Kattru karavai ganangal pala karandhu- this indicates all the 3 mudal Azhvars.
The rest of the Azhvars gave big paasurams whereas the mudal Azhvars gave short
paasurams in venpA note (a type of poetry in tamil). The first thiruvandhAdhi (work
of poigaiyazhvar) is regarded as ‘karavai ganam’ (group of milking cow), The second
thiruvandhAdhi of bhoodhaththAzhvar is regarded as ‘karavai ganangal’ (in plural)
and peyAzhvar’s third thiruvandhAdhi further changes the term to ‘karavai ganangal
pala’ (lot of such groups). In this way by order there has been a change in the
singular, dual and plural.

SettrAr thiralazhiya sendru seruch cheiyum-we have to move from one place to
another and win over the bhagavat virodhis (enemies to bhagavan and bhagavat
vishayam) declares this very azhvar in his paasuram, “endesiyum pErtha karam
nAngudaiyAn pErOdhi pEdhaikAl! TheerthakararAmin thirindhu”

Puttraravalgul-This refers to the beauty of the hip. Hip in svapadEsa

(poorvacharya interpretations) explanations refers to the strength of bhakthi.
Among the three jnanam, bhakthi and virakthi, Bhakthi holds the center position and
hence the beauty of the hip refers to beauty of bhakthi. This azhvar ends his
prabhandham as, “endralavandral yAnudaiya anbu”. BhoodhaththAr started his
prabhandam with anbu (love) and ended with the same, which clearly shows his
bhakthi nishtai (deep love for emperuman).

Punamayilai-this is one other good reference to this azhvar. Peacocks live in

gardens (pozhil). This azhvar was born in thirukkadalmallai. Kaliyan
(thirumangai azhvar) who did mangalasasanams to this divya desam,
thirukkadalmalli at many places calls it to as “kadipozhil soozh kadal malli”
(kadal malli, a place surrounded with beautiful gardens). Peacocks are very
found of clouds. Clouds are formed due to the water absorbed from the sea. So
peacocks live very happily near the seashore. This azhvar also stood in the
seashore at mahabalipuram.

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

Pictures courtesy: www.pbase.com/svami
 BhoodhatAzhvar at his avatara stalam-Thirukkadalmallai
(Photo courtesy: Sri B. Senthil Kumar)

SuttraththOzhimAr –poigaiyar and pEyar were relatives to bhoodhathAzhvar and the

other Azhvars were friends.

Mugil vannan pErpAda- only this azhvar sings first about mugilvannan,
“vulAKeZhum muttrum vizhungum mugil vannam-Ethum ennenju”. It is natural for
a peacock to praise only the emperuman with the colour of the clouds isn’t it!

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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 7. “kanaiththilam kattrerumai”
Next paasuram, “kanaiththilam kattrerumai” awakens poigaiyAzhvar, the next
predecessor. Generally in sampradayam, sridevi is regarded as the younger
sister and moo devi is regarded as the elder sister. Here andal refers to
azhvar as “thangAi!” “chettai than madiyagaththu” says thirumaalai paasuram.

Poigaiazhvar -Thiruvallikeni

Here elder sister is referred to as chettai (jhesta is the term in Sanskrit).

Sri Mahalakshmi took avataram in a lotus flower. Vazhi thirunAmam of
poigaiyAzhvar says as follows: “vanasa malarkaruvadhanil vandhamaindhAn
vAzhiyE” (one who took avatara in a lotus flower) indicating the birth of
poigaiyAzhvar also in a lotus flower. Due to this similarity it is apt for poigaiyAr to
be called “thangAi!” Andal’s phrase “ninaiththillam sErAkkum” also suits this

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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azhvar since he is the azhvar who sang “pazhudhE pala pagalum pOyinavendru anji
azhudhEn” (I am crying in fear of loosing all my precious time in a useless manner).
So with his tears this Azhvars wets his house and makes it messy. Being born in a
lotus flower, the house of azhvar (poigai) itself is always marshy.

Kanaiththu: It is a general practice for anyone to clear his/her throat before

starting to talk something. There is no one who talked before poigaiazhvar.
Being the first among the mudal Azhvars, poigaiazhvar first cleared his throat,
which is indicated by andal in the term kanaiththu.

Poigaiazvar at his avathara stalam-Thiruvekka

Elam kattrerumai: erumai means mahishee (consort). By lakshitha lakshanAkramam

(a grammar in sanskrit) this indicates “deva dEva divya mahishee” This azhvar is
equated to the divine consort Periya piratti to Periya perumal. “kandru” here
indicates that poigaiyAr has other Azhvars younger to him to follow him.

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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Kandrukkirangi: He gave his divine paasurams due to the grace (krupai) he had on all
of us.

Ninaiththu mulaivazhiyE nindru pAl sOra: On thinking about the divine qualities of
emperuman azhvar lost his control and paasurams came flooding out of his mouth
like milk flowing from a cow on seeing its calf.

Paniththalai veezhanin vAsar kadai pattri: Since this azhvar was born in a lake
(poigai) it is natural for anyone’s head visiting his place to be filled with
dew (snow) drops.

SinathtinAl….: This is the praise to emperumAn’s rAmAvathara. This azhvar has

sung a beautiful paasuram about Sri rAmA which has slipped even the divine
knowledgeable eyes of the maharishis. “poomEya mAdhavaththOn thAl panindha
vAlarakkan neNmudiyai pAdhamaththAl enninAn paNbhu” says azhvar. Andal says
“manadhukkiniyAnai” as a parallel term to azhvar’s words “nAmE arikirppOm
nannenjE!”

EniththAn ezhundhirAi: After singing “pazhudhE pala pagalum pOyina” with great
sorrow (arthi) is it right for you to still keep sleeping? Enquires Sri godha
piratti. Here it is apt to bring to memory the sutra in mumukshupadi of Sri
pillai lokacharya that reads as follows: “pazhudhE pala pagalum pOyinavendru
erandha nAlaikku koopidukiravanukku vuranga viragillai”(it is not suitable for one
who has cried for loosing all his precious time to still keep sleeping)

Anaiththil aththArum arindhu: This brings to our memory the words of

poigaiazhvar, “ariyumulagellAm yAnEyum allEn” With this paasuram andal
awakens all the Azhvars elder to her. Keeping the count of Azhvars to be 12 in
number, andal and madurakavigal are also included in the ghosti of Azhvars.
Thereby this paasuram can also be considered to awaken madurakavigal and andal.
Here narchelvan thangAi! Can be read as narchelvan than kaiyE! (Hand to the good
person). Here narchelvan is none other than nammazhvar. Nammazhvar gave the
divine paasurams of thiruvaimozhi, which was recorded by madhurakavigal who
acted as the hand of nammazhvar, and hence here narchelvan thangAi can be
considered to refer to madurakavigal also.

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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 Madurakavigal-Thiruvallikeni

Again if we consider narchelvan to be EmperumAnAr then his sister is none other

than andal herself and hence here narchelvan thangAi! Can indicate towards andal
also (“kOdhattra jnAnaththiruppAvai pAdiya pAvai thangai”, “perumbhoodur
mAmunikku pinnAnAl vAzhiyE”). All these are only anubhavams to enjoy the
divine paasurams and hence questioning if andal can awaken herself becomes
senseless.

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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 Andal-Thiruvallikeni

In the following three paasurams, Sri Andal awakens the Azhvars who took
avatharam after her. A doubt may arise. How did andal awaken the Azhvars who
were born in the future? Sri PBA swamy answers the doubt by quoting the following
srisookthi of aalavandaar “vidhayascha vaidhikAstvadeeya gambeera manOnu
sArinA:” and bhAshyam of Bhavabhoothi “rusheenAm punarAthyAnAm
vAsamarthOnudhAvathi”.

8. “PullinvAi keendAnai”
The next paasuram, “pullinvAi keendAnai” indicates towards thondaradipodi azhvar
who stands next in the queue of Azhvars. “pOdhu ari kanninAi” refers to
thondaradipodigal whose eyes were always focused on plucking the flowers.
Thondaradipodi Azhvar’s main kainkaryam was pushpa kainkaryam (adorning the
lord with tulasi and flowers). He himself says in his paasurams, “tulabhath thondAya

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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tholseer thondaradipodi” and “thodaiyoththa thulabhamum koodaiyum polindhu
thOndriyathOl thondaradipodi”.

Pavai! This reference also suits this azhvar well. A wife highly dedicated to
her husband is called as pAvai. Thondaradipodi Azhvar was so dedicated to
arangan that he never sang or visited anyother divyadesam. He even refused to
think about another divya desa perumal and hence remained like a chase women
married to ranganatha.

Thondaradipodi azhvar in his avatara stalam-thirumandangudi

NannAnAl Andal starts her prabhandam praising the Tamil month of margazhi
(“mArghazhiththingal madhiniraidha nannAnAl”). Thondaradipodi Azhvar was born
in month of marghazhi, which is considered as the best month by andal.

Kallam thavirindhu: Thondaradipodi azhvar talks about his “kallam” (falsehood) in

many of his paasurams.”soodhanAi kalvanAgi”, “kallamE kAdal seidhu”,
“kallaththE nAnum thondAi”. Even in his story this azhvar has been charged for

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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stealing a golden vessel and then was proved faultless. Only then azhvar joined the
ghosti of bhagavatas. Since this azhvar also like periazhvar spent most of his time in
the garden the reference “pullum silambhina kAn” indicating the same has been
given in this paasuram.

Kullakulira: This azhvar forgot even bathing and doing the daily rituals for
sometime in his story. This has been indicated in the following lines. Then
starting with the words “pullinvAi keedAnai” praises about rama krishnAvataras
have been given. Since this azhvar ends his thirumAlai prabhandam with
“valavezhum thavala mAda maduraimA nagaranthannul kavalamAl yAnai kondrai
kannanai arangamAlai” and in thirupalliezhuchi says “mAmuni vElviyai kAththu
avapiradhamAtiya vaduthiral ayOdhiyam arasE arangaththammA!” thereby talking
about rama krishnAvataras. “PillaigalellArum” indicates towards all the earlier
Azhvars.

Thondaradipodiazhvar-Thiruvallikeni

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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 9. “Vungal puzhakkadai”
In the next paasuram, “vungal puzhakkadai” andal awakens the next azhvar,
thiruppAnAzhvar. Here andal refers to thiruppAnAzhvar as “nangAi! NAnAdhAi!
NAvudaiyAi!” which suits this azhvar well. “Nangai” indicates the completeness of
good qualities. When lokasAranga muni requested azhvar to climb over his shoulders
due to his pArathantriya svaroopam (being a servant) azhvar accepted for the same.
That shows his divine quality. But even when a pious Brahmin carried him, azhvar
was not filled with ego and pride instead he sings, “adiyArkku ennai Atpaduththa
vimalan” (emperuman has made him a servant to his servants) even at that moment.
That is why andal praises him to be a person without pride (nAn-ahankaram,
nAnAdhAi-without pride). Swamy desika praises the divine prabhandam of pan
perumal as, “pAN perumal pAdiyadOr pAdal paththum pazhamaraiyin porulendru
paravumingal” (Consider the divine 10 paasurams of pAn perumal to be the summary
of the vedas). As per the above, thiruppAnAzhvar had the amazing skill to give the
essence of the vedas in just 10 paasurams. That is why andal refers to him as
“nAvudaiyAi”.

ThiruppAnAzhvar enjoys the divine beauty of emperuman holding the conch and
chakra and also the mesmerizing beauty of perumal’s divine eyes as “kaiyinAr
surisanganalAzhiyar” and “kariyavAgi pudaiparandhu milirindhu sevariyOdi
neenda apperiyavAya kangal”. Andal brings back to memory the very words of
pannar and says, “sangodu chakara mEndhum thadakkaiyan pangayakkannAnai
pAda”. This azhvar lived as per the restrictions on his birth which has been indicated
by andal’s words “vungal puzhakkadai” etc. “Sengal podi koorai” etc indicates the
qualities of lokasaranga munivar who appeared in the life history of
thiruppAnAzhvar.

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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 ThiruppanAzhvar-Thiruvallikeni
“engalai munnam ezhuppuvai vAipesum nangAi” this actually conveys a very
interesting meaning. At the start of his paasuram, azhvar says, “adiyArkku
ennai Atpaduththa vimalan” which indicates that azhvar has become the servant of
the bhagavatas and hence he should carry the bhagavatas on his shoulder but in his
story the case is reverse. Only a pious Brahmin carried azhvar over his shoulders.
Here andal enquires, “oh! nangai (one with divine qualities) you committed to wake
(carry) all of us (engalai- refers to the bhagavatas) but I think those were mere words
(vAi pechchu-that which is not real but just a gossip).

10. “ellE elankiliyE”

In the next paasuram, “ellE elankiliyE” Sri Andal awakens the youngest of the
Azhvars (kadi kutti) Thirumangai azhvar. This azhvar gave a beautiful padhigam
(series of 10 paasurams) “mAnamarum mennOkki” which happens to be a dialogue

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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between two aichis). To remind those wonderful paasuram of thirumangai azhvar
andal has made the paasuram to awaken him to also be in the same format as a
dialogue between andal and thirumangai azhvar.

In many of his paasurams thirumangai azhvar calls him to be parrot. “kili pOla
mizhattri nadandhu”, “men kili pOla miga mizhattrim en pEdhaiyE” etc. Thereby
andal calls him as “kiliyE!” Otherwise it is a habit of a parrot to repeat whatever we
say. Kaliyan took avataram to repeat the words of nammazhvar (“mAran paniththa
thamizh maraikku Arangam koora avadhariththa”) so even due to this he can be
called as a parrot. Since he is the youngest among the Azhvars he is referred to as
“élan kiliyE” (oh! young parrot).

The second line is the answer from thirumangai azhvar.

Then andal says, “vallai vun katturaigal pandE vun vAyaridhum” Oh! azhveer I am
familiar with your strength in talking, because you are the azhvar who has the guts to
sing, “vAsivalleer endhalooreerE! VAzhindhE pOm neerE”. PandE! Indicates
knowing what is going to happen even before azhvar took avathAram.

Listening to this kaliyan says,”valleergal neengalE” You were the one who sang
“kollum payanonrillAdha kongai thannaik kizhangOdum, allippariththittavan
mArbil erindhu ennazhalai theervanE” Is your words tough or mine? Immediately
kaliyan was reminded of his own paasurams where he showed the atmost humility
towards bhagavatas (“naNNAdhavAlavunar” “kansOra ven kurudhi”, bhagavata
sheshatvam) and hence uttered, “nAnEdhAn Ayiduga” Then andal says,
“vunakkenna vErudaiyai” reminded of thirumangai azhvar’s two great thirumadals.

Kaliyan then enquires; “ellArum pOndhArO” has all the other Azhvars taken
avatharam before me?

Val Anai kondrAnai mAyanai: kaliyan was one of the Azhvars who sang wonderfully
on the incident of emperuman killing an elephant. He has sung the same in many
places. “Avarivai seikaRivAr anjanamAmalai pOlE” “kavala yAnai kombosiththa
kannanennum” “vezhamum pAganum veezha” etc.

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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 Thirumangai mannan-kumudavalli Nachiyar in Thiruvali thirunagari

MAttrArai mAttrazhikka vallAnai mAyanai pAda: Emperuman has the special

capacity to overcome the pride of those who act against him. In the govardhana
giri vriththAntham (story) he in a very tactful way cut down indra’s pride
without hurting him in any manner. Kaliyan was deeply involved in the above
divine quality of emperuman. That is why he ends his Periya thirumozhi with
“kundrameduththu Anirai kAththavan thannai” and while completing his last
prabhandam thirunedundAndakam he says, “kundreduththa thOlinAnai”.

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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 Kaliyan-Thiruvallikeni

In this way it has been shown that andal has awakened her foster fathers the
other Azhvars in her paasurams one by one. Dealing this subject in more detail will
be interesting but will run pages after pages. So we will stop with this.

Andal thiruvadigalE sharaNam

Azhvar EmperumAnAr Andal Jeeyer thiruvadigalE sharanam

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