Alvars


The Alvars/'Azhwars' are the Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused bhakti to the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, through their songs of longing, ecstasy, and service. They are venerated in Vaishnavism, which regards Vishnu as the Ultimate Reality.
Orthodoxy posits the number of Alvars as ten, though there are other references that include Andal and Madhurakavi Alvar, making the number 12. Andal is the only female Alvar. Together with the 63 contemporary Shaivite Nayanars, they are among the most important saints from Tamil Nadu.
The twelve Alvars were:
The Alvars are considered the twelve supreme devotees of Vishnu in Sri Vaishnavism, who were instrumental in popularising Vaishnavism in the Tamil-speaking regions. The Alvars were influential in promoting the Bhagavata Sampradaya and the two Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The religious works of these saints in Tamil, and their hymns, are compiled as the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, containing 4000 verses, and the 108 temples revered in their hymns are classified as Divya Desams. The verses of the various Alvars were compiled by Nathamuni, a 9th-century Vaishnavite theologian, who called it the "Dravida Veda" or the "Tamil Veda". The songs of the Prabandham are regularly sung in various Vishnu temples of South India, daily, and also during festivals.

Etymology

Traditional and Common Understanding

The precise meaning of the term Āḻvār has been debated. The common understanding is that the traditional meaning is derived from the Tamil root āḻ or azh which means "deep". From this, definitions such as "one who has plunged deep into the divine", "who is immersed in deep meditation", "god-intoxicated mystics", and "one who is deeply immersed in God's experience" are commonly given.

Earlier Etymologies

Scholars like S. Palaniappan argue that the original term āḷvār underwent a process of sound variation, taking the form āḻvār. This linguistic shift and the subsequent folk etymology are seen to have occurred over approximately two centuries in the Srirangam area. Some linguistic analyses show that the term was initially āḷvār, meaning "to rule". In this sense it could mean "those who rule, lords". This interpretation is supported by its semantic parallel with Nāyaṉār, the title given to Saivite saints. Early temple inscriptions also give weight to this etymology. The term āḷvāṉ is also found in earlier texts, including in reference to Vishnu's devotees and even to Vishnu himself. Andal, the only woman Alvar, is referred to as āṇṭāḷ "the lady". This is seen as a fairly precise semantic parallel to āḷvār in the sense of "lord" or "ruler".

Legend

Divine Origins and Miraculous Births

A central theme of the Alvar legends is their divine origin, with Vishnu reportedly sending his various insignia to Earth to be incarnated as the Alvars. For example, Poygai Alvar is believed to be the incarnation of Vishnu's conch, Bhoothath Alvar of his spiritual mace, and Pey Alvar of the Nandaka sword. Other Alvars are linked to Vishnu's divine attendants or attributes, such as Nammalvar as Vishvaksena, Kulasekhara Alvar as the Kaustubha gem, Periyalvar as Garuda, and Tirumangai Alvar as Vishnu's bow.
Many are said to have had supernatural births rather than natural ones. Poygai Alvar reportedly emerged from a lotus flower, Bhoothath Alvar from a madhavi flower, and Pey Alvar from a red lotus. Andal was discovered as an infant in a flower garden, and Nammalvar was found by his foster parents in the hollow of a tamarind tree.

Specific Alvar Legends

  • The first three Alvars are said to have been born on three consecutive days and later met by chance in a narrow passageway in Tirukkovalur during a storm, where Vishnu revealed himself to them.
  • Nammalvar's legend tells of him remaining in yogic meditation under a tamarind tree from birth until the age of sixteen, speaking his first words as an esoteric answer to Madhurakavi Alvar.
  • Tirumangai Alvar's life is recounted as a transformation from a brigand to a saint. Legends include him robbing a Buddhist shrine to fund the construction of the fourth wall of the Srirangam temple, with the Lord's assistance. He also reportedly engaged in a poetical contest with the Saiva saint Sambandar.
  • The only female Alvar, Andal is renowned as a bridal mystic who vowed to marry only Vishnu/Krishna. Her legend culminates in her mystical marriage to Lord Ranganatha at Srirangam, where she is said to have been absorbed into the deity.
  • One legend recounts that when a Pandyan king tried to coerce Tirumalisai Alvar's disciple, Kannikrishna, to compose songs in his honor, Vishnu himself left his temple to follow the Alvar, only returning after the king humbly apologized.
  • Tiruppan Alvar's legend highlights that he was carried on the shoulders of a temple priest, despite belonging to the lowest caste, into the sanctum sanctorum of Srirangam, where he merged with the deity.

    Dating

Traditional Dating

Traditionally the Alvars are said to have lived in ancient times. The first three Alvars are believed to have been born at the end of the Dvapara Yuga, corresponding to around 4203 BCE. Madhurakavi is believed to have also been born in Dvapara Yuga, corresponding to 3222 BCE. Nammalvar, Kulashekhara Alvar, Periyalvar, and Andal are placed in the first century of the Kali Yuga. Specific dates such as Nammalvar in 3102 BCE, Kulashekhara in 2075 BCE, Periyalvar in 3056 BCE, and Andal in 3005 BCE are also given. Thondaradippodi Alvar, Thiruppaan Alvar, and Thirumangai Alvar are dated to 2803 BCE, 758 BCE, and 2702 BCE respectively.

General Scholarly Consensus

The Encyclopædia Britannica says that Alvars lived between 7th and 10th centuries CE. Professor of Religion and Asian Studies, James G. Lochtefeld of Carthage College, notes in his The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, the first three Alvars Poigai, Bhoothath and Pey belonged to the 7th century; while Nammalvar and Madhurakavi belonged to the 10th century; while the rest of them lived in the 9th century.
Modern scholarship generally places the Alvars in the early medieval period. Most sources agree that the Alvars "probably lived between the sixth and the tenth centuries CE", or more specifically, between the fifth and eighth centuries CE. One source suggests their age as a class lies "between somewhere about the commencement of the 3rd century A.D. and the 9th century." This period aligns with the Pallava, Chola, and Pandya kingdoms in Tamil Nadu, a time when Tamil bhakti literature emerged.
A significant point in dating the Alvars is their relationship with Ramanuja. Scholars agree that the Alvars considerably predated Ramanuja, as his theology was heavily influenced by their teachings. This refutes earlier views by Bishop Caldwell and M. Seshagiri Sastriar, who mistakenly believed the Alvars were disciples of Ramanuja.

Works

Naalayira Divya Prabandham

The main collection of works of devotional poetry created by the Alvars, compiled by Nathamuni, is known as the Naalayira Divya Prabandham, with 4,000 verses.. These works include:
After the era of the Alvars, a few of the poems from the Divya Prabandham were said to be lost. Nathmuni in the 10th century is said to have gone on search for these lost works. He is said to have been blessed with the revelation of three short works by Nammalvar and around 20 poems composed by other poets.

Commentaries and other works

These works have been the subject of extensive commentaries and other literary works by later scholars and saints. These are:
  • On the entire corpus:
  • * Commentary by Periyavāccān Piḷḷai.
  • * Commentary by Periya Parakālasvāmi.
  • * Nigama Parimaḷa by Vedānta Deśika
  • Commentaries on the Tiruvāymoḻi:
  • * Ārāyirappaḍi by Tirukkurukaipirān Piḷḷān, a direct disciple of Ramanuja.
  • ** sub-commentary on Ārāyirappaḍi called Irupattunālāyirappāḍi by Vedānta Rāmānuja/Sākṣātsvāmi.
  • * Oṉpadināyirappaḍi by Nañjīyar.
  • * Irupattunālāyirappāḍi by Periyavāccān Piḷḷai.
  • * Īḍu Muppattiyārāyarappāḍi by Vaḍakkutiruvīdi Piḷḷai.
  • * Pannirāyirappāḍi by Vādikesarī Aḻakiamaṇavāḷa Jīyar.
  • * Oṉpadināyirappaḍi by Raṅgarāmānuja.
  • * Padinettāyirappaḍi by Periya Parakālasvāmi.

    Philosophy

The poetry of the Alvars echoes bhakti to God through love, and in the ecstasy of such devotion they sang hundreds of songs which embodied both depth of feeling and the felicity of expressions. The philosophy of the Āḻvārs is fundamentally rooted in devotion to Viṣṇu and forms the spiritual and theological basis for the Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta system. Their poetic compositions, collected as the Nālāyira Divya Prabandham, are viewed as the "Dravida Vedam", containing the quintessence of Upanishadic teachings and philosophical ideas disseminated through the Tamil language to the common people. Their teachings cover the three fundamental doctrines of Vedānta: tattva, hita, and puruṣārtha.

The Doctrine of Ultimate Reality (''Tattva'')

The Āḻvārs posit Vishnu/Narayana as the supreme deity and the sole ultimate reality. They uphold the Saviśeṣa Brahma-vāda, viewing Brahman as the absolute endowed with infinite auspicious attributes. Narayana is described as Sarveśvara, the Lord of all, including Brahma and Rudra, and the primary cause of the universe's creation, sustenance, and dissolution. They emphasize the theological belief in the inseparability of Viṣṇu and Śrī, with the Goddess acting as the mediatrix.
The Āḻvārs refer to five manifestations of God that make the divine accessible:
  1. Para
  2. Vyūha
  3. Vibhava
  4. Arcā
  5. Antaryāmin
The Kṛṣṇa avatāra holds special importance due to its display of God's easy accessibility. The devotion of the Āḻvārs was largely temple-centred, praising the local deities. They frequently glorify God's protective and merciful nature, highlighting attributes such as easy accessibility and gracious condescension.