Hinduism - What Is The Tirruppavai?

 


The Nacciyar Tirumoli is one of two volumes of poetry written by the poet-saint Andal (9th century).

Andal was the sole female member of the Alvars, a group of twelve poet-saints who flourished during the seventh and tenth centuries in southern India.

The Alvars were all worshippers of Vishnu, and their emphasis on ardent devotion (bhakti) to a personal deity, expressed via hymns sung in Tamil, revolutionized and reinvigorated Hindu religious life.

Andal's favored god was Ranganatha, a specific form of Vishnu who presided over the Shrirangam temple, yet both of her poetry volumes are dedicated to Krishna, a different form of Vishnu.

This apparent gap might indicate a distinction between personal devotion and literary expression, or it could represent her belief that all incarnations of Vishnu were the same.

Ranganatha was a particular form of Vishnu who presided over a specific location, which was true for most southern Indian temples at the period, while Krishna was a form of Vishnu for whom there was already a significant body of literature but who was not geographically confined.

The Tirruppavai's contents are separation poems in which Andal laments Krishna's departure using the words and imagery of a forlorn lover, fervently waiting for Krishna's return.

~Kiran Atma


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