Nammalwar biography serves as a window into the
life of the great Tamil Poet. Read further to know more on the life
and history of Namalwar.
Nammalwar
About Nammalwar
Nammalwar was a Tamil Poet, regarded as one of the twelve Alwars in
India. He is quite renowned for his beautiful hymns dedicated to Lord
Vishnu. The main aim of Nammalwar's life was to serve the Lord, love
Him, praise him and surrender to Him. Even though he was originally from
southernmost part of India, he won the hearts of people throughout the
country with his beautiful poems.
Early life
Nammalwar was born in Thirukkurugoor (near Thirunelveli) in the Pandaya
dynasty of Tamil Nadu. There is a little disagreement as to his birth
date. Tradition gives the date as 3102 B.C. (i.e., the beginning of the
Kali Yuga), but scholars believe the date to be 880-930 A.D. It is said
that as a child, Namalwar never cried, suckled or responded to external
stimuli. After seeing this condition of their child, his parents left
him at the feet of Lord Vishnu's statue. It is said that, he got up, sat
in the lotus position and started to meditate. From then onwards, began
the journey of Nammalwar on the path of spirituality.
The End of a Long Samadhi
Nammalwar remained in a meditative state for as long as 16 years. A
Tamil poet and scholar, Maturakavi, managed to draw out Nammalwar from
his Samadhi by asking him a question. Thereafter, he took Maturakavi as
his first disciple. He taught him about the secret doctrines of
Vaishnavism. Unable to resist the urge of praising God, he composed a
thousand hymns admiring Lord Vishnu then and there only.
His Poems
The subject matter of all the poems written by Nammalwar is "the
Lord, the soul, the means, the end, and the impediments to spirituality".
The following poems of Nammalwar count amongst his most renowned ones…
Thiru-Viruttam
Thiru-Viruttam, a poem of stanzas, comes up as the essence of Rig Veda.
It describes the event of 'falling in love with the Supreme being' and
symbolizes 'Bridal Mysticism'.
Thiru-Asiriyam
Thiru-Asiriyam comprises of seven sections or seven poems, of unequal
length, within itself. Made up of 71 lines, it describes the beauty of
the lord with the help of the most beautiful words one can imagine.
Periya Thiruvandadi
Constituting the quintessence of Atharva Veda, Periya Thiruvandadi has
87 lyrical stanzas.
Thiruvaimozhi
Thiruvaimozhi literally means the 'Divine words'. Considered as the
masterpiece of Nammalwar, it comprises of 1102 four lined verses.
