Tirunavukkarasar

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Tirunavukarasar
The 3 foremost Nayanars with Manikkavacakar -
collectively called the Nalvars: (from left)
Sambandar, Appar, Sundarar, Manikkavacakar
Born Marul neekkiyar
Tiruvamur
Titles/honours Nayanar saint, Moovar
Philosophy Shaivism Bhakti
Literary works Tevaram
Tirunavukkarasar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tirunavukkarasar (Tamil: @Q[
Tirunvukkaracar "King of the Tongue, Lord of
Language"), also known as Appar "Father", was a seventh-
century aiva Tamil poet-saint, one of the most prominent of
the sixty-three Nayanars. He was an older contemporary of
Sambandar. His birth-name was Marulneekkiyar: he was
called "father" by Sambandhar, hence the name Appar.
[1]
Sundarar states in his Tiruttondartokai that Appar
composed 4900 hymns of ten or eleven verses each, this is
repeated by Nambiyandar Nambi and Sekkizhar, but only
3130 are available today.
[2]
These are collected into the
Tirumurai along with the compositions of Sundarar and
Sambandar, Appar having his own volumes, called Tevaram.
Contents
1 Early life
2 Conversion to jainism and return to Saivaism
3 Appar's Tevaram
4 Compilation
5 In temple worship services
6 Notes
7 References
8 Further reading
Early life
Details of Appar's life are found in his own hymns and in Sekkizhar's Periya Puranam (the last book of the
Tirumurai). Appar was born in the middle of 7th century in Tiruvamur, Tamil Nadu, his childhood name for
Marulneekiar. His sister, Thilagavathiar was betrothed to a military commander who died in action. When his sister
was about to end her life, he pleaded with her not to leave him alone in the world.
[3]
She decided to lead an ascetic
life and bring up her only brother. He is regarded as a divine arrival of saint vageesar who was a great devotee and
an inmate at lord sivan's kailasam. When the demon king ravana out of arrogance attempts to uproot kailasam that
was on his way back to lanka, lord siva gently presses down the mountain with his right leg finger, that by itself has
sucha profound effect on ravana that he nearly dies. at this point of time saint vageesar prays to lord siva to spare
the demon so that he may be accounted for and taken to his abode by lord vishnu to whom the demon was a
servitor.
Conversion to jainism and return to Saivaism
Tirumurai
The twelve volumes of Tamil aiva hymns of
the sixty-three Nayanars
Parts Name Author
1,2,3 Tirukadaikkappu Sambandar
4,5,6 Tevaram Tirunavukkarasar
7 Tirupaatu Sundarar
8
Tiruvacakam &
Tirukkovaiyar
Manikkavacakar
9
Tiruvisaippa &
Tiruppallaandu
Various
10 Tirumandhiram Tirumular
11 Various
12 Periya Puranam Sekkizhar
Paadal Petra Sthalam
Paadal Petra Sthalam
Raja Raja Chola I
Nambiyandar Nambi
A temple relief depicting Appar bearing
Sambandar's palanquin
During boyhood, Appar was very much interested in Jainism and started studying its scriptures. He went away from
home and stayed in their monastery and was renamed
Darmasena.
[4]
Appar had travelled to Patalipura in bihar to join a
Jain monastery where he was given the name Dharmasena. "Seeing
the transient, ephemeral world he decided to probe into truth
through renunciation."
[5]
After a while, afflicted by a painful illness,
Dharmasena returned home.
[2]
He prayed for relief at the Siva
temple where his sister served and was cured. He was also
involved in converting the Pallava king, Mahendravarman to
Saivaism.
[6]
This was also the period of resurrection of the smaller
Shiva temples. Appar sanctified all these temples by his verses
[6]
and was also involved in cleaning of the dilapidated temples called
uzhavarapadai. He was called Tirunavukkarasu, meaning the
"King of divine speech".
[7]
He extolled Siva in 49,000 stanzas out
of which 3130 are now available and compiled in Tirumurais 4-7.
When he met Campantar, he called him Appar (meaning father).
He is believed to have disappeared at the age of 81 in
Tirupugalur.
[7]
Navukkarasar is supposed to have stayed many years at Atikai
with his sister before visiting other Siva temples to sing in praise of
Siva. He heard of Sambandar and went to Sirkali to meet him.
Sambandar respectfully addressed Navukkarasar as Appar
(father) and he and Appar travelled together singing hymns. Appar
is said to have traveled to about a hundred and twenty-five temples
in different cities or villages in Tamil Nadu. He attained Mukti
(Union with God Siva) in Sadya Nakshtra in the Tamil month of
Chithirai at Tiru Pukalur Siva temple at the age of 81.
Appar's Tevaram
Appars Tevaram hymns are grouped into three books, forming the
fourth, fifth and sixth volumes of the Tirumurai, the Tamil poetic
canon of Shaiva Siddhanta. The compilation of these books is
generally ascribed to Nambiyandar Nambi (tenth CCE). Some of
Appar's hymns set to various Panns, the melodic modes of Ancient
Tamil music - the rest are set to Tirunerisai and Viruttam metres.
In the last four decades of his life, he visited on foot no less than 125
shrines of Shiva, scattered over a territory of thousand miles. He was the only one of the four kuravars to visit the
shrine at Tirukokarnam on the western coast of India. He sang 312 decads comprising 3056 stanzas of devotion.
[8]
All the songs in the Tevaram (called pathikam, Tamil:u) are believed to be in sets of ten. The hymns were
set to music denoted by Panns and are part of the canon of the Tamil music.
[9]
They continue to be part of temple
liturgy today.
[10][11]
Several of these poems refer to historic references pointing to the saint-poets' own life, voice of
devotee persona, using interior language of the mystic.
[12]
Multi-vocal rheotoric is commonly used taking on
personal emotions and genres and some voices of classical Sangam literature. Appar's poems dealt with inner,
emotional and psychological state of the poet saint.
[3]
The metaphors used in the poems have deep agrarian
influence that is considered one of the striking chords for common people to get accustomed to the verse.
[13]
The
quote below is a popular song of Appar glorifying Shiva in simple diction.
[14]
"0 u @u
Gu 0 |u
@ M u G
G "
translating to
"My Lord's twin feet are like the blemishless Veena
like the full-moon of the evening
like the gentle breeze blowing from the South
like the young spring
like a bee-humming pond "
[14]
The tendency to incorporate place names known to the folks in the idiom of the poems is another characteristic
feature of Tevaram.
[15]
The poems also involved glorifying the feat of Shiva in the particular location - the usage of
locale continuously occurring in the verses is a testament.
[15]
According to Prentiss, the poems do not represent
social space as a contested space, the hymns represent the hymnists were free to wander and to offer their praise of
Shiva.
[16]
The emotional intensity of the hymns represent spontaneous expression of thought as an emotional
responses to God.
[16]
Paadal Petra Sthalams are 275
[17]
temples that are revered in the verses of Tevaram and are amongst the
greatest Shiva temples of the continent. The Divya Desams by comparison are the 108 Vishnu temples glorified in
the poems of the contemporary Vaishnava Alvars of Tamil Nadu, India. Vaippu Sthalangal are places that were
mentioned casually in the songs in Tevaram.
[18]
The focus of the moovars hymns suggests darshan (seeing and
being seen by God) within the puja (worship) offering.
[16]
The hymnists made classificatory lists of places like katu
(for forest), turai (port or refuge), kulam (water tank) and kalam (field) being used - thus both structured and
unstructured places in the religious context find a mention in Tevaram.
[16]
Compilation
Raja Raja Chola I (ruled 985-1013 CE) embarked on a mission to recover the hymns after hearing short excerpts
of Tevaram in his court.
[19]
He sought the help of Nambi Andar Nambi,
[20]
who was a priest in a temple.
[21]
It is
believed that by divine intervention Nambi found the presence of scripts, in the form of cadijam leaves half eaten by
white ants in a chamber inside the second precinct in Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram.
[19][21]
The
brahmanas (Dikshitars) in the temple opposed the mission, but Rajaraja intervened by consecrating the images of
the saint-poets through the streets of Chidambaram.
[19][22]
Rajaraja thus became to be known as Tirumurai
Kanda Cholan meaning one who saved the Tirumurai.
[22]
Thus far Shiva temples only had images of god forms,
but after the advent of Rajaraja, the images of the Nayanar saints were also placed inside the temple.
[22]
Nambi
arranged the hymns of three saint poets Campantar, Appar and Sundarar as the first seven books,
Manickavasagar's Tirukovayar and Tiruvacakam as the 8th book, the 28 hymns of nine other saints as the 9th
book, the Tirumandiram of Tirumular as the 10th book, 40 hymns by 12 other poets as the 10th book,
Tirutotanar Tiruvanthathi - the sacred anthathi of the labours of the 63 nayanar saints and added his own
hymns as the 11th book.
[23]
The first seven books were later called as Tevaram, and the whole Saiva canon, to
which was added, as the 12th book, Sekkizhar's Periya Puranam (1135 CE) is wholly known as Tirumurai, the
holy book. Thus Saiva literature which covers about 600 years of religious, philosophical and literary
development.
[23]
In 1918, 11 more songs were found engraved in stone temple in Tiruvidavayil in a village close to
Nannillam and it was the first instance found where Tevaram verses were found in inscriptions.
[24]
In temple worship services
Tevaram was one of the sole reasons for converting Vedic ritual to Agamic puja followed in Shiva temples.
[25]
Though these two systems are overlapping, Agamic tradition ensures the perpetuation of the Vedic religion's
emphasis on the efficacy of ritual as per Davis.
[25]
Odhuvars, Sthanikars, or Kattalaiyars offer musical
programmes in Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu by singing Tevaram after the daily rituals.
[26]
These are usually carried
out as chorus programme soon after the divine offering. The singing of Tevaram was followed by musicals from the
music pillars in such temples like Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple, Nellaiappar Temple and Suchindram.
[27]
The singers of these hymns were referred as Tirupadiyam Vinnapam seyvar or Pidarar from the inscriptions of
Nandivarman III in the Tiruvallam Bilavaneswara temple records. Rajaraja deputed 48 pidarars and made liberal
provisions for their maintenance and successors.
[22]
A few earlier records give details about the gifts rendered to
the singers of Tevaram from Parantaka I of 8th century.
[22]
A record belonging to Rajendra I mentions
Tevaranayakan, the supervisor of Tevaram and shows the institutionalisation of Tevaram with the establishiment
of a department.
[22]
There are records from Kulothunga Chola III from Nallanyanar temple in South Arcot
indicating singing of Tiruvempavai and Tiruvalam of Manickavasagar during special occasion in the temple.
[22]
From the 13th century, the texts were passed on to the Odhuvars by the Adheenams or charitable
establishments.The charitable establishments that ran on philanthropy of individuals and merchant caravans had
come to be because after 13TH century C.E,the time of ancient nation states viz. cholas etc. was finished and the
temples became only denominated, voluntary, charitable places. This is briefed by a 15th-century.C.E.,
chidambaram temple inscription.During the time of cholas etc. the temple hymn service workers were known as
uvacchar and marars. These terms are of very ancient origin and traceable to even early sangam times.
Notes
1. ^ Appar, page8
2. ^
a

b
Dr R. Nagasamy, Siva Bhakthi Chapter 2 (http://tamilartsacademy.com/books/siva%20bhakti/chapter02.html)
3. ^
a

b
Zvelebil 1974, p. 95
4. ^ Sages Through Ages - Volume V: India's Heritage.P.74.K. K. Nair
5. ^ Dr R. Nagasamy, Siva Bhakthi Chapter 3 (http://tamilartsacademy.com/books/siva%20bhakti/chapter03.html)
6. ^
a

b
Vasudevan 2003, p. 13
7. ^
a

b
8. ^ Appar.P.8. G.Vanmikanathan
9. ^ Sabaratnam 2001, p. 26
10. ^ "Glossary" (http://www.templenet.com/glossary3.html). TempleNet. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
11. ^ "Abodes of Shiva" (http://www.indiantemples.com/abode_initial.html). Indiantemples.com. Retrieved 2007-01-
10.
12. ^ Callewaert 1994, p. 199
13. ^ Sabaratnam 2001, p. 27
14. ^
a

b
Aiyangar 2004, p. 35
15. ^
a

b
Sabaratnam 2001, pp. 27-28
16. ^
a

b

c

d
Prentiss 1992, pp. 51-52
17. ^ "A comprehensive description of the 275 Shivastalams glorified by the Tevaram hymns"
(http://www.templenet.com/Tamilnadu/shivlist.html). templenet.com. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
18. ^ International review for the history of religions, Volumes 15-17. International Association for the History of
Religions, CatchWord (Online service)
19. ^
a

b

c
Culter 1987, p. 50
20. ^ Xavier Irudayaraj,"Self Understanding of 'Saiva Siddanta' Scriptures," in The St. Thomas Christian
Encyclopaedia of India,Ollur [Trichur] 2010 Ed. George Menachery, Vol. III,p.14 ff.
21. ^
a

b
Cort 1998, p. 178
22. ^
a

b

c

d

e

f

g
Vasudevan 2003, pp. 109-110
23. ^
a

b
24. ^ Ayyar, p. 23
25. ^
a

b
Cort 1998, p. 176
26. ^ Ghose 1996, p. 239
27. ^ Bhargava 2006, p. 467
References
Ayyar, P. V. Jagadisa (1993). South Indian shrines: illustrated (http://books.google.com/books?
id=NLSGFW1uZboC&pg=PA22&dq=tevaram&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6Zz_TpLoIo6Etge_y6zQBg&ved=0C
EUQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=tevaram&f=false). Asian Educational Services. ISBN 81-206-0151-3.
Bhargava, Gopal K.; Shankarlal C. Bhatt (2006). Land and people of Indian states and union territories.
25. Tamil Nadu (http://books.google.co.in/books?
id=wyCoMKZmRBoC&pg=PA467&dq=thevaram&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cnz2Tt3rHpO5twfhzbzPBg&ved=0
CFkQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q&f=false). Delhi: Kalpaz Publications. ISBN 81-7835-381-4.
Cort, John E. (1998). Open boundaries: Jain communities and culture in Indian history
(http://books.google.com/books?id=WWfnXbVWjKcC&pg=PA178&dq=tevaram&hl=en&sa=X&ei=sy3-
TsnyCIy5twfq64TQDQ&ved=0CGAQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q&f=false). Albany: State University of
New York Press. ISBN 0=7914-3786-8 Check |isbn= value (help).
Callewaert, Winand M.; Rupert Snell (1994). According to tradition: hagiographical writing in India
(http://books.google.com/books?id=GrMwdEqHLzEC&pg=PA194&dq=tevaram&hl=en&sa=X&ei=sy3-
TsnyCIy5twfq64TQDQ&ved=0CGYQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=tevaram&f=false). Otto Harrasowitz.
ISBN [[Special:BookSources/3-447-03542-2|3-447-03542-2[[Category:Articles with invalid ISBNs]]]]
Check |isbn= value (help).
Prentiss, Karen Pechilis; Karen Pechilis (1999), The embodiment of bhakti, New York: Oxford University
Press, ISBN 0-19-512813-3 .
Khanna, Meenakshi (2007). Cultural History of Medieval India (http://books.google.com/books?
id=ZbKv3zyIFD8C&pg=PA66&dq=tevaram&hl=en&sa=X&ei=MrP7TtuiHsq2twedoK3QBg&ved=0CE
IQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=tevaram&f=false). Delhi: Social Science Press. ISBN 978-81-87358-30-5.
Dr. R. Nagasamy. "Siva Bhakti" (http://tamilartsacademy.com/books/siva%20bhakti/preface.html). Tamil
Arts Academy. Retrieved 2007-07-10.
Anna Dallapiccola. 'Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend. ISBN 0-500-51088-1.
"Thirunavukkarasar Varalaru(Thirunavukkarasar Biography)"
(http://www.thevaaram.org/thirumurai_1/nayanmar_view.php?nayan_idField=2).
Appar By G.Vanmikanathan
Sabaratnam, Lakshmanan (2001). Ethnic attachments in Sri Lanka: social change and cultural
continuity (http://books.google.com/books?
id=zKYgia9hiB0C&pg=PA26&dq=tevaram&hl=en&sa=X&ei=e3D_Tr3-
N5CutwfS3P3QBg&ved=0CGsQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=tevaram&f=false). Palgrave. ISBN 0-312-
29348-8.
Vasudevan, Geetha (2003), The royal temple of Rajaraja: an instrument of imperial Cola power
(http://books.google.com/books?id=O1b1N_Dx0jsC&pg=RA1-
PA109&dq=tevaram&hl=en&sa=X&ei=sy3-
TsnyCIy5twfq64TQDQ&ved=0CFsQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=tevaram&f=false), New Delhi: Abhinav
Publications, ISBN 81-7017-383-3
Zvelebil, Kamil (1974). A History of Indian literature Vol.10 (Tamil Literature)
(http://books.google.com/books?
id=OQ33i496MsIC&pg=PA130&dq=five+epics+of+tamil+literature&hl=en&ei=nZLmTrmaIsmXtwf1ka
WfAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CEEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=five%20epi
cs%20of%20tamil%20literature&f=false). Otto Harrasowitz. ISBN 3-447-01582-9.
Further reading
Swamigal, Tirunavukkarasu. "tEvAram of tirunAvukkaracu cuvAmikaL tirumuRai 4 part - 1 Poems(1-487)"
(http://projectmadurai.org/pm_etexts/pdf/pm0173.pdf). http://projectmadurai.org. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tirunavukkarasar&oldid=582655196"
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