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have assembled in the hall od service, and he was answered in the affirmative,
adding at the same time that he himself can come out and satisfy himself. Then he asked them as to what he is
excepted to do, and they said that “if you join us in our singing about Narayana, the
Lord, who dispelled the ‘ego’ in us, and who destroyed all the evil
(Kama, Krotha etc.) in us, our kainkarya nonbu will fructify successfully.”
In this pasuram is awakened a girl resembling Tirumangai Alvar. This can be substantiated as
follows:-
This Alvar has followed the argumentative method in the Padiham “Manamarum
mel nokki” (Peria Tirumoli, 11-5.) as if the argument is between two
Ayar girls, similar to the lie of this pasuram.
Ilankiliye:- This expression can be fitting
applied to this Alvar. This Alvar in his immortal Tirunedun-tandaham,
refers to the parrot in the pasurams beginning with ‘Kalleduttuk-kal
mari kattay’ (St. 13) and in ‘Mulaik- katiraik- kurungudiyul muhilai’ (St.14). The
Alvar calls himself a parrot: cp. ‘Kili pol milarri nadandu’ (Periya Tirumoli 3-7-2). And ‘men
kili pol miha milarrum en pediye’ (Tiruneduntandaham St. 15). More ever, he repeated
like a parrot the Harinama in ‘Nan kandu Konden Narayana ennum namam’
–I have found out the truth and that is , Narayana Namah. Further, he repeated the substance of
Nammalvar’s four works, in his six prabhandas: Compare, ‘Maran panitta Tamil maraikku
Mangaiyar kon Arangam kura; (Upadesarathnamalai-9).besides, the Alvar possessed a beautiful personality, and so he was termed
as ‘parrot’.
Innam urangudiyo:- In the early stage of his life, Tirumangai Alvar was
steeped in ‘ajnana’ and this can be inferred from his utterances:-
(a) ‘Vadinen vadi varuntinen’ (Peri Tirumoli, 1-1-1).
(b) ‘Aviye! Amude!….paviyen unaradu ettanaipagalumpaludu poy
olindana nalgal’ (1-1-2)- (Oh my life! My nectar! I, this sinner, have wasted many a precious day of my life without
realizing you, the All-supreme).
(c) ‘Kalvanenanen’ (1-1-5) –I became a thief,
a dacoit.
(d) The padiham beginning with ‘Taye Tantaiyenrum tarame kilai makkal
enrum, Noye pattolinden etc.,’ (1-9-1 to 10).
“I have been worn out completely by the disease of illusion that is , of false notion about my
relations-as my mother, my father, my wife, my relatives and my children.
(e) ‘Idumbaiyal adarppundu’ (1-9-5) -Hemmed in on all
sides by distresses.
Vallai-un-katturaigal:- The word ‘Katturai’ means words pregnant with meaning and emphatic
in their ideas ! Tirmangai Alvar had sung such beautiful
songs that he termed popularly as ‘Narkaviraj-perumal’ (a master of the four kinds of
Tamil verses). There is nothing to equal the sound and symphony of this Alvar’s compositions
and that is why the expression ‘kaliya oli ceyda’ (Kaliyan rhythnmically
sang ) is commonly found as contrasted with ‘Kurugur
Satagopan sonna’- (Satagopan of Kurugur trasted with ‘Satagopan of Kurugur
spoke). Moreover, whereas Nammalvar composed the ideas of the four Vedas in
Tamil, Tirumangai Alvar composed the six Vedangas in beautiful Tamil verses : He
is the prince of Chitra-kavi as seen by his Tiruvelu -kurrirukkai. Moreover,
his composition have been eulogized as follows:-
“Nenjuk-kirul kadi teepam adanga nedum piravi
Nanjukku-nallamudam Tamila nanaut turaigal
Anjukku-ilakkiyam Arana saram parasmayap
Panjuk-kanalin poori parakalan panuvalgale.” (Tanian by Alvan)
[The compositions of Tirumangai Mannan act as a light
to dispel the darkness of ignorance or ‘ajnana’, as nectar the poision
of rebirths, as a model for the five divisions of Tamil grammer as the quaint essence of the Vadas, and as a fire
spark to cotton of other religions (i.e., religion dogamas). Note here the incident that Bhattar
was able to win over Nanjeeyer, through the weapon of Tirunedunatandham of Tirumangai Mannan.]
Pande un vay arridum:- (We know already your hard speech and
skillful tongue):- This is also applicable to Tirumangai Alvar. He waylaid the Lord Himself
and showed Him his sword and at last gained from Him the Mahanatra ‘NARAYANA’. Further,
He is one who cannot be limited to a restricted vocabulary of words or ideas. He will never obey him. Again, “Pande un vay aridum:- This can be inferred by his utterances:-
I.
‘En ciragin kil adangappenaip peren’ (Tiruneduntandaham,12)
(I gave birth to a daughter who never obeys my instructions).
II. ‘Perren vay sol iraiyum
pesak kelal’. (Tiruneduntandaham,19)
(I gave birth to
her; that is all: she never pays any heed to my words even a bit.)
III. Tan-kalum Tand-kadunatai
nagarum pandit tankovalur-padi adak-kettu, ?Nangay!Nan
kudikku iduvo nanmai enna Naraiyurum panduval
navilginrale.(Tiruneduntandaham,17).
(I as a mother, chastised her by saying
‘Is it proper to our family tradition to dance in glee singing always about the centres Titut-tangal, Tirukkundanti,
and Tirukoilur and do you know the resilt of my chastisement ? She began to sing further about
Tirunaraiyur and thus added fuel to the fire.)
More over, Tirumangai Mannan told the Lord of Tiruvindalur “Vasivallir Indalurir! Valnde
pom nire” (Peria Tiruimali 4-9-4). (O Lord of Indalur! You are capable of Partiality; may you alone Live long!)
This is an example of his hard speech. Besides his hard speech is evident in:-
“Perun-teruve, Urar Igailum
uradoliyen nan
Varar pum-pennai madal” (Siriya
Tirumadal).
(I will come out in the oopen big street on the palmyra-horse caring a
jot for the contemptuous talk of the commonalty ) and in
“Unni ulava ulagariya urvan nan
Manniya pum pennai madal”. (Periya
Tirumadal) .
(I will come out in the open on a palmyra
horse so that the public may look at me.)
Leaving this apart, the expression ‘pande un vay aridum’ can be interpreted as:- that
Tirumangai Alvar has given expression through his own mouth that he was an ‘amsam of “Sranga”, the
bow of Vishnu. How is this idea obtained, one may be tempted to ask:- The answer
is :- that the Alvar sings about Sarnagpani., the Lord of Kundantai (or modern Kumbakonam)
at the outset in his Peria Tirumoli, and also at the end of his last prabhanda, the Tirneduntandaham, thus
giving a clue that he himself is an “amsam” of Sarnga.
Unak kenna Verundaiyai:- can be easily applied to his Alvar for of
all the Alvars, Tirumangaiyar is the only one who sang the peculiar Tirumadals
and the Chitrakavi Tiruvelukurrikukkai’.
Ellarum pondaro pondar pondu ennik kol:- The ‘bhava’ in this line can also be fittingly
attributed to Tirumangaiyar’s life. According to the directions from Kumudvalliyar his wife, the Alvar used to
feed thousand eight Brahamins daily in his household, and it might so happen,
that she could have asked him as to whether all the thousand eight had turned up, and he could have retorted “All
have come; if you so desire, you
yourself can go over and count.”
Besides, the expression ‘Vallanai konranai’……..Vallanai Mayanai reminds one of
Tirumangai Alvar who has got a great liking to address the Lord
as “Anay!”, “Anay!”, Vide the stanza, 10 of the Tiruneduntandaham beginning with ‘Ponnanay’
etc. Also he mentions the killing of kuvalayapeetam in stanze “Avarivai
ceydariyar anjana ma-malai pole, Mevu cinattu-adal velam vila munindu” (Peria Tirumoli,
3-3-7) and also in “Kavala yanai kompositta Kannaenrum (Peria
Tirumoli, 4- 8- 1 ).
From the above elucidation, it is inferred that Tirumangai
Alvar is innately referred to in this parsuram.
The jeeyar School also is of the same opinion.
According to Guru Paramparai, it is Nammalvar
that is awaked in this parsuram (vide the expression ‘Srimathe Satagopaya namaha’)
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