Vishnuchitta goes to Madurai, Villiputhur becomes Thirvaipadi

“This joyful practitioner of yoga,

Spends all his lawful earnings

In providing food for the devotees of Vishnu

Who travel between the Himalaya and the Malaya Mountains!”

         (Amuktamalyada – translation Srinivas Sistla)

That was how the mighty emperor Krishnadeva Raya described our Vishnuchitta. He was hailed as Periyalvar, for the mighty deed of going to the Pandya Sri Vallaba’s court to establishe the Paratva and having had a divine vision of Garudaruda Vishnu and singing ‘Pallandu’ (hail! live long) to Him. This great feat earned not only the title of Periyalvar (Periya = big), but his Prabandham as described by many became the gateway for the divine 4000 verse compilation, ‘Nalayira Diva Prabandham’. In the order of contents in the 4000, 'Tirupallandu' and 'Periyalvar Tirumozhi' are the first prabandhams, followed by 'Tiruppavai' and 'Nachiyar Tirumozhi' of his foster daughter Andal. But, to know him first as Vishnuchitta is very endearing, taking us through the path of karunya to higher realms of Krishna bhakti in the 473 verses he composed. The ‘Periyalvar Tirumozhi’ with all the pasurams is considered one Prabandham by one sect, and the ‘Thirupallandu’ and the ‘Periyalvar Tirumozhi’ are considered two Prabandhams by another.

My mind already is a cauldron, it always is when thinking of the Alvars, it always boils with the mixture of emotions and inexplicable hurry to understand the mysticism beyond those words. So, I won’t go further into the nuances and get straight to a couple of different strands I want to share today in this blog, on Ani Swathi, the Thirunakshatra of Vishnuchitta.

First, on Alvar’s poetry wherein he signs about the birth of Sri Krishna, his growing up, seeing him and signing about his activities through the eyes of Yashoda. Alvar was the initiator of the genre called Pillai Tamil in the Tamil literature, Tamil poetry. Pillai Tamil is where a poet sings about a particular deity from birth to the initial growing up years, detailing various activities, childish acts, stage by stage. Tamil literature has very some famous Pillai Tamizh kaviyams like the Meenakshiamman Pillai Tamil and Muthukumaraswami Pillai Tamizh. Later in the 19^th century a Prophet Pillai Tamil and in 20^th century a Jesus Pillai Tamil was also published. Writer Sujatha in his ‘Alvargal Or Eliya Arimugam’ mentions that there are over 150 works in Tamil in this genre including one on Gandhi and Kamaraj. Those who do not read Tamil or Tamil poetry today might be unaware of this genre but western scholars as usual have done translations of them, and treatises.

Though Alvar’s work is not included in the list of Pillai Tamil kaviyams, because it does not cover all the childhood stages prescribed in the Pillai Tamil grammar that was developed later,  and perhaps also because it had by that time become part of the compendium of Alvar Prbandhams under the 'Nalayira Divya Prabandham'. It doesn’t matter if it is classified so or not, but they are exceptionally beautiful, and a pioneering concept. A skilful weaving of the childhood leelas of Krishna with the larger puranic and Vedantic knowledge. The language and poetry of course exquisite. It may be difficult for many in the current generation to relate to Pillai Tamil, but for many of us from an earlier era it is very common place - the stories of kids, the way mothers would bathe the kids, beg them to come for an oil bath once they start walking, their pranks, their refusal to eat well or in time. What is there about it, we all do it even now one may say. But, they were like a ritual at one time. A mother who would finish all her household chores then settle down to the elaborate oil massage of  the kid, putting up hot water to boil, mixing them with cold water to bring it to right proportion, the skills of handling the infant, then the food and medicine to be given after bath. After all the cries, the baby would sleep happily for hours after that. That lullaby for the child … did anyone sing it before Alvar, or this beautifully before him or afterwards!

“Manikkamkatti vayiramidal katti

aani ponnal seidha vanna siru thottil

peni unakku piraman thandhittaan

aani kuralane thaalelo vaiyam alandhaane thaalelo”

Brahma sent him the cradle “aani ponnaal seidha vanna siru thottil”, Shiva sent him the ornament worn around the girdle made of golden beads that resemble the pomegranate flowers, Indra sent him ankle bells, the celestials sent various other ornaments, Vaisravana sent him a necklace with charms that carry designs of Vishnu’s panchayutas, Varuna had given bangles made of corals and pearls “ooda kadalin oli muthin aaramum, saadhi pavalamum chanda sarivalayum”, Lakshmi had given garland made of fresh Tulsi, the most beloved mala isn’t it for Vasudeva, and look at what Bhudevi had given him – golden diaper pin and a hairpin with flowers of gold marked with “for Achyutha”. Parvati was standing there with the suganda podi, turmeric, and kan mai (khol). These ten verses are sung today in the concert platforms, made in to albums, by many Carnatic musicians, and oh dear, we would be haunted by the melodious lullaby.

There are many things that haven’t changed in Srivilliputhur. Even today we buy the suganda podi the fragrant bath powder from there, it is very famous, and then the southern Thiruvaipadi still produces so much milk that palgova (similar to peda) is a famous sweet. We may not be enjoying the growing up years of our kids anymore like the Villiputhur ladies of yore, but we at least have the Alvar poetry to know what it was.

After singing about Krishna’s birth, adoring him from head to toe, singing the lullaby, Alvar then goes on to sing what is called “Ambuliya Paruvam”. Calling out the moon to soothe a crying child, to show the moon while feeding the kids have been a very common and there are theories that connect the two to say, showing the moon to have an impact on the child. Yashoda ofcourse takes it to a different level in these verses, after all she had the Paramatma as her child. She teases the moon, "my kid's face is brighter than yours, and don’t think he is small", she threatened him – “aazhi kondu unnai eriyum, iyuravu illai kaan, vaazha uridhyel maamadhi maghizhndhodi vaa” (mind you, he will throw his Chakram at you, if you want to live, you better make it fast).

Next phase is called “Senkirai Paruvam”, when the kid is five months old, will lift its head which wouldn’t have still become firm, and will be shaking. In these ten verses Alvar recalls the deeds He did in various avatars, Narasimha Avatara, Trivkirama, and then the Krishna leelas, like the Kaliya Nardana.

Which mother wouldn’t have enjoyed the first clap, when the kid tries to brings both the hands together to clap. You clap, and the child will repeat it, even as it is shaky, trying to stand on its tender legs. That is the “Chappani Paruvam”. In one verse the kid is an ordinary one playing in the mud, coming back home, brushing all that dust onto the mother’s saree, but in many other verses the kids hands are the Lord;s, the Lord whose hands tore Hiranyakasipu’s chest, the hands that churned the ocean, let those hands clap, “chappani kottugave”.  

From Chappani, it is Talar Nadai paruvam, and I will not go one by one but jump to the “Appuchi Paruvam”. All of us who played with kids would know this phase right. When we would pretend to scare the kid “poochi kaattudhal”, and the kid would repeat the same. Who is this kid who is trying to scare here, not some innocent scared kid, but a kid who had scared his opponents, the one who had killed Kamsa, the one who drove the chariot for Arujna, the one who rushed on the Garuda Vahan to rescue the elephant Gajendra from the claws of a crocodile. This appoochi might just be lost, as a word, expression, and as a kid’s play. It remains beautifully etched here in the Pillai Tamil. Another word or expression that would also be extinct as we all move from talking in mother tongue to the new born kids to English or any other alien language, that is “ammam”. Ammam, mammu is a word reserved for that phase in a kid’s life, and doesn’t get used later in one’s life.

It is a common ceremony, when the child completes a year, to bore the ears. Girls as well as boys got beautiful ear rings those days, and even now the customary ear boring is done for the boys though there may be no ornaments. Yashoda like every mother is worried about the pain it would cause Krishna, yet at the same time she was trying to convince him that it will be done in such a way without much pain. What all she offered to convince him, jack fruits, jamuns and big appams to eat, and also imagine trying to tell a kid what beautiful gold makara ornaments she had ready for his ears. There is so much of practical and routine happenings. She bore his ears but didn’t put the thread in it to keep the bores open till the time they were ready for ornaments because she feared it might hurt his head. Then she worried about the bores getting closed and begged him to come and get the threads tied. Alvar sings 12 verses here for the 12 months, and in each verse each one of the Dwadasa emanation of the four Vishnu Vuyahas mentioned: Kesava, Narayana, Madhava, Govinda, Vishnu, Madhusudhana, Trivikrama, Vamana, Sridhara, Hrishikesha, Padmanabha, Damodara.

Once the child was grown up, as a cowherd kid, was given a staff and was sent to herd the calf. Then the child is called to get the hair fixed, and to wear flowers. Alvar weaves a beautiful garland, and look at the variety, the fragrance – Krishna is called to come and wear shenbagam, malligai, padiri flowers and davanam sprigs, maruvu, lotus, punnai, kurukkathi, iruvatchi, karumugai, senkazhunir. No surprises here, given that Periyalvar was devoted to  pushpa kainkaryam for Perumal and tended a nandavanam (flower orchard) at Srivilliputhur. 

Finally, Yashoda wanted to ward off the evil eye. Like a proud mother initially she kept calling everyone to come and see her beautiful child, describing him from head to toe. Later as a protective mother, she wanted to ward off the evil eye. It is a daily practice when in the evenings the “suthi podal” or the warding off evil eye is done in different ways for kids before the medicine made of various herbal concoctions is fed to the child.  Alvar even in 'Tirupallandu' expresses the fear that nothing untoward should happen to the Lord who had descended on the earth and sang for Him to be the eternal, and eternal well being of Perumal. Here in this section he sings ten songs of “kaappidal” or protection. “andhiyam podhu idhu aagum, azhagane kaapida vaarai”, this is evening, come, the mother calls him.

“Kanrugal illam pugundhu kadharuginra pasu ellaam;

Ninrozhindhen unnai koovi, nesamel onrum iladhai!

Manril nillel, andhi podhu; madhil Thiruvellarai ninraai,

Nanru kandaai endhan sollu, naan unnai kaappida vaarai”

Nammalvar and Thirumangai Alvar sang of viraha, the pangs of separation from the Lord taking the female voice, here Periyalvar takes the role of a mother, expressing every sentiment, love, affection, fear, concern, trying to admonish though the mother was aware it was Paramatma. He adored Him as a child, and he earned the distinction of becoming the father-in-law later.

Pillai Tamil portion itself is so beautiful and such a delight to recollect, so I don’t know if I can add here the other strands I thought about. I will only mention the aspect of Vatapatrasayi here and take it up in a separate post. Why Vatapatrasayi – the kid reclining on the banyan leaf is a very powerful image that is depicted across the country in paintings and sculptures. One never realized that the concept of Vatapatrasayi arose from the imagery in Alvar poetry, specially Periyalvar and the only temple to Vatapatrasayi is in Srivilliputhur. Only temple! Yes, I was astonished when I heard Dr. Devangana Desai say it when she released her book on the subject. 

“Seethakkadalul amudhanna Devaki

Kodhaikuzhalal Yashodhaikkup pothandha

Pedhaik kuzhavi pidithu suvaithunnum

Paadhak kamalangal kaaneere, pavala vaayir vandhu kaaneere”

“Come and see the innocent baby holding the foot in his hand and sucking the toe”, that is the image of the kid as a vatapatrasayi that is etched in our minds from this shloka we all sing, from Bilwamangala's Krishna Karnamruta - "kararavindena padaravindam, mukharavinde viniveshayantam, vatasya patrasya putesayanam, balam mukundam manasa smarami". 

Final strand – living for over three months in fear of an inexplicable virus, I cannot but quote this verse and pray to Alvar and His Lord to show some grace on us humans and lift us out of this fear and frustration.

“Neikudathai patri erum erumbugal pol nirandhu engum

Kaikondu nirkinra noigaal! Kalam pera uyya pomin;

Meikondu vandhu pugundhu veda piranar kidandhaar;

Paikonda pambanayodum pandandru pattinam kappe”

“O Ye sickness that plague the soul like a swarm of ants over a pot of ghee! Flee and save yourselves. The Lord of the Vedas has entered my body and made it his abode, reclining on a serpent bed. No more like old, the fortress is on guard” (Translation by Srirama Bharati)

Pictures from internet