The Mystique of the Love of Divine: Exhaustive Commentary in English on Tiruppavai, Tiruppalliyezhucci & Tiruppallandu of the Azhwars of South India

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Tamil offers the earliest inspiration of Indian culture and from this language came many of the original thoughts of modern Hinduism. The present book is a selection from extensive devotional hymnal literature of South Indian saints, of great antiquity, known as Azhwars. They were deeply inspired by the Vedic literature and the epics, Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Bhagawat Purana.

These compositions are in Tamil language and are regarded as the out pourings of God- intoxicated saints, who had direct experience of the Supreme in their illustrious lives.

Tiruppavai is like the Upanishad for the devout public of South India that tells all about the Supreme Brahman Narayana. Herein the girl's objective in undertaking the nonbu for securing bountiful rains is, in fact, to attain communion with Krishna.

Sanskrit verses corresponding to each of the Tamil Pasuram have also been added to make the work more useful. The sublime bliss experienced by the deep ethos of the writings has been explained in this work. This trilogy is popularly recited in all homes in South India on ceremonial occasions and even in the famous centers of Vaishnava tradition all over the country.

Acharya Narasimha, the author of this work, belongs to an illustrious family of scholars in the ancient systems of Hindu Philosophy. He had been studying various schools of thought over a long period. Though the writings of several scholars, of repute, were unique in their own way, he felt that they do not present an integrated approach, compatible with the sum total of Vedic scriptures, and presented different conclusions, on preconceived theories,

Towards this consummation, the author has the following works to his credit:

(1) Thousand Names of Lord Vishnu - A detailed exposition of the names of the Supreme as contained in the famous eulogy, Vishnusahasranama stotram adapted from the ancient work of Sri Parasara Bhatta (Minerva Press, India).

(2) Five Principal Upanishads: with commentary in the light of 'Sri Bhasya' of Ramanujacharya. (Isavasya, Mundaka, Kena, Katha & Taittiriya Upanishads) Text, Roman, English Tran. with Commentary & Notes. (Penman Publishers, Delhi).

(3) Fundamentals of Integral Vedic Philosophy A comprehensive study, incorporating the principles of unified thought of the Vedic literature (Penman Publishers, Delhi).

This work The Mystique of the Love of Divine is one which provokes cynicism in some minds as to what this insignificant 'Jiva' can offer to God, as a shield of protection, in his endeavour of supreme devotion. All eulogies tend to seek favours from the Lord by praising Him in measures which verge on sycophancy. A few words to explain the ethos of the devotees concern for the well-being of the Supreme are therefore felt necessary.

A 'stotra' meaning praise, eulogises the Lord's inestimable qualities and seeks to convey an ardent desire of the devout to reach His proximity on His sojourn here or hereafter. It is a prayer to enable a curtailment of his misery of Samsara.

Prayers are of three kinds, Satwika, Rajasa or Tamasa. The Satwika prayers do not seek any worldly desires, further binding to Samsara. The Rajasik type of prayers are those having definite urge to seek wordly pelf and progress. Those who are aware of the Stotra literature can easily make out such prayers. The last variety of prayers, viz, Tamasik is those resorted to by minds with spiritual sickness, malice and antagonism and are resorted to invoke lower spirits for causing harın or destruction, to avenge their base animus.

The Stotra literature is thus, profuse with all the three kinds of objectives. The Azhwars of South India, during the course of their illustrious lives of non-attachment, sang the Lord's praises, in soul stirring phrases, without seeking any wordly fruit. Every psalm of the entire collection of the 'Nalayiram' breaths this Satwika aspect of Bhakti, which is unparallelled in the literature of comparable antiquity. The diction is precise and the emotions genuine. This can easily be perceived by any reader who is free from inhibitions or prejudice.

In the first composition, "Tiruppavai" is an example of Madhura Bhakti, a devotion set in the convergence of the soul towards the Super Soul, the Lord. It has a veneer of sublime philosophic exuberance-indicating pure feelings of devotion and a desire to acquire the wherewithals to provoke such a journey, through the means of increasingly refined modes of worship. The individual reduces himself to an insignificant member of the Lord's regime of indescribable magnitude of the six cardinal virtues, the Shadgunas, Jnana, Bhakti, Bala, Virya, Aishwarya and Tejas. The vow that is adopted to achieve this proximity is couched in a language which at first sight appears as an intense yearning of innocent young ladies, seeking the loving care of the Supreme, the one who is peerless in His concern for the devotee. Here the young cowherd (Gopis) lasses, are said to be the incarnates of the Sacred Rishis of Dandakaranya, who had obtained the assurance of the Lord, in His Ramavatara mode. They have sought fruition of their endeavours, the caresses and affection of the Lord. In fact, in the scheme of Bhagavata tradition, the devotee, male or female, regards the Lord as the supreme protector and bearer of the load of his Karma, to rid him of the endless involvement with the birth-death-birth syndrome, with attendant bouts of misery and suffering.